Heather James's Blog, page 4

Barrington Stoke September Round Up

There's something for everyone in Barrington Stoke's September titles - from misbehaving dogs to marriage-mad mothers, and new friendships to new class members. These colourful new releases are great for readers with dyslexia who want brilliant stories in clear, easy to read formats. 

Noodle the Doodle by Jonathan Meres is a lovely story about an energetic, four legged addition to a classroom! 

Everyone is excited when Noodle the Doodle joins their class, but on the class trip to the beach, Noodle causes more mayhem than fun. Can Noodle prove he is a superdoodle after all and make the class trip the best ever?

This story is great for dog lovers - and for students like Marty who are a little nervous around dogs. It has a huge cast of characters, all with individual quirks, likes and distinctive personalities. Katy Halford's illustrations are sweet and funny, brining Doodle and his school friends to life. It's full of mayhem and fun, and will leave students asking if they can have a four-legged classmate of their own!

The Peculiar Thing with the Pea by Kaye Umansky is a very funny take on the well known fairytale, which will have readers giggling throughout.

Prince Pete doesn't want to get married - he's only 11 after all! But his mother has other ideas. When a girl arrives at the castle claiming to be the daughter of a very well off king, his mother decides to put her to the test. While Patsy would happily face knights or fire arrows, the test Pete's mum has in mind is of a rather different kind...

This is a brilliant story about friendship. Pete and Patsy were great characters and filled their days with adventure, from building treehouses to investing dungeons. Readers will wish they can dive into the story and join them. 

I really enjoyed Claire Powell's illustrations, which all had busy backgrounds full of tiny details. 

The House of Clouds by Lisa Thompson is a touching story about loss, friendship and taking time to look into the skies. 

Tabby's Grandad is full of outlandish stories, from ships in bottles made by bees, to cloud artists sculpturing shapes in the sky. Tabby has lost her best friend and she's stuck taking Grandad's smelly dog on daily walks, the last thing she wants is to sit and listen to Grandad's nonsense. But when Tabby visits a strange, deserted house on the hill, she starts to wonder if at least one of Grandad's stories might be true, only it's too late to ask him more about it. 

Tabby's story is full of magic and wonder. Readers will be desperate to spend more time looking up into the sky after finishing it, looking for shapes made by Ava Laurent and her fellow artists. Tabby is a sweet and very relatable character, who is too busy torturing herself with social media to see how little time she has left with her Grandad. 

Alice McKinley's illustrations bring the art in this story to life, and readers will be desperate to explore her House of Clouds. 

Thank you so much Barrington Stoke for sending me copies of these stories to review. They are all brilliant in their own way, and would be a great addition to any school library. 

Picture This: Snow Ghost

A beautiful festive picture book, perfect for enjoying snuggled under a blanket on a cold day. 
Snow Ghost is looking for a home. The dark sky and tangled woods are too isolated and eerie, but a cosy, family farm might be the perfect place for her to settle. 
Snow Ghost is full of beautiful illustrations, with muted colours and a soft, wintery feel. It would make a special addition to any bookcase and will be a book you'll want to pick up again and again.
The words are calm and soothing, making it a perfect bedtime story, and the overall message, about finding a place where you belong, is very sweet and comforting. 
It reminded me of the illustrated version of Snow, by Walter de la Mare, but the really great thing about Snow Ghost is that, because it doesn't mention Christmas at any point, you can enjoy it in January and February, as well as December (and it's not too early to pick a copy up now!). 
Thank you Bloomsbury for sending me an advanced digital copy to review. 
Snow Ghost is written by Tony Mitton and illustrated by Diana Mayo

When Life Gives You Mangoes

A beautiful story about friendship, change and moving past your fears. 

A new girl has moved to town, Clara's best friend isn't speaking to her, and she can't remember what happened last summer. As the new summer's events unfold, Clara will learn about friendship, herself, and moving on from dark events of the past. 

Getten explores the complexity of friendship, of arguing with those you love, but still valuing them more than anything, in a way that feels completely real and absorbing. Friends are everything when you are Clara's age, and When Life Gives You Mangoes reflects this throughout. Clara also has to learn about making new friends and opening yourself up to new people, in way that will feel real and relatable to everyone who reads. 

Sycamore is a hot, vivid setting which will will add some much-needed summer to your autumn. This close knit community is almost a character in its own right. The story celebrates the importance of community, of coming together, forgiveness, and moving on.

I've struggled to write this review as I wanted to keep it spoiler free - When Life Gives You Mangoes has a really, really, really good twist that had made me want to start the entire story all over again. 

It is a special, lovely story that I would recommend without hesitation. 

Thank you so much Pushkin Children's Books for sending me an advanced copy to review via NetGalley.

Picture This: My Friends and Me

Everyone's family is different - from brunch loving dads, to cake baking single parents, and even juggling foster mums - but if there's one thing adults are all great at, it's loving the children in their care. 
I know a book must be really good when I'm taking photos to send to my sister as I read it! This is the sort of picture book I have always been on the look out for - one that celebrates family in all its many, varied forms, where everyone is welcome and loved with equal acceptance. It's the sort of story which makes you feel warm and happy once you finish it. 
Halford's colourful artwork is full of small details and funny annotations. I particularly like Kate's amazing brunch, which is aptly captioned 'best meal ever'. 
Little Tiger are brilliant champions of adversity and acceptance, so this story has found the perfect home on their list. I'm already recommending it to everyone I know. 

Thank you Little Tiger for sending me a copy of My Friends and Me for review. 
My Friends and Me is written by Stephanie Stansbie and illustrated by Katy Halford

The Castle of Tangled Magic

Full of family, magic and kindness, The Castle of Tangled Magic is an extraordinary story which is not to be missed. 

Olia lives in a beautiful castle filled with secret passageways and unreachable domes. When her beloved home is attacked by a magical storm, she must venture into a hidden world of magic to face her family's dark history and risk everything she loves for a brighter, fairer future. 

The Castle of Tangled Magic is a fantastic exploration of troubling histories and the way we can deal with pasts that make us uncomfortable, tearing down monuments to past atrocities, but never forgetting the need to do better. 

Olia is a wonderful protagonist who understands that it is people (or magical spirits!) who are important, not places or objects, no matter how much we might love them, and learns that home is about the people you love, not where you live. She is generous and kind, always striving to help as much as she can, but she also shows that it is okay to make mistakes. Olia is a hero who doesn't always get things right, but that's okay, because life is about learning and growing. She is a protagonist children will be able to see themselves in, sometimes afraid and insecure, but desperate to do what is right. 

Olia's world is full of magic and wonder, and her home - and this incredible story - will set readers' imaginations soaring. 

Thank you, Usborne for sending me an advanced copy to review on NetGalley. 

Bauble, Me and the Family Tree

Bauble, Me and the Family Tree is a heartwarming story about family with a cosy, Christmasy feel. 

When Noel's sister Bauble sees their mum kissing Santa - in August - this special sibling pair begin an important investigation. Is their dad secretly Santa? or is something else going on - something to do with the photos Noel has found of villagers in meat bikinis, and secret notes under his mother's pillow. But when their investigation uncovers unexpected family secrets, it causes arguments and accidents, and threatens to change their family forever. 

Noel was a superb, sympathetic character who readers will warm to. His super-clever, little sister Bauble was fun to read too. 

A novel which explores what family means, and celebrates the different forms it can take. Lots of moments made me giggle, but there are some serious, emotional scenes too. 

This is the perfect time of year to read this novel, as it has lots of Christmasy touches without being a Christmas story - just right to add a little pre-December Christmas magic to the year. 

Thank you Maverick Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of Bauble, Me and the Family Tree by Jenny Moore

Dear Hero

 Today I'm posting a spotlight feature for Dear Hero: a new YA superhero story, out on Monday!

Cortex and V need a new nemesis. 

Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world—at least, until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new antagonist, and fast.

Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.

So the two turn to Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains, where they match right away. After throwing punches at each other behind coffee shops, practicing their fight choreography, and hiring henchmen to do their bidding (mostly just getting them coffee), they begin to realize they have a lot more in common than just names that annoyingly rhyme. 

But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Who are the real heroes and villains? And just how fine of a line is there between love and hate? When darkness from the past threatens them both, Cortex and V may need to work together to make it out alive. 

This sounds like so much fun! You can find more by following the authors on Twitter - @HopeBolinger and @alyssawrote

The Story of Babushka

This is the story of one very special babushka doll and her five bodies.

There was the outermost body, Antonia. She was pure beauty and everyone who saw her raved about her good looks. Beneath that body of beauty hid the second body, Loretta, who was richly adorned. She wore gold ornaments, and her robe was decorated with many different gems that glittered like the ocean on a sunny day. Hidden within the rich body was Paula the body that held all the talents. Whatever Paula did, she was sure to succeed. She knew how to work and always did so with joy and determination. Under the shell of the talented body was Viola, the body of wisdom. Viola knew a lot about the world and learned very quickly. She was always full of brilliant ideas and had clever solutions for every problem. The last body, the innermost and smallest of all, was Mary, the embodiment of love. Mary had a compassionate heart and was very helpful. She had the special ability to dry tears and mend broken hearts.

One day Babushka decides she wants to find out the meaning of life, so she sends her bodies out of the forest and into the world to search for answers.

The Story of Babushka is lovely and I really enjoyed reading it. It has a classic, fairytale feel, which sweeps you into its world and makes it wonderful to read aloud.

Babushka's five very different bodies are vividly described, beautifully illustrated and each important in their own, unique way. Together, their story is touching and heartwarming. 

This story explores what it means to be happy, and to feel valued and loved. It has a really sweet message and I loved the ending. 

The illustrations are exquisite, filled with beautiful detail and colour, and I could spend ages looking at each page. You can take a closer look at them on the story's website which really helps to bring this world to life, with interactive images and free colouring sheets. 

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to review. 
The Story of Babushka is written by Catherine Flores and illustrated by Ana Beatriz Marques

Macbeth United

12 year old Macbeth dreams of football success, but as his ambition (and his mum) pushes him to betray more and more of his teammates, he seems more likely to destroy his team altogether than impress footballing scouts. 

Macbeth United is an extremely clever reimagining of Shakespeare's Scottish Tragedy which young readers will love. It's so well done, including all of the key moments and little details, reimagining the events of the play in a way that remains faithful to its new genre, as a contemporary football story. I loved the way the porter is re-imagined as a local odd-job man, and Lady Macbeth (aka Mrs Macbeth, Macbeth's mum) is another brilliant inclusion. 

This is definitely a novel you can enjoy if you've never read, or even heard of, Macbeth before. It will also help children to follow the plot of the original play if they later come to read or watch it. I can think of lots of YA Shakespeare retellings, but I don't think I've read any aimed at younger readers, who are usually left with abridged versions of the original. Macbeth United, on the other hand, makes the plot of Macbeth exciting and relevant. It is filled with football-match feuds, text messages and, of course, plenty of on-pitch action. 

I flew through this story and found it really engaging. I can see it being very popular in school libraries this year.

Macbeth United is a fantastic adaptation, bringing this classic tale of ambition and betrayal to life for a younger audience. 

Thank you so much Scholastic for sending me a copy to review. 

Macbeth United is written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Tony Ross

The Humans

 

A brilliant children's non-fiction title which explores ancient civilisations from across the globe. 

The Humans is packed full of fascinating facts about the ancient past, including former uses for now-common objects, the origins of things like drains and toilets, and even untranslatable languages (and I learnt about all three of these on just one double page spread!)

There are things to entertain children of a range of ages - my six year old likes finding the different locations on her globe and learning about objects like buttons and umbrellas, but older children will enjoy delving into this book in greater detail. From female pirates to ancient mummies, there's something in here to capture the interest and imagination of every child. 

With the now ever-present risk of homeschooling, I think a book like this is a great one to have on your bookshelves, to bring history to life without resorting to scrolling through the internet for age appropriate and useful websites. 

The artwork is colourful and striking, giving The Humans a very modern feel, which makes it engaging and exciting (this is definitely not a dusty old reference book!)

Thank you Little Tiger for sending us a copy to review. 

The Humans is written by Jonny Marx and illustrated by Charlie Davis