The arrival of the Windrush in 1948 is celebrated every year on Windrush Day, 22nd June. Until recently, there were very few children’s books about the influx of men, women, and children from Caribbean countries coming to the U.K. to start new lives and fill post-war labour shortages. Award-winning Dr Benjamin Zephaniah has previously written … Continue reading ‘We Sang Across the Sea: The Empire Windrush and Me,’ by Benjamin Zephaniah & Onyinye Iwu.
Today I’m sharing a beautiful picture book based on real events in Syria: ‘In a war-torn city, a little girl tends to the last garden. But everyone is leaving and soon the girl has to leave too. The garden is all alone now but soon the seeds scatter throughout the city and the roots take … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Last Garden,’ by Rachel Ip, illustrated by Anneli Bray.
I always find this time of year so dark and dreary, especially so this year during lockdown, so it’s important to look for the positives around you and have hope that things will get brighter. ‘How do you Make a Rainbow?’ is certainly one of those books which encourages readers to think about what makes … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘How do you Make a Rainbow?’ by Caroline Crowe, illustrated by Cally Johnson-Isaacs.
Ross Montgomery is one of my favourite middle grade authors - whichever of his books you choose to read, you know you’re not going to be disappointed. But I must warn you that his latest title, ‘The Midnight Guardians,’ is a compulsive, read-past-your-bedtime, adventure. With bombing raids ravaging London, Col has been evacuated to live … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Midnight Guardians,’ by Ross Montgomery, cover by David Dean.
Today is my turn to share with you this truly wonderful graphic novel which depicts the true story of life in a refugee camp through the eyes of a young boy. For almost as long as he can remember, Omar and his brother Hassan have lived in the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Although … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘When Stars are Scattered,’ by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed.
Given the high profile of climate change and a rise in climate activism amongst the youth of the world, it’s little surprise that the theme for the 50th Earth Day is climate activism. I am about to share with you all some titles which I hope will inform pupils about some of the global issues … Continue reading Books to Encourage Climate Activism – Earth Day 2020
I am honoured to be part of the blog tour for ‘Will You Catch Me?’ which has been scheduled to help raise awareness of International Children Of Alcoholics Week (11th-17th February) organised by the NACOA. Inspired by her own childhood experiences of alcohol abuse, Elson penned this title to help highlight the turmoil of those … Continue reading ‘Will You Catch Me?’ by Jane Elson.
I recently had the pleasure (!?) of a five-hour train journey with my family and thought that the second novel from Australian author Matilda Woods, would be the perfect story to escape into. Was I right, you ask? Yes! Oona Britt is the very much unwanted seventh of seven daughters. A fortune-teller had foretold that … Continue reading ‘The Girl, The Cat and The Navigator,’ by Matilda Woods, illustrated by Anuska Allepuz.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the gorgeous ‘The Garden Of Hope’ which is the work of author, Isabel Otter and new illustrative talent, Katie Rewse. Things hadn’t been the same for Maya, Dad and Pip since Mum had been gone. They were a mess, the house was a mess and the … Continue reading ‘The Garden Of Hope,’ by Isabel Otter, illustrated by Katie Rewse.
”All girls should read The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis.” Malala Yousafzai. This novel centres around eleven-year-old Parvana and her family, who live in one room of a crumbling, bombed out apartment block in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her father was a history teacher before he was injured and would tell Parvana stories of their country’s past whilst … Continue reading ‘The Breadwinner – A Graphic Novel,’ based on the novel by Deborah Ellis.
Every so often a book comes along which perfectly mirrors life in the society about which it is written. I am very sad to say that ‘Running on Empty’ does just that. Focussing on the timely issues of modern-day poverty and young carers, it sharply brings into view the pressures faced by children and their … Continue reading ‘Running on Empty,’ by S.E.Durrant, cover by Rob Biddulph. Plus exclusive guest post.
It was with much anticipation that I awaited the arrival of ‘The Light Jar’ - after the brilliance of ‘The Goldfish Boy,’ I knew that I was going to be in for a treat. My patience was rewarded when a copy was finally delivered by my friendly postlady. I'm also thrilled to be hosting an … Continue reading ‘The Light Jar,’ by Lisa Thompson, cover by Mike Lowery.
I am thrilled that the magnificent ‘Sky Song’ is my first review of 2018. I scurried out to purchase it with my book tokens yesterday, read it into the New Year and finished it off today. It’s also just been revealed as Waterstones’ book of the month, so you know you’re in for a cracking … Continue reading ‘Sky Song,’ by Abi Elphinstone, cover by Daniela Terrazzini.
Library Girl and Book Boy 