A beautiful morning here in South Lincolnshire, with such a lovely book keeping me company. The Book Cat is based on real-life cat, Morgan, a stray who set up home at Faber and Faber during WW2 as resident mouser and door cat. In this story, Morgan embodies the Blitz spirit, helping those felines less fortunate…
The Fabulous Cakes of Zinnia Jakes: The Super Spy
My daughter loves books that feature her hobbies and interests, so this brilliant chapter book series, The Fabulous Cakes of Zinnia Jakes, is perfect for her. The Super Spy is the latest book to be published and just like the first 2 books (which can be read as standalones) it’s full of adventure, fun and…
The Mysterious Island by Saviour Pirotta
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…
The Adventure Club: Red Panda Rescue by Jess Butterworth
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…
Bad Panda by Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey
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…
The Fabulous Cakes of Zinnia Jakes: The Tumbling Tortoises by Brenda Gurr
The Fabulous Cakes of Zinnia Jakes is a fun and entertaining junior fiction series, which my daughter – who is a keen baker – has really enjoyed. Zoe Jones is a 9-year-old secret pastry chef who goes by the alias Zinnia Jakes. Together with her cat, Coco, her best friend, Zoe, and her Auntie Jam,…
News Hounds: The Puppy Problem by Laura James
Today I am rounding off the blog tour for News Hounds: The Puppy Problem. Gizmo, a clever city dachshund, moves to a village called Puddle with his journalist owner. He initially finds country ways rather strange, but after meeting his new K9 neighbour Jilly, he starts to settle in to his new life. When he…
The Bookshop Girl by Sylvia Bishop
Another dive into the reading pile today – this time a junior fiction adventure mystery that feels fresh and original yet has an old-fashioned charm to it. Property Jones was abandoned in a bookshop as a baby and has grown up surrounded by books – there’s just one problem, though, she can’t read, which she’s…
The Wizard in the Wood by Louie Stowell
A very belated Happy New Year to you all. Being back in lockdown again means that this homeschooling malarkey is seriously getting in the way of my reading and reviewing schedule! I had some time to myself last night, though, because the third story in the Dragon in the Library series arrived and I couldn’t…
The Great Reindeer Disaster by Kate Saunders
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…