Wednesday 15 March 2017

Carole's Wednesday Review: The Ugly teapot - Fred Holmes

Author:  Fred Holmes
Title: The Ugly Teapot (Book One - Hannah)
Genre: YA, Children's book, and Fantasy
Pages: ebook
Expected publication: March 2016
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Fourteen-year-old Hannah Bradbury loved her father so much that she worried about him constantly. After all, he was a photographer who traveled to the most dangerous places in the world. 


To allay her fears, each time he came home he brought her silly gifts, each one with supposed magical powers: the Seal of Solomon, the Ring of Gyges, even Aladdin’s Lamp. It was that lamp Hannah found the most unbelievable, for it looked like an ugly teapot. Nevertheless, her father assured her it was real, and made her promise to save her three wishes for something very special. 



Then . . . six months later . . . the unthinkable happened. Her father was killed while on assignment to Baghdad. And so on the day of his funeral Hannah did something she never thought she would ever do. 



She took out that teapot and gave it a rub . . .



I was immediately drawn to this book because it is unique. It is different and I needed to read to see what would happen to Hannah and her wishes.



Now, Hannah is a young girl who's father died. Through the convincing of her dog, Griff, (yes they can speak with each other telepathically - which is so cool) she decides to give the teapot/lamp a rub with a single wish in mind...to bring her Father back. Well...things happen and not how Hannah wanted them to. 



This story really does have some good moral lessons mixed in. I liked it, especially since this is intended for a younger audience. It's a good ready even for adults. It is simple and quick to read, but it was good. 



It was a little dark in some places, but not too dark where it would scare kids. It felt like those old school stories my parents would tell me when I was younger. Good stories were not everything is rainbows and kittens, because it is a story to teach you something. I think the best lesson that everyone needs to learn at a young age is that life is not fair and bad things happen. It is all about coping and moving forward.



Hannah was an interesting character. I wanted to learn more about her and her dog. They have some weird ability to communicate telepathically. It was really kinda cool and interesting. I also wanted to learn more about her dad. I did want to kick the mom. How blind can one person be? I get she is mourning her dead husband, but everything could've been avoided if she had been even remotely paying attention. 



The best part of this book was the ending. It was mind-blowing. I did NOT expect it at all. It made me a little sad especially one aspect. WHY!? So sad! 



In the end, this was good. It is a good story for adults and for young adults (I would say between 12+ personally). There are some dark parts, ridiculous parts, funny parts, and heart-felt, but it all complimented each other well and created a good story that teaches some lessons. The ending was insane and sad, but overall well done. I shall stamp this with 4 stars.





13 comments:

  1. that's nice to have a different story like that and it's great if the end is like that!

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  2. Looking at the cover, didn't realize this was for younger audience .

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  3. That does sound compelling. Sounds like a good story.

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  4. Interesting. I would have guessed this was a play on Beauty & the Beast based on the title, but it seems to be more like Aladdin.

    I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  5. Awesome review. This will be great for my nieces. I can see them relate to the story.
    Thanks for sharing. :)

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  6. I would also be drawn to that one because it is different. You also have me wanting to know about that ending!

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  7. Oooh I need to get this one now, thank you!!

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  8. I love it when an ending takes me by surprise, and a book that younger readers and adults will both enjoy sounds good!

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  9. Well, damn, I want to read this just for the ending.

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  10. Huh, this sounds kinda good! I like the telepathic part with her dog. I guess be careful what you wish for huh? :)

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