I am delighted to be today's stop on the 'Stand by Me,'blog tour. I am always on the look out for new titles which might tempt fans of Jacqueline Wilson or Cathy Cassidy and think I may just have found one here. 'Stand by me' is the brilliant sequel to 'Time After Time' and follows … Continue reading ‘Stand by Me,’ by Judi Curtin, cover by Rachel Corcoran.
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.
Another lovely edition of a children's classic from Alma Junior. This time 'Pollyanna' gets their magic touch. Pollyanna is a young orphan girl forced to move in with her strict aunt in New England. Although the two don't get off to the best of starts, Pollyanna's positive attitude affects everyone that she meets. After tragedy … Continue reading ‘Pollyanna,’ by Eleanor H. Porter, illustrated by Kate Hindley.
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
After reading, and loving, Webb's sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett's 'The Secret Garden,' I was delighted to see learn that she had also reimagined Hodgson Burnett's beloved classic 'The Little Princess,' but set against the tempestuous backdrop of the Suffragette movement of the early 20th century. Still set in the prim and proper Miss Minchin's … Continue reading ‘The Princess and the Suffragette,’ by Holly Webb.
I first came across this book when it was nominated for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2017. When I read the opening, I knew that it was going to be an absolutely fantastic story. It seems that the Blue Peter judges agreed, as Podkin duly won its category. An epic adventure in a land where … Continue reading ‘The Legend of Podkin One-Ear,’ by Kieran Larwood, cover by Fernando Juarez, illustrations by David Wyatt.
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.
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.
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!
Having loved the first book in this trilogy (Beetle Boy), when I found out that there was a limited edition of Beetle Queen with sprayed edges, I was straight on-line ordering myself a copy. And it was worth it! The yellow ladybird spots are a true delight. Let me just fill you in quickly … Continue reading ‘Beetle Queen,’ by M.G. Leonard, cover illustration by Elisabet Portabella.
I'd like to share a delightfully odd duo set in a world where the odd is the ordinary: 'Alistair Grim's Odditorium,' by Gregory Funaro, illustrated by Chris Mould The unlikely hero of this piece is Grubb, a twelve-year-old orphan scraping a living as a chimney sweep in Victorian England. After an unfortunate accident … Continue reading ‘Alistair Grim’s Odditorium,’ by Gregory Funaro.
Case: The Disappearing Diamond Detective: Sherlock Holmes Location: Baker Street Academy Status: Top Secret! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the fabulous Sherlock Holmes! After arriving late, new boy, John Watson, was dreading his first day at Baker Street Academy. His fears soon disappeared as his buddy for the day, Martha, introduced … Continue reading ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond,’ by Sam Hearn.
I know they say you shouldn't judge books by their covers, but this one was calling out to me from across the bookshop. It truly is a thing of great beauty! Written by the masterful Neil Gaiman and illustrated by the Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell, you would be right to expect great things from this … Continue reading ‘Odd and the Frost Giants,’ by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell.
I was very excited when I discovered that Macmillan's Children's Books were publishing a new hardback edition of this book. I have very fond memories of listening to this on story cassette when I was little. Gobbolino was born in the darkness of a witch's cave but was miserable with his job of being a … Continue reading ‘Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat,’ by Ursula Moray Williams, illustrated by Catherine Rayner.
Get ready for the second thrilling instalment of the gadget-packed series - 'The Inventory' as it's my stop on the blog tour. In this sequel to 'The Iron Fist,' Dev and his friends (Lot and Mason) are having their skills tested as they're sent to chase down one of the Double Helix's henchmen with a … Continue reading ‘The Inventory – Gravity,’ by Andy Briggs.
I AM FEARLESS. I AM FOX. Welcome to the magical world of the fantastic Foxcraft series by Inbali Iserles. Foxcraft - The Taken (book 1) Isla and her brother, Pirie, spend their days blissfully happy. They play, romp and stalk through the woods and fields surrounding their den - taking care not to bump into … Continue reading ‘Foxcraft,’ by Inbali Iserles
Library Girl and Book Boy 