We’ve already had children asking for this in the school library - the mark of an excellent book series! I’m sure they won’t be disappointed by the newest instalment of Izzy’s adventures - The Phantom Lollipop Man! Every day for, well, forever, the same grumpy old lollipop man has safely escorted Izzy and her pals … Continue reading ‘The Phantom Lollipop Man!’ By Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Thomas Flintham.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for: 'I Swapped My Brother on the Internet.' I’m sure those of us with siblings have at some point daydreamed about trading our annoying younger brothers or moody big sisters for an upgraded model. Well, ‘Sweet mangoes of heaven!’ Jonny has discovered a website where he’s able … Continue reading ‘I Swapped My Brother on The Internet,’ by Jo Simmons, illustrated by Nathan Reed.
So I've shared some of my top picture books choices for this Christmas, now it's the turn of chapter books. I absolutely LOVE picture books for readers of ALL ages, not just the little ones but sometimes you just a longer book to sink your teeth into or delay bedtime for a few minutes longer. … Continue reading Festive Chapter Book Fancies
One of the greatest things about running a book blog is the regular deliveries of books dropping through your letter box. This is never truer than in the run-up to Christmas when little festive treats are delivered to me by the book elves. My 'to be read' pile is suddenly awash with gold, red, green … Continue reading Have a Picture (book) Perfect Christmas
Welcome to the Maudlin Towers (School for the Not Particularly Bright Sons of the Not Especially Wealthy) blog tour. Step inside the pages of this gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested tome to learn about the bumbling, blubbering inhabitants of this historical (hysterical?) school. Best friends Mildew and Sponge are not the biggest fans of Maudlin Towers. They loathe … Continue reading ‘Maudlin Towers: The Curse of the Werewolf Boy,’ by Chris Priestly.
Is ancient mythology all Greek to you? If so, this brilliant new fun-filled series will help bring you up to speed. Written by Tarakson as a result of a childhood steeped in tales from Greek mythology, the ten book strong ‘Hopeless Heroes’ series introduces its readers to some of the mightiest Gods and Goddesses around. … Continue reading ‘Hopeless Heroes: Here Comes Hercules! (Book1) & Hera’s Terrible Trap (Book 2),’ by Stella Tarakson, illustrated by Nick Roberts.
This month, I've been enjoying scaring myself with some of the newest spooky releases for readers aged 8+ and have a ghoulish prize for one lucky book-fan. 'Vlad the World's Worst Vampire' by Anna Wilson, illustrations by Kathryn Durst (Stripes Publishing) Firsty up is this little book with bite which would be perfect for readers … Continue reading Happy Halloween!
****Breaking News!!!**** Congratulations are due to the excellent David Solomons as ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ won the PopJam Readers’ Choice Award at the Lollies 2017 award ceremony tonight! I am absolutely thrilled for everyone involved and can’t wait for another instalment in the future. I am so excited and honoured to be … Continue reading Lollies 2017 Winner! ‘My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson, typography by Rob Biddulph
Read this book you must. It gets the Stormtrooper Book Club seal of approval! It's Victor Starspeeder's second year at Jedi Academy and things are not going as he planned - he just can't stop over-sleeping and Master Yoda is getting mad! To make matters worse, his tardiness has meant that he's missed out on … Continue reading Holiday Read #5 ‘The Jedi Academy: The Force Oversleeps,’ by Jarrett Krosoczka.
Holiday Read #3 comes courtesy of my son, who has been giggling his way through this one on his sun lounger. In the second book of the series, we are reintroduced to The Grunts, a family who are neither clean nor clever but who manage to have fantastic adventures all the same. When I asked … Continue reading Holiday Read #3 ‘The Grunts All at Sea,’ by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
I'd like to share not one, but two diaries about hapless heroes in sorrowful situations. The Long-Lost Diary of the World's Worst Knight Sir Roderick is a squire at Doddington Castle and longs to be a brave knight. The kind of knight who'll be remembered in heroic tales like King Arthur's knights of the round … Continue reading ‘The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World’s Worst…’ written by Tim Collins, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
As you may know, voting for this year's Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards is now open. To help you choose your winner, Scholastic have very generously given me a book bundle to give away which contains all the nominees for the 6-8 year old category! These would be the perfect addition to any bookcase … Continue reading Awesome Lollies short-list giveaway!
I is very excited to have gotten my trotters on a copy of the hilarious fourth book in the fart-tastic Pig series. You can too if you read to the bottom to find out how to enter my fabulous book bundle giveaway! This instalments finds Pig on the run from Deathra (armed with tasers and … Continue reading ‘The Big, Fat, Totally Bonkers Diary of Pig,’ by Emer Stamp.
Today's the day! Today, we finally get to find out which books were selected as some of the funniest recent publications by the Lollies judging panel! Despite my best efforts on short-listing day, I was unable to spot which pile of books were the chosen few; there were so many fantastic titles about the offices. … Continue reading Introducing the Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards Nominees…
At the end of April, great excitement rippled through our school library when we were invited on a top-secret mission to Scholastic HQ to interview the judges after they'd selected the short list for the Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards (aka The Lollies). These awards were established by Michael Rosen to fill the void left by … Continue reading The Laugh Out Loud 2017 Book Awards Short-listing Day…
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.
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.
Calling all Dino-fans! Your chance to win a copy of this excellent book from the amazingly talented Jonny Duddle. The story is about a group of little dinosaur friends who don't take their mothers' advice seriously - 'Beware my child, of the Gigantosaurus so fierce and wild...' The group are being quite cautious until their … Continue reading Win ‘Gigantosaurus,’ by Jonny Duddle.’
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superbat! I was absolutely thrilled to be sent a copy of this super book to review; everybody loves superhero books so I'm always on the lookout for new titles. This is the tale of a bat who wakes up amongst his friends one night and … Continue reading ‘Superbat,’ by Matt Carr.
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of The Ministry of Suits, where strange, unusual and impossible things happen. Recently nominated for the New Children's Fiction award by the Teach Primary Magazine, this offbeat title is perfect for anyone who likes to 'think outside the box.' After narrowly escaping being eaten by a bear on … Continue reading ‘The Ministry of Strange, Unusual and Impossible Things,’ by Paul Gamble, illustrated by Fidelma Slattery.
Library Girl and Book Boy 