One of the excellent things about being involved with the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year (2024) is that you get to read stories that would not normally appear on your radar. As many of you readers will know, I specialize in reading and then writing about books for children. This is a huge range of materials, from picture books to YA and fiction as well as information works. It is therefore great to have something that has a sense of familiarity, but which has managed to give an original twist to the work.
This story is set in a magical world, where the normal people live side by side with the Veg Witches and the Drupe Mages (wizards) and depend on the witches to help grow their crops, as well as provide medical care and advice. The mages, live in a castle and tend to keep away from the locals and they are also not very good at commonsense magic! The main character is Glunda Ashwillow, who is about to become the current head witch and Holder of the Golden Key; unfortunately the mages, in the guise of Alar Reave have decided not to hand over the Key (which is shared every six months), but intend to carry out all the magic themselves. As I am sure you can imagine this turns out to be a recipe for disaster. The question is whether the mages can be made to see sense, the local farmers can save their crops and the veg witches can get enough food to last the winter?
As I was reading this book, I had the distinct feeling that the author was paying a slight ‘homage’ to the memory of Terry Pratchett’s witches and wizards. Although the main characters are a lot younger than many of those in the Discworld books, there is a real feeling that Glunda is akin to Tiffany Aching and there was even a hint of a cantankerous Granny Weatherwax. The fun bit is that Glunda, Alar and a friend called Clum all attended the same school, so knew each other rather well. This fact opened up all kinds of possibilities and allowed for the sort of verbal in-fighting that had grown since the characters were very young. From the reader’s point of view it gives the opportunity for lots of humour and the chance to feel that they really need to try and get on.
This is a short book by modern standards, however it does carry the reader along at a fast pace and I think it will be popular with those who do not want a mammoth read. I do look forward to reading more by the author, as I really liked his quirky sense of humour and the readability of the book.
The author
Born a stone’s throw from the Lake District, Keith studied film making at university before moving to London to work in film and TV. After twenty years of doing other people’s bidding he went around the world, trained as a yoga teacher, rode a camel, got a tattoo he doesn’t regret, and was finally able to publish his first novel, DEXTER & SINISTER: DETECTING AGENTS, something he has dreamed of since he was eight years old and asked for a typewriter for Christmas.
Currently residing in Leeds, when he’s not up a mountain Keith can be found trying to get his foot behind his head. He hasn’t managed it yet, but he’ll get there one day.
Keith has four books out, THE HAMMERSMYTH TALES, a steampunk series that includes two novels and a collection of short stories, and GLUNDA THE VEG WITCH, his first foray into cosy fantasy.
Keith can be found idling on social media at https://x.com/keithwdickinson, https://bsky.app/profile/keithwdickinson.bsky.social, and https://www.instagram.com/keithwdickinson/, and you can find out more about him and his work at https://keithwdickinson.com/ .
In this wonderful and evocative new book by Jasbinder Bilan we are taken from the heat and exoticism of India, to the hustle and bustle of London, where our heroine discovers that danger is lurking in the most unlikely places. Naeli is the daughter of an Indian mother, who was a famous musician, and a British father, a doctor who was also a very proficient violinist. Her father had to return to Britain when she was five years old, but now that her mother had died, she does not know hat her future holds. When a mysterious letter arrives for her, it includes a ticket to England and some money, and so begins her adventure to try and find her missing father. On the trip to England she makes friends with a young Anglo-Indian boy, who is going back to his school in Westminster. However, it is when Naeli arrives in England that the real action begins. After a rather difficult start, Naeli is taken to the home of her uncle, someone she has never heard of, but who seems happy to see her. Unfortunately, he gradually shows his true colours, and he is not a very nice person. What follows is a true Victorian melodrama, with kidnap, family secrets and a mysterious and brooding family house in the wilds of Northumberland.
This new story is set at the end of the Victorian period and centres around Mason and his father, who has set up business as an ice-cream seller. Unfortunately they are in the middle of a really hot spell of weather and do not have the money to buy ice, so they can stop their wares from melting. When everything is looking bleak, something magical happens; the sky suddenly fills with air balloons, which then spill bubbles into the air. This really excites the crowd as they recognise that it all means that a famous wish bringer called Darlington has arrived back in his hometown. However, Mason gets the biggest shock when a bubble bursts in front of him and it holds an invitation for him and his father to visit the famous magician. The ensuing story shows that they are related and that there is someone who does not want Darlington to make this new connection. The question is whether they and a young girl called Clem can outwit the villain, or will the chance of a happy future be ruined?
With the publication of the third and final book in this series (it came out on the 8th May), the publishers have decided to take the opportunity to go on tour with the first in the series. For those of you who are already fans, this is a chance to remind yourselves of the fantastic characters and world building that the author has created. If you are new to the series, then you are in for a really fabulous treat.
or twisty YA murder-mysteries.
In this story by Adrian Lynch, the hero is a young girl called Amelia, who is a streetwise, smart and also vulnerable orphan. She lives in an orphanage run by the disgusting Mr Belcher and he seems to harbour a special grudge against Amelia. However, one night everything changes when Amelia is forced to run away and meets a stranger who says she has been accepted at the Star Quest Academy, as part of a programme to see if Earth is now acceptable as part of the Intergalactic Federation. Together with three other Earth children, Amelia has to prove herself, but it appears that someone wants her to fail and her life is in danger. Whilst they are aware of the dangerous Lord Fog, who wants to take over the Earth, they also need to find out who is the secret agent lurking in the Academy; but will they find the correct person?
those unenlightened times. As a kid, when he wasn’t learning to be ‘normal’, (he failed), he would hang out in the nearby bluebell-carpeted woods. To him, they harboured space aliens, mysterious creatures and the ghosts of Grims Dyke whose mournful songs rustled autumnal leaves. This inspired stories that Adrian would tell eager audiences for pocket money.
Collections of short stories appear to be much in demand, but they are not always easily found, especially for the older KS2 children. This is a very personal collection of stories and some random observations by the author. If you start off by understanding his quirky sense of humour, then you won’t go far wrong.
The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Award has been running since 2008 and has been the launch of many successful careers in the world of children’s literature. The winner in 2022 was Sarah Harrison, with a book entitled “Eddie’s Demons”. This has since become the story that is known as “The School of Doom” I must admit that I do prefer this new title and I am delighted that the book has now found its way out into the wide world.
I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour and the title of the book definitely attracted my attention. The question is absolutely “what is STUFF”? The word is a term that just about every person uses and it is not easily defined by the individual. However, in this book, the author tries to give us a very broad definition of those areas that can be seen as stuff by many of us.