There are stars above my head and a few hundred faces waiting for me to leap into a talk about hares, sharks, global weather systems and the power of our sun. I’m standing on the Starlight Stage at Hay Festival and only a few deep breaths before this I was waiting backstage wondering what I’d … Continue reading A Wild Hay Day by Dom Conlon
The shop of Impossible Ice Creams Written by Shane Hegarty Illustrations by Jeff Crowther Published by Hodder Children Books (on 9th June 2022) Imagine moving to a new town, well that doesn’t sound to bad. Imagine moving to a new town, and owning an ice cream shop - well that still sounds OK! But Imagine … Continue reading 2022 Middle Grade Must Reads – June (Part One)
Sam (@SamJDThomas) - I am delighted to have had the opportunity to read Kerry Gibb's upcoming publication - due to be published on 23rd May - The Elephant Squad, and be able to share my review of this absolute must read release of 2022. It is also a title definitely worthy of children's book recommendation … Continue reading The Elephant Squad
I have had the incredible opportunity to interview Karl J Mountford, illustrator of The Riddle of the Sea, a book originally published in Dutch through the beautiful storytelling of author Jonne Kramer, and now translated into English by Laura Watkinson. I have been admiring Karl's stunning illustrations since The Uncommoners : The Crooked Sixpence by … Continue reading The Riddle of the Sea – Interview with Illustrator Karl James Mountford
Ajay and the Mumbai Sun Written by Varsha Shah Illustrations by Sonia Albert Published by Chicken House Ajay was dumped in the slum as a baby, he is known as a Mumbai railway kid. He sells newspapers to make money but his dream is to be a journalist. He and his friends are lucky enough … Continue reading 2022 Middle Grade Must Reads – May (Part One)
This time last week I had the pleasure of heading to London for my first in-person book event since early 2020, when Covid 19 put a halt to gatherings, and in doing so has played a large part in how book events are predominantly virtual now. I have longed for the opportunity to be amongst … Continue reading My return to in-person book events featured The 100 Story Hotel!
Rumaysa A Fairytale was one of the books you needed to read when it first came out. It is a truly amazing book. Rumaysa Ever After is the sequel to this book, I was so excited to read this as I really enjoyed the first one. This follows straight after the first one. Rumaysa has … Continue reading Rumaysa Ever After
Whether it is a book written by Michelle Paver intended for children, or those that she writes for adults, it is always the case that I instantly warmly recall how my three children all have a literary affinity to the Wolf Brother series, of which Wolfbane is the ninth and final instalment. This is a … Continue reading Wolfbane – The Epic Conclusion to the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series
Written by Pooja Puri Illustrations by Allen Fatimaharan Published by MacMillan In 2021 footballer Marcus Rashford decided to launch his own book club. He did this to encourage children into reading, the first book he selected was called A Dinosaur ate my Sister, this was written by Pooja Puri. I ended up with 8 copies of … Continue reading A Robot Squashed My Teacher
How to Steal the Mona Lisa Written by Bethany Walker Illustrations by Jack Noel Published by Scholastic I loved Bethany’s first book, Chocolate Milk, X Ray Specs and Me, I found it genuinely funny, and I read it to my 2 children for a bedtime read. So when I mentioned to my boys she’d wrote … Continue reading 2022 Middle Grade Must Reads – April Part Two
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