The Summer holidays are a great time to try out new books and I have been asked for some illustrated fiction recommendations for younger readers. All of the books featured in today’s blog are suitable for children in either Key Stage 1 or lower Key Stage 2 (or even older, depending on the type of…
The Rainbow Magic books by Daisy Meadows (a collective pseudonym for a number of writers) are the literary equivalent of marmite for parents – you either love them or you hate them, but there’s no doubt that this best-selling series has sold millions of copies worldwide and its winning formula of friendship and magic appeals…
With 7 historical fiction books under her belt, and another about to be published imminently, Emma Carroll has earned her title of Queen of Historical Fiction and has been on my radar for some time; indeed, for the last 6 months I have had 3 of her books in my To Be Read (TBR) pile,…
Where has time gone?! Like a lot of people, when the weather turns warm I always find a whole host of chores that need to be done, and so I seem to have neglected the blog somewhat. Today, however, I am detemined to rectify that… I’ve been wanting to write a blog on the Little…
‘Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. You can be comfortable or courageous – never both at once’ Brightstorm is Vashti Hardy’s debut children’s novel, which was released in March this year in a blaze of critical acclaim. It was no surprise, therefore, that the members of #PrimarySchoolBookClub voted to make it April’s read…
After a few weeks away from the blog in order to get my allotment up and running for the growing season, I’ve really enjoyed being able to return to my towering book pile. The most difficult thing has been deciding what to read first, as the pile has grown exponentially over the past month, with…
‘My name is Estelle Mills, and I am not nobody – Mrs Grayson would say that’s a double negative. Well, I’m here to say I’m not no negative. I am me, and that’s a fact’. Stella by Starlight is a powerful, moving story set in the segregated South in the 1930s. The author, Sharon M…
It’s funny how you can just stumble across brilliant books. I came across this entirely by accident as I was searching for a picture book endorsed by Amnesty International. It popped up in my search engine results and the blurb looked interesting, so I decided to give it a read. Probably the best decision I’ve…
The Light Jar is the second novel from Lisa Thompson, her first being the award-winning Goldfish Boy. This is a beautiful, sensitive and moving book, which deftly addresses the subject of emotional abuse for a younger audience by balancing its stark impact with courage, hope and strength. It is also an intriguing mystery story, which…
Some of you may have grown up with and loved the picture book adventures of Princess Smartypants, which have been around for over 30 years. Two years ago, Babette Cole decided create a Princess Smartypants full-length adventure book, and I’m so glad she did because it’s a riotious read. Sadly, Babette died earlier this year…