Don’t be a quakebottom! Prepare to be bumbazed by maverick lexicographer, Professor Crystal-Bloomer in this delightful celebration of long-lost and forgotten words. Shona is a lover of words and has even started compiling her own thesaurus. She is dismayed to hear on the news that some languages are on the brink of dying out completely … Continue reading ‘Shona, Word Detective,’ by John Agard, illustrations by Michael Broad.
Help! Aliens have invaded my blog! This is all thanks to the blog tour for Matt Brown’s latest book: ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show!’ Make sure you read Matt’s lowdown on his favourite aliens (good and bad!) Eric Doomsday just loves doing magic tricks. His best friend, Vinnie Mumbles, thinks they’re ace - even if … Continue reading ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show!’ By Matt Brown, illustrated by Paco Sordo.
Luke and the other members of S.C.A.R.F are back in another battle against intergalactic forces of evil in the fourth installment in this prize-winning series - evil’s never been so squishy... Following an unfortunate inter-dimensional incident in their previous battle to save Bromley/ the Earth, Luke’s mind has swapped bodies with that of his older … Continue reading ‘My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Robin Boyden – guest post and giveaway!
Imagine not being able to get any underwear that fits. Pants, right?! Now imagine being an octopus in that same situation - 8x as pants! There seem to be pants for every other fish/ cephalopod in the ocean, except for poor old eight-legged octopus. There’s evening wear for eels and jewellery for jellyfish; it’s just … Continue reading ‘Octopants,’ by Suzy Senior, illustrated by Claire Powell.
One of the things I love most about children’s authors, is the seamless way they blend challenging and sensitive issues with humour to make the subject matter approachable for children. ‘Walls’ fits brilliantly into this category with its main character Ned struggling to come to terms with his parents’ divorce and break-up of peer friendships. … Continue reading ‘Walls,’ by Emma Fischel, cover by Sarah Darby.
Bertie’s back! Can you believe that this is Bertie’s 30th book? This one contains three mini stories, brilliant for newly independent readers aged 5+ The first of the three mini stories is football-themed to coincide with the World Cup. Bertie is chosen to be match mascot for his local team, the Pudsley Rovers, and can’t … Continue reading ‘Dirty Bertie Mascot!’ By Alan MacDonald, illustrated by David Roberts.
It’s encouraging to see a more diverse range of main characters appearing in children’s books at the moment. It’s in this way that we can help develop empathy and understanding of those different to ourselves. That’s why I was very happy to be invited to take part in the blog tour for Double Felix. Felix’s … Continue reading ‘Double Felix,’ by Sally Harris, illustrated by Maria Serrano.
Barry Loser is back in another mega-keel adventure (his tenth, in fact) and this time everyone’s gone football crazy! After being thrown out of the Mogden Maniacs for being completely rubbish at football, Barry is thrilled to discover that his best friend, Bunky, is actually a super striker. However as the big cup final approaches … Continue reading ‘Barry Loser is the Best at Football NOT!,’ by Jim Smith.
Ever wondered what would happen if eleven llamas unknowingly swallowed the ashes of one of the greatest footballers in the world? Wonder no more...! Llama United Book one sees the ghost of international footballing legend, Arthur Muckluck, narrating the tale of how several previously normal llamas came to accidentally eat his scattered ashes. He introduces … Continue reading ‘Llama United,’ by Scott Allen, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
I am very excited to see more fantastic stories from around the world being translated into English so that we can enjoy them in this country too. It’s very important to value work from other counties and cultures, as well as our own. That’s why I was so pleased when Firefly Press gave me Dog … Continue reading ‘Dog Town,’ by Luīze Pastore, illustrated by Reinis Pētersons, translated by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini.
Father’s Day is always the perfect opportunity to buy a new book for daddies and little ones to snuggle up with. As fate would have it, Raj dropped through my letterbox just in time. Raj and Dad are very excited about heading off on an adventure and have big plans and a long list. All … Continue reading ‘Raj and the Best Day Ever!’ By Seb Braun.
I was extremely excited to be invited by Scholastic to be on the judging panel for this year’s Lollies. Although the short-list is decided by the judges, the winners are decided purely by readers, librarians and teachers so make sure you visit http://www.scholastic.co.uk/lollies to vote! Michael Rosen, children’s novelist, poet and former Children’s Laureate, today announced … Continue reading The Laugh Out Loud 2018 Book Awards (Lollies) Short-list!
I am delighted to tell you that ‘Ottoline and the Purple Fox,’ is now available to paperback! I am even more thrilled to tell you that I have a full signed paperback and print set for one lucky follower to win! Ottoline and her hairy companion, Mr Munroe, were busy planning a dinner party when … Continue reading ‘Ottoline and the Purple Fox,’ by Chris Riddell.
This post is celebrating two books which positively demand audience participation... ‘Do Not Open This Book’ by Andy Lee, illustrated by Heath McKenzie (Studio Stories) Originally written as a first birthday gift for his nephew, George, this book was never actually meant to be published. Luckily for us, it was! Monster is absolutely desperate for … Continue reading Audience Participation Required!
I am delighted to welcome ‘Planet Stan’ to my blog today to round off its blog tour. I am even more delighted that I had the opportunity to ask author, Elaine, some quizzing questions. The story revolves around the tricky sibling relationship between space-loving Stan and his disgusting younger brother Fred. Stan is struggling to … Continue reading ‘Planet Stan,’ by Elaine Wickson, illustrated by Chris Judge plus exclusive Q&A.
We absolutely love the Jolley-Rogers series so we’re very excited to have received this absolute gem of a book - there’s gold on them thar pages! This book revisits one of our favourite landlubbers, Matilda, and her band of pirate friends as they head off to the holiday resort de rigeur for any discerning swashbuckler … Continue reading ‘The Pirates of Scurvy Sands,’ by Jonny Duddle.
Once upon a time, there was a BIG BUNNY. What starts off as an innocent story about a normal, if slightly large, bunny innocently eating some normally-sized carrots soon turns into a tale of a giant, truck-eating monster! But is he? Just how big will Big Bunny be? It turns out that it’s all just … Continue reading ‘Big Bunny,’ by Rowboat Watkins.
This is the third fangtastic instalment in the brilliant series about a sparky little vampire in a dark and gloomy world. In this adventure, Amelia and her pals: Florence the yeti, Grimaldi the Death and Prince Tangine, plus pet pumpkin, Squashy must bravely enter the terrifying Kingdom of Light to try to find Tangine’s missing mother, … Continue reading ‘Amelia Fang and the Unicorn Lords,’ by Laura Ellen Anderson.
I think mums might be the least acknowledged group of superheroes on the planet. They walk among us without flashy costumes or theme music playing, but constantly perform heroic deeds without even realising and without applause. This book, from Timothy Knapman and Joe Berger, is an ode to all those Superhero Mums masquerading as regular … Continue reading ‘Superhero Mum,’ by Timothy Knapman, illustrated by Joe Berger.
Beaky Malone is back. The world’s favourite liar still can’t lie and now fame is calling. Surely a few little truths couldn’t hurt...? As a result of his sister shoving him into Madame Shirley’s truth-telling machine, Beaky Malone can no longer tell a lie. This could be the cause of major humiliation - will Beaky … Continue reading ‘Beaky Malone – Weirdest Show on Earth’ by Barry Hutchison, illustrated by Katie Abey.
Library Girl and Book Boy 