Howl's moving castle by Diana Wynne Jones I am quite shocked with myself that I hadn't read this book before now but I am so, so glad that I have now. It is a classic. It is a classic fantasy which has obviously been an influence of so many of my favourite contemporary books and it is fabulous in every way! The story is that of the first born Sophie who is put under a curse so she ends up seeking the help of Howl, an enigmatic wizard in his moving castle and discovers that nothing is ever what it first seems. This book is fast paced with loveable (and bizarre characters) and so many twists and turns! For those that love a classic fantasy this is the book for you! Great for: magic and unexpected happenings Not great if: you are scared of scarecrows or talking sticks Why not support your local independent bookshop and buy your copy here If you would like to know more about Diana Wynne Jones and her wonderderful books click here
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Set in the fictional town of Bayview, five students enter an everyday detention. But there is nothing 'everyday' about the students that have been sent there: a baseball player with an unblemished record, the girlfriend of the prom king, the girl with not a smudge on her academic record, the guy who is possibly a drug dealer and a guy who owns a gossip app who is always ready to dig the dirt on the schools dirty secrets. Five enter but only four leave alive... And they are all suspected of murder. The story is told from the points of view of the four main characters and how their lives unfold after an investigation gets underway. In the process all of them find a different way of looking at the world and realise that they should never take their lives for granted. The story is quick paced with believable characters and it will certainly be one of those books where you say to yourself 'just one more chapter!' I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it made me question and think about the judgements we make when we meet people for the first time but also the impact of our actions on others. For fans of Agatha Christie and Gossip Girl! If you would like to know more about Karen, why not check out her website here Why not support your local independent bookshop and buy your copy here
Brat is a servant who works for a crazy professor on an island in the middle of the sea. The professor wants to wreak revenge on the settlers in the city and on the mainland for what they did to him a long time ago. He seeks to make a monster which will bring the ultimate revenge. But something goes wrong and it is up to Brat to try and conquer his fears and try and save the world. I simply lived this book and can completely say it deserves to be on the shortlist for the children's book award as it is a masterpiece! A believable and terrifying world with a plot that is pacey and will keep you reading until your bath has gone cold or that early time in the morning! I loved the characters (particularly Sherman and Tingle - who I think are based on my own pets!) And I loved the world that Gregory has created which is hopeful and fearful in equal measures. This is a story of friendship, courage, bravery and not judging a book by its cover. If you would like to know more about Lorraine Gregory click here Why not support your local independent bookshop and purchase your copy here
Firstly I would like to say a massive thank you to Anderson Press for sending me a copy of this book... I knew a pitiful amount about Ada Lovelace before I starting reading this book but feel, now I have finished it, like I have really got under her skin and have been lead through her inner workings. The book is fictionalisation of Ada's life from the age of five to after the age of nineteen. We see how she perceives the world and how her life was heavily influenced not only by her famous father, Lord Byron but also by her overbearing mother. However, Ada is a woman of ideas and fights against the social norms that are expected of women of the day... This book was truly fascinating and it also got me to do research of my own into some of the historical characters who turn up and influence Ada in some way. If you are someone who loves nonfiction and finding out about famous names in history this book is for you. With chapters which act as snippets from Ada's life this book is intelligently written with no hint of belittling it's audience. The vocabulary is diverse and challenging (which I really liked) and definitely reflected the inner workings of Ada and the high level of education that she received during her life. Fantastic book and I loved every page. If you would like to know more about Julia Gray click here If you would like a copy of I, Ada, why not support your local independent bookshop here
I was so pleased to see that Abi Elphinstone was writing a new series as I had enjoyed Sky Song so much. This adventure is set in the Unmapped world which controls the weather of our (Faraway) one. However, a dark force is threatening to stop magic for good making sure that both the land of rumblestar and that of the Faraway kingdoms could both be doomed if someone doesn't stop them. This someone is an unlikely hero called Caspar who likes things meticulously planned and timetabled and doesn't like things that might mess.these things up. Little does he know that Destiny has a different idea up her sleeve and it is it up to him and a bottler-in-trainer named Utterly to try and save the world. This story is reminiscent of fantasy written by the classic Lewis and Tolkien with a hint of pizzazz and colour. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and to anyone who has ever wished themselves on an adventure. If you would like to support your local independent bookshop, why not buy a copy here If you would like to know more about Rumblestar and Abi's other brilliant books, check out her website here
I bought this book last year as part of the Children in Read auction and am so pleased with my purchase. I have the hardback edition of this book and the cover artwork (by Catherine Hyde) and it is simply beautiful. This story is such a rollercoaster of emotions. Set in Kenya Makena has a dream to climb mountains like her Dad. She wants to read and learn. But then tragedy strikes and it seems that Makena's dreams are out of reach and now her biggest dream is to survive this nightmare she has plunged into. This story is about hope in the face of adversity. It is about finding hope in the darkest of places. It is about not giving up on your dreams however far out of reach they may seem. And it is about finding beautiful moments in every day and cherishing them and always about finding a silver lining. I simply loved this book and devoured it within a couple of days of starting it. The characters were rounded and believable and loveable and Igor swept along in the story. It is not always happy but it is chock full of hope and it will make you smile and leave you warm and fuzzy. If you would like to buy a copy why not support your local independent bookshop here If you would like to know more about Lauren St John click here
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