June 2010 - Sun Herald Books Extra From the opening pages to the climax, Jaguar Warrior will have your heart thumping. The hunt throughout is expertly paced and well-balanced with character reveals and historicla information...Guaranteed most children will inhale Jaguar Warrior in one sitting. |
June 2010 - Good Reading Magazine (5 stars) Fussell, a gifted writer, has again created outstanding characters and a suspenseful, informative and well-crafted storyline. Read it here or view it here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
May 2010 - Kids Capers (Boomerang Books) The tension and pace of this story keep you turning the pages, but for me, it was the well drawn characters and vivid detail that kept me reading when there were many other jobs I should have been doing. Here’s an example of the evocative narrative – Atl is eating tortillas.
Humour and a strong character voice also endeared me to Atl and made me eager to know his fate. Read it here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Set 500 years ago in Aztec Mexico, this gripping and gory adventure will have you on the edge of your seat! |
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...is a hero's journey that avoids many of the cliches and overly familiar features of the form... The world he (Atl) travels through is exotic, dangerous and compelling. (Fussell allows) recorded history to dictate the broad strokes while (she fills) in the details. It is an approach that gives (her) story plenty of credibility. That (she) manages to build a story within a cultural or historical framework, without losing sight of an audience who wants a good yarn above all, is impressive. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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What a page-turner: Aztec blood sacrifices, a ravenous crocodile, feisty companions, secret passages and a heart-stopping pursuit. Indiana Jones move over!.... It is not only the fascinating details of Aztec life in Mexica and the Spanish invasion of that civilisation that hold the reader captive - Atl and Lali are resourceful and engaging and their lively bickering provides welcome touches of humour as a counterpoint to their terror. Fussell manages to integrate facts (such as the position of women, the ritual of chocolate drinking and the spiritualism of the Aztecs) without ever breaking the tension of the narrative. Atl and the Captain speak alternatively, their voices vivid and compelling. The language is poetic yet riveting. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
April 2010 - Our Patch Australia Reviews Alternating between the first person Atl’s perspective as well as third person from the pursuer Huemac, this story is not a cut and dried good versus evil tale. The pursuer, while shown as being harsh, is given depth which helps explain why he behaves the way he does: his motives are honourable according to the beliefs of the day. Atl matures considerably in the story as does to a lesser degree the other two children. Recommended for upper primary school and secondary readers. Read it here or view it here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
April 2010 - Kids Books Canberra (ABC Radio Reviews) One of Sandy's many talents as an author, is to write about a period of history young readers may not be familiar with and bring it to life. ... This is a fast moving, intriguing book, where not everything is at it seems and the true motives for some character's actions aren't immediately obvious. It is only when these kids begin to realise their own strengths and talents, as well as who to trust, that they also discover what is possible when they work together. Read it here or view it here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
April 2010 - Aussie Reviews Jaguar Warrior is a gripping historical novel for children, set in Aztec times. Told chiefly through Atl’s first person viewpoint, there are also key scenes from a second viewpoint character, the captain who pursues Atl. This second viewpoint creates suspense as the reader can see what Atl cannot – the pursuer and his plans – but at the same time it allows a level of empathy for this ‘baddie’, whose motives are shown as more well intended as would otherwise be thought. Set in a well researched, thoroughly believable world, this is a thrilling adventure which will appeal to upper primary and secondary readers. Brilliant. Read it here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
March 2010 - Bayside Reader blog My son tells me that the books are full of adventure, humour, and great descriptions of life in feudal Japan, and in the early weeks of grade six, he read the entire series over a few days. Now that he has started secondary school, I thought that he might find Sandy’s new book set in South America in the era of the Aztecs too young for him, but he consumed Jaguar Warrior in one day, even giving up TV so that he could read it. I think that this goes to show what a great story teller Sandy is. |
March 2010 - ReadPlus Fussell has written a story about trust and friendship, set at the time of the Spanish overthrow of the Aztec civilization, but it could be at any time in any place, its themes are so universal. |
March 2010 - Domain Books Blog (Domain Books) A mysterious adventure, this book is intriguing from start to finish. Recommended for kids 10+ |
March - 2010 New Books in Oz This book, set in Aztec time, was another riveting read. It is fantastic; face-paced, full of action and suspense with great descriptions. Boys will really love reading this book as they hook on to the character of Atl. Girls will love the heroine Lali. She is strong and not afraid to speak her mind. |
March - 2010 The Reading Stack (Guest Review) Who would you trust? Things are not always as they seem. Villains have a habit of transforming into the unexpected in Sandy Fussell’s tales and Jaguar Warrior is no exception. Read it here |
February 2010 - Book Chook Reviews From the moment I waited inside that box with Atl, I plunged into an adventure that had me breathless with excitement, concern, fear, and anger. I ran with the children as they sought to escape their determined enemy, The Captain, and willed them to succeed in their mission. Any child who is looking for a riveting story with characters he can relate to, packed with action, need look no further. Jaguar Warrior has it all! And even though I forgot at times to breathe, there were also moments that made me laugh aloud, then look nervously over my shoulder in case The Captain was creeping up on me. |
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