I had such a laugh reading this book. Aisling and Joe just don’t get why they have to do as they’re told, so when Mrs Grough, a seriously strict, no-nonsense childminder comes to stay on the run up to Christmas and witnesses their bad behaviour, she soon decides – oh horror of horrors – that…
This is the perfect book to feature on Christmas Eve. Set in Norway in the late 70s, The Good Bear is a beautiful, atmospheric story about connection, blended families and acceptance (see synopsis in photo below). It’s the sort of book that creates a bit of a dilemma: do you take your time reading it…
After reading the first in this great, junior fiction time-slip series a month or so ago, we were keen to catch up with Ruby and Alex’s adventures in this festive story. A Christmas in Time takes us back to the Victorian era, and like the first book, is rich in historical details: fashions, festive activities,…
Here come the girls… (if you’re a person of a certain age in the UK, you’ll now have the old Boots Xmas advert song playing in your head – sorry about that!). Tinsel is a funny, magical and empowering Yuletide adventure for readers aged 8+, which is served with a satisfying side dish of friendship…
Ha! This funny, modern and original festive adventure has had us chuckling this week. Who knew that the North Pole was merely a docking station and that Father Christmas and his gang actually live on planet Yule-1, where it’s Christmas Eve every day? With computer hacking and other nefarious deeds being carried out by the…
I’ve been struggling to get into the festive spirit this year, but this has definitely done the trick. Catherine Doyle’s modern re-telling of A Christmas Carol is magical, humorous, hopeful and warm, and while clearly based on the literary classic, feels fresh and original. An exciting and, at times, poignant, adventure, it has great characterisation,…
Our Advent story book has been dusted off ready for tonight! While I know there are a few Advent tales out in the wild now, How Winston Delivered Christmas is still our favourite. With 24 and a half beautifully-illustrated chapters, each interspersed with a festive craft, it’s become one of our family traditions to share…
If you haven’t come across Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam before, they are 2 loveable baker dogs who love to solve madcap mysteries on the side! This 2-colour fiction edition has 3 stories in it, the first of which has a festive feel as Shifty and Sam have been commissioned by Santa to bake him…
To my mind, there is something very special about festive reads – while the children clearly don’t need any help to get excited, I find that snuggling down with the kids to share a Christmas story actually helps me to be a little less scrooge-like! While most book blogs tend to focus on new festive…