National Non-Fiction November has been part of the book scene for nearly 15 years years now and its importance has grown dramatically over that time. As chair of judges for the Information Book Award I have been very conscious of the impact that these different projects have on highlighting information books and their importance, not only in studying but also as part of Reading for Pleasure.
This book is not just about the first roller coaster, it also covers a wide range of amazing inventions from skyscrapers to cars, but also including the domestication of wild dogs and the development of fizzy drinks. As you can see from the illustrations, this is intended for lower KS2 readers and shows how learning about things can be enjoyable, as well as informative. There is a
real sense of fun in many of the facts and I particularly enjoyed finding this comment which is very amusing; it is definitely a case of “what goes around, comes around”, as cotton nappies were the norm until the 1980s in the UK; I am sure many people still have memories of the daily task of washing them.
The book is divided into 8 sections, which each focus on a different theme and have titles such as ‘Fun and Games’, ‘Run and Jump’ and ‘High and Mighty’. The contents page is clear and easy to follow and when showing an article about a person, it is actually highlighted, which is very helpful. there are two really useful sections at the back; one of them has information about inventors, many of them from around the world and very young when the first had their ideas, whilst the second gives information about how you can patent your ideas to keep them safe.
With the new report on ‘Reading for Pleasure’ from the National Literacy Trust it is even more important that young people are able to access as wide a range of reading materials as possible. The ability to chose what you read is something that most adults take fore granted, but children are often told that books are ‘too difficult’, ‘too easy’, or even ‘not a real book’. All of these things are likely to put young people off reading for enjoyment. Beautiful, well written and fascinating information books are a large part of the positive support that we can give children in making their reading choices and developing a sense of enquiry and enjoyment. This is one of those great books that people love to just dip into, so that they can impress their friends with weird and wonderful facts, but it can also be used as part of the curriculum when studying STEM topics such as friction, velocity and digital technologies. It is very highly recommended for primary schools.
the Corcoran School of Art. Erin’s illustrations have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she has illustrated numerous picture books, including the multiple star-reviewed title A Library which was written by Coretta Scott King Honor winner Nikki Giovanni. Erin splits her time between Brooklyn, NY, and Washington, DC., USA.
This is the time of year when spooky and frightening stories come into their own. The coming of Halloween seems to remind people of those scary stories and legends that abound in all mythologies.
her idyllic North Yorkshire childhood spent playing murder-in-the-dark and listening to her dad’s blood-curdling bedtime stories. After studying English and Politics at Newcastle University, she worked as a website content editor. She now lives in a village in Hertfordshire with her husband, kids, dogs and tortoise, but dreams of abandoned buildings, ghosts and zombies. SPOOKSMITHS INVESTIGATE: THE CINDERMAN is her debut novel.
who populate the story. Marina, my main character, shares lots of traits with me: daydreaming, hoping to discover portals to other worlds, and a tendency to notice magic everywhere. But I really fell in love with some of the other characters in the story, and I’d like to introduce some of them to you.
his grandmother are the last members of their family; a family that for generations have been Lightkeepers, protecting the village of Elston -Fright from magical monsters. But the other locals no longer believe in magic and are not prepared when strange events start happening. Luckily Flip is friends with two local ghosts, Corpse (the central character from book one) and Girl, as well as a giant spider called Simon and when Simon is kidnapped they decide they need to take action to solve the mysteries. What they discover turns Flip’s world upside down. Beneath the coastal rocks they discover creatures called Seafoam Sprites, and their leader, Glow, says that she is the Lightkeeper; which would mean that Flip’s ancestors had stolen the ability from the sprites. However, there is still the need to protect the locals from the horrors called Poltergusts, but will the humans and the sprites be able to work together for common good.
adults, appeared on many of Australian’s major television networks, and written for magazines like GQ. He grew up in rural Western Australia and now lives in Sydney.
The story is set in a version of 19th century England, where magic has been let free after a tremendous earthquake. Eglantine lives in one of only three sentient houses in England and needs to find her magic, if she is to make a link with the house. However her wicked uncle has other plans and tricks her father into signing the house over and then taking him prisoner. He gives Eglantine an ultimatum, with a three month timescale, to change her mind. Left in the house with only her wyvern butler Arthur and the house itself to help her, Eglantine comes across and advert for “Miss Hegotty’s Course for Aspiring Witches” . With nothing to lose and everything to gain, she goes ahead and signs up.
brand of quirky magic has found fans amongst readers and booksellers across the globe. She lives in Suffolk, in a (sadly non-magical) house with her husband and dog.
not really helping them. The story follows the children as they overcome prejudice, fire and a mysterious character who tries to kidnap their bird for King Charles II. the story is told chronologically and we follow the action as the flames spread over the days, always at the mercy of the wind direction.
those who might be Catholics or foreigners at least. I love the way that the author has included several well-know characters from the period, so we see the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, who did not do well and also the diarist Samuel Pepys, who was much more pro-active and involved in trying to save areas of the city. We also get the fact that the many bookshops and printers near to St Paul’s did store their stock in the crypt, only for the fire to find a way inside and destroy almost everything.
grade book — word of mouth bestseller Darwin’s Dragons — has been published across the world and is commonly read in British classrooms. She presents lively book events for all ages, calling on 20 years teaching experience. When not working, she enjoys long shore-side dog walks with her family, and the occasional sea swim.
as they struggle to save the world. Although it is best to have read the first two books in the sequence, we are given a timeline of the story so far, which will bring readers up to speed, but also make them want to read the others.
“Whoo, steady on there!” Harry cried over the wind, shoving his arm back to stop Grian’s certain fatal descent. “You can’t be falling asleep on me, mate. I warned you the last time.”
his brother in the bottom of their garden. She lives in a small house with Robbie, their daughters Jo and Bobbie and dog Tinker.
Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He writes novels, short stories, and poetry collections. He has won the TLS / Blackwell’s Prize for Poetry and the Southern Arts Literature Prize, and been shortlisted twice for the Forward Prize, twice for the Welsh Book of the Year Award and once for the Ted Hughes Award. In 2004, he was chosen as one of the Next Generation Poets. He is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy. Matthew lives with this wife in Aberystwyth, Wales where he enjoys playing chess, cooking and playing the ukulele.
sorceress in the city.However, things take a sinister turn during market day, as something very big falls from the sky! It is a rather well dressed giant and not unexpectedly, after his fall, he is a very dead giant. Some investigation by Anwen and her grandmother discovers that this was not a natural death, the victim had been MURDERED.!! The problem is that there has been no contact between the Giants’ kingdom and the human world since the end of the Great Beanstalk War, many years previously. However the villagers decide that they have to try and send a message to the Sky Kingdom, unfortunately Anwen and Cerys find themselves caught in the beanstalk that has been especially grown, but which starts to decay after they have reached their destination. What they discover is that the dead giant was actually the king and they want to help find who the murderer was, but their own lives are in danger, as they are so small. Look out for an unexpected villain who reveals himself at the climax of the plot
Who. He’s had all sorts of jobs over the years, from lifeguard to roller-coaster operator, but has always wanted to write stories. He lives in Wales with his wife Anna and their two children.