Tag Archives: Book reviews

New reviews: Picture Book Round-Up!

Today on the blog, I’m sharing a round-up of the plethora of brilliant and beautiful picture books I’ve read over recent weeks. Full of fun, themes of friendship and acceptance right through to wacky adventures, readers young and old won’t fail to enjoy these delightful stories!

Super Silly Museums by Nick Sharratt is a simply a delight! Everything a picture book needs to be to grab young reader’s attentions: inviting, entertaining, informative and jam-packed FULL of brilliant illustrations and fold-out pages. Readers are invited to explore the silliest museums ever, from the toe-tapping Shoe-seum to the somewhat stinky Pooseum. As the book says ‘going to the museum has never been so much fun’! Published by Scholastic (who are also running a fantastic competition to celebrate the book).

Frank and Bert by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros is a gorgeous story about kindness and making your friends happy. Join friends Frank and Bert, as they play hide and seek, and Frank discovers that there is more than one way to win. Beautiful illustrations and a simple narrative with a huge heart; this is simply a great picture book! Published by Nosy Crow.

Punk Rocker Poodle by Laura Dockrill and Sandhya Prabhat brings to life a noisy, punk-tastic poodle (who is a toddler with terrible twos in disguise!). A stomping, rhyming, rap-filled narrative shows just how much attitude this little pooch has – until it’s time to go to sleep; then all she wants is a cuddle!! Illustrations leap off the page and the whole story is so full of colour, readers will want to listen to Punk Rocker Poodle again and again (but maybe with the ‘volume’ down a little if it’s bedtime..!!). Great fun! Published by Faber.

Oh No George! by Chris Haughton celebrates it’s tenth anniversary this year! The perfect tale for dog lovers everywhere, it features George, the hapless hero who simply can’t be good. Whether it be eating cake, chasing cats or digging up the flower bed, George is powerless to resist. How can he make it up to Harris, his owner?! You’ll have to read this funny, entertaining tenth anniversary edition to find out! Published by Walker Books.

SuperQuesters: The Case of the Stolen Sun by Dr Thomas Bernard and Lisa Moss illustrated by Amy Willcox is the first in a new STEM-focused adventure series. Great for sharing, this engaging title brings STEM topics to life, introducing a great cast of magical characters, taking readers on an exciting adventure and inspiring their learning. With opportunities to participate and gain rewards in the shape of colourful stickers, children will love each STEM Quest and the opportunity to become STEM superheroes! Published by QuestFriendz.

You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion by Margaret O’Hair illustrated by Sofia Cardoso is an inclusive and empowering picture book inspired by Sofia Sanchez, a 12- year-old girl with Down Syndrome. Featuring a cast of characters with all kinds of backgrounds and disabilities, You Are Enough encourages children to be brave and courageous no matter what they are facing. It also shines a light on the difference kindness can make and how we all need a cheerleader or two in our lives. Inspiring and engaging with lovely illustrations, this is a great book to share and prompt discussion. Published by Scholastic.

Monkey Bedtime by Alex English and Pauline Gregory is a wonderfully funny look at monkeying around at bedtime – with real monkeys! If you don’t know your marmoset from your gibbons, Monkey Bedtime will introduce you. Meet a whole host of marvellous, mischievous monkeys as one little boy tries to get to bed. As the time ticks on and Mummy keeps calling out ‘it’s time for bed’, more and more monkeys arrive through window, doors and even down the chimney! Find out if he’ll ever get to bed in this delightful, wonderfully drawn tale perfect for anytime of day! Published by Faber.

Wowee Zowee: A Flight of Imagination by Jurg Lindenberger invites young readers to join the fun as they step on board the airline of imagination. Travelling to some weird and wonderful places, they’ll meet a some crazy characters along the way. With space for their own imaginations to come to life on the page, children can draw and colour throughout, in places like the Fruitnveg Megaburb, Frostonika and Vectoland. In amongst all the fun, they’ll learn about what to pack for a journey and even navigating the airport. I think it’s time for a Wowee Zowee adventure – the perfect travel companion! Published by Cicada Books.

With thanks to all the publishers for sending me these books to review. They will be finding new homes via my local foodbank.

New reviews: Middle-Grade catch-up!

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It’s been an amazing start to the year for children’s books; so many brilliant titles to read and such an abundance of choice for young readers! Here’s a snapshot of the middle-grade books I’ve enjoyed over the last few months which I recommend you add to your bookshelf, classrooms, school libraries and general TBR pile!

Starfell: Willow Moss and the Magic Thief by Dominique Valente illustrated by Sarah Warburton is the fourth book in the Starfell series, which has proved totally charming with a delightful and determined heroine at it’s heart. With themes of kindness, resilience and equality, in this final story we see Willow seeking to restore her magic so she can defeat Silas, the evil wizard determined to steal all magic for himself. Expect an exciting adventure full of humour and the characters we’ve come to know and love, with some new ones to add to the magic! A great read. Published by HarperCollins (Age 8+).

Max Counts to A Million by Jeremy Williams is the heart-warming story of one boy’s experience of lockdown and reflects much that we can all relate too, young or old. Max, in a fit of anger, decides to count to a million rather than the 100 his mum suggests to help him calm down. This leads to more than just a calming-down exercise, as we see how one child attempts to control the world around him as the pandemic ensues. I love the premise behind this story – one Dad’s desire to capture the extraordinary period we have all been through from a child’s perspective. Written in just two weeks, the resulting tale is warm, funny, moving and shows just how courageous we have all been in just keeping going. Published by Nosy Crow (Age 7+).

Rainbow Grey Eye of the Storm by Laura Ellen Anderson creates a wonderful world of imagination, as we enter the second story in this fantastic series. Ray is learning to master her magic, despite things not always going to plan! Readers are drawn into another colourful adventure, with equally colourful characters, as Ray realises there is something dark behind the disappearing cloud creatures. Magic abounds as Ray seeks to prove her innocence, and once you get to know the wonderful cloud-cat again, Nim and a whole host of others, you’ll want to visit The Weatherlands every day. An absolute treat of a story! Published by Farshore (Age 7+).

How to Steal the Mona Lisa by Bethany Walker illustrated by Jack Noel is cleverly told through all manner of written communications (think texts, emails, blogs, coded messages and so on) as Mia and her former best friend Jake attempt to solve the mystery of the Mona Lisa, missing for 200 years, win the £25m reward and save the art department in their school! With strange behaviour by teachers at school, and Mia’s parents at home, there’s more than meets the eye in this uniquely told tale. A celebration of the importance of art in our lives, there’s laughs galore, a lovely relationship between Mia and her Granny, as well as a BIG twist at the end. Confident readers will love How to Steal the Mona Lisa. Published by Scholastic (Age 8+).

The Girl Who Lost a Leopard by Nizrana Farook takes readers back to the beautiful land of Serendib, where Selvi loves to run free in the mountains, just like Lokka, a wild and beautiful leopard. For animal lovers everywhere, this story will delight and hold readers spellbound, as Selvi and Lokka build a bond of friendship and battle against evil hunters. An opportunity to explore themes of conservation, as well as the connection between humans and animals, The Girl Who Lost a Leopard is a richly drawn adventure to be enjoyed by all! Published by Nosy Crow (Age 9+)

Carnival of the Lost by Kieran Larwood illustrated by Sam Usher brings to life an atmospheric, marvellously creepy, Victorian-inspired London and a host of fantastic characters who perform in a Carnival. This story will hold readers in awe, as mystery seeps from the page when no-one but the Carnival Troupe is interested in helping discover where vanishing, poverty-stricken children have gone. Expect the unexpected with a brilliantly written narrative, which includes fascinating historical detail about the period throughout and wonderfully drawn illustrations. It’s definitely time you found the Carnival of the Lost! Published by Faber (Age 9+).

With thanks to all the publishers for sending me these books to review. They will find new homes via my local foodbank.

New reviews: summer book blog!

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I am very pleased to share new reviews on the blog today of some of the books I’ve read over the last few months. For younger and middle grade readers, these titles are ideal for keeping children engaged and reading over the summer holidays! Happy reading!

Madam Squeaker by Pip Jones illustrated by Paula Bowles (Age5+) is a charming tale of a little mouse with a big heart. Minetta is desperate to teach the Ruling Rats a lesson about sharing; just in time a wise old Owl appears and offers her some advice. Lovely colourful illustrations capture Minetta Mouse’s courage as she finds her voice and shows all the animals how they can share together. A Little Gems story, this is a perfect treat for very young readers. Published by Barrington Stoke.

Lottie Loves Nature: Bird Alert by Jane Clarke illustrated by James Brown (Age 6+) is book three in the series which is part of the Summer Reading Challenge 2021- Wild World Heroes. Once again we meet nature-mad Lottie and this time she’s bird watching! But share has to act fast when a hatchling falls out of it’s nest and we learn all about looking after feathered friends in the garden, with handy tips and checklists. Entertaining, informative, Lottie Loves Natures is a great way to encourage young reader’s interest in the natural world and reading. Published by Five Quills.

Flyntlock Bones: The Eye of Mogrod By Derek Keilty illustrated by Mark Elvins (Age 7+) – pirates ahoy! It’s adventure time again with quick-witted Flynn and friends embarking on another mystery-solving quest. With fearsome villains and monsters to face, alongside pirate-y behaviour, be prepared for multiple thrills and entertaining pirate fun, all brought to life by brilliant illustrations. Published by Scallywag Press.

Grace-Ella: Pixie Pandemonium by Sharon Marie Jones Illustrated by Adriana J Puglisi (age 7+) is the third book in this delightful series featuring young witch Grace Ella and her cat Mr Whiskins. This time, Grace-Ella must save the school fair and stop a mischeviuous pixie named Buddy from causing chaos! Great fun, young readers will be enchanted. Published by Firefly Press.

An Escape in Time by Sally Nicholls illustrated by Rachael Dean (Age 7+) continues the adventures of siblings Alex and Ruby as they travel through the magic mirror in their historical family home of Applecott House to another historical destination. This time they meet French Aristocrats who have escaped the Revolution, and must find a way to help them, all the while learning more about the magic mirror, their family history and themselves. Clever plots, engaging characters and fantastic historical detail bring this story to life making the reader wish they could travel in time too! Published by Nosy Crow.

Me and the Robbersons by Sirir Kolu, translated by Ruth Urbom (Age 8+) is a quirky adventure telling the tales of a bandit family, a kidnapping and lots and lots of sweets. Full of madcap mayhem, the Robbersons inadvertently give Maise the summer holiday she’s dreamed of when they kidnap her and she’s soon embroiled in their hilarious escapades! Fun and furious, this adventure will charm the socks off those looking for a Dahl-style story. Published by Little Tiger Group.

Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Haunted House by Annabelle Sami illustrated by Daniela Sosa (Age 8+) stars Zaiba, a girl who can’t wait to become the world’s greatest detective! Who is trying to scare away the new family who’ve moved into Oakwood Manor? Zaiba and her friends are determined to find the culprit in book three of this exciting, well-paced adventure series. Perfect for fans of mystery stories, with friendship and fun at the heart of each one. Published by Little Tiger Group.

We Made a Movie by Charlotte Lo (Age 8+) revisits Luna and her family on their island-home with another madcap adventure in the offing, in this thoroughly entertaining sequel. This time, Luna comes up with a brilliant plan to solve everyone’s business problems and save her home and the town of Wishnook from being turned into ‘The Las-Vegas of Scotland’! Hilarious, heart-warming and full of eccentric and endearing characters, this story is great fun! Published by Nosy Crow.

How to Save the World with a Chicken and an Egg by Emma Shevah (Age 8+) is an absolute delight of a read with characters you’d want to save the world for! With themes on friendship and acceptance we can all be inspired by, and a brilliantly portrayed environmental message we can all learn from, you’ll fall in love with the first story in this series (and I’m so glad there’ll be more!). It’s also full of fascinating facts about animals and the natural world with a list of top tips about how young readers can tackle environmental issues. Published by Chicken House.

Artic Star by Tom Palmer (Age 8+) is a poignant and moving tale by an author who has proved himself again to be a master historical story-teller. It’s 1943 and childhood friends Frank, Joseph and Stephen are about to embark on their first mission aboard a naval ship as part of an Artic Convoy sailing to Russia delivering supplies to the Soviets. You can almost taste the seawater and feel the freezing cold as they plummet into danger and face threats all around. This story won’t fail to move you and shines a light on the brave and courageous naval forces that helped the Allies win the war. Published by Barrington Stoke.

The Secret Detectives by Ella Risbridger (Age 8+) tells the story of orphan Isobel travelling from her home in India to a remote Uncle in England. Little does she realise life is going to take some unexpected turns as she witnesses a murder, grapples with etiquette and expectations and makes some new friends. On board ship, adventure abounds as Isobel and her fellow would-be detectives use all their deductive powers to find the culprit. Plenty of historical detail, well-drawn characters and an engaging plot will keep you hooked on every page! Published by Nosy Crow.

With thanks to the publishers for sending me these books to review – they’ll all be going to a local school as part of the Book Buddy scheme!

New reviews: A little middle-grade magic – great books for Christmas!

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Today I’m sharing some middle-grade magic in the shape of fantastic books for middle-grade readers that I’ve enjoyed in recent months – all of which would make great Christmas gifts!

The Peculiar Thing with the Pea by Kaye Umansky illustrated by Claire Powell is a fantastic retelling of The Princess and the Pea. Prince Pete has no interest in getting married, after all he’s only 11! But his mother the Queen has other ideas and soon she’s putting her tried and tested method of using a pea to discover if Patsy really is the Princess she claims to be. An accessible read with lively illustrations, this story will have children laughing-out-loud and no doubt joining in with some of the eye-rolling at the embarrassing-mum moments! Published by Barrington Stoke, find out more The Peculiar Thing with the Pea – Barrington Stoke

Lori and Max and the Book Thieves by Catherine O’Flynn is the second in the series featuring two school friends who have a penchant for solving mysteries! Warm-hearted and thoroughly enjoyable, this story sees Lori and Max solving several mysteries with a priceless book at the heart of the equation. Not just a mystery story though, there are layers of emotion as Lori and Max deal with multiple real-life issues and use all their determination and the power of their friendship to find the solutions. A standalone adventure, this is a great addition to the series. Published by Firefly Press, find out more Lori and Max and the Book Thieves | Firefly Press

The Marvellous Land of Snergs by Veronica Cossanteli illustrated by Melissa Castrillon is a total delight! A forgotten classic first published in 1927, the story has been brought back to life with the support of the family of the the original author E.A Wyke-Smith. Pip and Flora, running away from a Children’s Home, stumble into the Marvellous Land of the Snergs – a magical world of cinnamon bears and incredible feasts alongside vegan ogres, dastardly Kelps and a purple-wearing villain. Enter Gorbo, a lovable snerg who proves to be Pip and Flora’s only friend. But can he help them find their way home? A fabulous adventure ensues, full of everything you would expect from the story that is said to have inspired J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Marvellous by name, marvellous by nature, this totally deserves it’s place as a classic and will surely find it’s way into the hearts of a new generation of readers. Published by Chicken House, find out more Chicken House Books – Marvellous Land of Snergs

Little Badman and the Time-Travelling Teacher of Doom by Humza Arshad and Henry White, illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff sees the return of the wannabe rapper, Humza aka Little Badman and his best friend Umer. This time they have been sent away to summer school in Pakistan, and something strange is going on. Humza is convinced there’s a sinister plot and given recent experiences with Alien Aunties, perhaps he’s right! Guaranteed mayhem and chaos, hilarious observations and a huge helping of laugh-out-loud humour; if you are looking for a funny book for the middle-grade readers in your life, then Little Badman is it! Published by Puffin, find out more Little Badman and the Time-travelling Teacher of Doom (penguin.co.uk) Read my review of Little Badman’s first outing here.

Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre retold by Tanya Landman brings two classics of English literature to a new audience, in these accessible retellings. The Carnegie Medal-winning author uses her critically acclaimed writing talents to take both these stories to new heights, accentuating key elements and scenes into a more concise format. The stories lose none of their timelessness nor any of the power of the characters they portray. Both of these titles would be a great way to introduce the classics to a new generation of readers in an accessible format, giving the stories a new lease of life. Published by Barrington Stoke, find out more Wuthering Heights: A Retelling by Tanya Landman – Barrington Stoke

Trouble in a Tutu by Helen Lipscombe is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Peril en Pointe (review here) and returns to the Swan House Ballet School – a secret spy training school! This time, Milly must investigate a dangerous trickster in the shape of the ‘Mouse King’ as he threatens the safety of everyone at the school. Milly has to contend with suspects all around, making sure her jealously of a new arrival doesn’t blind her investigations. Full of adventure and themes of friendship at it’s heart, this is middle-grade espionage at it’s best, perfectly combining the art of ballet with the world of spies! Published by Chicken House, find out more Chicken House Books – Trouble in a Tutu

With thanks to Barrington Stoke, Chicken House, Firefly Press and Puffin Books for sending me these books to review.

New reviews: Wonderful children’s books for Christmas – and all year round!

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Today I’m sharing my thoughts on some beautiful picture books written by brilliant authors and illustrators who have created stories that will capture the imagination and bring a smile to readers faces – young and old. These books would make lovely Christmas gifts to be enjoyed all year round!

Delightfully Different Fairy Tales written by Lynn Roberts Maloney and illustrated by David Roberts is a stunning treasury gift collection of these original and captivating takes on fairy tales we know and love. The series has sold nearly 60, 000 copies and delighted young readers (and many adult readers too) with brilliant portrayals of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, each set in a different historical period and showing these familiar characters in a totally different light! No longer the damsels in distress, our heroines are enterprising and resourceful and will inspire a new generation of young readers to be the the same. Spellbinding storytelling and stunning illustration unite to create a beautiful gift edition ideal to enjoy together and share as a family. Published in hardback by Pavilion, find out more David Roberts’ Delightfully Different Fairytales | Pavilion Books

The Pocket Chaotic written by Ziggy Hanaor and illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett brings to life a delightful family of kangaroos, in a story of a journey towards independence. Alexander lives in his mum’ pocket and despite his sister’s protestations that it’s time he moved into his own bedroom, he insists on staying! But as his Mum gets more and more chaotic, and fills her pocket with everything from her mobile phone to old sweet wrappers, Alexander finds there’s less and less space for him to snuggle. Maybe his sister is right?! Delightful illustrations bring the kangaroos to life and there’s a lovely lesson about the inevitability of growing up – but not being as scary as you think. A quirky tale to enjoy throughout the year! Published in hardback by Cicada Books, find out more The Pocket Chaotic — Cicada Books

The Tooth Fairy written by Samuel Langley-Swain and illustrated by David Ortu is a fantastic new series from The Royal Mint, bringing the Tooth Fairy tradition bang up to date! The series centres on twins Ollie and Grace who have just lost their first tooth. Their Grandpa reveals that for generations, tooth fairies and coin makers have been secretly working together from The Royal Mint, to make sure every child receive a shiny new coin for their tooth! Featuring a host of magical characters, the first two titles The Tooth Fairy and the Home of the Coin Makers and The Tooth Fairy and the Magical Journey are sure to delight the imaginations of young readers all year round! Published in paperback by The Royal Mint, find out more The Tooth Fairy | The Royal Mint

Music A Fold-Out Graphic History written by Nicolas O’Neill and Susan Hayes illustrated by Ruby Taylor is a simply gorgeous book celebrating the history of music, produced in association with The Royal Albert Hall. If ever we needed to celebrate our arts and heritage, it’s now and this books achieves this in spades! Showing how music has been a part of the way we live for thousands of years, children will discover music in prehistoric and ancient times, right up to music we know and love today. There’s a focus on the Royal Albert Hall of Fame and this book brilliantly reminds us why music is at the heart of culture and even has a playlist at the end so children can experience it for themselves. A wonderful book to share with incredible detail and fold out pages, this is a great gift for Christmas. Published in hardback by What on Earth Books, find out more Music – A Fold-Out Graphic History – What on Earth Publishing What On Earth? Books

The Three Wishes A Christmas Story by Alan Snow is a wonderful origin story of some of our most beloved Christmas traditions. If you’ve ever wondered how Santa Claus came to be, how he visits every child in one night, how his reindeer fly and why he wears a red coat, then this story is the answer! With beautiful illustrations and a tale that feels truly authentic, as if it had been passed down through generations, The Three Wishes is an original take on a story we love to imagine. A wonderful book to share with children this Christmas. Published in hardback by Pavilion Books, find out more The Three Wishes | Pavilion Books

With thanks to Cicada Books, Pavilion Books, The Royal Mint and What on Earth Books for sending me these books to review.