Synopsis

At only sixteen Clem’s world is turned upside down. His Willy-Loman-like father, a travelling salesman and a loser, is transferred from Eastbourne to Glasgow and along with him go Clem and his meek accommodating mother. But Glasgow is rough and Clem’s posh English accent is not well-accepted in the sink school he attends. And he’s a brilliant scholar. He soon becomes the target for McEvoy’s group of thugs for whom slashing faces is the most important ambition in their depraved lives. When a school tragedy happens, you probably lay the blame on society, the Internet, TV or violent films. Not many of you think it could be the parents’ or the teachers’ fault, do you? But then, is it? We all have our say, spout off opinions in different directions according to our view of the world. In this novel, too, they all have their say, but who’s right?

My Review

This is a strange book.

The Boy Who Made it Rain tells the story of a young man who due to his father’s change of job is uprooted from his home, his school and his life in Eastbourne and moved to inner city Glasgow. Coming from an excellent school, well-educated and well spoken, our protagonist Clem finds himself the centre of attention in a low achieving school that is plagued by the Scots equivalent of “Chavs”; the smoking, drinking, knife-carrying, Burberry wearing “Non-educated delinquents” (or NEDs for short). The attention he receives, whilst at times desirable (as in the case of Rosie, who is to become his girlfriend), is mostly abusive and threatening. The village mob mentality of his Glaswegian classmates is all too apparent as he suffers daily verbal abuse, not least on account of his posh English accent.

We are introduced to a variety of colourful characters, each who tell their account of what happened leading up to and including a climactic event. These include Rosie, her friend Cora, his previous headmaster and others who have an opinion on what caused the event to occur. Throughout the book, we are not told what this event was, but clearly it is of an extremely serious nature. I had a pretty good idea of what the outcome was going to be; whilst I was surprised by the technical details, I guessed what was going to happen fairly early on.

That said, this book is not a mystery, more a psychological delve into the darkest recesses of the human psyche; perhaps an attempt to understand why people act the way they do in extreme circumstances.

The sensible grown-up in me wanted to hate this book. The prolific use of foul language, whilst contextual, is wholly inappropriate and unnecessary. That may sound old-fashioned and I’m sure some teenagers who read this know all the swear words (and more, undoubtedly) but that is not the point. The author is clearly a master wordsmith who beautifully crafted some of the most profound scenes and conversations I’ve ever read in a book before. Unfortunately, I felt that this talent was ultimately tainted by the overuse of offensive language. Yes, this is a story set in a violent sub-culture in a city with frightening statistics of knife crime (and worse), and granted, some of the locals do colour their vocabulary with a considerable amount of swearing. Nonetheless, did the author really feel it added any realism to the story to include it? That is for you to decide.

The teenager in me loved it. As I read the story, I recalled my own turbulent teenage years. Time and again I found myself reflected in the story of Clem. Having been home educated as a very young boy, then schooled in a peaceful part of Devon, I was suddenly uprooted because of my father’s career change, and moved to inner city London at the age of 11. Immediately I could relate to Clem’s plight. Just as Clem found himself in a poor school in a poor part if Glasgow, I was sent to a sink school in what was the poorest part of South London: Lambeth. Surrounded by South Londoners, my “posh nob” accent and education was the subject of much verbal and physical abuse. Consequently I grew to hate my school, my classmates, the useless teachers and London itself. Like Clem, I had to decide which battles to fight and which to walk away from. Thankfully I survived and came out of it all the stronger! This story tells us how Clem deals with his situation in a way that teenagers (and adults) the world over can relate to, especially if they have suffered similar experiences.

This is an extremely well written, gripping and numbing story that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go until you see it through to the end. I’m glad I read it. I love and hate the book in equal measures, and can only commend the author on stirring such strong, conflicting emotions out of me with his words.

Title: The Boy Who Made it Rain
Author: Brian Conaghan
Author’s Website: http://www.sparklingbooks.com/the_boy_who_made_it_rain.html
My Age Recommendation: 16+
My Rating: 4/5
Publisher: Sparkling Books Ltd.
Publication Date: 3rd June 2011
Pages: 208

Synopsis

Max is used to being called stupid. And he is used to everyone being scared of him. On account of his size and looking like his dad. Kevin is used to being called Dwarf. And he is used to everyone laughing at him. On account of his size and being some cripple kid. But greatness comes in all sizes, and together Max and Kevin become Freak the Mighty and walk high above the world.

My Review

Freak the Mighty is a story of two boys who become unlikely friends. Max is a boy who is much taller and bigger than other kids his age, and he has learning difficulties which result in him being called a retard by his classmates and considered stupid by everyone who knows him. Kevin is a boy of the same age who suffers from a rare condition which means his organs grow at the normal rate but his body does not. Added to this, Kevin is highly intelligent; he carries a dictionary around with him and he has memorised large swathes of it.

At first, this reminded me quite strongly of a book I read and reviewed recently (The Pasta Detectives) and I suppose this is because the big, strong and stupid kid being best friends with the small, weak and brainy kid formula is a bit of a cliche. Nonetheless, the author’s take on the concept is unique and rather clever. As the book cover depicts, Kevin (known as Freak throughout the book on account of him being called that by his schoolmates due to his illness), rides atop Max’s broad shoulders and together they become one new person who they call Freak the Mighty. This is so cool, and it works brilliantly.

With Freak’s intellect and Max’s powerful body, each boy gains that which he is missing, that which he wants more than anything. Together, as one, they go on imaginary quests in a dull city (downtown New York, I think) which comes to life as an exciting world through Freak’s powerful imagination: slaying dragons and rescuing damsels in distress. During these adventures, the two boys run in to a number of situations which are not quite what they expected and at times are pretty scary.

The entire story is told from Max’s perspective, and so his own story is gradually unravelled with more emphasis on his life than Freak’s. However, we do get more of an insight into Freak’s life through the way he describes his illness to Max. Each boy’s story is hilarious, yet tragic. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of the story, particularly Freak’s smart comments and Max’s unwavering bluntness. But there were also some tear-jerking moments which ironically makes this not just a good book, but a great book.

A nice little bonus is Freak’s hand-written dictionary at the back of the book in which he lists his favourite words together with an amusing definition for each.

Although this book is written with young adults in mind, it’s an excellent read for adults too. I was captivated by it throughout and I will be reading it again over the coming week, this time to my 9 year old son (at bedtimes) because I feel it’s a story that every young adult should experience. There is one short but beautifully crafted sentence towards the end of the book that summed up the whole story for me. I’m sure if you read this book you’ll know exactly which sentence I mean, because clearly the author has mastered the art of touching the reader’s heart with his words.

Be aware that there is a dark and pretty scary scene in the book but this is within context and does not dominate the story.

My only complaint is that the way Max speaks at times in the early chapters is a bit annoying. It’s rather like the author is trying to appeal to young adults by using terminology he thinks they will be able to relate to (like ending sentences with “right?” or “huh?”). The trouble is, young adults can see through right that and it just comes across as corny. Bizarrely, Max stops using this language by the end of chapter two, so I don’t know why it’s used at all. I understand the author is American, and the story is based in America, so perhaps that’s why I don’t get it. Whichever way, this doesn’t change the fact that this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

Book information

Title: Freak the Mighty
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Author’s Website: www.rodmanphilbrick.com
My Age Recommendation: 9+
My Rating: 4.5/5
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd.
Publication Date: 30 March 2007
Pages: 192

Synopsis

Death is stalking the land. Bodies, bruised and broken have been found and no one knows the cause… Except Montacute House seems to be at the centre of the mystery.

As a creeping evil takes over the land, Cess’s best friend disappears and she fears he too will soon be dead. But if she is to find him alive, she must survive in a terrifying world full of secrets, treachery and danger.

My Review

The cover of this book and the synopsis on its back intrigued me because I enjoy a good mystery. Having read nothing else about the story, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (specifically the 1590s), thereby pushing the book up into my favourite genre of all: medieval historical fiction. It is exciting to see that there are authors out there who want to bring pieces of our island’s colourful, complex and rich history to life for young adults.

The heroine of the story is Cess, a fatherless, illegitimate teenage girl who lives with her mother in pretty much abject poverty. Her job as a poultry girl at the stately Montacute House is all that keeps them from homelessness and starvation. Shunned by her legitimate relatives, she doesn’t have much luck in life; her friend William is considered to have “the mark of the devil” on account of his club foot, and her only other friend Edith, is a typical herb gatherer and healer who to all intents and purposes is considered a witch by the locals.

During her daily chores on the morning of her thirteenth birthday, she discovers a precious jewelled locket under a hen in the chicken coop, of all places! This discovery, along with the disappearance of her closest friend, draws her ever deeper into a world of witchcraft, politics and religious intolerance. Cess is a reluctant heroine, a fact which makes her all the more endearing. She is head-strong but flexible, has strong moral fibre but is not haughty. According to the strict class system of the time, she is a nobody, worthless in the eyes of the world. However, we soon discover by her actions that she is a far better person than her supposed “betters” in Elizabethan society. The author has painted a picture of a heroine that any teenage girl can relate to and root for.

The story always moves at a constant pace, ensuring the reader doesn’t get bored. The plot is cleverly intertwined with historical facts; specifically the power struggle of the era between the Roman Catholic church and the Church of England. Each thread of the story, albeit simple, is elegantly woven together, culminating in a satisfying and complete ending.

Due to the author’s personal experiences at the real Montecute village and her attention to geographical accuracy, the backdrop to the story is vivid. This, along with the historical links to the period, lends considerable credence to the tale, making it largely believable. Whilst historical fiction is obviously supposed to be fictitious, an equal measure of fact helps to bring the story alive. Against this backdrop, the author weaves a wonderful tale which satisfied my appetite for intrigue and excitement.

When I decided to read and review this novel, I was well aware of the fact that the target audience is teenage girls and not a man in his 30s. However, I do love reading young adult novels, for they are often the most beautifully crafted works. I also fancied a challenge! So I fully expected to experience some yawns when reading Montacute House, especially considering my aversion to romance novels! On the contrary, this is simply one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time.

The author deftly balanced historical fact, mystery, action and romance with a precision that is all too rare. Whilst my personal opinion that too many books for teenage girls these days are pulp-worthy novels about vampires or witchcraft remains unchanged, this is one book that proves not everything in the genre is tripe.

I found myself drawn to the witches in the book because the author didn’t embellish witchcraft or try to convince me with overused cliches like “witchcraft is good” or “religion is bad”. Instead, she let the characters speak for themselves and this allowed the truth to shine through: genuine witches were not (and still are not) evil, devil-worshipping maidens of death. She echoed my own belief that over the centuries, far too many intelligent and wonderful women were abused and murdered by religious zealots or jealous, close-minded fools.

I’d like to see this made into a film for television as I think it would flow equally well on screen.

When you have read the novel, be sure to visit the author’s website for more detailed information on Montecute House. I’ve found both the book and the actual history so interesting that when I’m next in the south west, I shall make a point of visiting Montacute House in Somerset.

Book information

Title: Montacute House
Author: Lucy Jago
Author’s Website: www.lucyjago.com
My Age Recommendation: 12
My Rating: 4/5
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: 3 May 2011
Pages: 288

Synopsis

My name’s Rico. I’m a detective. I notice things nobody else does. From a little piece of cheesy pasta lying on the pavement to something as big as what’s going on in the building where I live…

Trouble is, I think a lot but not particularly quickly, which is where my friend Oscar comes in. He can work out anything. Together we could solve the biggest crime ever.

My Review

What a fantastic name for a book! When I first looked at the cover, I couldn’t wait to dive in and get to know Rico and Oscar and unravel the mystery. I soon realised the story was nothing like I expected. Written in a diary format and based in Berlin, the mystery that the so-called “Pasta Detectives” unravel spans the first five days of Rico’s school holidays. From the very first sentence, the reader is thrust into Rico’s world, or more accurately, the world as seen from his rather unique and insular perspective.

Unexpectedly, our protagonist has learning difficulties which impact his ability to articulate himself, remember details and know his left from right. No specific scientific label is attached to said difficulties and this is a good thing. Had the author tried to pigeon-hole Rico or attempt to explain away his personality with labels and scientific terms, I don’t think I would have believed in his character. My only reservation is the rather odd label “child proddity” Rico uses to describe himself. What on earth possessed the author to use that term is beyond me, and I felt a little let down by this.

Despite the fact that Rico is at times considered stupid by other people in his life, I empathised with him but I didn’t feel sorry for him, and for this I am grateful to the author. Rico has such a strong and robust character, unperturbed by other’s opinions, that I felt a certain affinity with him. Obviously, this book is designed for young adults. In my opinion, children should not be made to pity the story’s hero, irrespective of his or her personality or perceived shortcomings.

Oscar is the antithesis of Rico; he is highly articulate, considered clever to the point of being “gifted” and can recall precise facts and figures which he has committed to memory with ease. However, he is smaller than Rico and is portrayed as a rather weak and nervous little boy who wears a motorcycle helmet everywhere, so afraid is he of getting hurt.

Fate draws these two boys together. As unlikely as their friendship first appears, they complement each other and build a heart-warming bond. For me, this was the best part of the story as it stirred distant memories of my own childhood; boyhood friends becoming ferociously protective of one another in an age of all too short innocence.

The story itself is a masterpiece of mystery and intrigue. The supporting characters are richly described and the story flows smoothly making it an easy read. I have to say that both the plot and the twist in the tale are excellent. Admittedly I did guess the twist and the final outcome, but that comes from my years of reading mysteries. I’m certain young adults will find it a thrilling read, especially fans of Whodunit novels.

My only reservation is that in places the story is a little “edgy” (for want of a better word). Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but I felt the way the author described Rico’s mother was a tad unnecessary. Additionally, dealing with big issues like learning difficulties, death of loved ones and dysfunctional families is more than enough for a young adult novel, without adding complex problems such as depression, alcoholism and abandonment into the mix. Consequently, what would have been a rip-roaring thriller suitable for anyone from the age of 7 or 8 is instead (in my humble opinion as a father) better suited to a more mature audience (10+).

Book information

Title: The Pasta Detectives
Author: Andreas Steinhöfel
My Age Recommendation: 10+
My Rating: 4/5
Publisher: www.doublecluck.com
Publication Date: 5th April 2010
Pages: 208

In the 21st century, protecting your computer and your online identity cannot be achieved by one product or one method. The only way to counteract the myriad of risks out there is to have a multi-speared approach to online and offline safety. Now there are many, many different strategies out there, so I’m not going to be so arrogant as to claim that my strategy is the best one. However, I’ve worked in IT for 12 years and been a heavy computer/Internet user for 16 years and I’ve never had a virus or lost any data in all that time.

The 10-Step Strategy

1. Change your DNS server addresses from your standard provider’s to those of OpenDNS. This is a company that provides free DNS services to the home user. Essentially, DNS is what allows you to browse to a web address; it does the lookup for you, directing you to the correct server to view the content you’re looking for. OpenDNS by default blocks all malicious and dodgy websites it knows of, updating its databases hourly. If you sign up for a free account, you can even configure further categories to block (like porn, gambling, weapons etc.) which is an excellent way of protecting your little ones from accidentally viewing unsavoury content online. Go to: www.opendns.com for more info.

2. Make sure you are behind a hardware firewall. This should be done as standard; your Internet Service Provider should provide you with a router for your Internet connection, so the firewall should be on already. But check with them to be sure, and also enable Windows firewall as well – it doesn’t hurt to be doubly protected.

3. Buy and install some decent Anti-Virus software. If you wonder why some anti-virus software is cheap as chips in the high street, it’s because the software is probably rubbish. Don’t rely on this junk. Use industry-strength anti-virus software and know you’re protected! It’s better to spend a bit extra on anti-virus software and be protected with up-to-date protection. My recommendations: Sophos (www.sophos.com) or F-Secure (www.f-secure.com). All this other “all-in-one” protection is not worth it, in my experience. You don’t need software that provides anti-virus, firewall, anti-malware, parental controls all in one package because in my experience all-in-one packages are more likely to go wrong and mess up your computer. I place my trust in “one application, one job”. Windows provides a suitable firewall already for free, as does your router. OpenDNS provides you with parental control for free. Sophos or F-Secure provide you with anti-virus, anti-malware protection.

4. Don’t use Internet Explorer. Use Firefox or Google Chrome and install AdBlock Plus (a free add-on available for both) which will block out all adverts on web pages, protecting you against infected ads as well as making the web page easier on the eye!

5. Don’t download and install free applications on your computer unless you are sure they are safe and you’ve either read the terms and conditions or you have it on good authority that the software is legitimate. Think about it – very few developers will give you software for absolutely nothing. Unless the software is open source (community-driven) or provided by a big firm with the hope of getting you to buy the full package, there’s got to be a price somewhere. If you’re not paying in cash, you’re likely paying by allowing them to install adware at best and malware/spyware at worst. You don’t need all those toolbars in your web browser! The address bar and search bar that come as standard with your web browser are sufficient – trust me, you really don’t need additional search bars cluttering up your browser.

6. Don’t click links in e-mails. Seriously, don’t click them. It doesn’t matter if the e-mail is from someone you know and trust – don’t click links, because even though they may look legitimate they could very well be hiding a malicious web address. For example, the link may say www.paypal.com (which is fine) but behind that (if you click it), could be www.dodgy-thieving-gits.com (for example!). Your best bet is to copy and paste the address into your Web browser. That way, what you see is what you get.

7. Don’t pirate software, movies, music or games. Downloading pirated material is damaging for the creator (loss of earnings), damaging for those who don’t pirate (costs rise to compensate) but most of all it is very risky for the end-user. Yes, you could probably download the latest film, game or application for nothing, but as I’ve said before: everything has a price. Often malicious users will alter the pirated content to contain a hidden virus which will allow you to use it as normal but infect your computer and steal your data in the background.

8. Don’t re-use your passwords. This is the most widespread security risk I have seen. Because users have so many passwords to remember, they often share passwords across websites (like making their Facebook and Twitter passwords the same) or their passwords are guessable words. This is bad practice; if your account is hacked on one website, the hacker will try the same credentials on other websites. The best thing to do is download the free software KeePass – http://keepass.info and create a password database within the software. Then you can create complex, random passwords for all your accounts (which you don’t have to remember), and protect them all in this database with one master password (which you do need to remember). Once this is done, whenever you want to log in to a website, you just need to log in to KeePass and copy the password for the relevant website and paste it into the password prompt on the website. This way, no two passwords are the same, they’re complex and secure, you don’t have to remember lots of password (only one) and your accounts are better protected. I’ve been using this method for a year now and highly recommend it.

9. Protect your home network. If your router has wireless capability and you don’t need wireless, turn it off. If you do need wireless for your laptop or other device, then make sure that your wireless password is strong: not a memorable or easy to guess word. Ensure that encryption and password protection is on and that the encryption is at least WPA, preferably WPA2 – don’t use WEP as this is easily hacked. You can configure this on your router (ask your ISP for help if you’re not sure where this is). Don’t share your wireless key/password with anyone else and change it regularly. Remember – if cyber-crime is committed on your Internet connection, you can be held responsible if you didn’t suitably protect your wireless network.

10. Backup, backup, backup! I cannot iterate this enough. If the worst should happen and your computer is infected with a nasty virus, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes even more infected, or worse, your data gets stolen. The best thing you can do is run a regular backup (once a week or once a month). You can either use the built-in backup software in Windows, or if you want to back up your entire hard drive as a snapshot image you can restore back to, then download the free DriveImage XML from http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm and buy a removable hard drive that is bigger than your computer’s hard drive, then backup your computer. That way, if you do get infected, you can simply wipe your computer clean and restore from backup without having to reinstall Windows, all applications and potentially lose your valuable files.

Remember, this strategy will only work if you:

1. Adhere strictly to the strategy (or to your modified/improved version of it)
2. Remain vigilant online at all times
3. Keep your computer and all software updated and all your files backed up

I hope this helps!

Often, people think that someone like me who works in IT can provide the answer to this question quite easily; after all, surely we should be on the ball and know exactly which laptop is the latest and greatest and best value for money? The reality is that this is such an open-ended question that cannot be answered with a mere suggestion for this or that model of laptop. Buying a laptop is more like buying a mobile phone than a desktop computer. The reason I say this is because a laptop is a personal item, just like a phone. The majority of desktop computers are alike; keyboards and mice and monitors are pretty standard, but laptops are not so standard.

Important questions

1. What will I use this laptop for? Are you a casual user or a gamer? Will you mainly use the Internet and manage your photos, documents etc? Or will you want to play the latest video games?

2. Where am I going to use this laptop? Will it be used mainly at home or will you be carrying it around a lot and using it on the go?

3. How much money am I prepared to spend on this laptop?

If your answer to question 1 is: “I’m not a gamer”, then you don’t need a high-spec laptop. However, if you are a gamer, then you will need a laptop with sufficient memory, disk space and graphics card to play your games.

If your answer to question 2 is: “I’ll mainly use the laptop at home”, then you might as well go for a widescreen 17-inch laptop and not worry about weight. But if you are a commuter, you’d be better with a 15-inch laptop with the lowest weight possible and highest battery longevity.

If your answer to question 3 is: “as cheap as possible”, then you’ve a wide choice of budget laptops available. Laptops with the cheaper AMD processor chip (like Acer for example) will save you money over those with Intel processor chips.

However, if you’re prepared to spend more than the average price, you can get more “bang for your buck”.

Tech specs – standard user

On a technical note, if you’re a standard user, the only specs you should worry about are: memory (RAM), disk space, processor and operating system. Lucky for you, most laptops have standard specs that are way above the needs of the standard or casual user. But here are some tips: avoid Windows Vista. Get Windows 7 (or XP if you prefer). 4Gb of RAM is more than sufficient and will future-proof your laptop for some time, but you will save money opting for 2Gb. A dual-core processor of 1.7Ghz or above is easily sufficient. You don’t need quad-core. Integrated basic graphics is fine; you don’t need accelerated graphics. Disk space is so cheap you’d be mad to under-spec your requirements. Go for 160Gb minimum, but aim for 250Gb or more. I cannot stress this final tip enough: make sure you get a 64-bit laptop with 64-bit operating system. This is the future of computing and 32-bit technology will be obsolete in a few years time.

Tech specs – advanced user/gamer

If you’re in this second category, then most likely you don’t need my advice anyway! But in case you are you interested, here’s my two cents. Get a decent spec laptop. Dual-core 3Ghz will suffice but if you have the extra cash, go for Quad-core or better. 64-bit Windows 7 is a must. 4Gb RAM at least, 8Gb if you can afford it (not necessary though). Get 500Gb of disk space – you will need it for game installations. An absolute MUST is decent accelerated graphics. I recommend NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M or above if you’re an nVidia fan (like myself) or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 if you prefer ATI.

Windows, Linux or Apple?

If you’re used to Windows, you’re better off staying with it unless you’re prepared for a learning curve. Having said that, Mac OSX is very easy to pick up and the switchover will be relatively painless and the hardware is beautifully crafted: lightweight, brushed aluminium and whisper-quiet. But it will definitely cost you much more for a Macbook than a Windows-based laptop. If you’re looking for more of a challenge and want to save money on licensing and tech specs, then you could always buy a basic laptop with Linux installed (like Ubuntu).

Final tips

Research, research, research! Look around online and find a laptop that’s within your budget and desired tech specs. Then read reviews on different shopping and review websites. Once you’ve found a few likely contenders, go to your local computer stores (like PC World) and have a look and feel of models that are physically similar to those you’re interested in. This is very important; because you need to be sure you’ll feel comfortable using it every day. Are the fans noisy? Are they underneath or on the side? Underneath fans will make your legs hot if you sit the laptop on your lap! Do you like the glossy screen or would you prefer matte? How does the trackpad (mouse) and keyboard feel to you? Are the buttons too subtle or too clunky? Is the laptop too heavy?

Once you’re happy with the physical attributes, walk out of the store! Don’t get ripped off; instead, browse around online and get the best deal, but please remember to only buy from reputable firms like Dell, Amazon and the like and if possible, use a credit card rather than debit card to protect your purchase. Always make sure you buy from a website that displays a valid Secure Socket Layer (SSL certificate) – you can tell this by clicking on the little padlock in your browser.

I hope this has been of some help to you.

Therefore, you would probably be surprised to learn that for the last 13 years I have been working in IT with several professional IT qualifications under my belt and am a member of the British Computer Society. Despite failing at school, I used online resources to teach myself the fundamentals of network engineering, computer programming and web design. If I can do it (and I’m not the sharpest tool in the box!), then anyone can! For the last 7 years I’ve worked in a dual-role in central London; managing a network that supports over 2,500 London black taxis as well as programming Web applications providing tens of thousands of customers with access to their taxi bookings.

Why am I blabbering on about all this, you might ask. Well, yesterday in the news you may have heard that Education Secretary Michael Gove announced radical new changes to the national curriculum with regards to ICT.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16493929

Finally, the government has listened to the IT industry and realised what we’ve been saying for years: the next generation needs to be tech-savvy. Britain needs to lead the way in state-of-the-art computer programming. This covers a vast range of technologies ranging from consumer-level software (smartphone “apps”, Websites, video games, special effects in movies and TV), to industry-level software (medical equipment, transportation, infrastructure, architecture). Do we want to be behind the rest of the world in technology? Do we want all the exciting possibilities for the nation’s children to be outsourced to some remote country on the other side of the world? No!

So, as an ex-state-schooled kid, I was so pleased to hear that the garbage the national curriculum calls ICT (using proprietary software – Microsoft Office – to learn basic clerical skills) is to be scrapped in favour of real computer science. I don’t blame the schools for implementing this gross waste of time and money, for they have had their hands forced by previous backward, outdated governments who wouldn’t know an iPhone from igloo. This is scandalous, because whilst our economy will always need administrators and clerical workers, we also need software developers, computer engineers and video game designers.

Whilst the state-schooled children are obtaining a better education in computer science (one can only hope that the bureaucrats get it right!), we in the home education community (my wife and I home educate our 9 year old son) don’t want to be left behind. I say this for a number of reasons. First of all, we need our children to be armed with the skills they need to compete against their state-schooled counterparts. Secondly, we need to be prepared for the inevitable declarations from the LEA that our children are missing out on these new-fangled skills now that the schools are doing what many of us already do! And finally, you will be surprised just how much fun it is (and how easy it is) for children to learn computer science. Computer programming is the perfect way to bring to life all that boring maths your kids are learning!

If this article interests you, I hope to be able to help you unravel the mysteries of computer programming (aka coding) and give your children (and you too if you’re interested!) a head-start in not just understanding how computers work, but how to make them do what you want them to do. There are a number of free, user-friendly resources, courses and tools now available to allow anyone from 6 to 60 to become an accomplished programmer – with little or no former experience! Before I list a few of these, let me clarify something about computer programming:

Learning to program is not hard. There, I said it! It really isn’t hard to learn. What is difficult is mastering it. Just like almost everything else in life, learning to program is easy to learn. Admittedly, mastering a programming language takes a lot of hard work as well as much trial and error. But there is a lot of free support out there on the Internet and the benefits are rewarding. If you think computers are too clever for you or your child/children to ever be able to program them, you’re wrong. Computers are stupid! Think about it. If you’d never made a cucumber sandwich, and I asked you to make me one, I’d probably give you instructions like so:

“Get two slices of bread from the bag, use a knife to spread the butter evenly. Cut up the cucumber, put it one one slice and push the two bits of bread together and put it on a plate”. Simple!

Now imagine telling a computer how to do this using any programming language. You’d have to give instructions a bit like:

“If bread is available in the bread bin (which is in the kitchen on the worktop), take out two slices – a slice is approximately 150mm x 150mm. Lay both slices flat on the worktop and obtain a butter knife from the drawer. This will be in the left hand compartment. You will need to hold the knife by the handle. Now obtain the butter from the fridge (top right shelf, yellow container), remove the lid from the container and insert the knife at a 30 degree angle…” and so on – as you can see, this is a far more lengthy process because the computer really has no intelligence. However, you are intelligent, and you can utilise your vastly superior intelligence to instruct the computer to do what you want it to do. Remember: the computer is the slave, and you are its master – not the other way round!

So, on to the resources. The website www.codecademy.com has been set up in conjunction with the Code Year program (www.codeyear.com) started on 1st January this year, with the intention of helping you become a programming ninja within the year. Sporting a clean, easy to use interface, you work through interactive, bite-sized exercises which teach you the basics of 3 of the easiest languages: JavaScript, Python and Ruby. You gain points, awards and badges as you work your way through the exercises, which is a great encouragement.

The next resource is designed primarily for children but of course is suitable for anyone wanting to learn to program. The language of choice is Ruby (an object-orientated open-source language developed in Japan by someone who wanted to provide people with an easier, more human-understandable language). The colourful and fun website www.kidsruby.com provides kids and parents with free software that’ll have your little ones building computer games in Ruby in no time at all. Building computer games is a great and exciting way for children to put to use the maths and science they learn in school and they learn to program without realising it!

Up next is www.hackety.com – another colourful and fun website which helps absolute beginners and kids learn to program quickly, also in Ruby. You can quickly develop graphical interfaces and several lessons and example programs are provided, showing you how to make all kinds of fun things!

One more similar resource is the website http://scratch.mit.edu – a kid-friendly website which provides free software and starter kits that’ll get your kids developing in a simple programming language called Scratch (designed by MIT).

Of course there are far more resources and programming languages out there which you can easily find through Google. However, if you’re an absolute beginner or want to get your kids interested in coding, then the above websites are a great starting point.

Happy coding!

Do your children enjoy playing the hugely popular Angry Birds game on iPhone/Android? If so, a great gift that all the family can enjoy is the all-new Angry Birds “Knock on Wood” board game. Essentially, the game is a real-world recreation of the mobile game and is loads of fun for all ages. It’s about £20 on Amazon. I’ve bought one for my family and can’t wait to play it with them.

If you have teenage boys, you’ve likely already bought them either Battlefield 3 (BF3) or its rival Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3). I’ve tried both on PC and here’s my advice: if you haven’t bought one yet but will be for Christmas, forget MW3. It’s just more of the same Call of Duty. BF3 on the other hand is in my opinion (and many others too), the greatest multiplayer game ever made. Whilst the single player campaign is lacking, the multiplayer is so rich and expansive. Jaw-dropping visuals, incredible attention to detail and immersive gameplay come as standard. In MW3, players can be selfish and simply go on killing sprees. By contrast, BF3 rewards team work (helping squad mates achieve objectives, healing squad mates, etc.). Missing from MW3 but available in BF3 are vehicles: tanks, APCs, jets, helicopters and jeeps. Learning to control these add so much extra depth to the game that there are literally months of gameplay value in Battlefield 3. If you’re still in doubt, try this: go to your local second hand game shop and count how many pre-owned or unwanted gift copies of MW3 are available. Then count how many BF3 copies are available. I did this at the weekend at CeX: 27 MW3 to 1 BF3. That’s evidence in itself of the replay value of Battlefield 3. One word of warning though – if you aim to buy BF3 for PC, be sure the intended PC meets the minimum requirements.

If you have children at college or university, then Livescribe Echo Smartpen could prove useful in their lectures. This gadget records everything the user hears or writes, providing quick and accurate access to their notes, as well as the ability to upload saved audio and notes to their PC or Mac. It’s available at Amazon for £155 (RRP £179).

And finally, the big one. iPhone 4S. Having tried this out in the Apple store, initially I wasn’t that impressed. It seemed no different to iPhone 4. And then I discovered Siri. On the new iPhone 4S, simply hold the home button and up pops Siri, an artificial intelligence app which uses voice recognition to allow you to interact with your iPhone like never before. Dictate text messages or email. Launch apps or phone a contact via voice control. Ask Siri any question you like, (i.e. which minicab firm is trying to take over London (okay, maybe that’s too obscure for Siri!) or the population of China) and it will go off and find the information for you. Siri on the iPhone 4 is incredible. Starting at £499 it’s also very expensive!

Anyway, I hope my musings has proved useful to some of you, and I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Afraid of a cute little dolly, are you? Well, you should be…

Billy is the hardest kid in school and a horrible bully. So Kyle could almost find it funny that Billy’s childhood invisible friend was a little dolly named Raggy Maggie.

Almost, but not quite.

Because now Raggy Maggie is back, and she wants Kyle to play a game. The game is very simple. Find where she’s hidden Billy – or Billy dies…

My Review

Brrr! Just thinking about this story again sends shivers up and down my spine.
Having read Mr Mumbles twice (once on my own and then to my 8 year old son) and loving it, I secretly didn’t think the second book in the IF series could be more any more terrifying. After all, often an author will commit the crime of presenting the reader with a riveting read only to then rehash the formula for the next book and the next one and so on.

So I’ll be honest, I thought that this would one of those cases, which is why despite buying the book on pre-order as soon as it was available, I didn’t read it for some weeks after it arrived. It sat on my shelf, and I avoided Caddie’s reproachful eye. Until last week.

Now before I tell you what I think of this book, I want to make one thing clear: I hate dolls. Not a “boys hate dollies” kind of hatred. I loathe them, especially the porcelain-headed variety with their beady little eyes that seem to follow me around the room. Their perpetual smile and watchful eyes freak me out, they really do. I won’t have them in the house which is why it’s fortunate I have a son and not a daughter!

I read Raggy Maggie on my daily commute on the train and soon forgot all about the other passengers or any of my surroundings as once again Barry transported me into Kyle’s world and the Darkest Corners. Within a page or two I was hooked and quickly realised that not only is this book as good as the last one, in fact it’s even more terrifying and page-turning. There were times when my stomach churned and fellow passengers gave me strange looks when I shuddered or gasped!

Caddie is a nasty little girl but I actually feel kind of sorry for her; she feels abandoned, forgotten and unloved. But for her disgusting little doll Raggy Maggie, I hold no such compassion and if I never see her again it’ll be too soon. Suffice it to say that if you also hate dolls, then you’re in for a scary read!

Barry has done it again and I feel sure that as his series becomes more popular his name will become synonymous with good quality children’s horror, not unlike Neil Gaiman. What is so satisfying about these books is that they are each a self-contained horror-fest as well as part of a longer-running saga of intrigue and victory in the face of defeat.

I’m so pleased that Barry has not fallen into the trap of rehashing the same formula and riding on the success of his first book but instead has once again put his heart and soul into feeding our insatiable desires for terror. I know that as soon as his next book (The Crowmaster) is available I won’t hesitate to devour it!

I’ve not yet read Raggy Maggie to my son; I’m waiting until I can summon the courage to face Caddie and Raggy Maggie again, because unlike other books, he won’t let me read it to him in installments – he’ll want the whole book in one session!

In short: read this book, but be prepared to be terrified!

Book information

Title: Mr Mumbles (Invisible Fiends #1)
Author: Barry Hutchison
Author’s Website: www.barryhutchison.com
My Age Recommendation: 10+
My Rating: 5/5
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Publication Date: 5 Aug 2010
Pages: 288

I came across this phenomenon recently when I started playing a new PC game by Blizzard (the makers of World of Warcraft) called StarCraft 2. This is an online, real-time strategy game based in the far future and essentially involves managing resources and armoured units to protect your base and conquer your enemy by destroying their base. If you’re a PC gamer, I highly recommend StarCraft 2; you can play the starter edition for free:

https://us.battle.net/account/sc2/starter-edition

Anyway, during the process of playing StarCraft 2, I began to realise that not only do people play this addictive game for a living, but that these games are organised into structured, televised tournaments where the winners take away big cash prizes. Coincidentally, Blizzard was televising the European StarCraft 2 championships in Poland that same weekend, so I spent some time watching the big boys playing. It was an amazing experience, seeing professional gamers fight it out against each other for the trophy (and the cash!). Some of these guys practice 8 hours a day and complete up to 400 actions per minute during a game – imagine playing computer games for a living!

After doing some more digging around, I came across the Major League Gaming website – www.mlg.com which provides leagues for many top PC, XBOX and PS3 games (including Call of Duty: Black Ops, SOCOM 4 & Halo Reach, to name a few). Just like StarCraft 2, anyone can play these games and anyone can enter the leagues. However, to be able to compete at the top, you have to work your way up the ranks and defeat all the competition – and there is some stiff competition out there!

But even if you’re not into playing games, or you’re not championship material, you can still enjoy watching the professionals and listen to the commentators, in much the same way as you might watch professional league football. As a gamer, I’ve picked up many tricks and tips from watching these matches.

Considering I work with computers all the time, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the size of the professional gaming community. As the only sports currently on TV are traditional physical sports, I suppose I never thought I’d see the day that gaming could enter the same arena. It seems that whilst eSports is not yet broadcasted on television networks (it’s limited to the Internet), due to the rapidly growing member base it’s only a matter of time before this phenomenon comes into the mainstream media.