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Cyfres yr Onnen: Tatw, Y
Nofel am Catrin yn cael ei bwlio ar dudalennau Facebook gan Jan. Ond pan mae Jan yn dangos llun arbennig i Catrin, mae'r ddwy'n dod o hyd i wybodaeth sy'n eu clymu am byth.
89 pages, Paperback
Published March 20, 2014
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March 7, 2024
(From Mari George's other books, I've read Cyfres Amdani: Pass y Sugnydd Llwch Darling)
Overall a nice installment in the Cyfres yr Onnen series, aimed at 9-14 year olds. A lot of coincidences happen in Y Tatw, and the pacing did feel a little strange so you might have to suspend your disbelief in places, but it's still heartwarming enough in the end to be worth it.
The first 40 pages establish Jan as a hideous little bully which isn't lost on poor Catrin, but still the latter just feels this need (somehow) to befriend the former, the reasons for which aren't quite explained. I get that the plot concerns them so you have to drive them together, but Catrin is only ever bullied by Jan and other students generally leave her alone or are quite pleasant towards her. With that in mind, I have a bit of trouble seeing why Catrin would even bother to seek out Jan after 1) Jan played that awful prank on her, and 2) her mum warns her off.
Once we get past that, it's then a shame that a lot of their budding friendship and Catrin's character development is then off-page. The story might be named after Rhian's tattoo, but in reality it's about the relationship between two troubled girls.
I did like Rhian's story arc though. There's notes of hope at the end, but it's still more realistic (for a kids' book) than those I've read in the past; it's a bit like a shorter, grittier Ally's World. I feel that I spend most of my reviews going 'if only there was more book!' but I do think Y Tatw would have been even better if it had more room to breathe.
Level-wise, I'm mid-Canolradd and managed to 'get the gist' for anything I wasn't sure about so it's suitable (in my opinion) for this stage. I did a lot of the reading while out and about and often didn't have the GPC app within easy reach. There's a lot of mid-Walian and Southern dialect, some of it slurred, but sounding it out will help.
I probably won't re-read Y Tatw and would give it a 3.5, but it has heart and it's good for practise.
4 it is.
Overall a nice installment in the Cyfres yr Onnen series, aimed at 9-14 year olds. A lot of coincidences happen in Y Tatw, and the pacing did feel a little strange so you might have to suspend your disbelief in places, but it's still heartwarming enough in the end to be worth it.
The first 40 pages establish Jan as a hideous little bully which isn't lost on poor Catrin, but still the latter just feels this need (somehow) to befriend the former, the reasons for which aren't quite explained. I get that the plot concerns them so you have to drive them together, but Catrin is only ever bullied by Jan and other students generally leave her alone or are quite pleasant towards her. With that in mind, I have a bit of trouble seeing why Catrin would even bother to seek out Jan after 1) Jan played that awful prank on her, and 2) her mum warns her off.
Once we get past that, it's then a shame that a lot of their budding friendship and Catrin's character development is then off-page. The story might be named after Rhian's tattoo, but in reality it's about the relationship between two troubled girls.
I did like Rhian's story arc though. There's notes of hope at the end, but it's still more realistic (for a kids' book) than those I've read in the past; it's a bit like a shorter, grittier Ally's World. I feel that I spend most of my reviews going 'if only there was more book!' but I do think Y Tatw would have been even better if it had more room to breathe.
Level-wise, I'm mid-Canolradd and managed to 'get the gist' for anything I wasn't sure about so it's suitable (in my opinion) for this stage. I did a lot of the reading while out and about and often didn't have the GPC app within easy reach. There's a lot of mid-Walian and Southern dialect, some of it slurred, but sounding it out will help.
I probably won't re-read Y Tatw and would give it a 3.5, but it has heart and it's good for practise.
4 it is.
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