magic

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Glunda, the Veg Witch by Keith W Dickinson

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/ .

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Place of a Thousand wishes by Sarah Merrett and Ewa Beniak-Haremska

I had the great pleasure to review Sarah’s previous book “The Others”, so I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour for her latest work.  What I really enjoy about her work is the way that she takes a known genre and finds ways to make some very significant changes to the expectations that we have about the plot.

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?

This delightful story has a real sense of Victorian melodrama and combines the reality of that period with a sense of magic and the wish that everyone has, to have a better and happier life.  The realities of life are shown in a very straightforward way and we see that despite their best efforts, it is very difficult for people to improve their lot.  I think this really highlights the effort that many went through in order to become not just successful, but also rich and powerful.  The core of this story is all about family and the way that jealousy and envy can destroy relationships.  In any family, members have a wide variety of skills and gifts and it can be difficult not to feel aggrieved when someone has a talent you would love to have.  the reality is that we all hopefully have something that we excel at, even though it is not always recognized or appreciated.

The magic of this story is really brought to life by the incredible illustrations.  The use of the monochrome palette, some how adds to the period feel and the sense that we are in a time before colour photography.  However, it also highlights the gothic atmosphere, something we particularly feel in pictures  of Darlington manor.  Once again Sarah Merrett has produced a tour de force that is going to be a great hit with KS2 children.  It is an absolute delight.

 

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Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

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.

Jude Raven is the youngest in her family of famous magic thieves, but the problem is that no one takes her seriously.  So in an attempt to show them what she is made of, she decides to rob a wealthy family  of a famous  magical treasure; the only problem is that the item has been cursed and brings bad luck on whoever takes it.  You can probably guess where all of this is leading?  A whole range of mishaps begin to occur in Jude’s family and she is certain that it is her fault; but when she tries to return the stolen treasure, she is discovered by the two children of the house.   It appears that the bad luck can only be removed if Jude apologizes to the owners of the magic, but they have been missing for a year!  So Jude and the two children decide that they will have to join forces and try and find the parents and bring back the good luck to the Raven family.  The problem is that they seem to uncover many more issues and solutions are always just out of reach.

This is an absolute roller-coaster of a story, full of action and intrigue.  Jude is discovering that there are things that she has never known about her family and it means that she no longer knows who she can really trust.  It is fascinating to see the development of the relationships, particularly between Jude and her older sister Moorley, as Jude realizes that her older sibling has been trying to protect her from some very harsh realities.  One of the great pleasures of reading this book is knowing that there are two further titles in which to become totally immersed and I am hoping to dive in later this week.

About the Author

A born and bred Londoner, Ravena writes MG and YA, usually featuring antiheroines or snarky narrators. She is a lawyer with a degree in biochemistry, and hopes to use the knowledge gained from her experiences to plot her books, whether that’s wild MG fantasy adventures, or twisty YA murder-mysteries.

 

Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Middle Grade
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Number of Pages: 320 Pages
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62018486-the-thief-of-farrowfell
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/05b998c4-6ac9-41a8-a423-f92f6ad48be6
Amazon: https://a.co/d/akN8Evl (Canada) https://a.co/d/cBViD8E (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/eyqvgyQ (UK)

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Emily Knight: I am …Power by Abiola Bello

This is the final book in the series and the second that I have had the honour of reviewing.  There are four titles in the series and the two I have written about are numbers three and four.  Looking back on my previous review I voiced the thought that I would like to know about the back story of some of the characters; I am please to say that the author has given me what I asked for, so thank you for this.  Although it is possible to read this book as a stand alone, in order to fully appreciate the storyline you need to read the preceding three books in the series.

Hashtag Press, 9781913835286

In this amazing finale to the series we have a world that is living in fear of the renegade warriors, who are following the infamous Neci, and who is yet again trying to destroy the warriors and in particular Emily and her family. Neci is raising an army by taking control of warriors, so that they become mindless robots.  The time is fast approaching when there will be a final showdown, but although her father thinks he will be the one to battle Neci (for the second time), Emily knows that it will be her turn to face their mortal enemy and she is worried that she might not have strong enough powers for the fight.

What a fantastic series this has been, with some really strong characters and a very clever plot line, where you are not always sure what side many of the protagonists are on.  At one level this is about the fight between good and evil; but in reality it is about the way people react to those around them who are different. This can be a matter of skills, powers, colour or diversity and of course all of this can create frictions and make it difficult to trust those around, even close family members.  This author is becoming one of those go to people when you want to read about fantastic and magical happenings and the whole series is highly recommended.

 

About the Author

Abiola Bello is a Nigerian-British, prize-winning, bestselling children’s and YA author
who was born and raised in London. Abiola is an advocate for diversity in books for
young people. She was nominated for the CILIP’s Carnegie Award, won London’s
BIG Read 2019, and was a finalist for the People’s Book Prize Best Children’s Book.
Abiola contributed to The Very Merry Murder Club and The Super Sunny
Murder Club, a collection of mysteries from exciting and diverse children’s writers
published by Farshore, and selected as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month.
Her debut YA for Simon & Schuster, Love in Winter Wonderland, published in
November 2022 and was an Amazon’s Editor’s Choice and was featured in The
Guardian’s Children’s and Teens Best New Novels. Only For The Holidays was her
second YA book with S&S, followed by The Love Dare, which released in summer
2024. In March 2025, Abiola’s “Wild Magic” children’s fiction series will launch (also
with S&S) its first title: Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion.  She performed for more than a decade in prestigious venues including The Royal Opera House, Hammersmith Apollo and Unicorn
Theatre. Abiola has also appeared on BBC’s The Apprentice, Got To Dance and Street
Dance AllStars The Movie.
Abiola wrote her first novel at the age of eight – when she fought monsters
and dragons on a daily basis – and experienced her first taste of ‘being published’ after
winning a school poetry competition at the age of 12. Seeing her words in print fuelled
a passion for writing that remains to this day.

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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.

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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

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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

 

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The Beanstalk Murder by P G Bell

As a great fan of the author’s previous series, “The Train to Impossible Places”, I was thrilled to hear that he had a new title, but was also worried in case it was not as brilliant.  Well, my concerns were definitely NOT founded.  This is a fabulous book and is definitely in my listing of 5 star titles for this year.  The author has taken the world of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and then twisted it around and added in a touch of “Murder most Foul” and “Gulliver’s travels” for good measure.  This absolutely hits the spot as far as crime lovers are concerned, yet it also manages to include a lot of humour.

Anwen is an apprentice meadow-witch, who has an on-going feud with Cerys, who has won a place to train as a 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

I really think this is one of my favourite books this year, with some fantastic characters, both big and small.  The way that the fairy tale has been twisted really adds to the world building.  In this story the humans live in a world where magic is real but the people are not particularly well off; whilst in the Sky Kingdom, there is no magic, but gold is quite commonplace, so there is a lot of wealth on show.  Being stuck in the sky palace, the two girls have to find some way of working together, not something they are very good at, but gradually they begin to understand that it is teamwork and sharing their individual magical skills which is their best hope of getting home.  What an absolutely five-star read.

 

Author Information
P.G. Bell is a native of South Wales, where he was raised on a diet of Greek mythology, ghost stories and Doctor 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.
The Train to Impossible Places, P.G.’s debut series, has enjoyed widespread success, including shortlistings for the Branford Boase Award, the Crimefest Awards and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/pgbellwriter
X: https://twitter.com/petergbell

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Diamond Jack by Anna Rainbow

When I was asked to take part in the blog tour for this book I thought that I would check on what other books were out there, which featured highwaymen rather than outlaws or pirates.  I did this because the only title that had sprung to mind was “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes, illustrated by the incredible Charles Keeping.  What I discovered is that there really aren’t that many titles featuring this type of outlaw; so in order to remind myself of the titles I have put them on a Pinterest page  https://www.pinterest.co.uk/booklib61/highwaymen-in-childrens-books/ .  However I would be delighted to hear about more fiction titles that feature highwaymen and will endeavour to add to my list whenever I hear of a title.

Anna Rainbow has written a fantastic story, set in an alternative world where magic has only recently been banned.  There is a feeling that the story reflects some of the atmosphere from the alternative history stories of Joan Aiken, as well as others where the chronology and royal line has been tweaked.  The story centres around eleven year old Bramble Browning and her friend Ernest  (a fanatical fan of highwaymen and the iconic ‘Diamond Jack’ most of all).  Life takes a strange turn when her older sister goes off to visit their aunt overnight and their grandfather (who looks after them) is kidnapped from his shop, by three evil highwaymen.   Bram suddenly get an overwhelming desire to go and look in an old shed in the garden, but has no idea why?  What she discovers, hidden away is a face mask, which when she tries it on makes her appear to be an adult, specifically the notorious highwayman ‘Diamond Jack’.  The question is whether Bramble can use the mask to save her grandfather, as well as foil a plot to kill the queen and put the queen regent on the throne?  Our heroine is joined by a group of friends who are determined to help those in need and to prove that  ‘Diamond Jack’  only steals in order to help those who are poor and in need of help.

I absolutely love this story, the only down side being that I keep getting an ear-worm of “Stand and Deliver” by Adam Ant every time I look at the brilliant cover, illustrated by Isabelle Follath.  This is very much a story about family and friendship and in particular we have the way that Bramble’s sister Lena tries to protect her, even though she had done similar things when she was Bramble’s age.   The use of the magical masks (there are three in total) can perhaps be seen as reflecting the way that most people hide behind a public face, which can be very different from what they are like inside.   Bramble’s best friend Ernest is one of those wonderful characters that you take to your heart.  He is loyal, kind and loves celebrating the fact that he enjoys making clothes, as well as being a great believer in the good that his favourite highwayman does.  What a totally amazing and fast paced story this is;  you really need to hang on tight as you ride ‘hell for leather’ through the adventure of a lifetime.  The stars are definitely out and shining for this book and I highly recommend it.  What a great television series this would make.

 

About Anna Rainbow

Anna grew up and still lives in North East England and works as a Clinical Psychologist with people with disabilities. Anna loves music and has always been in various choirs, singing quartets, bands, and orchestras.

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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.