You just know that any book whose tagline is: ‘A hilarious story of LOLs, llamas, dramas and finding your voice,’ is going to be a quirky, joyous read! Yasmin lives in a very loud house in the East End of London, full of bustling aunties trying to force her into sequinned dresses, annoying brothers playing … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Llama Out Loud,’ by Annabelle Sami, illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan.
I was so pleased to see another title for younger chapter book fans by Sylvia Bishop - I'd loved ‘Bookshop Girl’ and was eager for more. Betsy’s parents are world famous concert pianists and, despite what they say, Betsy knows they’d like nothing more than for her to carry on the family business. The only … Continue reading ‘44 Tiny Secrets,’ by Sylvia Bishop, illustrated by Ashley King.
I was super-excited to dive into this book because I had heard lots of excellent things about it on Twitter and then, I received a most intriguing box of goodies, including a class set of samplers, which went to Book Boy’s school. Freddie Yates likes facts, and that’s a fact. But it’s not all that … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates,’ by Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph.
We’re back for a post-bank holiday Tuesday Reviews Day. This week Book Boy has chosen a Derby Daredevils title. Best friends Kenzie and Shelly are desperate to enter a real life roller derby. When their local league announced there’ll be a new junior division, they can’t believe their luck! There’s only one problem - to … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay: ‘The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team,’ by Kit Rosewater, illustrated by Sophie Escabasse.
I am huge fan of Emer’s hilarious writing (see the Lollies 2018 winner - The Big, Fat, Totally Bonkers Diary of Pig) so was thrilled time see that she had an entirely new series out soon - ‘Pests.’ “When the lights go off the Pests come out!” Told from the perspective of inquisitive mouse, Stix, … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Pests,’ by Emer Stamp.
As part of our new schedule, #BookBoy and #BookBoyJr will be posting new reviews every Tuesday (#TuesdayReviewsDay.) This weekend, Book Boy has been reading the first in a new series of pun-filled mysteries from Piccadilly Press. Mark Anchovy (aka Colin Kingsley) is a pizza delivery boy and aspiring private detective - he is desperate for … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay ‘Mark Anchovy: Pizza Detective,’ by William Goldsmith.
The Federation Of Children’s Book Groups (FCBG) Book Awards is based around the top 12 highest scoring titles that the children in their book groups have read that year. Anybody under the age of 18 can register their vote on the FCBG website HERE. I’m cheerleading for the frightfully funny ‘Mutant Zombies Cursed My School … Continue reading The FCBG Children’s Book Award 2020 – introducing ‘Mutant Zombies Cursed my School Trip!’ by Matt Brown, illustrated by Paco Sordo.
As part of our home-schooling timetable, #BookBoy and #BookBoyJr will be writing book reviews to go on the blog. Our very first review, of ‘Super Stan,’ has been composed by #BookBoy who had his nose buried in it all weekend! Title: Super Stan Author: Elaine Wickson Illustrator: Chris Judge Publisher: Oxford University Press Synopsis: This … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay ‘Super Stan’ by Elaine Wickson, illustrated by Chris Judge.
Fans of funny and all things Barry Loser will be delighted to learn that creator of craziness, Jim Smith is back with a BRAND NEW series! The Pebble family (humans not stones) are moving to Donut Island and it would be fair to say that neither of the kids (Melvin and Violet) are looking forward … Continue reading ‘A Super Weird Mystery: Danger at Donut Diner,’ by Jim Smith
After my recent round up of doggy titles, it’s time for the cats to take over! From picture books to middle grade titles, there’s something for all fans of fabulous felines. ‘It’s My Sausage,’ by Alex Willmore (Maverick Publishing) There are five cats but only one sausage. And none of them are that keen on … Continue reading What’s New Pussycat?
I am a huge advocate of funny books and promoting more diverse humorous titles in school and home libraries. That’s why I was so thrilled to be asked to champion one of the titles for this year’s Lollies (The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2020), run by Scholastic with Michael Rosen as head judge. The … Continue reading Introducing the Laugh Out Loud Book Award nominee ‘Planet Stan’ by Elaine Wickson (illustrated by Chris Judge)
This book is just a little bit special. It beautifully melds a touching story about the struggles between a mother and a daughter who’s growing up with a strong fantasy/ gaming theme. Unlike anything I’ve read before but totally enchanting. *UPDATE* Aisha’s wonderful book has just been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020 - … Continue reading ‘A Pocketful Of Stars,’ by Aisha Busby.
Lots of children love to be scared. If you happen to know one of them, they might just love one of these chilling chapter books suitable for readers aged 5+ ‘Isadora Moon Puts on a Show,’ by Harriet Muncaster (OUP) One of my favourite, glittery half-fairy, half-vampires is back in her tenth adventure. Isadora is … Continue reading Chilling Chapter Books…
Sibéal Pounder has imagined what would happen next, following on Eva Ibbotson’s classic tale ‘The Secret Of Platform 13.’ Get ready to revisit The Island Of Mist and its magical inhabitants. When Lina was dragged to the train station by her parents to visit her aunt in Salzburg, the last thing she expected was to … Continue reading ‘Beyond Platform 13,’ by Sibéal Pounder & Eva Ibbotson, illustrated by Beatriz Castro.
I am a huge fan of Chris Ridell’s work - stories and illustrations - so imagine my excitement when I discovered he was writing a brand new magical adventure series AND that I was invited to be part of its blog tour! The Kingdom Of Thrynne is a place of ancient magic, but those seen … Continue reading “The Cloud Horse Chronicles: Guardians Of Magic,” by Chris Riddell.
Today is my stop on the ‘My Family and Other Ghosts’ blog tour. I am very excited to be on board as I’ve loved all the previous books of Lou’s that I’ve read and I have a special piece from her about how the story reflected her relationship with her brother growing up. But first … Continue reading ‘My Family and Other Ghosts,’ by Lou Kuenzler, illustrated by Steve Brown.
In honour of International Dogs Day, here’s a round up of some of the fab books I’ve received featuring some of the most brilliant dogs around! ‘This is a Dog’ by Ross Collins (Nosy Crow) Uh oh! A very loveable but slightly excitable young pup has broken into a First Book of Animals and taken … Continue reading Puppy Love
Today I am bringing to you a gorgeous tale about a dog and his struggle to keep his family together. I also have an exclusive piece from Carlie about how adopting a rescue dog helped her write this book. Something doesn’t smell right about Cosmo’s boy, Max. What is that scent? Sadness, anxiety, worry? With … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘I, Cosmo’ by Carlie Sorosiak, cover by Ben Mantle.
Today is my stop on the blog tour for the final instalment in the award-winning ‘My Brother is a Superhero’ series and this time your household appliances are out to get you! I also have a fascinating piece by David Solomons about his anxiety as a child, his interesting treatment and endings actually being beginnings. … Continue reading ‘My Cousin is a Time Traveller,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Robin Boyden.
Save the library, Save the world! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the magical ‘The Dragon in the Library.’ To say that Kit is not the biggest fan of reading would be an understatement. As far as she concerned there is nothing worse than being stuck inside a dusty old library having … Continue reading ‘The Dragon in the Library,’ by Louie Stowell, illustrated by Davide Ortu.
Library Girl and Book Boy 