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Dodger

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There were a few moments where I applauded Dodger's ingenuity. But, ultimately, I was never intrigued. Never cared what did or did not happen to the characters. Never laughed. So... Being set in London at the time that it was, there was, of course, some crude comments and innuendo, though not overly so. Comedy-adventure series Nova Jones (10x24’) orbits around an 18-year-old pop star and her 12-year-old sister and manager as they go on a concert tour throughout the galaxy. Featuring original music throughout, this live action sitcom also combines high-end CGI and visual effects. Produced by Slim Film + Television and Libertine Pictures, with TVNZ, the series will air later this year. The Executive Producers are Richard Fletcher and Simon Crawford Collins. Malory Towers

Sir Terry Pratchett is most famous for his Discworld series, which is already running 39 books, and although I have given these books a fair chance I just never could quite get into them. When the chance arose to review Dodger, a stand-alone young-adult book, I just had to give it another shot. From the short synopsis I didn't really know what I was in for, but it turned out to be unique, fresh and gave me a sense of urgency to finish it.It is impossible for me to read a new Terry Pratchett independently of the memory of the last 30 years of reading each eagerly awaited book, one by one, with utmost delight. Still So Awkward (13x28’) is the exciting new spin-off from laugh-out-loud comedy drama series So Awkward. It follows Lily’s misadventures at university with a new gang of friends: flatmates Frankie, Samson and Seb, famous actress Claire, and bossy, good-looking cafe manager Josh. Still fun. Still crazy. Still so awkward. Dodger was okay. His character was really rather boring. And do I need or want boring characters? I think not.

Perhaps it isn't surprising that these working class heroes - who were fighting for a fairer society for everyone - were not included. Because Dodger is fundamentally a rags-to-riches tale, where the audience is asked to empathise with and applaud Dodger's rise to join the upper classes, while throwing out the occasional sixpence whenever he feels a twinge of guilt. Appropriately, the book ends with the new Sir Dodger engaged in the robbery of a priceless historical treasure: a tiara once belonging to Marie Antoinette. No, he is not intending to sell it, and distribute the money to the many starving orphans/girls driven to prostitution who populate the book: in an Animal Farm like ending, Dodger is stealing Marie Antoinette's tiara for his new wife, a former Princess. Great lesson for the kids, Terry. The series is filmed in Belfast and Executive Produced by Saltbeef TV’s Jeremy Salsby, with Melissa Hardinge the Senior Commissioning Editor for CBBC. It is due to air this summer. BBC Children’s In House Productions Henry Mayhew, is a friend of Charlie who (together with his wife) first takes care of Simplicity while she recovers. He is also very interested in improving the conditions for London's poorest citizens. The novel is dedicated to the real Mayhew in honour of his work drawing attention to the plight of London's poorest through his book London Labour and the London Poor. It can also be viewed as an inspirational tale for children, which teaches them to, um, steal from the innocent for personal gain, vandalise the property of people who happen to be from the same country as one bad apple, and elope with a girl you hardly know - who happens to have lovely hair. And not to bother with school, or even basic literacy - because crime is so much more rewarding... And yet, despite all of the above (and my disappointment in 'Snuff', for fairlDespite the above issues, this could have been an engaging read if the antagonists had been more fleshed out: something that Pratchett is normally incredibly good at. If we had been introduced to the Outlander and her (possibly conflicted?) henchman earlier, and been led to feel truly terrified and slightly awed by the assassin's ruthlessness and cunning, as well as sympathy for her henchman, it might have broken up the Gary Stu-ness of the tale (it might also have given us a true sense of fear for Dodger and Simplicity). Additionally, it would have been a chance to show us early Victorian Britain a through the eyes of an outsider.

Silverpoint (13x22’) is a sci-fi drama series about kids at summer camp. Four kids bond over something unexplainable out in the woods, something they make an oath not tell anyone about because it’s beyond cool and because no one would believe them anyway. The plot itself rather reminds me of the vintage heartwarming variety of nineteenth- or early twentieth- century children’s stories-- Cheaper by the Dozen, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Enchanted Castle--that sort of thing. Like those stories, Dodger isn’t particularly suspenseful--it’s clear from the first scene that Dodger will triumph over all adversity-- but it’s fun watching him stumble into serendipitous good fortune. Almost all of the characters are nice people, and they’re not just nice; they’re the type of people you’d enjoy being around. I especially loved Solomon, Dodger’s housemate and unofficial guardian. Much of the enjoyment of the story comes from watching how circumstances conspire to bring about favourable outcomes for the protagonist. It’s the type of book that brings an unconscious smile to your face. In the novel Henry Mayhew is also very interested in improving the conditions for London’s poorest citizens. It is not long before Dodger realises that although his new friends are gentlemen, they are also “geezers”, and he admits to himself that they deserve respect for their acuity (and in Mister Charlie’s case, for his ingenuity, although to Dodger's mind he does have some annoying habits, like scribbling things down on bits of paper). Dodger admires Mister Charlie, and has the uncomfortable feeling that Mister Charlie can see everything, every little secret, that Dodger hoped was safely hidden in his mind. This political dimension of the case (along with his celebrity status) soon have Dodger meet some of the Empire's top politicians, such as Benjamin Disraeli and Robert Peel. He learns that the family of Simplicity's husband is pressuring the British government to return her, and that the government cannot outright refuse this demand. Additionally, a mysterious assassin known only as the Outlander is rumoured to be looking for Dodger and Simplicity.Ada Lovelace, the first programmer and, "A credit to her father" — being a reference to Lord Byron.

And whilst the currency gave me a headache and the slang usage took some getting used to, I must confess I spent a lot of time afterwards on the internet and more specifically wikipedia looking at titbits and detailed (albeit maybe not entirely accurate) accounts on the historical personnel that played a role in this book. Produced by Zodiak Kids, with co-producers ZDF Enterprises, the series is created by Lee Walters, Lead Writer, and the Executive Producer is Steven Andrew. Filming starts later this month in Northern Ireland for transmission in 2022. Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Amy Buscombe. Nova Jones What saved the book, however, apart from the sensitive treatment of Sweeney Todd and the wonderful imagery of London's sewers, was, I think, Pratchett himself. One never knows whether this book or the next will be his last, and I buy every one of them aware that the man is a legend, right up there in my top five, and as we reach the end of his career I wonder what it was that made him, not only so good, but so prolific.

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Most of Pratchett's books are aimed at adults but they're written in such a way that they're easily accessible to those making the kid reads to adult reads transition without too much mental scarring (see above re snuff movies). And so my love of Pratchett and the colourful historically and culturally skewed other-worldness of the Discworld has sustained me well into my adult years. There ought to be a law against it; everybody said so - it was, well, it was unfair. After all, seeing policemen around kept you honest, didn't it? If they were going to lurk around like ordinary people they were basically asking you to commit crimes, weren't they? It was entirely unfair in Dodger’s opinion. Born Terence David John Pratchett, Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. The cover: IT LIED. It promised a cute and fun mystery with an adorable small boy main character. Not a bit.

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