“Frank and Bert are the best of friends and they LOVE to play hide and seek. But Bert the bear isn't quite as good at hiding as he thinks he is . . . and Frank ALWAYS wins! Every. Single. Time. But when it's Bert's turn to hide, and Frank has to decide between winning … Continue reading ‘Frank and Bert,’ by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros.
It’s here! The second instalment in the brilliantly funny and marvellously magical series which started with ‘The House at the Edge of Magic.’ Nine and her friends have broken the curse on their marvellous, magical House, and are free to travel the worlds once more! Their first stop: The Wizarding Hopscotch Championships. There's only one … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Tower at the End of Time,’ by Amy Sparkes.
Woo hoo! There’s a brand new graphic novel in town featuring an unlikely secret agent and his loyal sidekick. Make sure you read my Q&A with author, Mo O’Hara to find out more about the inspiration behind Agent Moose and the process behind writing a graphic novel. Agent Moose, the best (worst) secret agent in … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Agent Moose,’ by Mo O’Hara, illustrated by Jess Bradley.
Introducing a super-funny blast around the galaxy featuring some very empathetic aliens! Make sure you read author, James Bishop’s piece on how he set about creating and unusually empathetic alien race. Meet Mylan - an ordinary blue alien. He's travelling the universe, looking for someone having a bad day, to help them. Meet Chloe. She's just … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Worst Day Ever,’ by James Bishop, illustrated by Fay Austin.
Tony Bradman’s ‘Viking Boy’ is used in classrooms across the country when it’s time to learn about the intrepid Vikings. I am sure teachers will be delighted to learn that there’s now an official non-fiction guide written to help readers explore Gunnar’s world! Make sure you read Tony Bradman’s piece about what inspired him to … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Viking Boy: The Real Story,’ by Tony Bradman, illustrated by Thomas Sperling.
Well my first read of 2022 was an absolute belter! Get ready to step aboard the Anthos and set sail on a thrilling adventure… Nico Cloud desperately wants to be an explorer, but her parents think adventures aren’t for girls. Fate intervenes when Nico chases a kitten on board a ship . . . and … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Ship of Cloud and Stars,’ by Amy Raphael, cover by George Ermos.
Books about the beautiful game are always extremely popular; fans love reading about the antics of their favourite players, or imagining themselves right there on the pitch. Very rarely do football biographies focus on the brains behind the team - their manager. That’s why I’m so pleased that Ransom Publishing have added the legendary Pep … Continue reading ‘Tales From the Touchline – Guardiola,’ by Harry Coninx, illustrated by Ben Farr.
In this post, I’m sharing some of the books I’ve received which celebrate the visual arts and music. With time for the sets bring squeezed out of the school timetable, it’s more important than ever that children can access resources which encourage them to express themselves artistically and learn about some of the great artists … Continue reading Artistically Speaking
I cannot think of a more wonderfully Christmassy book to start off my festive book advent. And I have a copy for one of you lucky people to WIN over on Twitter. Visit my pinned tweet and follow the instructions. Wish it could be Christmas every day? Well, for nine-year-old Holly Carroll and her family, … Continue reading Book Advent – Day 1 – ‘The Christmas Carrolls,’ by Mel Taylor-Bessant, illustrated by Selom Sunu.
A special edition of a well-loved classic makes for a timeless Christmas gift. Below, are some of the latest titles I’ve received which bring classic tales to life in new and surprising ways. Please – draw me a sheep. I blinked. The voice belonged to a charming little prince. The characters of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's … Continue reading Classics for Christmas
Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Ross on his nomination for The Costa Book Awards for his fantastical World War 2 adventure ‘The Midnight Guardians’ - it’s quite unlike anything I’ve read before! So now that you know the calibre of the writer we’re dealing with here, I know you’ll be excited to hear about his … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Chime Seekers,’ by Ross Montgomery, cover by David Dean.
There are few greater pleasures in life than cracking open the cover of a beautifully-produced, chunky information book. To that end, I am delighted to be sharing some of the most recent (and very giftable) titles I have been sent. A collection of 366 curious questions asked by children from around the world, based on … Continue reading Non-Fiction November
I never cease to be amazed by the vast collection of animals who make annual pilgrimages to find warmer climes or breeding grounds. As someone who needs a sat-nav to find her way almost anywhere, I am completely in awe the various strategies animals use to travel thousands of miles. This blog post features a … Continue reading Amazing Migrations
There’s a brand new look and a brand new title for Tom Percival’s Dream Defender series. Erika and the Anger Mare was originally released as Dream Team: Attack of the Heebie Jeebies , whilst Chandra and the Devious Doubt was previously released as Dream Team: A Case of the Jitters. Presumably these changes were made … Continue reading The ‘Dream Defenders’ series by Tom Percival.
I’ll be honest, I am a huge Chris Riddell fangirl so I am always going to love anything he’s illustrated. However, if you pair his illustrations with the the masterful writing of award-winning author Kevin Crossley-Holland and thrilling Arthurian legend. Well, then you have something really rather special! ‘The definitive retelling of the legends of … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Arthur the Always King,’ retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Chris Riddell.
In the wake of multiple lockdowns and as a result of a mental health service struggling to keep up with demand, there has been a worrying rise in the number of children suffering from a mental health condition. This increase has resulted in the publication of lots of wonderful journals and activity books designed to … Continue reading Books to Boost
The very first Thimble Monkey adventure: ‘Thimble Monkey Superstar,’ was shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book awards. The series now has a fourth LOL-worthy instalment in the form of ‘Thimble and the Girl From Mars.’ Make sure you read author, Jon Blake’s piece featuring eight (possibly) interesting facts about the creation of this story. … Continue reading ‘Thimble and the Girl From Mars,’ by Jon Blake, illustrated by Martin Chatterton.
Today I’m sharing a very special little book which will leave you with a warm glow inside. make sure you read Katie’s piece about embracing other cultures and celebrating diversity. In a world sometimes sad, where our hopes come and go. All you need is the light from a small ‘Little Glow.’ As the nights … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Little Glow,’ by Katie Sahota, illustrated by Harry Woodgate.
Pam Smy’s first novel, ‘Thornhill,’ was met with much critical acclaim and nominated for several awards so my expectations of ‘The Hideaway’ were high. Well let me tell you, she has crafted another beautifully told tale interwoven with atmospheric greyscale illustrations. Pam has written an exclusive piece for this blog about being an illustrator. You … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Hideaway,’ by Pam Smy.
‘Reflecting Realities’ is the name of a powerful piece of research conducted by the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) which focussed on extent and quality of ethnic representation and diversity within children’s literature. Their third report (published in November 2020) found that only 7% of children’s literature published over the past three years … Continue reading Reflecting Realities – Part 1 (diverse ethnicities)
Library Girl and Book Boy 