Ayo’s Adventure across the African Diaspora by Ain Heath Drew and Erin K Robinson

Barefoot books, 979888892120

There has been a plethora of books written about Africa in the last few years, although still a relatively small proportion of them are aimed at children.  This  book expands the understanding that people have about where they come from and their heritage, but in a very relatable and charming way.

The young hero Ayo is having trouble getting to sleep and tries to relax by counting sheep in Swahili, the language of his ancestors and starting on an A-Z book.  The next thing he knows is that he is in a dreamland that shows him how the people of Africa have moved around the world, taking their various cultures with them.  The clever way in which this has been achieved by the author, is to treat the book as an A to Z,  which gives a sub-title of ‘Afro to Zulu’.  We follow Ayo as he visits a wide range of countries and experiences the history, religions and cultures that form part of his heritage.  Although the book is arranged in this alphabetical order, we also have a note at the top of each double page spread which tells us which country is being used as the example.  I also love the map at the back of the book which shows us just how far African communities have spread, many of those as a result of the slave trade.  As you can see from the cover, this is a vibrant, colourful and  exuberant look at the world of the diaspora.  Both the author and the illustrator have undertaken a lot of research in their attempts to be accurate in their work and they have done a really excellent job.

This book is aimed at the young reader and will be great for sharing with individuals or small groups.  Although the main character is African American, the book looks at countries in the Caribbean and also to African countries that were ruled by the British in the past; this means that the cultural references can be appreciated by a British audience.  This is a book that should find its way in to all primary school libraries and will make a brilliant starting point for a whole range of discussions.

 

About the author:

Ain Heath Drew

Ain Heath Drew is the author of Ari J.’s Kinky, Curly Crown. As an educator, she uses books to expand her students’ knowledge about the world around them. Ain lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

About the illustrator:

Erin K. Robinson is an Emmy-nominated illustrator trained at the Parsons School of Design and 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.

About the publisher:

Barefoot Books is an award-winning, independent, women-owned and run, children’s book publisher based in Concord, MA. Founded by two mothers in England in 1992, we are committed to creating visually captivating books that celebrate global awareness and diversity, spark curiosity and capture imaginations. Today, our unwavering commitment to opening children’s hearts, minds and worlds feels more important than ever. Barefoot Books was shortlisted for the Alison Morrison Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award in 2024’s IPG Awards.

On a personal note I had the great pleasure of visiting Barefoot books when they were based in Bath in the early 2000s and I was a children’s librarian in the area.

Spooksmiths Investigate: The Cinderman by Alex Atkinson

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.

Indigo Smith is the narrator of this story and lives with her parents and twin brother Rusty (Russell) in the funeral parlour that her parents run.  She is convinced that ghosts do not exist and is far more interested in the nature to be found locally.  When she accidentally discovers a hidden room in the house, she manages to knock over an old urn and releases the ashes of the Cinderman.  This is the most dangerous type of spirit and he is out to wreak revenge on the local population for what happened when he was alive.  Overnight the village becomes coated in ash and the twins discover that the Cinderman has taken control of the inhabitants and turned them into zombie like people..   At the same time that this happens the two children discover that they have the power to see and speak to ghosts, including their grandfather; he explains that they are a new generation of Spooksmiths, who can see ghosts and are able to protect the village from evil spirits.  The question is whether they can overcome the Cinderman, save all their family and friends and enable some of the local ghosts to find peace at last?

What a chillingly good story for even people like myself who are not great fans of the horror or ghost genre.  The author has managed to combine the lurking menace of the Cinderman with the delightfully funny character of Phrank, a wild pheasant that has taken up residence in the garden (and the kitchen, if he can sneak in).  However, this is also a story about family and how relationships can affect future generations.  There seems to be an assumption that twins are always very close, but perhaps that it not always the case or at least the individuals can have differing interests and temperaments.  This is a brilliant read for those who want to dip their toes into the horror genre, but it also show how aficionados of war-gaming learn strategies that might help them in other circumstances.  It is a very compelling story and I am delighted to see that there will be a second outing for Indigo and Rusty in the future.

 

The author

Alex Atkinson loves scary books filled with oddball characters. She blames 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.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/alexatkinsonstories
X: https://x.com/alatkinson

The World between the Rain by Susan Cahill

I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour and to host this  lovely piece by Susan Cahill.  Being half Irish, I really feel the magic and poetic feel of her writing and think I might be in line to play Mrs Flynn in any future production. It is also likely that I will never think of frogs in the same way again. I will be writing my own review of the book later, but it definitely has a lot of stars attached.  Thank you so much Susan, I look forward to reading more of your work.

 

My favourite characters from The World Between the Rain

I loved writing The World Between the Rain so much, especially getting to know some of the people and animals 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.

Mrs Flynn: Marina and her sister Seri live with their mum, Maeve, in a small cul-de-sac beside one other house that’s almost hidden behind a tangle of overgrown bushes and plants. This is the house of their neighbour, Mrs Flynn and her cat, Miss Rose. Marina and Seri always try to avoid Mrs Flynn because she talks almost non-stop, her social life is going to funerals (a very Irish trait), and she likes to discuss this at length. Their mum, Maeve, who tries to be a very tidy person, can’t handle the chaos of Mrs Flynn’s garden. However, there’s much more to Mrs Flynn that meets the eye. (As an aside, Miss Rose is named after a real-life cat. She lives with my aunt and has very strong opinions about people, mostly negative.)

I first encountered Mrs Flynn when she showed up on the page on a writer’s retreat run by the brilliant author, Rebecca Schiller. Rebecca often has us do prompts to warm up, in which she gives you a phrase and you must write for fifteen minutes non-stop, without thinking or editing. So much interesting stuff has jumped out during these prompts – if you’re a writer I highly recommend them. During one of these prompts, Mrs Flynn just started talking – and as I mentioned, she likes to talk a lot. She is inspired by some older women I’ve met in West Cork, enigmatic, full of wisdom, and hilarious. And she also has a secret, one that will be very important to the plot of The World Between the Rain and Marina’s story.

Cablo and Tuaim: I think these two might be my favourite characters of all. Cablo and Tuaim are two frogs who run The Office of the Lost and the Forgotten. It is not The Office of the Lost and Found because they have never found anything, they only deal with the lost. My friend, Gavin, once told me that when frogs are awake, they show sleep-like brain waves, and when asleep, their brains look like they’re awake. Now I know it’s not the same thing, but my brain immediately decided that frogs are constantly in a dream-like state. Cablo and Tuaim are quite dreamy and spacey and very very funny.

The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright by Reece Carter and Eleonora Asparuhova

This is the second in the series of books featuring the very odd seaside village of Elston-Fright.  When I started to read, I thought that this was set in the UK, but then came across names such as Kookaburras, which of course made me realise that we are actually reading about Australia.

The central character of this story is the young Flip Little, who together with 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.

What a fascinating premise  we have here, particularly the two ghosts; Girl is a ghost that cannot be seen, but she can wear clothes to show where she is, whilst Corpse has created a body for herself out of wax and is able to inhabit this shell.  The story is told from the perspective of all three young people, so you have to check the chapter heading to make sure you know the current narrator.  All three of them have issues that they are trying to solve; with the ghosts it is about trying to remember their previous lives and why they are still connected to the area around Elston-Fright.  For Flip things become really difficult as the story progresses; his belief in his family and the role they have played in the past, is completely destroyed, as he finds that his ancestor is not the hero he had been led to believe in.  As readers we find ourselves having a great deal of sympathy for the three friends and you can truly understand the anger and frustration when Flip discovers the truth.  However, he understands that he can change things and works with the Seafoam Sprites to fight the Poltergusts.

This is one of those books that leave a deep impression on the reader, based on the characters of the central figures.  The ending gives the impression that there will be at least one more title in the series and I am longing to find out what happens to this unlikely group of friends as their hidden enemy gets closer and some of the secrets might be uncovered.  It is a great read for those who like a bit of horror in their stories, but not enough to scare them too much.

The Author

Reece Carter is a high-profile Australian nutritionist who has written two non-fiction books for 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.

 

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/herbnerdreece

X: https://x.com/herbnerdreece

 

Book Information

Title: The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright (The Elston-Fright Tales #2)
Author: Reece Carter

Release Date: 10th October 2024

Genre: MG

Publisher: Usborne

Witchspark by Dominique Valente and Eleonora Asparuhova

As someone who loves fantasy and history, I had every hope that I would enjoy this book; particularly as I really loved the author’s earlier series, ‘Starfell’.  However, this totally overwhelmed my expectations and is definitely one of my five star choices for this year.

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.

On the other side of the country another young girl is being challenged about magic, but in her case she appears to have discovered her witch’s powers.  Unfortunately, this girl is the 14 year old Princess Victoria and the law states that members of the royal family who have magic, cannot come to the throne.  So the young princess is desperate to get ride of her powers and hopes that Miss Hegotty’s course will show her how to do that.  With the help of a  young servant called Eoin (who has his own mystery to solve), she signs up and tries to control her powers.  Destiny and perhaps some help from the mysterious Miss Hegotty bring the two young girls together, where they are able to help each other with their problems.

There are some books that come along and you just know they are ones you will read again and again (I have already  read this one twice) and they just keep getting better.  The author has managed a fabulous re-imagining of the early 19th century; blending in historical facts with the magical element. The interactions of Victoria with her mother and Sir John Conroy, reminds me of the Lucy Worsley book “My Name is Victoria” and it really reminds us of the way women were treated in the past.  Perhaps my favourite character is Arthur, the butler; this may be because a Wyvern is the symbol of the local area where I live, but I also love anything to do with dragons.  Whilst there is a very satisfying ending to the story, there is a chink in the plotting which would allow the characters to have further adventures.  I must admit that I really do hope that we meet up with Eglantine and Victoria again.

 

The Author

Dominique Valente is the author of the bestselling Starfell series, and her unique voice and 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.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dominiquevalente
X: https://x.com/domrosevalente

 

Book Information

Title: Witchspark
Author: Dominique Valente

Release Date: 10th October 2024

Genre: MG

Publisher: Usborne