Please tell me that it’s not just my kids who like gross stuff! Hugo really loves this non fiction series and so he was very excited to find out that the latest book has been released, which as you can tell by the title is all about snot ?! As with the 3 earlier books,…
This is another cracking novella from Lisa Thompson. How she’s able to layer so much empathy and compassion into a short story I’ve no idea, but as always, it’s been skilfully done in her trademark way. The story centres around Anna, who is anxious about having to befriend a new girl in her class who…
I’ve always been an advocate of reading for pleasure and I encourage my kids to read whatever they enjoy (admittedly to the annoyance of some of their teachers who want them to be reading books commensurate with their ability). For me, instilling a love of reading in a child is far more important than chasing…
Does anyone else love the Wolfsong series as much as I do? The Mysterious Island is book number 3 and it’s just as brilliant as the first 2. For those who haven’t come across the books before, this atmospheric adventure series is set in late Neolithic times and The Mysterious Island takes us on an…
This a really fascinating book and very different to anything I’ve read recently. It provides an insight into the Liangzhu people, an ancient civilisation living on the flood plains of the Yangtze River in eastern China. It’s packed with interesting information about how the people lived and importantly, how they built their city, building one…
I’m sticking with the panda theme today, albeit red pandas this time. This is the first in Jess Butterworth’s new junior fiction series and I’ve got to say I really like it. The story revolves around 8-year-old Tilly who wins a competition to take part in an expedition to Nepal to monitor red pandas. She…
Well, that was an unexpected 6-week break from the blog! Some family upheaval meant that life got in the way for a while, but I’m now looking forward to getting back to reading… This is a brilliant book to start with. We are big fans of the fantastic and hilarious Dave Pigeon series, and so…
Arctic Star is a real cracker of a read. It tells the story of 3 friends serving in the Royal Navy during WW2 on the Arctic convoys between the UK and Russia. As you might expect if you have read some of Tom Palmer’s other stories, he pulls no punches with this book – it’s…
We’ve been ratcheting up the miles over the past week, and while we often listen to audiobooks to help while away the time, I always struggle to find a story that both kids enjoy as they have such different tastes in literature. I absolutely struck gold with this, though, as both of them were absolutely…
It doesn’t matter how big and strong you are, we all need a little help sometimes. My son was 5 when he first saw people sleeping rough on the streets. I had taken the children to see the Christmas lights in Manchester city centre, and within minutes of stepping off the Metrolink, all Hugo could…