How Winston delivered Christmas by Alex T Smith

Day 12
"Eventually Oliver found what he was looking for - an envelope. It wasn't too badly crumpled and he'd written the address on the front in his very best handwriting. He'd left it a bit late to send but he crossed his fingers and hoped it would get where it needed to go in time."

To Father Christmas

Mince Pie House

Just Past that Snowdrift

The North Pole

URGENT!

Oliver is distracted as he puts his Christmas letter in the tall red pillar box on a busy street in London. He has to rush to catch up with his mother and he doesn't see it tumble into the snow. Luckily for Oliver, his letter is found by Winston. Luckily for Oliver, Winston recognises this letter is important. Luckily for Oliver, Winston is a very determined mouse and he now has a mission. And what a mission it is. How will Winston find Father Christmas? It is so cold. It is snowing. The city streets are filled with busy shoppers and it is Christmas eve so he really only has one night to complete this task.

I have saved this new book (published in 2018) for my Christmas Day post because it is an Advent story in twenty-four-and-a-half chapters.  I have been reading one chapter each day this month so I only finished it today! Christmas Day is the day you read the last 1/2 chapter.  The chapters are all very short and each ends with a cliff hanger. I found myself wanting to read on several times. It actually took a lot of restraint not to 'cheat' because I was so anxious to make sure Winston was safe and that he still had a firm hold on that important letter. This would be a great book to own in a family so if you see it after Christmas (perhaps on sale) pick up a copy ready for December 2019!

You can see inside the book here.  The other bonus with this book are all the activities Alex T Smith has included. There are ideas for card making, cooking, puppets, decorations, a list of ideas for random acts of kindness and simple gifts to make. The whole book has a retro feel which seems perfect for a book that is sure to become a family favourite over many generations. The other delightful detail to notice are the stamps at the beginning of each chapter.

Take look here to see behind the scenes by Alex T Smith.

"It could be fun to read the story with a grown-up or even your whole family - get cosy and read your chapter together. Maybe have a biscuit at the same time. Books and biscuits go so nicely together, I think." Alex T Smith.


Alex has captured all the sights and smells of Christmas with the most delicious descriptions and sumptuous illustrations, the story is a feast for all senses.  Story Snug

Ten-Word Tiny Tales by Joseph Coelho

Notice the subtitle: ‘To Inspire and Unsettle.’

Colby Sharp mentioned this book as one he read to his fifth-grade class in April. I was immediately intrigued and then I went down a huge rabbit hole where I discovered more and more about this book which I think would be a wonderful stimulus for class writing. Part of my rabbit hole came from investigating the 21 artists who have illustrated this book. I looked for familiar and unfamiliar names and was not at all surprised to see our own Shaun Tan as one contributor.

Bookseller blurb: Is it possible to spin a tale using just ten words? It most certainly is! In this unique and magnificent compendium designed to spark the imagination, Joseph Coelho brings us stories of underwater worlds, demon hamsters, bears in outer space, and portals to places unknown ... all in just ten words! Each tale has been paired with one of the finest illustrators working today – and, together, the words and pictures will create a space for creativity as young readers imagine how the story might unravel. They might even be inspired to pen a ten-word tiny tale of their own!

Here is a list of the illustrators (my links take your to their webpages): Alex T. Smith, Camilla Sucre, Chuck Groenink, Daishu Ma, Dapo Adeola, Dena Seiferling, Flavia Z. Drago, Freya Hartas, Helen Stephens, Julia Sarda, Katie May Green, Karl James Mountford, Maja Kastelic, Mariachiara Di Giorgio, Nahid Kazemi, Raissa Figueroa, Reggie Brown, Shaun Tan, Thea Lu, Yas Imamura and Yoko Tanaka.

On this blog I have talked about books illustrated by Alex T Smith; Dena Seiferling; Karl James Mountford; Maja Kastelic; Mariachiara Di Giorgio; Nahid Kazemi; Shaun Tan; Yas Imamura; Yoko Tanaka; and Julia Sarda - just pop their name into my search bar. I want to especially mention Yoko Tanaka who illustrated Sparrow Girl - a favourite book of mine and also her wordless book Dandelion's Dream. You could also explore some of these illustrators on the Let's Talk Picture books web page. I would LOVE to see Here and There by Thea Lu - it looks amazing but of course it is way too expensive here in Australia. 

My question (after watching these fifteen minute videos) is how Joseph Coelho assigned the stories. Did the illustrators pick the one they wanted to work with or did Joseph just send each illustrator one random ten-word tale. If that is the case, then somehow Shaun Tan ended up with the perfect text. 

"Every year they honoured their son by decorating his skull"

What comes into your mind with this ten-word tale: "My splintered oars are lost as my boat speeds onwards." Now click here to see the illustration by Alex T Smith. 

Here are some other ten-word tales:

• We watched the teacher lead the children through the portal.
• "Invite me in," she says outside my tenth storey window."
• The fisherman's catch is full of astronaut suits and skeletons.
• The diver swims into the carnival: radio contact is lost.
• The second giant’ who ‘cam crashing out of the white cliffs.
• They say they can’t see me, and now they’re fading

" ... this is a book for older children to pore over and let their imaginations flower. With twenty-one different illustrators representing many styles, media, and settings, each of the spreads stands apart so viewers can concentrate on a single page or read the book through for a disquieting experience." The Horn Book quoted by the publisher.

I don't usually talk about books I have not actually opened, touched, experienced - but this one just seems SO good and I have seen many of the pages and watched several of the videos between Joseph Coelho and his illustrators that I feel I can share this book here. I have popped it onto my own enormous shopping list but I might wait for the price to be reduced a little. 

Invoking multiple dimensions in his notes to readers and the tales themselves, Coelho invites illustrators to consider interplanetary space, undersea caverns, and realms between. The interplay of words and resulting double-page spreads—at turns, inexplicable, sweet, or sinister—evokes the work of Edward Gorey and Chris Van Allsburg. Kirkus

In the classroom, this would be an amazing tool to help pupils unlock their creative writing skills. The blank page is often the enemy of the writer however given a ten word tale and the amazing illustration which accompanies it, a young writer would be able to add their imagination by expanding the story. They would be thinking about the character development, what happened before, after, scene description and so much more. Reading Zone

Writing ideas page from Ten-word Tiny Tales

You will want to pair this with the wonderful predecessor by Chris van Allsburg. I once owned this book in the form of a set of charts - I gave them to a teacher - I hope she has made good use of them:

The tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond illustrated by Alex T Smith

Bert Brown has been driving this same bus route for ten years and for the previous ten years he drove another bus route.  By now he is tired of the stopping, the passengers, the naughty children "traffic lights, traffic jams, hold-ups, roadworks, glaring sun, fog and puddles, ice and bloomin' snow."

Yes it is time for a change - but perhaps all Bert needs is a change of focus - something special in his life - and this arrives in the form of a tiny angel he finds in his pocket.  He takes the little angel home and his wife, who is a very happy school lunch lady, adores him.  They name him Angelino and take delight in every tiny thing the boy does even his little farts (there are hundreds in this story).  Betty takes him along to her school and it is there he finds his voice.  Angelino sits through a very serious and, for a reader, a very funny English lesson with Professor Smellie.  When Angelino declares "I don't know nowt."  The professor explodes!

Meanwhile there are some baddies (of course) and they are plotting to kidnap Angelino and sell him to the highest bidder.  One of the 'criminals' is a master of disguise or so he thinks but he is also a former school student and Betty recognises him as Kevin Hawkins. His cover is blown. From this point on things become quite crazy with chases and more bullies and heroic children and even though little (he is growing actually) Angelino is kidnapped it all works out in the end with large helpings of happiness for everyone.

I don't think it is a coincidence that Bert reads or tells the story of Pinocchio to little Angelino when Angelino first sleeps in Paul's bed.  Paul was the son of Bert and Betty "He came a long time ago but he couldn't stay. He got very ill and very tired. He had to go back to heaven."  Bert and Betty have lost Paul but they have found Angelino.

When you pick up this book don't rush to open it.  Take time to stretch out the whole cover and then peek under the dust jacket and then puzzle over the end papers (no I don't know what these little illustrations represent.)  I think this book would be a winner as a class read-aloud with a middle Primary group.  It would be fun to talk about all the names invented by David Almond - Cornelius Nutt the Government Advisor and Narcissus Spleen the Secretary of State for Education.  You might also try some art activities such as those done by the children in the wonderful Mrs Monteverdi's class using Angelino as a model.

Australian children reading this book may be curious about the sweets that Angelino enjoys called Midget Gems.

I would follow this book with Conrad the story of a factory-made boy (an old favourite of mine), Noah Barleywater runs away, Skellig - also by David Almond and Eep!

Just for fun take a look at this web site where you can see Alex T Smith and David Almond enjoying some chocolate cake with custard - yes this treat is mentioned several times in this story.

This story is about goodness and kindness versus badness and unkindness; of opportunity reborn; the reinvention of the self and second chances. It is a story of love and hope rekindled. Kids Book Review

David Almond inspires readers’ imagination and raises questions about definitions of good and bad. It is a Wonderful book. Love Reading4Kids

Mr. Penguin and the lost Treasure by Alex T Smith

Full of fish-finger sandwiches, secret jungles, nefarious plots and cryptic codes, it’s addictive slapstick, with Smith’s appealingly arch black, white and orange illustrations. The Guardian

This is quite a new book - the paperback edition was published this year.  I have loved Alex T Smith ever since he introduced me to Claude. The Mr Penguin series are a little longer but once again we have a special sidekick to assist our hero.

Mr Penguin is down on his luck and down to his last fish finger sandwich. He places an advertisement in the newspaper offering his services as an adventurer and solver of mysteries.

Mr Penguin gets into work on time at 9am thinking "that today his telephone would be ringing its head off from the moment he flipped the CLOSED sign on his office door over to OPEN ... but this hadn't been the case at all. His telephone had sat tight-lipped and silent."

When the phone finally does ring it sounds like the perfect adventure for Mr Penguin and his side-kick Colin.  I just need to talk a little about the wonderful Colin. He is a spider. He uses a notebook to communicate IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Colin is a loyal friend to Mr Penguin and has a most useful skill of kung fu. Mr Penguin has another special friend - Edith Hedge "who lived in the park and fed the birds. (she was) wearing fifteen different anoraks, one of top of the other, belted at the waist with a large bum bag. Sitting on top of her head was a pigeon. He was called Gordon."

Boudicca Bones, director of the Museum of Extraordinary Objects. The museum is in desperate need of funds for urgent repairs and there is a possibility that the original founder of the museum Sir Randolph Bones may have hidden some treasure somewhere in this vast museum. Mr Penguin and Colin arrive at the museum and Miss Bones and her gigantic brother Montague outline the problem, share the clues they have found so far and even produce a useful map - X marks the spot!

Of course things are not quite straightforward. As a reader you may be suspicious of this Miss Bones and her odd brother but Mr Penguin is determined to solve this case so he can boost his finances and get home to eat his packed lunch of a precious fish finger sandwich.

This romp has twenty three very short chapters presented over 203 pages of large print often on coloured paper. This story just zooms along. I read over 100 pages with out pausing. This book is perfect for newly independent readers. As a guide if your child has enjoyed The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey this series featuring Mr Penguin would be the perfect next book.

You could also look for some other slap-stick style detective stories
High Rise Private Eye
Detective Donut and the Wild Goose Chase by Bruce Whatley (sadly out of print but hopefully in your local library)
Detective Gordon series
Timmy Failure series
Pip Street series

Good news there is a sequel to Mr Penguin and the lost treasure which will be published later this year.

What's on my reading pile?

My reading pile has grown so tall recently. I am feeling a little overwhelmed. At least I will have plenty of good reading over the festive season.

Books from Beachside Bookshop - many of these are advanced reader copies so I can't say too much about them yet. Here are three which are on top of my pile. (There are six more titles!)

Bren MacDibble The Dog Runner
You will remember I loved How to Bee. I even moved the copies in bookshops so that people would buy it.  I have read 70 pages of this new title, which is due for publication in February 2019, and I am loving it. I am a huge fan of dystopian fiction. The plot reminds me of an old book from UK called Chance of Safety but The Dog Runner has an Australian setting and the world catastrophe relates to food not oil.

Karyn Parsons How High the Moon
This one is due for publication in March 2018. The notes on the back cover link this story with Wolf Hollow and To Kill and Mockingbird so this is sure to be a powerful story.

Meg McKinlay Catch a Falling Star
Take a look here to read the inspiration behind this story about the Skylab space station.

My recent book purchases:

Sharon Creech Saving Winslow
When I saw this video with Colby Sharp I knew I wanted to read this book and the bonus is author Sharon Creech.  Colby talked about the urgency of getting books into the hands of kids. Someone in the audience decided to buy this one book for every child in fifth grade. That's eighty copies. I can hardly wait to read Saving Winslow.

Anna Sewell Black Beauty
Yes I know this is old. Yes I know this is a classic. And YES you probably expect I have read this famous book. BUT no I haven't.  I was the kid in Primary school who read all the dog books not the horse books. I help with a volunteer reading program in a local school and last week they found a pack with 20 abridged classics each with a CD.  I offered to read a selection and listen to the audio. Sadly they are awful but listening to Black Beauty has made me curious to read the original.

Alex T Smith How Winston delivered Christmas
This book is my Christmas gift to myself. The idea is to read one story each day through December. There are twenty-four-and-a-half chapters interspersed with craft and other activities. I am only up to December 4th the date of this post but so far this is an enchanting book with delightful illustrations by Alex T Smith (think of Claude and Mr Penguin).

The Great War: stories inspired by objects from the First World War illustrated by Jim Kay
I talked about this book recently in my post about the wonderful title Captain Rosalie. There are eleven short stories in this book so I am taking my time and reading one each day. So far every story has been splendid. This would be a fabulous book to share with a Senior Primary or Junior High class. It includes one story by Australia author Ursula Dubosarsky.

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T Smith

This is Little Red
Today she is going to be gobbled up by a lion.

This Lion.
Well that's what he thinks is going to happen ...

Every element of this picture book is perfect. Children will love the gold details on the cover, the end papers do literally book end the story beginning early in the morning and ending in the evening and of course there is the familiar story of Little Red Riding Hood with a brilliant twist.

Auntie Rose has spots!  Little Red packs a basket and sets off past the crocodiles, giraffes, monkeys, termites, gazelles, elephants, hippos and meerkats. She sits under a tree for a brief rest before continuing her journey and this is where she meets the lion.  "In the time it took for his tummy to rumble, the Very Hungry Lion cooked up a very naughty plan."

You might think you know the rest but you will be in for a surprise involving hairstyles, teeth, nighties and doughnuts.

Take a look at my review of the first Claude book by the talented Alex T Smith.

Great storytelling braided with lively color and a culturally affirming accent makes this book a real standout. 

Foxy and Egg by Alex T Smith

Have you discovered Alex T Smith?  His books are fabulous!  You may already know how much I love the Claude series and I recently talked about Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion.  Now we have Foxy and Egg.  Adults may predict the ending but I guarantee little children will not - they will squeal with delight when Egg finally hatches - as all eggs must.

Begin with the first page.  We see a group of show girl hens with their tiny chicks and one little egg with slight cracks but not yet hatched. As the story opens  Egg rolls up to the home of Foxy DuBois - he "was utterly charming and always kind to strangers".  He invites her in for a BITE to eat. His home is filled with paintings of chickens and eggs.  The pair sit down to a feast of cakes, sandwiches and donuts.  "Egg wobbled with excitement."

Foxy suggests they play some games such as an egg and spoon race. "At the end of the night, Egg was in a complete spin!".  She settles down for the night in a cosy bed. Foxy's dreams are filled with egg recipes of every description but when he checks on Egg in the morning he is in for a HUGE surprise.

Foxy, himself, first appeared in a set of easy chapter books which we do have in our library.

We actually have so many books in our school library about foxes (and chickens).  You could easily spend a whole term reading them.  It would be fun to make a list of all the cunning ways foxes try to lure little chickens and all the ingenious ways chickens are able to avoid this fate. You could start with this collection from my friend at Kinderbooks.

Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway

I adore books where a mess is cleaned up. Where order is restored out of chaos. Where everyone works together to transform a house, garden or in this case a hotel.

Anna has inherited The Flamingo Hotel. Sadly its glory days are long past. A new, more glamorous, hotel has opened on Animal Boulevard. Hotel Flamingo has no guests and all the staff have left. When Anna arrives there are only two employees left - a bear called T. Bear who works as the doorman and a ring-tailed lemur called Lemmy who works on the reception desk.

There is dust and dirt everywhere. The pool is broken, the sign outside has fallen down and the manager's office is filled with so much paper Anna can't even find a desk or a seat.  Every floor is wrecked.

"The tour started on the ground floor in the lobby. There was a restaurant which was filled with old crooked tables but no chairs. Next up was the Piano Lounge, with a carpet so dizzily patterned that it made Anna's head hurt. The piano was missing three keys and was out of tune, but at least there was a piano, thought Anna."

Anna puts out an advertisement for new staff.  She takes on:

• Stella Giraffe an expert handy woman
• Madame Le Pig a world-famous chef
• Eva Koala waitress
• Squeak a old mouse who works as the bellboy
• Hilary Hippo the cleaner - she is allergic to dust and fanatical about cleaning

This new crew transform the hotel but of course a disaster might be just around the corner especially when the health inspector arrives and when you have asked a group of flamingo's to perform in the piano lounge.

Guests begin to arrive including a group of cockroaches. Just like Mona from the Heartwood Hotel, Anna welcomes all guests. Later when pool water pipes are blocked Mr Roachford and his group come to the rescue as only cockroaches can. I love the fact that the cockroaches are heroes.

Hotel Flamingo will be be available from 7th February.

I can see this book will be the beginning of a series. The  cute map at the front of the book shows Fort Rhino, Zoozoo Theme Park, Lizard Beach and LeChat Shopping Mall. Perhaps each of these will be the setting for future installments. I highly recommend Hotel Flamingo as a terrific addition for all school library collections and as a gift for a newly independent reader. For me it is a ten out of ten book!

The obvious pairing for this book is the Heartwood Hotel series by Kallie George. If the size and format of this book appeals you could also look at the Claude series by Alex T Smith, Violet and the Pearl of the Orient by Harriet Whitehorn and Mango and Bambang by Polly Faber.  Alex Milway has made a trailer celebrating the cockroaches with a fabulous song you could teach your class. Here is another trailer without the song.


It’s full of joie de vivre, and I loved its story line of a little girl who creates jobs, works hard alongside her staff, welcomes the downtrodden, and triumphs in the face of adversity. Lil Blue Bottle

Claude on the slopes by Alex T Smith

What a joy to read another little book about Claude.  In this installment Claude on the slopes, Claude and his faithful sidekick Sir Bobblysock are enjoying a day at the snow.

Every page in these joyous books makes me smile.  Claude begins his day feeling loud.  The previous day had been spent in a library where he had problems using his indoor voice.  He speaks so loudly the next morning  "that he blew the froth off the top of Sir Bobblysock's frothy coffee from the other side of the kitchen."  Claude goes outside and discovers the snow.

"Claude didn't know what they were doing, but he knew it was something exciting because his bottom had started to wag his tail like crazy and his eyebrows were jiggling about uncontrollably."

Claude is new to this past time but he observes others and decides this looks like fun.  Luckily Claude has his beret. When he needs a tea tray for sledging he simply whips it out and he is ready to go. Sir Bobblysock is not too keen on skiing or sledging so he sits down at the bottom of the mountain.  Everything is going well until Claude accidentally causes an enormous avalanche.

We have all the Claude books in our school library.  I recommend you find one today.  If you need to know more here is a detailed review.

Something I Said by Ben Bailey Smith

"Look at any price, Something I said is a bargain, because for the same price you don't just get funny, you also get a nice double scoop of heart and high drama." Ben Bailey Smith

Carmichael Taylor is not quite a nerd and not quite the cool kid. He has a good group of friends. He comes from a fairly regular family. His days are filled with friends and school. School is okay mostly except for Geography and PE. Carmichael (or Car as he likes to be called) wishes school consisted of only one subject - English. He loves the power of words. He is talked into taking part in the school talent quest performing 'Spoken Word'. This starts out as a project devised by his English teacher and his overbearing mother, then it morphs into a punishment for leaving school without permission. But when Car finally stands on the stage his 'Spoken Word' piece turns into something way bigger than any one anticipated. Some one (his friend Alex) has filmed his standup. The standup routine was basically an attack on his family and teachers and now it is on the internet. Will Car become famous or will this backfire? Is it a good thing that the US producer of a talk show called The Missy Show has seen his performance and now wants him to travel to New York to perform on the show? 

Publisher Blurb: For thirteen-year-old Carmichael Taylor, life is one big joke - in a good way. He just can't understand why no one else seems to find everything as funny as he does. When Car is filmed stumbling into performing a piece of hilarious stand-up at the school talent show - targeting his family, school and friends - the footage ends up creating international infamy. But with the promise of fame and fortune comes trouble, and it's up to Car to decide what or who he's willing to risk to chase his comedy dream. Get ready to laugh at life with this heart-warming, unashamedly honest and hilarious look at family, friendship and what really matters.

When I added this book to my to read pile of Advanced Reader copies (thanks Beachside Bookshop)  I will confess I put Something I Said right at the bottom of my pile. Why?

• It's a long book 370 pages, and the print is fairly small
• The author is a celebrity - often books by celebrities lack quality (sorry Ben) See below for more commentary about this topic
• I recognised the author from his bio photo - he was a very nasty character in a television series (The Split). I find it hard to separate the tv character from the author. I am not familiar with his work as a rapper (Doc Brown) or his work in Children's television on the Four O'Clock Show.
• This is a book about comedians and comedy standup - not things that I'm keen on
• The main character, Carmichael is thirteen - is this a Young Adult book?

Having said made all of these points I have amazed myself. I read this whole book in just two days. I didn't laugh at the jokes but I enjoyed the poignancy of self discovery which is a major theme in the story. Perhaps this is because I do not have siblings, but I really do not like unkindness especially unkindness in a family expressed through sarcasm and smart remarks. Yes there are 'put downs' in this book but they were not overdone for 'cheap laughs'. I enjoyed watching Carmichael eventually realise his family should come first. His words are powerful - they can hurt (that's easy) but they can also heal. My only small criticism of this book is the way Ben Bailey Smith portrayed Carmichael's father Stuart. I really wanted him to discover his voice too. 

I think this book will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. The tone reminded me of The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander. 

Celebrities writing books for kids:

The Guardian "Famous first words: how celebrities made their way on to children's bookshelves"

Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature

The Branford Boase Award 2019-2022

 

The Branford Boase Award was set up in the memory of award-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase. It rewards the most promising new authors and their editors, highlighting excellence in writing and publishing for children.

Years ago I read several books by Henrietta Branford and these are stories that have lingered with me.  Chance of Safety; Fire, Bed and Bone; and White Wolf.

Here are some previous winners and short listed books I have read and loved:

2005 Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

2005 Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

2007 You're a bad man Mr Gum

2008 Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

2012 Sky Hawke by Gill Lewis (alternate title Wild Wings)

2012 Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans

2013 A boy and a bear in a boat by Dave Shelton WINNER

2017 Beetle Boy by MG Leonard WINNER

2017 The girl of ink and stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

2017 Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

2019 The Goose Road by Rowena House

2019 The train to Impossible places by P.G. Bell

2019 The boy at the back of the class by Onjali Q Raúf

2021 Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray WINNER

2022 Danny Chung does not do maths by Maisie Chan WINNER

2022 Grimwood by Nadia Shiree

Looking at the 2023 Longlist (21 books) here are the titles for Middle Grade readers:

Running Out of Time by Simon Fox, edited by Tom Bonnick (Nosy Crow)

The Spectaculars by Jodie Garnish, edited by Becky Walker and Alice Moloney (Usborne)

The Miraculous Sweetmakers by Natasha Hastings, edited by Michelle Misra (HarperCollins Children’s Books), illustrated by Alex T. Smith

The Whisperling by Hayley Hoskins, edited by Katie Sinfield (Puffin)

Wishes Come in Threes by Andy Jones, edited by Non Pratt (Walker Books)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks by Emily Kenny, edited by Katie Jennings (Rock the Boat)

Seed by Caryl Lewis, edited by Sarah Hughes (Macmillan Children’s Books), illustrated by George Ermos

Mia and the Lightcasters by Janelle McCurdy, edited by Leah Thaxton (Faber)

Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna, edited by Felicity Alexander (Welbeck Flame)

The Bird Singers by Eve Wersocki Morris, edited by Jenna Mackintosh (Hodder Children’s Books)

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman, edited by Ali Dougal (Simon and Schuster)

The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend, edited by Rachel Leyshon (Chicken House)

The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries by J.T. Williams, edited by Liz Bankes and Aleena Hasan (Farshore)

Claude on holiday by Alex T Smith

We have a little boy called Claude, with a lovely smile, in Kindergarten this year so when I saw Claude on Holiday I knew firstly that I wanted to read this book and secondly that it would be fun to put this into Claude's hands and see his reaction.

Claude is a crazy, but well organised dog who longs for a holiday. His owners Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes leave for work every day on the dot of 8am. While they are gone Claude and his best friend Sir Bobblysock embark on wild adventures.

On the day of this story Claude packs his suitcase with underpants, a tambourine, suncream, squirty cream in a can, a lampshade, sticky tape and slightly squashed sandwiches. He is heading to the beach for a holiday.

Every one of the things in his suitcase will be put to good use at the beach even the squirty cream!

This book is a winner. It has joyous illustrations, crazy characters and is certain to put a smile on your face. Claude even has his own blog. There are two books about this quirky little dog and his special side kick Sir Bobblysock with one more to come next year. Claude in the city is the first in the series and Claude at the circus will hit our shelves soon.

Claude in the spotlight by Alex T Smith

If you are in need of a quick read and a terrific laugh out loud book run and I mean RUN! into your library and grab Claude in the spotlight.  I have talked about this cute little hound called Claude before.  I think these books just get better and better.

Claude and his trusty sidekick Sir Bobblysock go on an adventure where they find themselves in a ballet class. The class are rehearsing for a variety show which will be performed that very day.  Claude dazzles the teacher with his splendid dancing (there is a tiny fly inside his jumper) and so the teacher, with the perfect name of Miss Highkick-Spin, convinces him to enter. The prize is simply way too irresistible to say no - "the best act wins a grand prize - all the cakes you can eat from Mr Lovelybuns' Bakery. He is judging the competition."

There is, however, more than just a fly inside Claude's jumper.  There is a fly in the theater in the form of a ghost and all the acts are ending in chaos.  It is up to Claude to save the day, and perhaps he will even win the prize!

Hey, Sherlock! by Simon Mason

There are tiny hints about the plot of this mystery/crime adventure on the covers (the front as you can see above but also the back) - surveillance camera; beanie; van; purple hoodie; gun; and slot machine.

Amy Roecastle is missing. She is rich and a rebel. A boy is murdered in the centre of the city. Garvie Smith is caught up in the action. He is a sleuth who quietly observes the world looking for patterns and inconsistencies. Then there is the issue of the police, especially Inspector Singh. Singh knows the truth is out there but his biggest frustration is the way Garvie knows so much but says so little. Garvie is only a teenager. Why is he so much smarter than any experienced police officer?

I enjoyed every minute of his company in this complex, at times dark, story that amply demonstrates that YA fiction can hold its head high in the crime writing ranks, and with Garvie Smith as an ambassador there’s plenty of quality entertainment to be had. Crime Review

I rarely read Young Adult books but this one was part of my last reading collection from Beachside Bookshop.  I am so glad it was in my bag because I thoroughly reading this contemporary crime fiction.  If you are a fan of television crime shows I am certain you will enjoy Hey, Sherlock. I felt as though I just wanted to binge watch the whole series in one go.  I highly recommend this book for readers aged 14+.

A brilliant page-turner for all readers, and a sharply observed and often very funny bit of YA. 

LoveReading4Kids

As I was reading Hey, Sherlock I suspected there must have been previous incidents where readers had met Garvie. Having said that this book can certainly stand alone. I have only discovered the early volumes tonight. I may need to read both of these because in each book Garvie (a boy I would like to meet) grows a little older and moves on from school to his post-school life.  Read an interview with Simon Mason.  Here are the first two Garvie Smith Mysteries. I do like the way the covers show they are a series:

Some facts about Garvie Smith from inside the front cover:

1. Lazy, rude, golden-hearted, aggravating, economical with the truth, kind (to those who deserve it).
2. Highest IQ at Marsh Academy
3. Lowest grades.
4. Best mates with Felix (cat burglar), Smudge (stupidest boy at school and proud of it), Alex (who’s been selling something he shouldn’t).
5. Wouldn’t dream of telling his mother he loves her. Besides, she wants to move back to Barbados and what is the point of that?
6. Smokes, mainly tobacco.
7. Liked by girls.
8. Hated by the police, teachers, other boring adults.
9. Exceptionally good at maths.
10. Scared of dogs.