Review: The Book Dragon by Kell Andrews

book dragon

The town of Lesser Scrump has a rule: NO BOOKS ALLOWED!

The school teacher Mr Percival has to write on bark, slate or even in the dust, which doesn’t make reading a very pleasurable experience. When Rosehilda announces that she wants stories written on pieces of paper which are somehow joined together, she is sent home with a stern note scratched onto a leaf (this passage made me snort with laughter)! Her grandfather has to explain that the Book Dragon hoards books in a deep cave in Scrump Mountain and will come to steal books from any house which has one, returning the next night to terrorise the neighbourhood, therefore it is not safe to own a book.

However, Rosehilda is undeterred, and the full-page picture of her, tucked up in bed reading a book which she has bought from a peddler, is utterly gorgeous – conveying the sheer joy of reading for pleasure. When her book goes missing during the night brave young Rosehilda travels to the Book Dragon’s lair to investigate.

I absolutely love this story by Kell Andrews with its glorious illustrations in a subdued colour-palette of oranges, reds and yellows by Eva Chatelain. It is deeply imbued with a love of books, libraries and reading and gently presents a message of understanding another person’s (or dragon’s) viewpoint and resolving problems in a positive manner. An amazing addition to school library shelves, and a joy to read aloud to whole classes or as a bedtime story for all children of 4+.

Add it to your “read for empathy” collections!

Review: Amazing by Steve Antony

Amazing

This gorgeous picture book is written and illustrated by Steve Antony and the joyous front cover, featuring four children and a small dragon zooming along on various forms of wheeled transport, just compels you to pick it up!

Each of the 22 pages are filled with large, brightly coloured illustrations and a few simple sentences and/or speech bubbles celebrating a range of enjoyable childhood activities. These include: having a pet, playing with friends, attending birthday parties, dancing, singing, snacking, drawing and spending time in the library. It is apparent that the un-named boy and his pet dragon, Zibbo, support each other in participating in all of these experiences, and have as much fun doing so as all of the other children in the pictures.

I love the way that this book encourages children to accept each others’ differences by highlighting the pet being unconventional so that the boy’s wheelchair use is not commented on. This book conveys the message that everyone is amazing, just the way they are, in a delightful format for starting a conversation with young children. A great addition to our “read for empathy” collection in the school library.

Review: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

rooftoppers

In anticipation of a new Katherine Rundell novel being released soon, I have been re-reading my book collection by one of my absolute favourite writers…

I was first introduced to this incredible book by my, then 10 year-old, daughter who kept reading sentences to me because they so delighted her that she wanted to share them. Since then it has remained one of my favourite books, I have recommended it to many children (and adults) and will be reading extracts at the forthcoming Pyjamarama day at school. The beauty and originality of the writing makes it an absolute pleasure to read aloud.

The main protagonist, Sophie, is an orphan – “with hair the colour of lightning”, discovered in a floating cello case in the English Channel following a shipwreck. She is rescued from the sea by an observant, eccentric, intellectual Englishman called Charles Maxim, who brings her up in his book-filled home despite the objections of the authorities. When they are threatened with separation, they flee to Paris, where Sophie is convinced that she will find her mother…and her rooftop adventures begin.

From a young age, whenever Sophie is overwhelmed by buried memories of the sea closing in, she has the urge to climb up high to safety. On arrival in Paris, she makes her way through the filthy skylight of her attic room and discovers Matteo and a completely new strata of life.

This is an exquisitely written book, filled with wit and wisdom. Sophie is an unforgettable character, following her heart and undeterred by unhelpful bureaucrats in her quest to discover the whereabouts of her mother. The image of children having a perspective on the adult world by looking down on them from hidden perches above is very powerful. However, it is the feeling of kindness that permeates this story, personified in the character of Charles Maxim, which makes this one of my most cherished books. A perfect bedtime story, class reader or solo read for anyone of 8/9+.

If you love this book, look out for other books by this wonderful writer: The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer

Review: The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

wolf wilder

I think that one of the qualities of a great book is that it lives on in your mind long after you have finished reading it. The knowledge that a new title by Katherine Rundell is due to be published next month has prompted me to review my favourite children’s book from 2015 for those of you who have not yet read it. The Wolf Wilder completely entranced me from its opening line: “Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, there was a dark and stormy girl.” right up to the final page. This modern fairy tale of courage and wisdom has all the makings of a classic, and is a book you are likely to return to many times.

Feo and her mother live in a wooden house in the snowy Russian forest where they un-tame wolves thrown out by their aristocratic owners when they tire of keeping them as house pets. One night the cruel, malicious General Rakov, the commander of the Tsar’s Imperial Army bursts into their home and sets in motion an epic adventure. It will lead Feo on a journey through the harshest winter, accompanied by her wolves and a new-found friend, in an attempt to rescue her mother from the Tsar’s prison in St Petersburg.

The quality of Katherine Rundell’s writing is magical, you can almost feel the frost biting into your own fingers as you turn the pages of this wonderful book, where every word seems to be chosen with absolute precision. This story is a perfect balance of page-turning plot, beautiful imagery and uncompromising morality. Highly recommended to all Upper KS2 readers.

If you enjoy this book, look out for the following titles by this wonderful writer: Rooftoppers, The Explorer

Review: Moth An Evolution Story by Isobel Thomas

Moth

How I wish that this beautiful non-fiction title had been around when I was a child, or indeed when my own children were younger; it is an absolute treasure of a book. Written by Isobel Thomas and illustrated, in gloriously muted tones, throughout by Daniel Egneus, it tells the evolutionary story of the peppered moth. The text is very sparse and simple but along with the full page illustrations gives a perfectly pitched explanation of camouflage, survival and adaptation, making the links between each feature absolutely obvious. The final two pages of the book contain a summary of the peppered moth’s evolution story and extrapolate from this to apply the theory of natural selection to other species.

I would suggest that this is a book which should be available in every school library, and which will give essential background for the evolution topic in the KS2 science curriculum.Additionally, many of the fabulous illustrations showing the effects of the industrial revolution will be of interest to children studying The Victorians.

Review: High-Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson

High Rise Mystery Meet the new fabulous, fictional detective duo, Nik and Norva, who join Wells & Wong, Taylor & Rose and Wolfe & Lamb on the roster of whip-smart MG sleuths. This is a really fresh take on the genre, with sisters Anika “Nik” and Norva Alexander living with their single-parent father, Joe, on the 22nd floor of a South-East London tower block. They are a complementary team. Nik is 11 years-old; factual, precise, methodical, the story is narrated in her voice. Norva is 13 years-old; imaginative, emotional, creative. They describe their method as “gut and nut” and in turn are described by their cool, music-mad, neighbour George as “NSquared” which Nik loves because it’s “mathematical and logical”!

On the hottest day of the summer the girls know that something is wrong when antique-dealing resident Hugo Knightley-Webb, an absolute stickler for punctuality fails to show up for the Art Class he runs for residents of the estate in the community hub. Following their noses leads them to the terrible discovery of his corpse in the rubbish skip at the bottom of their tower block. From this moment, Nik and Norva are on the case, using their tech-savvy skills and natural curiosity to track down his killer. The plot unfurls as we are introduced to various residents of The Tri: Charity Jane – fundraiser in chief, old but surprisingly strong Mrs Kowalski, Serena the “consciously-uncoupled” sister of the victim, Mark Walker – described by Nik as young, dull and broke, who assists Joe in his caretaking duties and former resident Katie Smythe, now a police officer working on the case. Unfortunately, the mounting evidence is pointing to Joe; can Nik and Norva uncover the motive and perpetrator to clear their father’s name?

The final chapters see the girls racing against time to identify the real murderer, ending with a perfect Agatha Christie-style denouement. Once I had caught my breath I was able to reflect on what I had enjoyed about the book.The description of the run-down, underfunded estate “The Tri” baking and festering with unpleasant smells in the hot July heat was so vivid that I was transported back to my 20s living in the capital. I loved the contemporary setting, the girls’ smart use of technology and social media and their authentic vocabulary. The author Sharna Jackson has cleverly told the story through an 11-year-old narrator, who thinks she is absolutely precise in her reporting, but misses some subtleties of communication. Therefore she is a slightly unreliable witness, leading to natural red-herrings for the MG audience. The short, snappy sentences and dialogue leap from the page, and the combination of short chapters peppered with charts and updated telephone notes will be appealing to reluctant readers.

I know that the publishers, Knights Of have a mission to issue books which represent everyone in our population and this book is a great example of that intention. I recommend this story for anyone age 10+ who enjoys a good “whodunnit”!

Review: Sam Wu is Not Afraid of The Dark by Katie and Kevin Tsang

Sam Wu

The third laugh-out-loud outing for Sam Wu sees our hero facing another of his fears on an unexpected camping expedition. The story starts so well for Sam as he reassures his best friend Bernard that there is nothing to worry about on his forthcoming camping trip with his father. Little does Sam realise that he too will be invited on the expedition to the dark, dark woods. Even worse is to come when his bossy, older cousin who has just arrived from Hong Kong is also invited along! Just when Sam thinks that things couldn’t get any worse, they arrive at the campsite to discover that Sam’s tormentor Ralph Philip Zinkerman is also camping there, this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Ralph’s kind and lovely sister Regina is also on the trip with their friend Zoe!

Poor Sam seems uncertain what to be most frightened of, aliens, werewolves, vampire bats, bears or quite simply just THE DARK. However, as we have come to expect from Sam, he takes inspiration from his favourite TV show, Space Blasters, to help him conquer his fears.

There are many reasons to love this book. Firstly, it is just such a fun read, with Sam and his friends getting themselves into unexpected situations with hilarious consequences. The banter between the characters is wholly believable and totally recognisable to anyone who has spent time with children. The diversity of the characters makes this a book in which many children will recognise themselves, and the themes of working as a team and overcoming your fears are presented with great dollops of humour. Adding to all of this enjoyment are the wonderful illustrations by Nathan Reed and the interesting use of different fonts in the text.

A book that definitely fulfils the “read-for-pleasure” criteria and which will be enjoyed even by the most reluctant readers. Highly recommended for ages 7+

Review: Rumblestar by Abi Elphinstone

Rumblestar

You can judge a book by its cover! The dazzling cover illustration by Carrie May, with its title picked out in gold, reflects the brilliance of this author’s imagination, as once again we are invited into an alternative reality created by Abi Elphinstone.

From the opening lines of the prologue I was gripped by the magnificent story-telling. Firstly a quick re-capping of the events of “Everdark” and then into the Rumblestar adventure where we are introduced to timid, bullied Casper Tock, who gets through life relying on timetables and “to do” lists. He has become expert in hiding from the entitled bullies at his boarding school, but slipping inside the case of a grandfather clock one afternoon causes an “ Extremely Unpredictable Event” to occur!

He finds himself arrested by a small, impulsive girl called Utterly Thankless and taken to Rumblestar where the “marvels” containing all the wondrous ingredients required to write the weather scrolls for The Faraway (earth) are being destroyed by dark forces. When Utterly realises that she has mistakenly identified Casper as the criminal, the two of them have to escape the castle accompanied only by Arlo, a miniature dragon, in order to save Rumblestar from the “Midnights” controlled by Morg the Harpy. Their epic adventure leads to encounters with cloud giants, drizzle hags, snow trolls and storm ogres as they seek to destroy the sinister Midnights who are threatening the very existence of Rumblestar and all the Unmapped Kingdoms and consequently The Faraway.

As their quest unfolds these two hugely appealing protagonists have to overcome their deepest fears and exhibit inner reserves of bravery and selflessness, aided by some of the magical creatures they encounter. The change in their characters seems entirely organic and believable as their friendship develops.

This is honestly my “Book of the Year” so far and I can’t wait to put it into the hands of our many Abi Elphinstone fans in the school library! Her ability to conjure imaginative worlds, populated by incredible, but simultaneously believable, characters knows no bounds. You can guarantee that reading this book will bring hours of pleasure, and cause you to reflect on the true meaning of wealth, the destructive nature of greed and the hope that is conjured when people behave courageously.

A must-read for everyone over 10 years-old!.

With thanks to Toppsta.com who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Dave Pigeon Series by Swapna Haddow

Dave Pigeon

I was fortunate to win this collection of four Dave Pigeon books in a Twitter competition run by Faber Children’s Books, they have been added to our school library and I highly recommend them to everyone, but especially Year 2 children. You are likely to snort with laughter whilst reading Swapna Haddow’s fantastically funny books and enjoying the magnificent illustrations by Sheena Dempsey!

Book 1: Dave Pigeon

The first book in the Dave Pigeon series introduces anyone who can understand Pigeonese to the eponymous avian hero and his sidekick and “trusty typer-upper”, Skipper. When we first meet this scavenging duo they are looking for food and chance upon a lovely “Human Lady” who shares the contents of her picnic basket with them. Unfortunately for Dave, the picnic basket is concealing Mean Cat alongside the tasty treats, who attacks Dave, breaks his wing and removes a considerable number of feathers!

The Human Lady takes a napkin-wrapped Dave back to her house to treat his injured wing and makes Dave and Skipper comfortable in her garden shed, where they will be safe from Mean Cat. As Dave begins to recover he uses all of his brain-power to plot revenge on Mean Cat, and when Skipper is not busy typing up their adventures he is generally pushed into carrying out Dave’s crazy plans to eject Mean Cat from the house.

This book is an utter joy to read. I love the device of Skipper typing the adventure on the old typewriter in the garden shed and the way that his voice captures the absurdly deluded over-confidence of the strutting Dave Pigeon. This pair are a wonderful comedic duo who will have children and adults in stitches as they read about their exploits. Illustrated throughout by Sheena Dempsey, this story is an absolute must for primary school libraries where it will provide huge reading pleasure for anyone aged 6+.

Book 2: Dave Pigeon (Nuggets!)

The second outing for Dave and Skipper, the pigeon pals begins with the Human Lady taking a holiday with Mean Cat, which is bad news for the birds as they will no longer have delicious food served on a regular basis. Dave is not prepared to go back to a life of getting by on scraps, and forces Skipper to join him in searching for a new human with whom they can live. Unfortunately he falls for the tricksy breadcrumb trail of Reginald Grimster and, despite Skipper’s warnings, enters the patio doors of doom! Will smart Skipper be able to rescue his greedy friend Dave, and are there really Pigeon spies? Read this madcap adventure, and enjoy the superb illustrations by Sheena Dempsey, to find out what could possibly drive a man to inventing a fiendish machine which spells bad news for the Pigeon population!

Dave Pigeon(Racer!)

During a visit to Pawsville Vets, where Dave is fitted with a pigeontastic prosthetic wing, the Pigeon pals meet a group of new friends led by Jet the three-legged dog. They include an iguana who has injured her eye climbing into a television, a rabbit with memory issues after running into a speeding cricket ball and a hamster who has survived three toilet flushings!

These unfortunate animals are taunted by retired pirate parrot Opprobrious Vastanavius who challenges Dave Pigeon to a race. Despite the fact that Dave has never before raced, he takes up the challenge and another madcap adventure begins. Prepare to be entertained and amazed as Dave is trained for the big race by a legend of the racing-pigeon world!

Book 4: Dave Pigeon (Royal Coo!)

In their quest to eat the tastiest snacks available, Dave and Skipper take a trip to the Human Palace the day after a grand party, to feast on the leftovers. In true Dave Pigeon style they travel by tube because Dave’s prosthetic wing is still not ready to fly!

When they arrive, Dave comes “beak to beak” with his Pigeon doppelgänger who happens to be Prince Raju, the royal Pigeon. Immediately Dave is arrested by the Head of Security for “stealing the Royal Pigeon’s face!! After clearing up that little misunderstanding, Dave comes up with one of his clever plans, which will be familiar to anyone who has read “The Prince and The Pauper”. Another pigeontastically hilarious outing for Dave and Skipper.

Review: Everdark by Abi Elphinstone

Everdark

When you set sail in an Abi Elphinstone book there is no looking back; you are swept along on a whirlpool of imagination that will leave you reeling.

This short book, published for World Book Day, is the start of a new series: The Unmapped Chronicles. It takes you into a brilliantly realised world, where all the magic that nourishes the Unmapped Kingdoms, and eventually flows into our world (The Faraway) emanates from a Phoenix. Every five hundred years the Phoenix dies to be replaced by a new Phoenix, but at the start of this story it becomes clear that something has gone terribly wrong with “The Rising”. Dark magic releases nightdaggers which turn the Unmappers in the kingdom of Crackledawn into paralysed shadows, except for one solitary eleven-year-old, on whom the fate of the Unmapped Kingdoms and consequently, The Faraway, now rests…

The unlikely heroine of this tale is Smudge “whose mind had a sideways quality to it”. She is a figure of ridicule at school and doesn’t seem to fit the mould of the Sunraiders and Sunsmiths of her kingdom. She is a character with whom the reader immediately empathises, and in my opinion is destined to become an inspiration for dyslexic children. She does not hesitate to pursue the sinister winged figure that she spotted flying across the moon in place of the Phoenix, and rushes down to the harbour to set sail for Lonecrag to catch the harpy. As she jumps aboard the dhow formerly owned by the legendary explorer Nefarious Flood, she is joined by an enchanted white-faced monkey named Bartholomew, the unexpected hero of the story.

Together they embark on a gripping adventure, featuring sea witches, ogre-eels, rock goblins, silver whales and enchanted forests. Smudge’s friendship with Bartholomew develops as they confront mortal peril. The encouragement that she receives from her simian shipmate enables her to draw on all of her “curiosity, courage and self-belief” in confronting her evil foes.

I adored this book with its message to “believe in the what ifs and the just maybes of the world.” I recommend it to all children of 9 and above, and I cannot wait to read the next installment in the series: Rumblestar.

I would like to make a plea to the publishers to please, please, please re-print this book with a bigger font, ideally open dyslexic, so that it can be easily read by an audience for whom its message will be immensely inspiring.