Small Wonder by Ross Montgomery

If you have one chance, make it count

Tick lives with his brother, Leaf, and their grandfather in a remote cottage near the coast of Ellia. There is peace in this land but there is also always the threat of invasion by the Drene. As the story opens Tick sees some ships on the horizon. He knows the invasion is about to begin. He grabs his brother and races home only to find a stranger is robbing his house. Tick and Leaf's grandfather has died recently but Grandfather gave Tick lots of training and advice. Tick knows he needs to flee with his brother to the King's Keep. It is a fortress in the mountains - a place of safety, where everyone will be headed, but it is a long journey and now he has no supplies - only his loyal (and fabulous) horse named Pebble and a small pocketknife.

"I won't always be here for you. when I'm gone, you'll have to look after each other. You'll take care of him, and he'll take care of you."

Tick does manage to rummage through the saddle bags of the hunter who has ransacked his grandfather's cottage and yes, he does find a few useful things such as a flint and some oats, but he also finds some documents. Tick cannot read them because they are not in his language, but he senses these are important. Now the race is on. The Hunter is chasing him and using his hawk to follow Tick's trail. The gateway to the Kings Keep will only stay open for a few days and winter is fast approaching.

"Three moons through the Forest,

Two moons through the Deep,

One moon to the Mountains

To the safety of the Keep"

This book has it all! It is a page turner. It has action and heroes. It has danger and disasters. It has a journey and edge of your seat desperate moments where survival seems impossible. And most of all it is about destiny. The writing here is so atmospheric - you will feel cold, you will feel hungry, you will feel the wounds of battle, and most of all you will want Tick to succeed. I enjoyed this book so much that I picked it up at 2am so that I could read the final chapters. 

My text quotes are spoilers but I just cannot resist them:

"You are heir to the throne of Ellia. Suddenly there was a sound around him, of metal dropped on stone: all the knights of Ellia were kneeling before him."

"I can't do it. A child born with the mark of a king - that's not even me. That's Leaf ... he's the one with the mark!"

"Tell me what is the mark of a king? ... Lara spoke first, reciting words that she had learned by heart. 'A king must first have the mark of bravery. He must be bold and take risks, even in the face of certain defeat. ... A king must have the mark of modesty. He must always put his people first, even if it puts him in harm's way. ... But most important of all ... a king must show the mark of love. Love for his family, love for his people, love for his kingdom."

Fiercely exciting, with moving moments when Tick recalls his precious grandfather, this is an adventure to thrill the heart.  Book Trust

Each character is skillfully developed so much so that even though their Grandfather dies before the book begins, he feels like a real presence, a significant personality in the story. Despite meeting with some unpleasant and evil characters on the way, Tick remains honourable, true to his grandfather’s wishes and so deserving of the fate which awaits him. Through the Bookshelf

Small Wonder is a beautiful story of brotherhood and hope. Tick’s narration provides a wonderful example of finding strength within yourself and what it means to be noble. Through truly listening, helping others and making connections, unanswered questions become answered and family secrets are revealed. Written in a classic style, this story draws out a nostalgia for stories of goodness, love and the fulfilment of destiny. Scope for Imagination

Ross Montgomery started writing stories as a teenager, when he should have been doing homework, and continued doing so at university. His debut novel, Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year and Branford Boase Award. It was also selected as one of the Sunday Times' "Top 100 Modern Children's Classics". His books have also been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award, while his picture book Space Tortoise was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award and included in the Guardian's Best New Children's Books of 2018. The Midnight Guardians, Ross's first fiction novel with Walker Books, was selected as a Waterstones Children's Book of the Month and shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book of the Year Award. I Am Rebel won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book of the Year in 2024. He lives in south-east London

The opening scenes in Small Wonder reminded me of these two books I read recently although these have a different time setting:

The Cave

Wanderer

Other companion books:

Wilder

Oracle

The Colt from Old Regret by Dianne Wolfer illustrated by Erica Wagner

"The Colt from Old Regret" is part of the larger narrative poem "The Man from Snowy River," written by Australian poet Banjo Paterson in 1890. The poem captures the spirit of the Australian bush and the culture of horse riding. It begins with the news that a valuable colt has escaped and joined the wild bush horses, prompting a gathering of expert riders to recapture it. The poem highlights themes of bravery, skill, and the bond between horse and rider.

Dianne Wolfer has based her book on this famous Australian poem. Every part of the book design is so special - the cover will catch your eye, the end papers are perfect, the collage illustrations are rich and full of movement. 

Think about these sentences: "Alpine mint scents the air." "Birds startle. He trembles. The sky is a flurry of wings."  The mountain's craggy brow is close."  "A branding iron sears the air."

Along with the narrative created by Dianne Wolfer the full poem is included at the back of the book over several pages along with details about Banjo Paterson, bush poetry, brumbies, who was the man from snowy river and an author's note.

There was movement at the station, for the word has passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses—he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.

The book is sumptuously illustrated with Wagner’s water colour painting and collage. The colours beautifully capture the light of the Australian bush and movement of the brumbies. Reading Time

An engrossing and suspenseful story that has the added bonus of connecting a young child with an iconic Australian poem. Storylinks

It doesn’t rewrite the poem, but allows Colt’s voice to be heard, and merely shows a different perspective of the event. It’s written in prose or free verse, so it can be read as a story or a poem, and feels like it has the same rhythm as the original poem. The Book Muse

The Colt from Old Regret would be a beautiful present to gift to a friend living away from Australia or as a keep-sake gift for a student graduating from High School. Here are the teachers notes. I am certain this book will be a CBCA 2026 notable title.

All of us in the children's literature community loved the illustrations in this first book by Erica Wagner. 

Hope is the Thing

Dianne Wolfer is an award-winning author of 25 books, including the acclaimed Light series, The Dog with Seven Names and The Last Light Horse. Most recently, Diane’s book Scout and the Rescue Dogs won the Children’s Book of the Year at the Western Australian Premier’s Literary Awards. Dianne completed PhD research into anthropomorphism at UWA and loves talking about animal characters in children’s literature.

Candle Island Lauren Wolk

"Six mysteries waited for me on Candle Island.

One involved a bird.

The second a hidden room.

A song the third.

A poet the fourth.

A cat fifth.

A fire sixth.

Each of them exciting in its own way.

But none more interesting than the mystery I took there with me."

Begin with the cover - I really like it and after reading this book you will want to go back and see how an important story element has been incorporated into this illustration. 

Here is the quote on the opening page - it is very pertinent to this story:

"As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight." James McNeill Whistler

I think sensitive readers (with some reading stamina) aged 10+ will really enjoy Candle Island. I had no idea this story was set in the 1970s (see the Kirkus review).  I loved the island setting and the way Lucretia and her mum were keeping the identity of the artist of their famous paintings a secret kept me turning the pages knowing that they were sure to be discovered. I was also happy that there was no twist at the end and that the bad things that happened on the island were all down to those awful rich kids as Lucretia, Bastian and Murdock suspected. If you look at the labels I have assigned this post you can see the plot covers a lot of things - Lucretia finds a wounded baby bird (an osprey) and she nurses him back to health; there are three summer kids who are dreadful bullies; there is an art theft; the island is small and suspicious of strangers; Lucretia and her mum are experiencing terrible pain after the death of her father; and each of the three island kids has a special talent. Oh, and I do need to mention two more things - mum cooks delicious food in this book and I adore the town librarian (I think I need to make a list of books that feature very special librarians).

Curious readers might want to know more about osprey birds after reading this book. Also Lucretia is named after Lucretia Mott - a Quaker suffragist and anti-slavery campaigner. You might also want to learn more about the scale of being or the Great Chain of Being. 

Candle Island is set on an island - I know that is obvious - so I was not surprised to read Lauren Wolk lives on Cape Cod. I really enjoy visiting islands and I enjoy books set on islands and even though I have not been there for some reason Maine, USA has a special fascination for me.

Here are some text quotes:

"When I let myself spill onto the canvas like melted wax, I built a world where I felt exactly right, entirely who I really was. Free. Unwatched. Alone."

"He was singing a story. A sad one that suddenly became something else and then something else again, the colour changing as the story did, from a radiant magenta to some kind of violet. And then a gold I rarely heard."

"When I hit the water, my head exploded. Every particle of my body panicked. It was as if I'd been injected with frozen mint. As if my skin was size too small. As if I'd been scoured with a wire brush dipped in acid. All of that, all at once."

The town librarian - notice the placement of the word beautiful: "She was old. Thin. In a black dress with a lace collar. Her hair was a beautiful white, twisted into a crown on top of her head. Her skin was the same deep brown as my eyes. ... At her full height she was smaller than I was, but she seemed much taller."

"The most common form of despair is not being who you are - Soren Kierkegaard"

There are certain authors for children that are capable of the kind of writing that is not merely full of strong character growth and interesting plotting, but legitimately lovely prose as well. On a single page I found lines that end with glimpses of a “bruise-blue sea.” Or, when Lucretia thinks about befriending the prickly Murdock, she is thinking of, “How adding even a little yellow to the coldest gray could warm it toward something altogether new. But Murdock was a girl, not a painting. I would have to remember that.” I mark in my copy of this book the lines I like best. What’s remarkable about them is how seamlessly they’re integrated into the plot. Betsy Bird SLJ

And bottom line, this is a beautiful book set on a beautiful island off the coast of Maine. It will linger in your heart. Sonder Books

Wolk’s latest novel wonderfully portrays new relationships while tackling grief and self-discovery. The characters are well developed, and readers can see parts of themselves and those they know. The book also has several small mysteries that readers will be itching to solve. While a work of historical fiction, the story has the modern feel of a quiet life without current technology and trends. School Library Journal

Here is an interview with Lauren Wolk.

I spied this book some weeks ago and knowing how much I loved every previous book by Lauren Wolk, I added it to my 'to read' and 'to buy' list. Luckily for me this book has appeared in the library where I work as a volunteer, so I borrowed it and read it over one or two days. This is a longish book with 340 pages, but the print size makes it easy to read and of course Lauren Wolk creates a page turning story with characters you really care about. The library has a copy because this book was sold as a Scholastic Australia Book Club title (issue 5, 2025 AUS$12). We are having extreme rain conditions in my city and so today (after some very necessary chores) I snuggled down beside my heater and finished read Candle Island.

Publisher (Scholastic Australia) blurb: Lucretia and her mother have come to tiny Candle Island, Maine (Population: Summer, 986; Winter, 315) with a secret to keep ... and to escape—escape memories of the car accident that killed her father and escape the journalists that hound her mother, a famous and reclusive artist. The rocky coast and ocean breeze are a welcome respite for Lucretia, who dedicates her summer days to painting, exploring the island, and caring for an orphaned osprey chick. But Candle Island also has secrets—a hidden room in her new house, a mysterious boy with a beautiful voice—and just like the strong tides that surround the shores, they will catch Lucretia in their wake. With an unforgettable New England setting and a complex web of relationships old and new, this is a powerful story about art, loss and the power of being true to your own voice.

There is a huge error in my Scholastic Australia copy of this book. This book was originally published in hardcover by the Penguin Young Readers Group [9780593698549]. My copy in paperback is a new 'edition' BUT the imprint page does not acknowledge the original publisher or date of publication AND the author's name is spelt incorrectly as Wolke. This is funny but also disturbing. 

Other books I have loved by Lauren Wolk:

Wolf Hollow

My Own Lightning

Beyond the Bright Sea

Echo Mountain

The Wonder Horse by Mark Greenwood

Even if you have heard of Phar Lap, the famous race winning horse, you are sure to discover even more when you read this book. Readers who love history and mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this intriguing story and it is also one to share with horse lovers. I especially loved the descriptions when Phar Lap (also known as Bobby) was taken into a field to enjoy sweet grass and clover. I did find the descriptions of adding heavy weights to make racing harder for Phar Lap, who kept winning, very distressing. I guess I should disclose I am not a fan of horse racing but I was fascinated to read about this special horse/hero.

Discover the answers to these and many other questions in this book:

• Do you know how Phar Lap go this name?
• Where did Phar Lap run his final race?
• Did Phar Lap look like a champion when he was a young colt?
• Did this famous horse win every single race he ever entered?
• Is Phar Lap from Australia?
• What is the sweet treat his trainer always gave him?
• How many races did Phar Lap win?
• What happened on the day of the Melbourne Cup in 1930 before the race?
• Why did the owner and trainer need to protect Phar Lap?
• How do you feel about horse racing after reading this book? 

Here are some other books about Phar Lap that might be in your school library:

Last week I talked about another book from this splendid, thoroughly researched, series. These books are perfect for young curious readers in your library. They are easy to read with short chapters, big print, and page turning stories from history. Huge thanks to Freemantle Press for sending me copies of these two books from the History Hunter series. The Wonder Horse was published early in June 2025. Here are the teachers notes and these are well worth exploring because they contain extra web links and a vocabulary list. Read more details about The Wonder Horse in this blog post from The Bottom Shelf.

Who needs a time machine when you’ve got the History Hunter? He’s your fearless guide, taking you back through time to investigate mysteries that have puzzled the world for generations. From royal treasure rooms to racetracks, you’ll follow the clues, ask the tough questions and maybe even crack the case. These books are a history adventure double-pack that’s cooler than any video game! Better Reading

I previously talked about these horse racing picture books:

Subbie and his mate

Fabish the horse that braved a bushfire

The Epic Race

The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn

Sam lives on a farm. His father is a horse trainer. There has been a dreadful accident and Sam's brother has died aged only seventeen. The accident happened three years ago but Sam still has nightmares, and his mother and father's relationship has descended into fights, arguments and screaming matches. Sam tries to stay invisible. 

Julia lives next door. Her father has driven her mother away after one beating too many. He is a violent man who is fueled by alcohol. 

A foal becomes caught in the wire of a fence. Sam hardly knows Julia but together they rescue and care for the young foal and over the days and weeks their own gentle relationship begins. Sam tells Julia about his brother and also about his one friend - a boy from school who is actually not a friend - he is a dreadful bully but Sam clings to this dysfunctional relationship. But then comes the day Alex verbally attacks Julia and Sam fights back. As I reader I cheered when this toxic relationship ended. 

Julia also confides in Sam. She desperately misses her mother and is afraid of the violence from her father. Then Julia cannot take it anymore and she swallows some pills. The authorities swoop in and she moves away to live with relatives. Sam loves Julia and now she has left. 

This is important - do not let the cover trick you. Yes, this is a book about a horse and yes, it is a 'thin' book with only 117 pages BUT this book contains topics only suitable for readers aged 15+. Hopefully bookshops won't 'accidently' put this one on their junior shelves. Oh, and YES, the cover by Tannya Harricks is truly wonderful so do put this book into your high school library. Young Adult fans of verse novels and of books filled with raw emotions will devour this one.

Did you ever see the movie of Forest Gump - do you remember Jenny the young girl next door. Do you remember the dreadful violence she was subjected to by her father - that is a part of this story too. Look at the labels I have assigned to this post - violence, death, accidents ...

The Foal in the Wire is certain to be listed as a 2026 CBCA Notable. 

This is a short book, but it deals principally with big questions and sometimes intense, formative experiences. Verse novels are deceptive in what would appear to be limited space for establishing depth in a story and characters. As both a lover of poetry and young adult literature, I find verse to be the perfect form to capture a story, particularly in dealing with difficult and confronting subjects. When writing for a young adult audience, free verse perfectly conveys a character’s internal language without the addition of unnecessary explanation. Each word must be chosen carefully, and no language wasted. The impact of poetry can be remarkably strong and effective in conveying emotion, while also adhering to brevity and trusting the reader to visualise and fill in the empty space on the page.~ Robbie Coburn 

In this piece for Paperbark Words Robbie Coburn talks about his poetry and about writing this book. Megan Daley and Your Kids Next read talk about The Foal in the wire here (listen from 2.50). You can hear Megan reading the blurb. Megan likens the language choices and expressive writing in this book to Sonya Hartnett and John Marsden - that's a big call but I do agree. 

Read this interview with Just Kids Lit. See inside The Foal in the wire and read some endorsements on the publisher page. And here is an interview with Hachette. And book club notes and Scholastic notes. 

Verse novels grapple with topics like trauma and loss in different ways than prose. It’s a little more subdued and evocative, with serious undertones that show that everyone lives a different lives. They can bring emotions that teens may be feeling to light, and give them space to talk about them safely. It gives them a voice to explore these feelings; explore the things teens might experience that they don’t think they can talk about with anyone else. This makes them powerful vehicles for discussion as well. ... This is the power of verse novels – they play with emotions and pull at the heartstrings. They invest in characters emotionally. The brevity makes it work well – the details aren’t needed, because you can fill them in yourself. The Book Muse

Here is the poem that made me shudder:

my only friend at school, Alex,

always makes fun of our house

and the way it doesn't look like

other people's. ...

he makes fun of my clothes

and the food mum makes me

that I bring to school for lunch.

he tells me I should be embarrassed

that my parents are poot

and says we are bogans

for racing horses.

he says my brother

is lucky he died

so he doesn't

have to be embarrassed

by me and my family anymore.

Birdie by JP Rose

"Slowly she opened one eye. She peered in the flickering light and gasped. Then she rubbed her eyes as quickly as she could with her sleeve, in case she was seeing imaginary things. She blinked and blinked again, but this time there was no mistaking it. There, right in front of her was a pony. A pony, just standing there!"

Birdie is an orphan living in an orphanage. She was left on the doorstep of a church with a note containing her name - Birdie Bagshaw and a bunch of turnips. Unlike nearly every other orphanage story I have ever read Birdie is happy and she is given care and love and even good food keeping in mind that it is just after the war and so food is scarce.

Then a distant relative locates her, and she is sent away from the orphanage in Leeds to a small mining village to live with her great aunt and uncle - people she has never met.

Right from the beginning Birdie is taunted and treated cruelly for being different. You may have guessed why if you look closely at the cover of this book. She runs away from school on the first day and finds herself under the ground in a coal mine that is due to be closed down. That is where she finds the pony. Her uncle later explains:

"I wanted to explain to't lass how brave they are. They're unsung heroes. Folk forget that without them, coal industry would have come to a standstill. And them horse and ponies gave their all. Many a man I've known has been saved by a pony."

Birdie is so worried about the pony. 

"She'd wondered what he was doing: was he sleeping, eating? Was he just wandering around in the dark tunnels. Or worse still, was he lonely like she was? Was he dreaming of faraway fields, of the sweetness of cherry blossoms, of wildflowers up to his knees, moving in the wind. Because there'd be no sunshine for him, no crisp air. Down in the mine, down in the centre of the earth, there was no day or night, only an everlasting darkness."

I almost read this book in one sitting. It is a measure of how much the story absorbed me that I rushed home from a morning appointment in order to keep reading. There are some wonderful moments in the final pages of this book and the ending will melt your heart. This story is a personal one for the author who was also a 'child of colour' living in Manchester in the 1970s. Like Birdie she was put into foster care and like Birdie she lived in a small mining village. There are also back notes about pit ponies, the history of coal mining in the UK and the special children's homes that took in children like Birdie:

"During World War Two, there were around two thousand babies born to white British women and African American soldiers, who'd been stationed in the UK ... Many of them were rejected by their families and society, not only for having a child 'out of wedlock', but for having a relationship with a person of colour."

Birdie will tug at the heart strings Books for Keeps

A superb historical adventure with a delightful heroine. ... Despite it’s often bleak setting, reading Birdie is like being wrapped in a warm blanket – warm, cost and entirely satisfying. Love Reading for Kids

Bookseller blurb: When Birdie is sent to live with her great-aunt in 1950s Yorkshire, she befriends the village's last remaining pit pony. A story of hope and courage, exploring themes of family, racism and identity. Birdie Bagshaw has never known her parents. Having grown up in a children's home for mixed race children in 1950s Leeds, now she has come to live with her great-aunt in the Yorkshire Dales. From her arrival, Birdie is treated like an outsider by the local children. When their bullying drives Birdie to hide in the nearby coal mine, she finds an unexpected rescuer in the form of Mr Duke, the last remaining pit pony in the village. As the weeks pass, Birdie forms a special bond with the spirited little pony. But his future is in danger, and Birdie comes up with a daring plan to save his life in return.

This BookTrust review has more plot details.

J.P. Rose was born in Manchester but was raised in Yorkshire after her adoption. Growing up she suffered extreme racism, though she continued to be proud of her diverse and rich Jamaican, Nigerian and Anglo-Irish heritage. She trained as an actress but eventually moved into writing, and she is now the author of numerous novels for adults. 

A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey

The horse is named Now and she is very wise. When the farm animals rush up to her full of worries she gently questions their fears. The Rabbits are sure a Fox chasing them but Now suggests they stop and look around. Can they see the Fox? No. Perhaps they should just enjoy some dandelions. Hen is sure the Magpie is after her chicks. But Now suggests she should look up. Can Hen see a swooping bird. No. 

"At this moment all is well. Why don't you search for some juicy grubs?

The Sheep is also very afraid but Now reassures her she is quite safe. Then a thunderstorm arrives - nothing to worry about - Now leads them all safely into the barn. Oh no - there are animals in the barn - are they scary? No. It's an old Fox, Magpie and a small puppy. 

"Now told the others. 'There's nothing to fear. Fox is looking somewhere warm to rest, Magpie only wants to collect shiny things and the Farmer's new dog is just a puppy, scared of the storm."

Anxiety is often about the 'what if' scenario. The animals express this as 'might'.

"... it might be his scarlet coat .... it might be his huge tail that trails fire ... he might sneak up ..."

"Magpie might have a beak as sharp as a famer's knife ... she might have wings that wrap and trap us"

This book could be quite didactic, but it is not. You could use this book to talk to young children about fear, anxiety, perception of danger, and point of view. I recommend you add this book to your school library. Nosy Crow consistently produce terrific books. 

The illustrations are also beautiful. A Horse Called Now was published in 2024 and it is available in paperback for a very good price.

Most mindfulness primers are a list of directives; this tale has the slow-moving grace of a fable. Kirkus

Doyle’s prose is beautiful and descriptive, introducing young readers to a lovely and sophisticated use of language through onomatopoeia, similes, and a rich vocabulary. Finkeldey’s expansive illustrations lend a vintage charm ...  School Library Journal

A Horse Called Now beautifully encapsulates the journey of overcoming worries and embracing the present moment. ‘When I’m afraid, I breathe in and out and let the feelings come . . . and then go. Nothing lasts forever.’ In today’s world, mental health awareness is paramount, especially for young children. The story instils the notion that it’s perfectly alright not to feel okay at times, and that seeking help is a commendable action. Through its narrative, A Horse Called Now emphasises the significance of friendship and support networks. Just Imagine

Here are two other books by Ruth Doyle:

Dreams for our Daughters

Alexandra Finkeldey is a freelance artist based in Kingston, Canada. Her book titles include:  On a Mushroom Day by Chris Baker (Tundra Books, 2024), Saving the Spotted Owl by Nicola Jones (Kids Can Press, 2023), The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale by Heather Smith (Orca Books, 2023), When the Storks Came Home by Isabella Tree (Ivy Kids, 2022) True Stories of Animal Heroes: Talala by Vita Murrow (Frances Lincoln, 2021). 

Sisters of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange

When you begin this book you need to carefully read the Curse:

Be sure the first girl marries well,

The second in the home to dwell.

A third maid can do little harm

If set to work upon the farm.

Four and five must both be wed

Or six will bury you stone dead.

There are six girls in this family. Their mother has died after giving birth to the last three girls - triplets. Father or Dadder is very superstitious. The family live with their beautiful wise grandmother in her home and they work hard to maintain her farm. Their father is more interested in appearances and expects all the girls to obey him and do their chores without question.

Looking at the first line of the curse, Dadda has betrothed Grace to a local much older landowner - Silas Kirby. Just as an aside I seem to have read other books where the bad or evil man was named Silas. Grace has no interest in marrying this man but her father has already taken delivery of a handsome horse and so the deal is now unbreakable.

Then the fayre arrives:

"No one knows when the Full Moon Fayre will come. It might as well be called the Blue Moon Fayre, Grammy says. Sometimes it comes twice a season, and then not for years and years."

I imagine you are beginning to put his puzzle together. And now I can add books are forbidden in this community but Grammy has some and the girls can read and they have listed to all manner of folk and fairy tales including the story of the Marsh King. Maps are also banned.

Back to the curse. The second sister is Freya. She is destined to stay home and look after Dadda but she is secretly in love with the boy who will be her partner at the Springtide Fires. But it is the third sister who drives this story. Willa is the wild child. She is sure her Dadda hates her but she has no idea why. Then Grace disappears after going to the Full Moon Fayre and Willa decides it is up to her to follow the route taken by the fayre so she can find and save her sister. Willa has a map, a compass, the horse that Silas gifted named Flint and her head is full of stories and warnings about the possible dangers of this journey.

The writing is impressively beautiful and sophisticated without sacrificing the reader-friendly clarity of the straightforward narrator. Willa’s innate goodness and iron will carry her through adventures and physical trials, pitting her against superstitions and fairy tales alike. ... So engrossing a tale and world that readers won’t want to come up for air. Kirkus Star review

Strange is a gifted storyteller who masterfully balances good and evil, dreariness and hope. She incorporates a few perfectly timed doses of horror that will entertain middle grade readers without overwhelming them. Book Page

It’s a rare thing, when a book hooks your interest wholly and completely from the very first page, but Sisters of the Lost Marsh really achieved that. I absolutely didn’t want to put it down until I’d devoured every last word. It was atmospheric, slightly spooky at times, with a gentle hint of magic running throughout every page. I adored it with every fibre of my being and didn’t want it to end. That Book Girl

I read Sisters of the Lost Marsh in one sitting. The story just races along and the marsh and the dangerous mire feel so real - the setting of this book feels like another character. 

Lucy Strange has written a beautiful, haunting novel, an eerie and luminous mix of gothic mystery, folklore and fairy tale inspired by the landscape of Romney Marsh. This isolated setting of mist, salt marsh, ditches and lost villages is brilliantly and atmospherically evoked. Books for Keeps

I think this book will greatly appeal to keen readers aged 10+. It might also lead to an interest in finding other books about witch trials and curses such as these:

The 13th Floor

The Beatryce Prophecy

Wilder

The Witch's Boy

Fire Girl

What drew me to this book? I knew the author's name - I have read a few of her previous books (see below) but more importantly I really like the cover. Oh, and Sisters of the Lost Marsh is published by Chicken House and they consistently produce fantastic books. Read an extract of Sisters of the Lost Marsh. 

Once you have read one book by UK author Lucy Strange you are sure to want to find more. 

Our Castle by the Sea

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

The Ghost of Gosswater

Clever Katya retold by Mary Hoffman illustrated by Marie Cameron

This tale begins with two brothers. Dimitri is rich while Ivan is poor. Each has a horse. One is a stallion and one is a mare. They graze in the same field and of course in time a new foal is born. This birth is the essence of their dispute. Who owns the foal? The brothers decide to ask the Tsar. 

"The Tsar knew perfectly well that Dimitri had no claim on the foal but he decided to have a bit of fun at the brothers' expense while indulging his fondness for riddles at the same time."

He sets four riddles:

What is the fastest thing in the world; what is the fattest; what is the softest; and what is the most precious. He tells the brothers they have one week to present their answer. 

Dimitri asks his neighbour and her answers are fastest - her husband's horse, fattest is their pig, softest is the quilt she has just made and the most precious is her baby grandson.

Ivan asks his seven-year-old daughter Katya - fastest is the wind, fattest is the earth that gives us food, softest is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty.

The Tsar appreciates the wise answers from Katya but he also knows he has not been especially honest himself. He sets another challenge. He wants to meet this young girl but she cannot come on horseback or on foot, she must not be dressed or naked and she cannot bring a present but she must not be empty handed. Katya solves in this in a very ingenious way using a hare, a fishing net and a partridge. And yes there is that all important 'and they all lived happily ever after' ending. 

The subtitle of this book is "A Fairy Tale of Old Russia". The original title was The Wise Little Girl. This is one of those delicious stories which you might have encountered before where a powerful ruler sets a series of riddles and a very clever young child is able to solve each one and save a life. These stories are always so satisfying. You might find a couple of old junior novels in your local or school library called Smart Girls and Smart Girls forever by Robert Leeson. 

The first thing you will notice when you open up this book is the way every page is framed with a rich pattern rather like a magic carpet. You might also notice each page begins with an illuminated letter which echoes the framing. Sadly, this beautiful book is now very old (1998) and so it is out of print. I picked it up in a library partly because I saw the author name and partly because the cover looked very inviting. 

You do need to know I am a huge fan of Mary Hoffman. I read her book The Colour of Home to groups of Grade Six students in my school library for decades and every time I was moved to tears and the students were silent as the story unfolded.

The Colour of Home

Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz illustrated by Hudson Talbot

Image source: 14 animal sculptures from around the world

If you are reading this post in September I have just spent a few weeks in Italy - especially in Florence, Milan and Trieste and this story has been on my mind.

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything asked me to read Leonardo's Horse because it was a book she put out on a library display in June. Sadly none of the children had borrowed it. She purchased this book in 2009 (it was published in 2001) and I can see from the date due slip it has only been borrowed three times. This is a missed opportunity for her students and their parents. This is a fascinating book and the design is surely very appealing with the book shaped like the dome that was built by Charles Dent. More about that in a moment.  Leonardo's enormous horse sculpture was not completed back in 1493. He did make a huge clay model, but in 1499 the French army arrived in Milan and they shot arrows at the statue and then it rained and this amazing twenty-four-foot model was destroyed. 

In 1977 Charles Dent read about Leonardo's horse. Like Leonardo, Charlie was a dreamer. He decided to build the horse as gift from America. In 1988 he began, firstly with an eight-foot model, then he built a dome to hold the sculpture and by 1994 they were ready cast the twenty-four foot model but very sadly Charles Dent died at the end of that year. In 1995, just as the horse was about to go to the foundry someone decided something was wrong with the proportions. 

"He looked awkward. Out of proportion. One of his rear legs appeared to be short. His eyes were not exactly parallel."

So now another artist from New York City took over the project. Nina Akamu began the whole process all over again. She studied real horses and made another clay model. Then an eight-foot horse from plaster and then a twenty-four-foot horse from clay and finally this was cast in bronze. To transport the horse to Milan it was cut into separate pieces. On 10th September 1999 the statue was unveiled in Milan. 

This book is about history, perseverance, sculptures, art, horses and dreamers. Here is the Kirkus star review of Leonardo's Horse. You can see inside this book here. And here is a CBC review.

I recently attend a terrific lecture about the Fabulous Florentines - Leonardo da Vinci; Michaelangelo; Machiavelli; Dante; Donatello; Botticelli; and other names that were unfamiliar to me such as Francesco Petrarch; Lorenzo de Medici; and Artemisia Gentileschi.  I remember watching a fascinating BBC television program called 'A Skirt through History' and one episode featured Artemisia. Here is a video for adults as background information. Exploring these famous names could be a fabulous topic to explore with an extension class in Grade 6 or a High School art class. 

Books for children about Leonardo da Vinci: