Family | thebookactivist

Iris’s grandmother, Mimi, is all at sea. She’s started wearing her clothes inside out, serving jam on scrambled eggs and talking to the moon. As Mimi’s life becomes more muddled up and a mystery from the past surfaces. Iris and her friend Mason must search for answers: Who was Coral? What happened to her?

Talking to the Moon by S.E.Durrant is a gorgeous story of family and friendship. With a delightful cast of eccentric characters, this warm-hearted tale handles the difficult subject of dementia and the everyday chaos of family life with a perfect balance of humour and great care. Two year old siblings, a stressed out Mum and a hard working Dad are enough for anyone to deal with! Staying with Mimi provides the ideal escape for Iris and the quirky lifestyle painted contrasts brilliantly with her family home. Iris is immediately likeable, her love for Mimi admirable and her desire to protect Mimi with lists to remind her of all manner of daily tasks utterly moving. The engaging thread of mystery running throughout keeps you guessing and whilst the reality Iris is facing is clear, there is always hope and always love. A really lovely read.

S.E Durrant has written other great middle-grade reads including the brilliant Little Bits of Sky; you can read my review here. Find out more at www.nosycrow.com.

With thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me this book to review.

Wulfie is just like a puppy – fluffy and adorable. But unlike a puppy, he talks. And he’s purple. His favourite food is smelly socks. he can be small as a snail or big as a bear. He’s sweet and loyal and he’s Libby’s new best friend. Libby longs to star in the school play, and with Wulfie’s help she just might get a chance to outshine her big, bag step-brother, Rex.

Wulfie: Stage Fright by Lindsay J Sedgwick illustrated by Josephine Wolff is the first in a new series featuring a sweet female protagonist named Libby and the perfect best friend in Wulfie. It’s a charming story about families, friendship and being brave even when you’re afraid. Libby has a Cinderella-esque life with a horrid step-mother, even more horrid step-brother and an absent-minded father. So when her chance to shine in the school play comes, it’s Wulfie to the rescue! He makes everything better and although causes a little bit of trouble on the way, it’s Wulfie who helps her outsmart her mean step-brother who always wants to spoil things. You can always tell well-drawn characters when you really don’t like them (and when you do of course!) – Rex and his mother are truly horrid and you can’t wait for Libby to win the day! Fun and lively illustrations bring the action and diverse cast of characters to life. With just the right amount of mischief and lots of laughs Wulfie: Stage Fright is sure to delight young readers and have them cheering for an encore!

Find out more at www.littleisland.ie.

With thanks to Little Island for sending me this book to review.