I was super-excited to be sent a copy of the third instalment of this prize-winning series. It still features Luke, StarBoy and all their superhuman friends, but with the genius addition of an inter-dimensional toilet! After crash-landing Zorbon the Decider's spacecraft in IKEA, Luke (aka Stellar, aka Evil Twin) sets off to find the parallel … Continue reading ‘My Evil Twin Is A Supervillain, by David Solomons, cover by Laura Ellen Anderson, inside illustrations by Robin Boyden.
It's all about you! This is your chance to create a book all about your favourite person - you! Draw, write, quiz and colour. Fill the pages of this special book with weird and wonderful facts all about you and your family. How fast can you run? What do you dream about? If you ran … Continue reading ‘The Book of Me!’ By Adam Frost, illustrated by Sarah Ray.
Ahoy me hearties! There be treasure in these pages! This is the tale of a boy and his plucky sea dog who set sail to find the hidden treasure of Pirate Frank. They sail the stormy seas, trek over snow-capped mountains and brave a gooey swamp, all to reach the tree which marks the spot. … Continue reading ‘The Treasure of Pirate Frank,’ by Mal Peet & Elspeth Graham, illustrated by Jez Tuya.
In today's political climate, we are constantly being told how different we all are from each other. That's why I was delighted to be sent this clever book which not only celebrates our differences but also points out how we are all the same. This book was inspired by Matt Lamothe's own experiences as he … Continue reading ‘This Is How We Do It – one day in the lives of seven kids from around the world,’ by Matt Lamothe.
Travel the world from the comfort of your chair with this gloriously illustrated book from Marc Martin. An absolutely delightful guide to the world for young explorers. You'll be taken from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the frozen continent of Antarctica via Hong Kong and Ulaanbaatar. The pages are full of fun and … Continue reading ‘Lots,’ by Marc Martin.
2017 is a year of celebration for beloved author and illustrator, Shirley Hughes. The summer sees her celebrating her 90th birthday and this year is also the 40th anniversary of her classic children's book, 'Dogger.' 'Alfie and Dad,' is a beautiful collection of stories, perfect to kick off this special year. This book is full … Continue reading ‘Alfie and Dad,’ by Shirley Hughes.
It's never too early to introduce your children to some of the classics of Western literature. This awesome series of books will let you do just that. The Cozy Classics series is the brainchild of the Wang brothers who were looking for a way to teach their young children new words. They came up with … Continue reading ‘Cozy Classics,’ by Jack and Holman Wang.
This book is enjoying a re-release with a new publisher (Wacky Bee Books) and a new name (formerly Douglas Trump.) It tells the tale of Dougal, who fears he's risking death whenever he goes in the garden due to a strange and mysterious creature supposed to be dwelling in his garden shed. However, his family … Continue reading ‘Dougal Daley: It’s Not My Fault!,’ by Jackie Marchant, illustrated by Loretta Schauer.
I was delighted to be invited to participate in the blog tour for this beautiful mother-daughter collaboration. The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea, in a box on the living room floor. They sailed away for a year and a day and these are the things that they saw... Join two curious children on … Continue reading ‘The Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat,’ by Coral Rumble, illustrated by Charlotte Cooke.
This book rocked up at exactly the right time as my youngest son is currently obsessed with playing his drum kit and dancing around to his favourite Black Sabbath songs! Jimmy lived in the nicest village you ever did see - the prettiest park, a perfect police station and the most super school. The only … Continue reading ‘Jimmy Finnigan’s Wild Wood Band,’ by Tom Knight.
This latest book in the 'Uncommon Compendium' is crammed full of fifty of the most incredible structures ever built, including: a skateboard ramp used to jump The Great Wall of China, a giant, mechanical, fire-breathing octopus and a life-size X-Wing Starfighter built of Lego. It features a double-page spread on each of the chosen constructions, with … Continue reading ‘Curious Constructions,’ by Michael Hearst, illustrated by Matt Johnstone.
My next Easter read was recommended to me by several people and has been compared to the excellent 'Northern Lights' trilogy by Philip Pullman. Well that was recommendation enough for me as I loved that series - I decided that 'Sea' was worth spending one of my birthday book tokens on. 'Sea' follows the fortunes of … Continue reading ‘Sea,’ by Sarah Driver, cover by Joe McLaren.
After the roaring success of of Kiran's first novel (The Girl of Ink and Stars, overall winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2017), I was eagerly anticipating the release of her next one. Fortunately, due to her well-deserved award win, the publication date was pushed forward and I was able to get my hands on … Continue reading ‘The Island at the End of Everything,’ by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, cover by Helen Crawford-White.
I am really pleased to have been invited to participate in the blog tour for the third action-packed book in The Inventory series. The first two stories were gripping so I knew this one would be too - I wasn't disappointed! In this newest title, we find the World Consortium recruiting more teen agents to work with … Continue reading ‘The Inventory: Black Knight,’ by Andy Briggs.
Are you getting bored of doing the same old things and playing the same old games? Are you fed-up watching tv or playing on your games console? Then this is the book for you - and you could WIN it right here! Just comment below with the name of your favourite game or activity to … Continue reading ‘The Anti-Boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things to Do,’ by Andy Seed, illustrated by Scott Garrett.
"This bear, that bear, likes-to-wear-a-hat bear. Brown bear, clown bear, about-to-fall-down-bear." Little Bear's off to watch the bear parade - what do you think he will see? A whole procession of different bears pass before his eyes and Little Bear loves each and every one of them. But soon the day draws to a close … Continue reading ‘This Bear, That Bear!’ by Sian Wheatcroft.
This fantastic time-slip novel will have you gripped from page one - I read the whole thing in a day! Evie is sulking after being bundled off to stay with her somewhat eccentric godmother (whom she's never met before) whilst her mother breezes off to Venice on her honeymoon. She's had to take a train to … Continue reading ‘Evie’s Ghost,’ by Helen Peters, cover illustrated by Daniela Terrazzini.
Three brilliant choices for young fact fans. Non-fiction books can be the perfect way into reading for curious minds and reluctant readers. Our first selection is 'Pick me up! Dinosaur.' Part of a brilliant new series of books which encourage readers to take them and play. This one imagines what a baby diplodocus might have gotten … Continue reading Dinosaurs, Sharks and Woodland Creatures – Oh my! First non-fiction from DK Books.
Introducing the first in a new series of children's books about the diverse Lottery family, from the highly acclaimed author, Emma Donoghue. This heart of this book is nine-year-old bookworm, Sumac, who is struggling to come to terms with her grandfather (Grumps) coming to live with her family after being diagnosed with dementia. The Lotterys … Continue reading ‘The Lotterys Plus One,’ by Emma Donoghue, illustrations by Caroline Hadilaksono.
I'm not really a big fan of giving chocolate to people for Easter, I much prefer a good book. Featured in this post are the lovely goodies some of my family members are going to be receiving this year. The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots Books) My 1-year-old nephew can look forward to … Continue reading Easter Egg-stravaganza!
Library Girl and Book Boy 