Today, I’m rounding off the wonderful blog tour for Pinkie and Boo by Chae Strathie illustrated by Francis Martin, published by Little Door Books. Introducing a feisty young girl and her toy monkey, this story is bound to delight readers young and old alike!
Pinkie loves being the smallest in her family, but the arrival of a baby means everything is about to change. It seems like the tiny new addition to the family will get all the attention . . . and Pinkie isn’t happy about that. To cheer her up Mum and Dad give her a lovely toy monkey called Boo. But it turns out there’s much more to him than meets the eye – at least in Pinkie’s imagination. Their outrageous efforts to regain some attention lead to a whole lot of mess and mayhem, but everything works out happily in the end.
What a delightful story! Full of humour and insight into the very real scenario of the arrival of a new sibling – one that many will relate to. Pinkie is understandably worried about the new baby and her vivid imagination (involving seagulls and wizards) only serves to make her more so! When Boo the toy monkey arrives, he stuns Pinkie by coming to life – but she’s so pleased to have someone to share her problems with. Boo suggests all sorts of ways to make things better- making special drinks with all manner of ingredients from the fridge; drawing special pictures on the walls (oh dear..) and collecting all Dad’s best flowers from the garden!
The humorous narrative brilliantly brings to life this ever-so-tricky situation accompanied by lively, bold illustrations that capture the chaos and the determined Pinkie’s frustration. Empathy abounds as Mum and Dad discover the mess – but thankfully make things right for Pinkie and Boo. An entertaining read and a great story to reassure families expecting a new sibling, I hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of Pinkie and Boo!
With thanks to Little Door Books for sending me this book to review.
On the blog today, it’s time for an adventure with a story that sparks the imagination and will delight young readers, on Day Ten of the blog tour for Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep by Dave C. Flanagan illustrated by Will Hughes. Indie-publisher, Little Door Books, have found a real gem with this, their first chapter book for early-readers and the first of what is sure to be a very popular series.
Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep by Dave C. Flanagan illustrated by Will Hughes
Harry never went to sleep. Not EVER. In fact, Harry had been wide-awake since the day he was born. His Mum and Dad and the people in the town had tried everything to help him, but nothing seemed to work. Just when they had runout of ideas, Uncle Pete the explorer arrived on their doorstep and came up with a very special plan.
This charming, original tale is a perfectly pitched story for younger readers, as Uncle Pete arrives just in the nick of time to solve the problem for Harry and his mum and Dad. Eccentric and entertaining, Uncle Pete has some interesting habits – like eating lots of baked beans (and I mean LOTS) and growing potatoes and giant strawberries to make chips and jam. But he always makes sure he has lots of clean underpants on his adventures!
With lots of humour, you can’t help but smile as Uncle Pete sets about on the most marvellous journey in a rickety bi-plane, with the help of a tiny, talking mouse – rather aptly named TM. As Uncle Pete says “anything is possible”, and so it is as their quest takes them to a far-away land, through magical skies to find the starlit-filled cure for Harry. Young readers will love the imaginative narrative brought brilliantly to life with quirky illustrations and they’ll all be wanting to join Uncle Pete and TM on their next adventure! (of which there is a sneak-peek at the end of the book Uncle Pete and the Forest of Lost Things).
I’m very pleased to welcome author and illustrator Ruth Brown to the blog today, in celebration of DAY THREE of the blog tour for her latest picture book published by Scallywag Press, Ten Little Dogs.
Ruth is sharing the ‘inside story’ of this delightful picture book featuring a count-down of man’s best friend. You can’t help but fall in love with the four-legged friends that appear on each page, and try and spot the difference as they slowly ‘disappear’ as you count-down. Gorgeous illustrations and a rhyming narrative bring the bouncing dogs to life. It’s a celebration of all the antics dogs can get up to from chasing butterflies to paddling in the sea and romping in the park! I’m pleased to share a guest post from Ruth sharing insight into the creative writing process behind the book.
Welcome to the blog Ruth!
“Ten Little Dogs is a counting book like millions of others, some use addition and some subtraction. I used the same plot device in my book “Ten Seeds” – start with 10 seeds – decrease to 1 flower which produces 10 seeds. Satisfyingly circular. I wasn’t originally going to use dogs in this latest book, I’d planned to use a variety of animals – birds, butterflies, caterpillars, mice, slugs, frogs etc and it started –
“10 plump pigeons pecking grapes from a vine.
Along came a fox – and then there were …….
9 blue butterflies resting on a gate.
Up jumped a cat – and then there were ……..”
and so on through my list of animals. But having written it, I realised that I had created a catalogue of unremitting predatory deaths. Now, I have no qualms about revealing the truth about dear old Mother Nature’s darker side to 5 year olds. At that age, I remember the fascination of finding small dead animals, the ritual of burial and the happy hours spent arranging daisies round the grave. (Normal childhood curiosity……….hopefully?) But when creating a picture book it is important to have an uplift at the end – not necessarily a happy ending, but resolution on a positive note, an element of hope.
In my story as it stood, yes, the pigeon could possibly escape the jaws of the fox but could a slug outrun a leaping frog? I don’t think so. In the make-believe world of picture books, no matter how bizarre and unrealistic, the stories have to adhere to their own mad logic and if, as I’d planned, my animals had all ended up miraculously alive in the meadow it would have been wrong. The ending would have to have been – The End …they are all dead. A bit harsh and not much fun.
So back to the drawing board. I decided to use just one species of animal. I often write about cats but using them in this instance would mean the opportunity for adventurous scenarios would have been limited – you don’t often see cats paddling in the sea – so I decided to use dogs. Puppies actually, but the title of “Ten Little Puppies” set the wrong tone. These were ten independent, adventurous little dogs. I know it’s unusual to see ten small dogs alone in a field minus owners and you’d probably called the RSPCA if you did, but remember this is picture book world. Finally I had the plot, the text and the characters and the story flowed, it came naturally to a satisfying circular conclusion, with all the dogs happily playing in the park……. and none dead. Then I had the pleasure of doing the pictures – always my favourite part of the process. Who said creating children’s books was easy?”
With thanks to Scallywag Press for sending me this picture book to review and inviting me to participate in the blog tour. Don’t miss the rest of the tour:
26 April: My Shelves are Full @erinlynhamilton
27 April: This Mummy Style @Thismummystyle
28 April: The Book Activist @bookactivist1
29 April: Margaret’s Reading Shelf @booklib61 & Get Kids into Books @GetKidsin2Books
30 April: Jane Sandell @SeasideReader & Miss Cleveland is Reading @MissNCleveland
I’m delighted to be kicking off DAY ONE of the blog tour for an exciting new historical detective series for middle-grade readers. Jane Austen Investigates: The Abbey Mystery by award-winning author Julia Golding, published by Lion Hudson, imagines a young Jane as a budding detective, showing all the signs of the literature genius she will become!
‘The life of a clergyman’s daughter in rural Hampshire was disappointingly full of duties, and there were few things for an adventurous girl to do. This was why Jane always considered it fortunate to have been involved in a carriage accident. Without that disaster she would never have met the Abbey ghost.‘
Following the accident, Jane is sent to be companion to Lady Cromwell for a week as the household prepares to celebrate the eldest son’s coming-of-age party, in place of her older sister who can no longer attend due to a broken arm. Little does Jane know that the week will be far more interesting than it initially promises, with not just ghosts to discover, but a house full of secrets too. Thoroughbred race horses, midnight thefts, mechanical inventions, family feuds, arson: English aristocracy is not all it seems and the Cromwell family are definitely a force to be reckoned with! Young Jane, notebook in hand and her trusty dog Grandison by her side, sets out to find the truth – and save some new found friends in the process……
Immerse yourself in imagining the world of a young Jane Austen with this delightful mystery story! Bringing the historical period and all the English etiquette and age-old prejudice surrounding class to life, The Abbey Mystery weaves an engaging tale. A wonderful cast of characters ably support the intrepid young Jane, who proves herself a staunch ally when her new found friend, Fitzwilliam, is blamed for a crime he did not commit! Helped by the stable boy, Luke, and the cook’s daughter, Deepti, Jane sets about proving his innocence, regardless of the potential danger. The plot thickens with every page, with multiple strands of the story keeping you guessing. Throughout, there are little nods to grown-up Austen, perhaps showing what her writing might have been inspired by. As historical novels go, it’s a fast read helped by short chapters, engaging and entertaining dialogue and plenty of action. Author Julia Golding always creates believable historical settings and this is no exception; with a doctorate in literature of the period from Oxford she is well-placed to do so! Highly enjoyable, The Abbey Mystery is a great addition to the middle-grade detective series genre and I am already looking forward to Jane’s next adventure in book two!
With thanks to Lion Hudson for sending me this book to review and inviting me to participate in the blog tour! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour:
If you’re looking for an action-packed, fantasy thriller then Monstrous Devices by Damien Love , published by One World imprint, Rock the Boat, is for you – publishing in paperback on 1st April. Today is my stop on the blog tour and I’m delighted to be hosting a quick Q & A and sharing an exclusive extract from the story!
When Alex receives an old tin robot in the post, the note from his grandfather reads: “This one is special”. But it doesn’t take Alex long to suspect that the toy is more than special – it might also be deadly. Just as things are getting out of hand, Alex’s grandfather arrives, whisking him away into a world of strange, macabre magic. From Paris to Prague, they flee across snowy Europe in a quest to unravel the riddle of the little robot. Will Alex work out the robot’s secrets before it falls into the wrong, wicked hands?
An assured debut, Monstrous Devices has all the ingredients of a sure-fire hit with the next in the series available next month. Darkly entertaining, this middle-grade novel will keep you on your toes, with creepy robot villains, an eccentric grandfather and a likeable protagonist in Alex. Author Damien Love shares some more of the inspiration behind the book today.
Welcome to the blog Damien!
Portrait of Sunday Herald TV critic Damien Love
Photograph by Colin Mearns
20 January 2017
As a child, did you have a relative who inspired you, like Alex’s grandad? A few people have asked that, but, no, not really, not in that way. Alex’s grandfather wasn’t inspired by anyone in my family; there are elements in there of some other people I know…but they don’t know that, so I won’t say who they are. Really, though, I think that when you get down to it, most writers would probably end up confessing that all their characters actually become more like reflections of aspects of themselves – even the villains.
What was your favourite scene to write, and why? Oh, that’s a tough question. I’m not sure there is one that I could single out. But there’s a sequence I was quite happy with ¬– without giving away any spoilers, there’s a scene in Monstrous Devices where the boy at the centre of the story, Alex, gets attacked in a lonely field in the middle of the countryside. The scene started out as a kind of tribute to a very famous scene in one my favourite films, North by Northwest (i.e. I stole it from there), but I think I did an okay job of bending it all around until it fit into the scheme of Monstrous Devices and begin to work as its own thing, too. Plus, I was once advised to drop that scene from the book because there was “too much action”. So I kind of feel protective of it.
Post lockdown, where would you most like to travel? Like a lot of people, the relatively short trips to meet family and friends again are the ones I’m looking forward to most. Beyond that, I’m not sure – I wouldn’t mind going to Prague again someday, though. It’s been a long time since I was there.
Anextract from Monstrous Devices: Hotel Rooftop, Paris
Turning onto the landing below came the tall, broad figure of a man wearing a long black coat and large black hat. When he lifted his face to them, Alex, struck numb with horror, saw it was made of dull metal. Painted eyes. A wire grid for a mouth.
It began climbing the stairs.
“Life-sizer,” his grandfather grunted, turning back up.
There was only one more flight of stairs. It led up to a small, bare half-landing, containing a cupboard door and an iron ladder bolted to the wall, beneath a ceiling hatch. His grandfather was up and through it in a flash of grey, hauling Alex after him. A huge attic, old and dark, musty and empty. They crouched under high slanting roof beams while his grandfather worked with another spool of wire, tying the hatch shut as best he could. He twisted on his heels, searching the dim space around them.
“Nothing to block it with,” the old man muttered, running a hand over his brow. He took Beckman’s little gun from his pocket, weighed it for a second, then threw it far off into the shadows.
“What are you doing?” Alex gasped. “We need that!”
“Never liked guns. C’mon: onward and upward. This way.”
Alex already knew where they were headed. Halfway along the attic, a single skylight glowed dimly, just low enough to reach. Just big enough to fit through. Snow was falling steadily as they climbed out onto the enormous roof.
His grandfather made him go first, crawling away from the window up the steep slope. The cold black tiles were slippery under Alex’s feet. There was little to get a grip on. But, clawing
and scraping, sliding back then scrabbling on, they made it to the pitch of the roof, where they stopped, sitting facing each other on the peak, breath misting the sharp air. A frail full moon pushed through the wisping clouds, staining the rooftop silver.
Freed from concentrating on the climb, drawing breath, Alex’s mind flooded with panic, then a stunning sense of disbelief. He became aware of the raw ache in his throat, his shaking limbs.
The sky was enormous above him.
“What did I tell you?” his grandfather said. He was pointing off behind Alex’s shoulder.
Turning his head, across the stretching roofscape Alex saw the Eiffel Tower, not far away, strangely clear, lit up gold and black, its blue searchlight strafing the swollen cloudbanks.
He turned back. The scream he felt building came out as a sigh. He sagged.
“Yes. That’s very pretty. Tell you what, shall I get my phone out and you can take a picture with it behind me? We could send it to Mum. That would be a nice surprise for her.”
“That’s the spirit. Have to keep your sense of humour about you. Now.” The old man dug in his coat pocket. “Sweet?” He held out the open tin.
“Well, why not. We’re on holiday. Thanks.”
“Sugar’ll do you good. Much-maligned stuff, sugar.” His grandfather squinted, tilting the tin in the weak blue light. “Bit of a Russian Roulette, taking a boiled sweet in the dark. Can’t see what you’re going to get. Ah well, nothing ventured.” He popped one in his mouth and rattled it around his teeth.
“Blackcurrant again! Must be my lucky night. What did you get?”
“Lime,” Alex said. It tasted surprisingly good.
They sat there in silence, sucking sweets on the high snowy roof in the Paris night, smiling stupidly at each other.
“So, now,” his grandfather said. “I should probably tell you the plan, give you something to look forward to.”
“Oh, do we have a plan?”
With thanks to Rock the Boat for inviting me to participate in this blog tour. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour and follow more of Alex’s adventures in second in the series, The Shadow Arts coming soon.
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