I don’t seem to get many sci-fi titles sent to me, which is surprising as children tend to love outer-space adventures with aliens and uncharted territory. Enter ‘Orion Lost’ - a new middle grade title by Alastair Chisholm. Thirteen-year-old Beth and her family are onboard the colony ship Orion which is heading for Eos Five … Continue reading ‘Orion Lost,’ by Alastair Chisholm, cover by Dan Mumford.
My first read of the new year was ‘Little Bird Lands,’ which is the sequel to last year’s ‘Little Bird Flies.’ A story which followed Bridie and her family as they scratched out a living on the remote Scottish Island of Tornish before the arrival of a new lord caused terrible trouble and disruption. You … Continue reading ‘Little Bird Lands,’ by Karen McCombie, cover by Jasu Hu.
Welcome to 2020, everyone! I am exc yes to share more of the bookish delights you can expect to not over the coming year. If you still have book tokens burning a hole in your pocket, I would highly recommended my last read of 2019 and my first review of the new decade: Darkwhispers. Ever … Continue reading ‘Darkwhispers,’ by Vashti Hardy, cover by George Ermos.
I had been saving Frostheart for one of my Christmas holiday reads as I wanted to be able to fully enjoy reading it and immerse myself in its world. It was definitely worth the wait. Ash has never really fitted in with the rest of the Fira people, being passed from one guardian to the … Continue reading ‘Frostheart,’ by Jamie Littler.
I was thrilled to receive a copy of ‘The Conspiracy of Magic,’ because it would give me another opportunity to dive into the magical world of Cass (whom I first met in The Company of Eight.) Things have taken an icier turn with sorcerers and magicians beginning to rebel against the ban on magic. Cass … Continue reading ‘The Conspiracy of Magic,’ by Harriet Whitehorn, cover by Maria Surducan.
Today it’s my turn to tell people all about the rather wonderful ‘Granny Magic’ and share a special post by author, Elka Evalds, about some of the wonderful books she loved in her childhood. When Will’s granny passes away, he and his mum make a start on clearing her house - which is absolutely stuffed … Continue reading ‘Granny Magic,’ by Elka Evalds, cover by Teemu Juhani.
I am a huge advocate of funny books and promoting more diverse humorous titles in school and home libraries. That’s why I was so thrilled to be asked to champion one of the titles for this year’s Lollies (The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2020), run by Scholastic with Michael Rosen as head judge. The … Continue reading Introducing the Laugh Out Loud Book Award nominee ‘Planet Stan’ by Elaine Wickson (illustrated by Chris Judge)
Some of you may have read Hilary McKay’s Costa Children’s Book Award for ‘The Skylarks War.’ If you did, you will be interested to know that she has new middle grade novel out called ‘The Time of Green Magic.’ It kept me engaged for a couple of what could have been very boring hours at … Continue reading ‘The Time of Green Magic,’ by Hilary McKay, cover by Dawn Cooper.
This book is just a little bit special. It beautifully melds a touching story about the struggles between a mother and a daughter who’s growing up with a strong fantasy/ gaming theme. Unlike anything I’ve read before but totally enchanting. *UPDATE* Aisha’s wonderful book has just been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020 - … Continue reading ‘A Pocketful Of Stars,’ by Aisha Busby.
Introducing the perfect book to snuggle up under a blanket with now that Winter is drawing nearer. Lose yourself Siberian wilderness full of wolves, ice and magic - Nevertell. Lina has only ever known life inside the dangerous prison camp she was born in. Life is hard; the rations are meagre and the guards often … Continue reading ‘Nevertell,’by Katharine Orton, cover by Sandra Dieckmann.
I have only recently discovered the joys of novels written in free-verse. Kwame Alexander and Sarah Crossan are award-winning examples of authors who do this already. The ability to tell a whole scene of a story in a few carefully chosen and placed words, and making an emotional connections with their readers is a real … Continue reading ‘In the Key Of Code,’ by Aimee Lucido, cover by Helen Crawford-White.
After reading the magical Snowglobe, I couldn’t wait to read Amy’s newest title: ‘Shadows of Winterspell,’ which I read over the summer but have had to wait until nearer its publication date to review (17th October). Finally, the wait is almost over! Winterspell Forest inhabited by the magical fae folk and haunted by the dark … Continue reading ‘Shadows Of Winterspell,’ by Amy Wilson.
It is with much excitement that I introduce you to Sally Gardner’s first middle grade title since the award-winning ‘I, Coriander,’ 14 years ago! When Celeste wakes up in a costume basket at the Royal Opera House, she hopes that her encounter with the strange man in an emerald green suit at the bottom of … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Invisible in a Bright Light,’ by Sally Gardner.
If you like seriously creepy tales of ghouls and ghosties mixed with an inept Nancy Drew-style lead, look no further than ‘The Ghouls Of Howlfair’! Make sure you read Nick’s spooktacular piece about how his main character Molly Thompson came about - the geeks and the weirdos will prevail! Howlfair is a town built on … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘The Ghouls Of Howlfair,’ by Nick Tomlinson, illustrated by Kim Geyer.
Today, I’m lucky enough to have a special piece from Ben Davis about his top ten fictional dogs in honour of Gizmo, the canine star of his own book: ‘What’s That in Dog Years?’ (OUP) I’ll let Ben fill you in on the plot of this gorgeous book, but if you want my review of … Continue reading ‘What’s That in Dog Years?’ By Ben Davis, illustrated by Julia Christians.
Climate change is a major issue on the world’s political agenda but it has also become the motivator for a major campaign by young activists across the globe. Inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, there have been waves of pupil strikes to ensure the voice of the younger generation is heard and to try … Continue reading ‘We are all Greta: Be Inspired to Save the World,’ by Valentina Giannella, illustrated by Manuela Marazzi.
“A boy. A drone. And the danger below.” Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Spylark,’ with a special piece by Danny Rurlander about the beautiful Lake District setting for his book. Since his accident, Tom’s not only struggling with the loss of his father but also loss of mobility. Retreating into the … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Spylark,’ by Danny Rurlander, cover by Doaly.
Having recently heard a lot of good things about ‘Lori and Max,’ I decided to make it my next read. I am pleased to report back that I wasn’t disappointed. Lori Mason wants to be a detective, but she keeps this very quiet at school because it’s not a good idea to be different. She’d … Continue reading ‘Lori and Max,’ by Catherine O’Flynn, cover by Jennifer Hall.
In my experience, engaging and digestible books about mathematics aren’t far and few between. Enter ‘The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics.’ This large-scale hardback tome is packed with information about how maths permeates everything in our universe. From atoms to Fibonacci, planets to cryptology. Maths underpins every one! Organised into four … Continue reading ‘The Language of the Universe,’ by Colin Stuart, illustrated by Ximo Abadía.
Today is my stop on the ‘Girl. Boy. Sea’ blog tour. In addition to telling you all about this shipwreck adventure, I also have an exclusive piece from the author himself about the sea-faring adventures that inspired him whilst growing up. This is a story of storm, shipwreck, survival and the formation of an unlikely … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Girl. Boy. Sea.’ by Chris Vick.
