Getting reading for Christmas

What an absolutely stunning collection of stories to add to your Christmas shelves.  I hope that there is something for everyone to enjoy and many will become firm favourites for future years.

Middle grade reads

Farshore, 9780008666583

The Christmas Carrolls, The Christmas Club” by Mel Taylor-Bessant and Selom Sunu is the final part of the trilogy featuring the Christmas Carrolls, a family so fixated by the festive season that they try and include it in their lives for the whole of the year.  Having won a competition in the previous book, they find themselves in New York, to take part in the Christmas parade; but then they receive a mysterious invitation to try and join the “Christmas Club”, something that they thought was just a fairy tale.  A totally fantastic and exciting story that sees the family facing some of  their greatest challenges yet.  It is a totally fabulous series to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Orion, 9781510112933

Step Father Christmas” by L D Lapinski is about siblings Harper and Will, and what happens when their mother invites her new boyfriend to stay for Christmas.  His name is Nick and he has grey hair and beard, which leaves Harper wondering whether he could actually be Father Christmas.  This is a brilliant story for getting you in the festive mood and it has been written in 25 chapters, so you can use it as an Advent calendar to be read every day.

Simon & Schuster, 9781398515840

Adventures of a Christmas Elf” by Ben Miller, illustrated by Chris Naylor and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini is the third in the series featuring Holly Claus and Tog, the Elf. After the excitement of book two, things seem to have settled down at the Workshop.  But when Santa starts feeling tired and decides to take a short holiday, problems start to happen and the two young heroes step up to the challenge and save Christmas, yet again.  It is a tale of redemption (for some) and also how important family can be.

HarperCollins, 9780008475536

“Juniper’s Christmas” by Eoin Colfer and Chaaya Prabhat is set in a world where Father Christmas has not been seen for ten years and children are forgetting about him.  Some do remember the stories told by parents and long for Santa to reappear.  Juniper lives with her mother, near one of the London parks, where her father had worked, but when her mother disappears she ask for help from one of the homeless people who find shelter in the wood.  But then she discovers his secret, he is Father Christmas.  This is a story about helping each other, friendship and evil people who are only interested in themselves. what a fantastic story and so very relevant in the world we inhabit at the moment.

Penguin, 9780241595879

A Christmasaurus carol” by Tom Fletcher and Shane DeVries.  this series featuring the hero William and the last Christmasaurus is fast becoming one of my treats for the Christmas season.  There is a mix of fun and also some serious  subjects.  In this story, the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge is transported to our time and is determined to get rid of Christmas (as you can guess it is the character, BEFORE the three spirits of Christmas visited him).  The question is whether William and his friends can save the day and send Scrooge back into the book “A Christmas Carol”, so that he can change his ways.

Scholastic, 9780702330827

The Great reindeer Rescue” by Stephen Mangan and Anita Mangan is one of those totally silly yet lovable stories, where really quirky things happen.  In this case, Dave, the newest reindeer is startled by Rudolph farting (!!) and accidentally un-clips part of the harness, so Rudolph continues his journey whilst the others are left behind with the sleigh, and then due to a malfunction, Santa and the others are sent to different parts of the globe.  At this point, a young girl called Holly enters the scene and  endeavors to find the missing sleigh and contents, with a bit of ‘help’ from Dave.  A really great bit of fun for the holiday season.

Macmillan, 9781035028177

“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’s  Christmas Shenanigans” by Alex T Smith.  Well the author has done it again.  Another of his Christmas stories which are meant to be read over the Advent season.  This is his interpretation of the famous ballet, “The Nutcracker” and features many of the same characters, but with a modern twist.  It is absolutely fabulous and a future classic.

Macmillan, 9781035014217

“The Ice Children” by M G Leonard is a truly magical story, with echoes of the “Snow Queen” and even “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe“.  When her young brother is found frozen in the local park, and then each day more children become victims, Bianca faces some incredible dangers to try and release them from their frozen prisons. It is a wonderful tale about imagination, family love and needing balance in our world.

Usborne, 9781803704357

“The Snow Girl” by  Sophie Anderson is about a young girl Tasha, who builds a snow girl with her grandfather.  When the sculpture comes to life in the image of a girl called Alyana, it looks as if Tasha has achieved her wish of a best friend.  But what will happen if spring does not arrive, and is Alyana to blame for this change in the seasons?  A wonderful story of friendship, but also a cautionary tale about the way that we interact with nature, and the impact it can have on all our lives.

Pushkin, 9781782694205

“The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor” by Eva Frantz and Elin Sandstrom (translated by Annie Prime) is a wonderful surprise of a book.  It is a translation from a Finnish book, but inspired by the stories of ghosts at Hampton Court Palace.  When Flora and her mother move to Helmersbruk for Christmas, they don’t know that there are hidden secrets and mysteries to be solved.  This is a creepy and yet inspiring story for the Christmas season

David Fickling, 9781788452694

“Adventuremice: mice on the ice” by Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve is the third in the series featuring the delightful and very adventurous mice.  This time they face frozen seas and lots of danger, but as always, they work as a team and win the day.

Macmillan, 9781529070415

“Winnie the Pooh at the Palace” by Jeanne Willis and Mark Burgess is a beautifully illustrated story of Pooh and Piglet going on a visit to the Palace with Christopher Robin.  They have lots of fun in the snow and then find the king’s gold crown in a snow drift. They are then invited in for tea and honey, as a thank you.  A delightfully whimsical story with a much loved bear, and friends.

Penguin, 9780241652541

A very curious Christmas” by Maddie Moate is one of those brilliant pot-potpourris, full of fascinating facts about Christmas.  We all know that children ask the most bizarre questions about the festive season, so this book attempts to answer as many of them as possible.  It is full of fun and facts and would make a brilliant present

Picture Books

Macmillan, 9781761180675

Pink Santa” by Tanya Hennessy and Ben Whitehouse is a super funny tale of what happens when Rudolph accidentally turns Santa’s coat PINK.  Everyone is getting very worried, but Santa is not fazed by events and even paints his sleigh and all the decorations, to match.  It has a lovely message about how good things can happen by accident

Walker books, 9781529507126

“Bunnies in a Sleigh” by Philip Ardagh and Ben Mantle is a new adventure for this set of fun loving bunnies.  When the elves eat too many sweets on Christmas Eve, the bunnies have to help Santa deliver all of the presents and they do so; even if there are some hilarious escapades on the way.  A great rhyming story by a delightfully funny author.

Tiny Owl, 9781910328934

Christmas Cobweb” by Pippa Goodhart and Ema Maliauka is a delightful story about not forgetting that the joy of Christmas can be found in many things.  When old bear decides to have a party for her friends, she spends time cleaning the house and making everything look lovely, but the pesky spiders keep spinning their webs and creating a mess.  So bear is horrified to see webs hanging all over her tree, but then her friends point out how magical it looks and she learns to appreciate the beauty of a cobweb.

Penguin, 9780241489048

The robin who stole Christmas” by Rachel Morrisroe and Richard Merritt brings a very different Robin to our attention; this is one that has close links to Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grumpus.  To spoil Christmas for everyone, Rotten Robin decides to steal all of the presents as well as  FATHER CHRISTMAS himself.  How all the other robins save the day makes for a great fun story, with a lovely underlying message about kindness and sharing.

Little Tiger, 9781801045025

“Santarella” by Suzy Senior and Lucy Semple brings a delightful twist to the story of Cinderella.  When her sisters are out at the ball, Cinderella is surprised by Santa falling down the chimney.  Unfortunately he hurts his back and is going to have problems carrying sacks of gifts, so our adventurous heroine volunteers to help him deliver all of the gifts.  When she is finally delivered to the palace, she decides that life has more to offer than being a princess and goes of on multiple adventures.

HarperCollins, 9780008497606

The Winter Wish” by Helen Mortimer and Rachel Dean is the story of William, who lives in a small bookshop with his parents.  Like many shops they are struggling to make end meet, so can a bit of Christmas magic turn things around and save the shop?  A gorgeous tale about the importance of reading and books.

HarperCollins, 9780007197149

Merry Christmas Blue Kangaroo” by Emma Chichester Clark  was first published in 2004 and has been re-printed to celebrate 25 years of this favourite toy.  It tells the story of preparing for the big day, from decorations to presents.  When Blue Kangaroo magically comes alive, he sneaks downstairs to meet Father Christmas and asks if he can help find a present for Kangaroo’s owner.  A delightful tale that has stood the test of time.

HarperCollins, 9780008413323

“The Three Little Monkeys at Christmas” by Quentin Blake and Emma Chichester Clark  is full of anarchy and humour, as the three mischievous monkeys find ways to amuse themselves, on a visit to Hilda’s uncle, for Christmas.  However, perhaps they can redeem themselves, when a burglar tries to steal a priceless golden teapot.

HarperCollins, 9780008552954

“The Burpee Bears, a Christmas Adventure” by Joe Wicks tells how the bears save their Christmas, when the weather gets so bad that they think grandma bear will not be able to reach them for Christmas.  So they all decide to load of their sledge and go to visit her instead.  things are proving difficult until Santa Bear appears on the scene and helps them get sorted. this is a charming story about the joy of family at Christmas.

HarperCollins, 9780008626013

“How the Grinch lost Christmas” by Dr Seuss tells of what happens when the Grinch comes second in a Christmas tree competition, which makes him lose his Christmas spirit.  However, the winner, a small girl called Cindy-Lou shows him that sharing is what is important and that he is part of the community of Who-ville.

Scholastic, 9780702312281

“Santa’s Marvellous Mechanical Workshop” by Vashti Hardy and Katie Cottle is about moving house near to the Christmas holiday and how to keep the festive spirit.  Lily has been unpacking all of her books and useful tools into her new room, when she finds an unknown wrapped parcel.  It is an empty book that magically takes her to Santa’s workshop, so that she can help to re-purpose some broken toys.  When she wakes up she can’t find the book or the elfbot who she had met in the workshop, however she soon sorts that out.  A delightful story that will please those who are into STEM and recycling.

Nosy Crow, 9781788006903

“A House for Christmas Mouse” by Rebecca Harry is a warm and cuddly story of a young mouse who arrives in the forest, on Christmas Eve, looking for a new home.  He meets a variety of animals on his travels and is able to help them with a variety of tasks, but then he has to go and find this home.  When he eventually finds somewhere, it is cold and empty and frankly not very inviting.  When he tries to ask for help, the other animals don’t seem to hear him, but when he get back to the new home, it has been magically transformed by his new friends. This leaves a warm glow, thinking about the true meaning of Christmas.

Wallowing in my Bath (Kids Lit Festival) again

I am currently having a calm and relaxing day after a 10 day session helping out at Bath.  I can only be in awe of John and Gill McLay and all the amazing work they put into putting the programme together and then being so totally hands on during the festival  I hope they are having a well deserved break, together with all the others who were there every day.  This year I managed to pace myself, although this meant that I occasionally missed out on events and despite my best attempts my ‘time turner’ does not actually function, so I cannot be in two places at the same time.

Lauren Child and Gill McLay

Events started off  on Friday 28th September with an event by the current Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child, in which she combined a general discussion about her books with talking about her new work “Hubert Horatio”.  It is based a round a character she created several years ago in a picture book, but now he is appearing in a work for ‘middle grade’ readers.  Hubert Horatio is a very serious and extremely intelligent little boy; unfortunately he has two very frivolous and spendthrift parents, so it is lucky that they are millionaires and they have their son to keep them out of trouble.  This book is published on 18th October, so I look forward to reading it and then talking about it; it sounds as if it is going to be great fun. The evening was finished off with a launch party at Waterstones, where it was lovely to meet up with friends and authors.

Sebastien de Castell

The festival began in earnest on the Saturday morning but because of other commitments, namely  a trip to London to hear Sebastien de Castell and Alexandra Christo and I was not able to start my stewarding until the Monday, but what a fantastic way to start.  The first event was with the so talented and charming Joseph Coelho, who is known for both his poetry and his picture books.  He focused on reading  “Luna Loves Library Day” and had the book on a large screen, so that the children could fully participate in the reading.  This is an absolute must for all parents to read to their children and for nurseries and schools to use as an introduction to visiting the library. It was also very appropriate as we have just had Libraries Week, where we hopefully celebrate the importance of these places in our lives.  The second event was the ever fabulous Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve  wowing the audience with the “Adventures of Kevin”, the story of a custard cream loving flying pony.  The duo are famous for their songs about the characters in their books and this was no exception.  we all came away with the ear-worm chorus going around our brains – “He’s the one, the one and only, roly poly flying pony”

M G Leonard

Tuesday saw me back in Bath for another round of sessions.  The first one was the delightful Chitra Soundar who I had the pleasure of hearing for the first time.  She is a writer and storyteller who captivated her audience with several of her stories.  the first was “Pattan’s Pumpkin“, an Indian version of a Flood story; she used slides of the pages to reinforce the images.  After this she told the story “You’re safe with me” which is about overcoming fear of the unknown, in the garb of a torrential tropical storm.  Although she did not read from the book, we were also able to see and purchase her new book “You’re snug with me”, the story of a polar bear and her two cubs as they survive winter.  I really have to mention her illustrator Poonam Mistry who has produced the most stunning illustrations for the last two titles.  The complexity of the style is really magical and I think that anyone, child or adult, could spend hours just looking at these wonderful pictures.  My morning was completed by the lovely M G Leonard talking about her trilogy “Battle of the Beetles“.  I was lucky enough to be able to take her out to a couple of schools when the first book “Beetle Boy” was issued, so I have always had a special interest in seeing her success.  Her audience of over 200 pupils were absolutely fascinated by her pictures of beetles and understanding the importance of these creatures to our world.  Whilst I am not sure I will ever want to get ‘up close and personal’ with beetles, I do have a greater understanding of their importance.  However the most important thing about these books is that they are really great adventures with a truly evil villain and some fantastic heroes, both human and animal, so I thoroughly recommend them for KS2 pupils and beyond.

Steven Butler and Steven Lenton

I actually managed to take a break on Wednesday and Thursday but on Friday I once again found myself driving over to Bath for an early start.  the first event was one that my grandson would have absolutely loved as it was about some of his favourite books.  The adventures of “Supertato” are loved by millions of small people and the 340+ who were in the Guildhall were certainly very vocal in their appreciation of the creators, Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet.  It was totally amazing how these youngsters became so involved in the adventures of vegetables in a supermarket but it also shows the power of the imagination and the pleasure that children get from listening to stories.  The final session of the morning was for a slightly older audience and  was about “The Nothing to see here Hotel” and its follow up “You ain’t see nothing Yeti!”  These are written and illustrated by Steven Butler and Steve Lenton and are hysterically funny adventures in a hotel for non-human guests.  So you are likely to meet ogres, trolls, elves, goblins and all sorts of wonderful creatures, but it is never quiet and adventures are always waiting to happen.  The two ‘Steves’ (not the original version, that was Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore) are also great entertainers, so we had a truly funny and fascinating event.  They worked brilliantly with their audience and would be an excellent choice to invite into schools.

David Roberts and Julian Clary

David Roberts and Jo Nadin

The final day of the festival was the Sunday and I had a double whammy of David Roberts,  but the morning started out with a show dedicated to the hero that is “The Gruffalo”.  This consisted of a partial retelling of the story, using musical instruments to represent the different animals and the forest was created with children, holding  small branches with leaves.  As a finale the Gruffalo made a visit and it was wonderful to see how many wanted their photos taken with this icon of children’s literature.  The first David Robert’s event was about the amazing “Suffragette”, which has really caused quite a stir in this centenary year since the first women in the UK got the vote.  The information is well researched and accurate as David has been fascinated by the subject since he was a child.  The illustrations are superb and use the palette of colours that we often associate with the suffrage movements.  This was an event that attracted a wide audience, many of them adults, which was great to see, but there were also numbers of younger readers who are fascinated by the history that this depicts.  Later that day I went down to another venue called Komedia, where David and Julian Clary were talking about “The Bolds in Trouble“,  the latest of their books featuring the incredible Bold family, a family of hyenas living as humans in suburban Teddington. I am a complete fan of these books because the whole concept is so ridiculous,  The characters are a sublime combination of animal and human traits and the books are full of subversive humour.

Looking back on this wonderful week I can only be thankful for having the opportunity to be involved with some amazing people.  The children who attended with their schools during the week have an incredible experience and their enthusiasm for books and reading will have benefited from seeing the artists at work.  I can’t believe that next year will be the 13th festival, but I am really looking forward to seeing what is in store for all of us.

 

Make Hay (on Wye) while the sun shines

Well I have finally achieved an ambition that I have had for many years –  my first visit to the Hay festival; however it will not be my last visit I am sure.  For those who have never attended, I hope I can give you just a small flavour of this quite extraordinary and very unique event.

It takes place over two weekends (from 25th May to 1st June in 2017) and is a melting pot of events covering adult and children’s, non-fiction and fiction.  there are politicians, artists, reporters, authors and illustrators all expressing a wide range of views, so that almost everyone will find something to their liking.  Everything that I know about the Festival has been learnt from friends who have appeared or attended in past years.  Hay itself is a small town with the reputation of being the second-hand bookshop capital of the country (if not the world).  During the festival period it becomes overwhelmed by the number of visitors and accommodation is extremely difficult to find.  For those who are young enough and have the energy there is always the option of camping or glamping; however hotels and B&B s need to be booked a long time ahead if you want to be anywhere near the town.

This year I only attended for one day so my main concern was in finding parking.  Luckily this is extremely well organized with a large off site car park several miles away at Clyro Court. the cost was £6.00 for the day but this also covered the bus to and from the venue.  The buses are every 10 minutes and run until after all of the events have finished, so quite late in the evening.  However I also found that there are several large “Charity” car parks just outside the entrance to the site, so this is something that I need to investigate for the future.

The day that  I chose to attend was Monday 29th, mainly because Neil Gaiman was going to be ‘in conversation’ with Stephen Fry.  As my friends know I was lucky enough to be chair of judges in 2010 when Neil won the Carnegie Medal for “The Graveyard Book” (illustrated by Chris Riddell).  I also discovered that Sarah McIntyre was talking about her new picture book “Prince of Pants” (author Alan MacDonald) and Philip Reeve was discussing “Black Light Express” the follow up to “Railhead”.  I booked all of my tickets, including the parking many weeks before the date and was ready for the two hour journey when the big day arrived.

I knew that it was going to be good when I saw three people that I know within five minutes of arrival at the site; there is nothing like the feeling of belonging this can give you and the children’s book community is so open and friendly that it feels like seeing members of your family .  The Festival site is like a miniature city under canvas with a variety of tents connected by wide covered walkways.  This means that even in the rain it is a very usable space.  The first thing that really hit me was just how crowded the venue was.  With other Festivals such as Bath and Cheltenham they are widely spread out, but this is something totally different.  However it gives Hay a really sense of energy and excitement and you gradually get used to the crowds.

The tent city is well signposted and there are plenty of places to chill out, get something to eat and drink and generally enjoy the ambiance.  My first stop was the Festival Bookshop where all the signings were taking place.  there were several queues and it took a while to understand what was going on; however there is a board which tells you that each doorway is allocated to a specific signing queue, but some of them were very long and things became confusing.

My first event was Sarah McIntyre who was sporting another one of her fabulous outfits, both dress and hats; however it was the beautiful handmade bead necklace that had me drooling, the maker is obviously extremely talented.  As always Sarah got her audience to draw some of the characters from the book and also explained the whole process of creating the illustrations.  I think many were in awe of the skill that goes into interpreting the words that are given to an illustrator and it reminds us that the illustrators are of equal importance (Hence Sarah’s work on http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/pictures-mean-business/.   I then wandered over to the tent where Philip Reeve was talking about his new book.  He had some great digital book trailers which had been manipulated to give the feel of being in space.   Philip is an amazing speaker and he had his audience totally enthralled.  Just before the talk started I discovered that the lovely M G Leonard was sitting directly in front of me, so we were able to renew our acquaintance.  You really must read her two books “Beetle Boy” and “Beetle Queen” if you have not done so already.  After the event had finished I was able to spend some time talking to Sarah and M G before going in for the Neil Gaiman event.

Stephen Fry and Neil Gaiman were discussing his new work “Norse Mythology” and making links to Greek Mythology, as Stephen Fry is currently working on this theme. This was a highly motivated audience of hard-core fans and they were even more ecstatic when Chris Riddell joined the others on stage and spent the entire session creating wonderful and very humorous sketches based on the conversation.  The event was a masterclass in illustration, interviewing and also the depth of knowledge that both speakers had about their subjects.  Although I had taken several books to get them signed the queue was far too long and I still had a two hour drive.  Still I hope that I will be able to hear Neil Gaiman speak at another event in the future.

Hay Festival turned out to be a real delight and I am hoping that in future years I will be able to go for several days and totally wallow in the experience.  It also shows that reading is still alive and well in this country and the range of material is absolutely huge.  I really do encourage people to go to this if they can, however it does require a fair amount of planning to maximize the benefits and see as many people as you want to.  I am sure that many of the events were sold out, so it is important to book tickets as soon as you can; trying to get tickets on the day will probably not work.  Thank you to everyone involved with the Festival, you are fantastic.

 

The Chickens are hatching

Barry Cunningham

“What on earth is she going on about?  What Chickens?”  Well in the publishing world this can only mean the fantastic Chicken House Books, founded and run by the amazing Barry Cunningham (yes, he did sign up J K Rowling).  Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending one of their ‘Big Breakfast’ events, where they present authors and books for the coming year.  It was held in central London, in the rather elegant surroundings of Home House (pronounced Hume like the prime minister?) and we were fed with a range of pastries and loads of tea and coffee.

The event started with an introduction to all of the authors and their books, luckily we were given packs with details of these to take home.  Although the emphasis was on the first six months of the year, there were several titles that will be coming out in the autumn.  We were delighted that so many of the authors were able to attend (I think I counted 10 or 11), however several of the American writers were understandably not there.  The highlight of the day was when several of the authors read excerpts from their new works.  They were all consummate performers and a far cry from the old days, when writers often found it difficult to communicate in person.

 

“Alice Jones: the Ghost Light” by Sarah Rubin.  This is the second in the series about a young amateur sleuth called Alice Jones and I must admit to being a fan.  It fits into that group of writers who would be perfectly at home in the “Golden Age” of crime fiction, although these books are set in the current period.  A great series for those who love Robin Stevens and Katherine Woodfine.

“The White Tower” by Cathryn Constable  is a new title by the author of “Wolf Princess”.  It is describes as “Magic realism” by the publicity and is definitely one that is on my TBR list.

“Mafiosa” by Catherine Doyle is aimed at the older teen and is the climax of the “Blood for Blood” trilogy.  Those who enjoyed the preceding  novels “Vendetta” and “Inferno” will no doubt devour this latest offering and also those who like a gritty and powerful take on their thrillers.

“The Secret Keepers” by Trenton Lee Stewart.  this is the start of a new series by the author of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and it will be loved by those who like their fantasy/mystery to include a little bit of ‘playing with time’.  A watch that can make you invisible for 15 minutes could be very useful, but villains chasing after you are less welcome.  I am really looking forward to reading this in the next few weeks.

Maz Evans and Gemma Fowler

“Who Let the Gods out” by Maz Evans  is a debut novel and features the Gods of Olympus, but not perhaps at their best.  I have been looking forward to this for several months now and have started reading it, so no doubt a fuller comment will be added later.  Since ‘Percy Jackson’ we have seen many authors writing about the various pantheons of gods and I think this may well be up there with the other really good ones.

“The Elephant Thief” by Jane Kerr is due out in March and is a historical novel set in the Victorian period.  When you mix a lonely young urchin with a circus elephant and then send them on a journey it is likely that all kinds of adventures will happen.  This sounds like a book with a warm glow to it.

“Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee” by Mary G Thompson.  This sounds as if it is  not for the faint-hearted but it is sure to find a strong following with those who want a strong story-line and a plot that will take them on a roller-coaster ride.  The age advisory is 14+  for this one

“Moondust” by Gemma Fowler is one of the sci-fi thrillers that seem to be making a splash at the moment.  It is all about mining for a new energy source on the Moon and has strong themes about the environment as well as about the joys and perils of being a teenager.

M G Leonard

“Beetle Queen” by M G Leonard.  this is the second in her “Beetle Boy” series and is due out in April.  I was very  lucky last year and tool the author out to several schools. She was  tremendous  and the original “Beetle Boy” has seen huge success with lots of award nominations.  I can’t wait to read more about the female villain that makes Cruella de Ville look like a cuddly kitten.

“Bigfoot, Tobin and Me” by Melissa Savage.  We are having to wait until May for this story, but from what I have seen, it will be well worth the wait.  Aimed at the 9+ age group it is about dealing with grief, and since the author is a paediatric grief therapist it is safe to assume that she knows her subject. This is one I am really looking forward to.

“The Island at the end of Everything” by Kiran Millwood  Hargrave is a story of a young girl living with her mother on the leper colony of Culion Island.  When all healthy people are evicted from the island, Ami decides to try and return so that she can see her mother before she dies.  I get the feeling that you should not be reading this on public transport due to the “Heartbreaking” parts of the story.

A P Winter and Lisa Drakeford

“The Boy who went Magic” by A P Winter is described in the publicity as “being perfect for fans of Eoin Colfer”.  It is a fantasy, with just a hint of Steam punk (judging by the picture), so I think I am really going to enjoy this one.  It is aimed at what is now called ‘Middle Grade’, so the 10+ age range and will make a great summer read.

Three others that will be coming out later in the year are:

“The Crash” by Lisa Drakeford, which is aimed at the teen market and involves the aftermath of a car smashing in to the sitting room of a house.

“Witch Alone” by James Nicol is the follow up to the very successful “Apprentice Witch”, so this is bound to be another huge hit.

“Secret Cooking Club: Confetti and cake”  by Laurel Remington is the second in this series and I am very hopeful that it will live up to the high standards of the first book.

As you can see, we were spoilt with all the amazing authors and books that were presented at the big breakfast and I am going to have a lot of reading in the coming year.  I hope that you will find some titles that will suit you, or the young people you work with.

Welcome to 2016

IMG_20160202_133956322

Chicken House, 9781910002704

M G Leonard is causing quite a stir with her first book “Beetle Boy” and the attention is very well deserved.  this is the story of Darkus, who has been living with his uncle since his father disappeared. He discovers mysterious goings on next door, including the presence of thousands of exotic beetles.  There are villains and heroes, some of them very unlikely but it really is a cracking story and is set to be a real favourite.  I am lucky enough to be taking her to a couple of schools towards the end of March, so photos will follow hopefully

2015-10-11 16.19.51

Katharine Woodfine

The case of the Jewelled Moth” by Katherine Woodfine is the second in her series featuring the young staff of “Sinclair’s” store in Oxford Street.  This time they are caught up with debutantes and members of London’s China Town as they fight against the villainous character called “The Baron” and try to recover a brooch containing a sacred jewel from China.  As before, there is a real sense of time and place about the book and the characters are growing stronger as the series progresses.  Now I just have to wait for another year until the third title comes out. (NG)

2016-01-06 21.00.40

OUP, 978-0192739384

Nancy Parker’s Diary of Detection” by Julia Lee is a wonderful look at life in the 1930s, but from the perspective of a young girl called Nancy in her first job as a housemaid, but dreaming of becoming a great detective.  Once again we have a nod towards themes from Poirot novels, but this is more rooted in the reality of life for many working class people of the day.  Nancy has lots of dreams but discovers that she will need to work hard to overcome the barriers that she faces.  I am looking forward to reading more about this strong charactered young lady.

2016-02-04 19.40.13

Chicken House, 978-1910002513

“The Great Chocoplot” by Chris Callaghan (illustrated by Lalalimola) is enough to give palpitations to all chocolate loving people.  What would you do if it looked like the world is about to run out of chocolate and Cacao beans were no longer available?  There is a dastardly villain and a heroine called Jelly (Jennifer) who has to undertake a lot of investigations in order to save the world and chocolate.  This is a adventurous and funny story, best read with a chocolate treat at the ready.

2016-03-11 15.36.56

OUP, 9780192743558

“Electrigirl” by Jo Cotterill (Illustrated by Cathy Brett) is an original and exciting story.  It is partially a novel, but interspersed with sections of graphic comic, beautifully illustrated by Cathy Brett.  Holly was just an ordinary girl until the day she was hit by lightening and suddenly found herself with superpowers, with the ability to use the electricity in her body to perform amazing feats.  However there is an evil professor who wants to transfer all of that power to herself, meaning that Holly has a fight on her hands, not only to save herself but also to save the world.  A new super heroine is born.

2016-01-24 17.49.15

Walker books, 978-1406358964

“The Dark Days Club” by Alison Goodman is a new historical novel for teens, but with a large slice of the Gothic and a lot of vampires and other worldly creatures who ‘feed’ on the human world.  Lady Helen discovers that she is part of the small select band of people who are fighting to preserve civilization and she has to decide whether to follow her destiny, or to live a normal society life.  This is a really great story for those who in a previous generation would have been reading Georgette Heyer and who do read Jane Austen.  There is a mix of romance, excitement, and a story-line that keeps you hooked.  The historical background feels real and accurate and I look forward to reading the next set of adventures featuring this character.

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Faber and Faber, 978-0571325252

“Rebel of the Sands” by Alwyn Hamilton is a fantastic new story where the Arabian Nights meets the  Wild West.  When Amani tries to escape the idea of a forced marriage, after the death of her mother, she faces dangers that she had never dreamed of.  It is a teen novel that is full of magic and mystery, where science and myths conflict and the heroine must come to terms with who she is and the legacy she has been born with.  if this is anything to go by then this will be a really cracking and original series.  (NG)

I hope these will give you a taste of the fantastic offerings that are hitting the shelves in the months up to Easter.  Needless to say I am working my way through some more really amazing titles at the moment.

As always many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley  (NG) for being so generous with titles.

A quiet time before Christmas?

2015-10-06 11.06.02

Claire Barker

Whispers in the walls

HarperCollins, 978-0007589203

As I had been through a fairly hectic period in September and October, I thought that the lead up to Christmas would be a lot quieter; how wrong could I be.  During October and November I worked with publishers to organize school visits for two really great new authors.  In October I took the lovely Claire Barker to four schools where she enthralled the year 3 and 4 children with tales of her new book “Knitbone Pepper, ghost dog”.  Then in December I arranged for Sophie Cleverly to go into another four schools to talk about the second in her series about Scarlet and Ivy, this book is called “The Whispers in the Walls”.  This series is aimed for the 8-12 age group and is full of mystery.  The children thoroughly enjoyed both authors and I am sure that the fan base has increased considerably.

2015-11-07 14.42.37

Sharon Tregenza

Early in November I was able to attend the award ceremony for the  ‘North2015-11-07 16.30.18 Somerset Teachers Book Award’ and it was an opportunity to meet friends such as Huw Powell and Sharon Tregenza (a Facebook friend)and also meet  Sam Gayton and Tom Moorhouse, Thank you to all those involved in this award and in particular Sue Wilsher the energetic organizer.

2015-11-27 11.11.38

Sam Hepburn and Barry Cunningham

At the end of November I spent a lovely day over in Cardiff, where Chicken House publishers were holding a Little Breakfast at which we were invited to hear from five of their authors about upcoming books.  There was Sam Hepburn, Emma Shevah, Linda Davies, M G Leonard and Helen Maslin; a positive cornucopia of talent to look forward to.  It was also great to see several old friends and to catch up with what is going on.

The lead up to Christmas was announced in December by the annual Andersen Press Christmas Party.  This is an event that is not to be missed if at all possible.  There were some amazing people there, all of whom are at the top of their professions as writers and illustrators; which only goes to prove that Andersen knows how to chose which books to publish.

Shifty McGifty

Nosy Crow, 978-0857631466

My final book related event was a week before Christmas, when Tracey Corderoy and Steve Lenton were signing books at Waterstones in Weston-super-mare.  Their adventures of “Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam” are becoming very popular and are really good to read to young audiences.  this was also an opportunity for the two of them to receive the award for the ‘North Somerset Teachers Book Award’ which they won this year.

So much for  a quiet month or so to prepare for the festivities.  However I think I prefer the excitement of meeting all of these amazing people and hearing about the wonderful books that have just come out, or will be arriving in the next few months.  I really am looking forward to what the new year will bring.