I've reviewed Mal Peet's new novel, Exposure, for the Guardian. It's the third of his books to feature Paul Faustino. The first was the wonderful Keeper, which I'd recommend to anyone interested in football or South America. You can read my review here.

“Josh Lacey brings alive Elizabethan England, especially London, with the relish of a tour guide... Bearkeeper is a well-told story with a strong sense of time and place. Pip is drawn with engaging sympathy as a growing lad trying to make his way honourably in a brutal world... this is a highly enjoyable read that firmly hooks into the turn of the 17th century, triggers interest in Shakespeare's plays and makes you pause to think about cruelties humans inflict on animals, now as well as then.”

The Guardian, 17 May 2008

Full review here:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,334182597-110738,00.html

"London in 1601 is the setting for Josh Lacey's Bearkeeper. The thronging citizenry and sewery stench of the capital are brought to stark, vivid life as he tells the story of Pip, a country boy who leaves his village home to seek the father he has believed to be dead for seven years.

For a time Pip falls in with the denizens of the Globe Theatre - Shakespeare included, of course - but it's when he takes custody of a fighting bear that he discovers his true calling, as well as a chance of saving his dad from a gang of vicious debt collectors.

Lacey inserts brief segments of history lesson into the narrative, but in such a way that they don't intrude and instead make the past more tangibly real to readers: he comments on the lack of police in the 17th century or compares a journey that takes 20 minutes by train now but back then was two days' walk. Bloody, brutal and bold, Bearkeeper informs as it entertains and intrigues as it enlightens."

The Financial Times, 10 May 2008

Amanda Craig has written a great review of Bearkeeper in The Times. She says: "Boys of 9+ will love Josh Lacey's Bearkeeper... Pip is someone that every boy will identify with... Like C.S. Lewis, Lacey addresses his readers in informative asides that some will find reassuring and others irritating. But the humour and wisdom of his tale will win him new fans."
You can read the whole review here:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_reviews/article3814930.ece

Bearkeeper isn’t officially published for another week, but the first reviews have arrived. The Daily Telegraph describes it as “a vivid, unusual portrait of boyhood in Shakespearian England". The Bookbag says “the delights of the story and setting come through strongly in a most engaging and powerfully dramatic adventure” and concludes “We recommend it firmly”.

Grk: Operation Tortoise has been getting some great reviews.
In The Times, Amanda Craig picked it as one of her "best summer reads", writing "My favourite adventure for younger readers is the new Joshua Doder, Grk: Operation Tortoise. His hero Tim is on holiday in the Seychelles and a boy and his dog are all that can prevent the extinction of a species. The humour, narrative voice and absence of magic stuff are a delight."

There's also a five-star review in the latest edition of Books for Keeps and it has been chosen by the Daily Telegraph for their Family Book Club. If you follow the link, you'll find an interview with Joshua Doder and Trudie Styler and some notes on the book.

There's an excellent review on the Write Away site which concludes "This is a novel (and series) which is sure to be popular and certainly deserves to be read."