RIP Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens

I don't often read 'ghost' stories because it is one of a very few genres that I do not really enjoy but the author of this book Lucie Stevens spoke at a recent conference held here in Sydney at our State Library and her brief author talk intrigued me (which I am sure was her intention).

Since I am not an expert on middle grade ghost stories I may be generalising but I thought that usually a ghost had a reason for their return. Coming back to right a wrong or assist a person from when they were alive. The young girl in this story Albertine Waldblumen had no concept of death (she is very young and naive). Adults have protected her from this.  We learn her father first off won't take her to Nanny Tobbins funeral and then we also discover she is not allowed to go near the churchyard cemetery. I suspected, correctly, that she had never seen her mother's grave. Poor child believes her mother is flying in the sky with the angels and so she spends a lot of time looking up hoping to see her. So why did Nanny Tobbins return? I guess she may have returned to help Albertine discover the truth about death or to help her in some way to cope with her new Stepmother and changing relationship with her father but that all feels a bit too vague.

Back to Nanny Tobbins (real name Nanette) who was indeed a nanny to Albertine (nick name Bert) we never actually find out about the Great Exhibition of 1851 but alas as Albertine and her new stepmother set off to attend this amazing event the story quite suddenly ends. I was very disappointed not to read about the sights and wonders through Albertine's eyes. Here is some information about The Great Exhibition aimed at youger readers. How did Nanny Tobbins die? It was a horse-riding accident but we are given no further details. I kept wondering if Albertine perhaps saw the accident or worse if she was in some way involved.  One of the gruesome aspects about this ghost is the way her head is not quite attached to her body. She also seems to attract lots of moths but just why this happens is never explained. At night Albertine is locked inside her room - I did find that quite distressing and I desperately hoped the would not be a fire in their house.  

Only Albertine can see the ghost of Nanny Tobbins, but her precious dog named Quiver seems to sense when she is here. There are a number of stereotypes in this story - the evil stepmother; the absent father; the fearful and bumbling servant; and the warm-hearted cook who makes fabulous foods for little Albertine. Of course, the spooky moments happen at midnight. The author Lucie Stevens did say she was thinking of the classic book Mary Poppins when she wrote the short piece as part of an assignment that then led to this longer novel. 

Was there really elephant at The Great Exhibition? Yes and No.  Not a living one but there was a taxidermy one. 

Image source: Victoria and Albert Museum

You can hear Lucie Stevens talk about her book here on the Podcast Your Kids Next Read (start at 15.60). RIP Nanny Tobbins is her debut Middle Grade Novel. RIP Nanny Tobbins will be published tomorrow! And she mentioned there will be a sequel next year and one of the books she lists as recent enjoyable reads was Little Bones. 

Bookseller blurb: When Nanny Tobbins fell off a horse and broke her neck, the grown-ups told nine-year-old Albertine she'd never see her beloved governess again. But it simply isn't true. For every night, when the clock strikes twelve, Nanny returns to the nursery. Yet in her new ghostly state, Nanny Tobbins quickly causes chaos in the household -- and the timing couldn't be more inconvenient. Albertine's stepmother is struggling to settle in, and Papa is much occupied working with Prince Albert on the Great Exhibition. To make matters worse, the grown-ups don't believe in ghosts at all, leaving Albertine to take the blame for Nanny's unruly antics. How will Albertine restore peace to her home before the unthinkable occurs?

RIP Nanny Tobbins is an easy book to read - I think it will appeal to readers aged 10+ but it may not be scary enough for the readers who love to find ghost stories that can tingle your spine. 

About the author: Lucie Stevens is a children’s writer who grew up in a semi-rural area of Dharug Country, north-west of Sydney. After working in Australian publishing houses for many years, she moved to Berlin, where she helped make education outreach programs for the UK and European Space Agencies. Now, having resettled in Gadigal Country, Sydney, Lucie works as a freelance editor for NGOs and not-for-profit organisations. She has authored and co-authored several books for the education market, on topics ranging from mudlarks to Mars. R.I.P. Nanny Tobbins is Lucie’s first novel for children.

I know I said at the start of this post that I don't seek out ghost stories but here are a few I have read and enjoyed (aimed at a similar audience to RIP Nanny Tobbins).

Out of the Wild Night

The Haunting of Charity Delafield

The Ghost of Grosswater

Her Perilous Mansion

Elizabeth and Zenobia

Not a ghost story but this wonderful book has a similar feel or setting

Withering by Sea

Imagine a Time by Penny Harrison illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith

 

"Image a time when all the world stops ... "

This might sound familiar. Everyone is now at home. No one goes to work or school. The aeroplanes stay on the ground, ships stop in their docks and cars, buses and trains all stop. This slow-down and stopping means people slow down too. They are allowed outside in family groups and many discover nature. Meanwhile nature itself begins to creep back into the city. People have time to ...

"hunt for orchids and gaze at the moon and they listen with hope to the birds' morning tune."

Eventually the clocks do restart but perhaps some magic from those very different times still lingers.

I wonder how many university papers will be written based around books that are set during the Covid lockdowns. There are middle grade novels and picture books - and that is the setting for Imagine a Time. When adults in the future try to explain the impact of Covid and the way we all stayed home and were forced to slow down, Imagine a Time would be a good discussion starter. I especially like the way these strange times are presented in a very positive light. We did stay home but many people also discovered bush walks in their local area and indeed some wild animals did find their way into deserted city streets.

Here are some simple teachers notes. Here is a review from The Bottom Shelf. 

Here are some other books by Penny Harrison and by Jennifer Goldsmith.

Carnival of the Clocks by Nick Sharratt

"It is a dark winter's evening. Lessons finished long ago. And something odd is going on in the playground ..."

The air is full of clocks, or is it? No these are not floating clocks they are clock-shaped lanterns and every child in the class has made a different one. Some are simple. Some are fancy. One is an alarm clock and one has a digital display. Every clock shows a different time, but this is not about the time it is about the date. The 21st December is the shortest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere).

"Every year, to celebrate this special day, the children of the town make clock lanterns. ... And when darkness falls on the shortest day, the children parade through the town with their clock lanterns."

But where are the children going as they parade through the town? And what will happen to all of those lanterns?

Read the first chapter here.

Take a look at Nick Sharratt's web page - he is such a vibrant and UK prolific illustrator. I love this series for very young children:

Carnival of the Clocks is from the Little Gems series - please consider adding these to your school library. These gems are just perfect for newly independent readers. The colour illustrations are so appealing, there is only a small amount of text on each page and each of these books contain a very satisfying story.

There really is an event like this created by a charity and held in Brighton, UK. It is called The Burning of the Clocks. See lots of photos here. 

Of course, 21st December is not the shortest day of the year here in Australia which happens in June but that is not a reason to dismiss this terrific little book. After all we don't have snow at Christmas and Easter is not the beginning of Spring. 

The Sands of Time - a Hermux Tantamoq Adventure by Michael Hoeye

If you have not yet met the little clock maker mouse called Hermux Tantamoq can I just say please try to find his books - they are brilliant but not new. This is the second book from the series and it has left me breathless. I am a huge children's literature fan and reading these books by Michael Hoeye absolutely reinforces my love and preference for reading wonderful children's books. 

As in the first book, a mysterious stranger arrives at Hermux's clock shop. In the first volume we met the wonderful Linka Perflinger. The customer this time is Birch Tentintrotter. I should perhaps mention he is a chipmunk. Birch is supposed to be dead but instead here he is in the shop looking just awful:

"Time had certainly not been kind to the old guy. He looked run-down and run over. From his patched jacket to his threadbare pants and his dusty, scuffed boots. His fur was thin and lifeless. His paws were nicked and scarred. And then there was the missing ear."

Birch is a world expert in translation - specifically the translation of "Old Cat".  In this rodent world cats are the stuff of mythology. Mice fear them or don't believe they ever existed. Birch is sure there was once an ancient civilisation of cats and, using a map fragment he obtained many years ago, he is determined to find their lost library. Now the adventure can begin. Birch travels to a remote region in a small plane with Linka as pilot and Hermux as an assistant (and clock maker). Hot on the trail is the selfish and (slightly) evil Tucka Mertslin and her fiance Hinkum Stepflitchler III. 

I need to stand on a mountain and tell EVERYONE to read this book (and the previous instalment Time stops for no Mouse). Sadly The Sands of Time is long out of print. I have to ask WHY? This is a brilliant book. I am giving it five stars twice! 

Why do I love this book? What do I love about this book and the first instalment?

I adore the character names: Tucka Mertslin; Hinkum Stepflichler; Tarfip Dandiffer; Flurty Palin; Ortolina Perrifolt; Skimpy Dormay; Elusa Litavender; Mirrrin Sentrill; and of course Hermux Tamtamoq and the aviatrix Linka Perflinger.

The food references are perfect (for mice) and sound delicious: "Yellow cheese. And white cheese. Crumbly cheese. And creamy cheese. Sweet cheese. And stinky cheese. ... Hermux took a slice of very sharp cheddar. And a piece of aged Parmesan. And a bit of blue cheese."

Hermux loves dressing up: "It was his first tuxedo, and it was expensive. ... Mirrin answered the door in a rust-coloured evening dress that contrasted handsomely with her silver fur. She laughed happily at the sight of her young friend dressed in bright pink and green satin stripes."

The story line of unrequited love between Hermux and Linka Perflinger creates a perfect tension. By the end of The Sands of Time this pair were a little closer to the big moment when surely they will declare their love for one another. I guess I have to wait to read Book 4!

The characters are drawn so well. Each has a very distinct personality. I'm secretly in love with Hermux himself and I do wish I could go to a dinner party hosted by Mirrin.

Every evening Hermux writes a list of things to be thankful for. This is charming but it also an idea we could all follow.

"Thank you for maps and compasses. Thank you for winding rivers and crashing waterfalls. For empty canyons and rising moons. For campfires and carrots. And for some time to get to know Linka better."

Listen to an audio sample here from Chapter One.  

Here are the four books in order:

• Time stops for no Mouse (1999)
• The Sands of Time (2001)
• No time like Showtime (2004)
• Time to smell the Roses (2007)

Now for another view. I often quote Kirkus on this blog. Their reviewer had a self-published copy of The Sands of Time and, well, he or she really did not like this book. In fact their opinion is the exact opposite of mine. I guess it just goes to show we are all different.

I was so lucky to find The Sands of time in a local school library but I have discovered they do not own the further two volumes.

Ms Yingling shared a list of Mice stories on her blog. Listen to this podcast from "Card Catalogue" by Karen Yingling (she mentions all the ones with an *). I have highlighted the titles I have read and loved. Many of these are on this blog. I didn't realise I had read so many books about and featuring mice!

Avi. Poppy (1995) Series

Bearn, Emily. TumTum and Nutmeg (2009) Series

Breitrose, Prudence. Mousemobile (2013) Series

Christian, Peggy. The Bookstore Mouse (1995)

Cleary, Beverly. The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965)

Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste (2010)

Deedy, Carmen Agra. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale (2011)

DiCamillo. The Tale of Despereaux  (2003)

*Dillard, Sarah. Mouse Scouts (2016)  Series

Dixon, Amy. Marathon Mouse (2012) Picture Book

Edwards, Julie Andrews. The Great American Mousical (2006)

*Fiedler, Lisa. Mouseheart (2014) Series

Frederick, Heather Vogel. Spy Mice (2005) Series

*Green, Poppy. The Adventures of Sophie Mouse (2015)

Hoban, Russell. A Mouse and His Child (1967)

Hoeye, Michael. Time Stops for No Mouse (1999) Series

*Holm, Jenni and Matt. Babymouse: Queen of the World (2005) Series

*Jacques, Brian. Redwall (1986) Series

Jarvis, Robin. The Dark Portal (2000) Series

King-Smith. Dick. Three Terrible Trins (1994)

              Martin’s Mice (1988)

              A Mouse Called Wolf (1997)

              The School Mouse (1994)

Lawson, Robert. Ben and Me (1923)

*Lieb. Ratscalibur (2015)

*Lowry, Lois. Bless this Mouse (2011)

O’Brien. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (1971) Series

*Peck, Richard. Secrets at Sea (2011)

               The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail (2013)

*Petersen, David. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (2007) Series

*Pilkey, Dav. Ricky Ricotta (2005) Series

Reynolds, Paul and Peter. Sydney and Simon (2014) Series

*Selden, George. The Cricket in Times Square (1960) Series

*Sharp, Margery. The Rescuers (1959) Series

Smith, Sherri L. The Toymaker's Apprentice (2015)

Steig, William. Abel's Island (1975)*Stilton, Geronimo. Various series (2000)

*Titus, Eve. Basil of Baker Street (1958) Series

*Voigt, Cynthia. Young Fredle (2000)

White, E.B. Stuart Little (1961)

Watts, Frances. Secrets of the Ginger Mice (2012) Series

Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

From the first page Peter Bunzl creates his alternate (Steampunk) world. Take at look at these text fragments:

"the silver airship"
"clockwork innards"
"the stench of burning has filled the fight deck"
"It's at least a day's journey from here, have you enough clicks?"

Clicks?  Wait a minute John Hartman is talking to a fox - isn't that surprising enough? Now we discover this fox is clockwork.

"Take your winder anyway.' John produced a tarnished key on a chain and hung it round the fox's neck, next to the pouch. 'Though heaven knows who'll wind you if I'm not here."

Malkin, the fox is now on the run. This was one of my favourite parts of this story. Malkin is carrying a message for John's daughter, Lily. This message is so urgent I think I almost held my breath through the first 160 pages of this book. Then tragedy strikes. Maklin is shot. He survives but the letter is badly damaged and almost impossible to read. Lily thinks her father is dead, she thinks Professor Silverfish can help her, and she knows she must hurry because some very evil men want to get their hands on her father's invention. Thank goodness she has two wonderful friends and of course Malkin to help her. This book is a wild ride with so many surprising twists.

Professor Hartman has made some remarkable mechs. I especially adore Mrs Rust - the housekeeper. She has a number replaceable hands perfect for every task - spatulas, spoons and a whisk for example. She also has such wonderful expressions and she adores Lily. Here are some of her funny expressions:

"Cogs and chronometers! My tiger-Lil's back!"

"Smokestacks and sprockets."

"Widgets and windscreen wipers."

"Stopwatches and spinning tops."

Peter Bunzl gives us wonderful descriptions of the evil men who are after Malkin and Lily and her friend Robert:

"A big fellow with ginger mutton-shop sideburns arrived carrying a steam-riffle. His body looked lumpen, like a sack of rocks He resembled a crusher ... his cheeks were as red as bulging blood sausages. But what made Robert gulp was the pair of silver mirrors screwed into the raw sockets of the man's eyes. Scars  emanated from them, criss-crossing his cheeks, and running up under the brim of his hat."

Cogheart is the first book in this series. I accidentally stumbled across a comment by Peter Bunzl about Steampunk which is a genre I really enjoy. His comment made me curious to read his books so I have begun with the first published in 2016 (it is actually Peter's first book) and I do hope to continue the series. You can see the three books above. I do like their covers and on the Cogheart website they have been animated. I hope we meet Mrs Rust in the next installment and perhaps gain further insights into the emotional sensibilities of the mechs created by the professor.


An extraordinary story, exceptionally written it truly is a future classic which will be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Book Lover Jo

You can read the prologue to Cogheart on the Usborne site. Peter Bunzl has some activities for each book on his website. Here is a set of discussion questions. Peter Bunzl answers five questions. Listen to Peter talk about his book on this podcast.

In an Australian classroom you might link this book with Mechanica and Aquatica. If you enjoy Cogheart, and I think you will,  I would recommend other Steampunk books such as Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel and also the wonderful book Tin by Padraig Kenny.

Here is a display by a class in a UK school where they develop the idea of Mechanimals - Malkin, the fox for example, is a mechanimal.

The Witch's Tears by Jenny Nimmo

"As Theo passed the clock he glanced up at its lifeless hands. 'What's happening?' he asked in a hushed voice. The clock gazed out helplessly, as if to say, 'Someone has stolen my breath."

It is a wild and stormy night. Theo Blossom's dad mends clocks. He has set off to help with a grandfather clock leaving Mrs Blossom, Dodie and Theo to cope alone. It is cosy inside and the ticking of all their clocks is comforting but as the children are heading home from school a neighbour warns them :

"Witches always arrive in rough weather. They lose their broomsticks and they lose their cats. So they come snooping around, trying to steal ours. ... Their clothes may be darker, and their skin more wrinkled from travelling in the wind. And there's always the hat, folded secretly into a pocket, when they don't want to be recognised."

These warnings work like a list for Theo and so when the mysterious Mrs Scarum arrives Theo starts ticking things off and soon concludes she must be a witch. Her clothes are dark and the fabric is strange, she has possibly fallen off her broomstick, she is searching for her lost black cat, but worse, all the clocks in the house seem to be out of sync.

"Just for a second they lost their rhythm. Tick-creak-tock went the wooden clock. Tick-wheeze-tock called the china shepherd. Tick-swish-tock mumbled the ormolu."

Here is an ormolu - this was a new word for me!

Adding to the tension their father has not telephoned tonight something he does every evening at precisely 5pm. Mrs Scarum seems to want to move in. She makes a large decorated cake, demands a meal of sausages and keeps watching the family cat Flora. Theo is terrified that she means to take his precious cat away and he is so worried about his dad who might be caught in the blizzard or worse. His comfortable family seems to be falling apart but only Theo can see the truth.  Or can he?

A friend who is a teacher-librarian has asked me to read a few of her older titles this week to assess if they might still be popular and so worth keeping in her library.  The Witch's Tears is a fabulous story which has stood the test of time. It was first published in 1996 and so is now listed as a modern classic. My verdict is keep this book and buy a new copy. The old cover does look a little dated.

All through The Witch's Tears I kept thinking about an old picture book by Margaret Mahy called The Witch in the Cherry Tree. Both contain a witch, cakes, a warm house, a hospitable mother, a storm and a boy who suspects the witch and her motives. I was excited to read Jenny Nimmo loves the writing of Margaret Mahy.

I first encountered Jenny Nimmo through The Snow Spider trilogy. You should also look at my review of The Stone Mouse which would be an excellent book to pair with The Witch's Tears. A picture book which you could also read along side The Witch's Tears is The Tear Thief by Carol Ann Duffy. The idea of tears turning into crystals delights me.

Here are some reviews with more plot details - Bookbag and Books for Keeps. A close look at the three covers I have included with this post might be useful for discussion with children especially after reading The Witch's Tears.  Which cover do you like? I think The Witch's tears might make a good read aloud book for a Grade 2 or 3 class.

The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin illustrated by Peter Spier

This is one of those books I mentioned where our school library copy is old and needing replacement so I bought it home to re-read just to be sure it was worth buying a new copy.

I read this book over twenty years ago and yes it has stood the test of time.  Actually The Little Riders was first published in 1963.

Johanna is sent to the safety of her grandparents in Holland during World War II and for four years she has enjoyed helping her grandfather care for the little riders.  The riders are a set of figures that live in the town clock.  Each hour, on the hour, music plays and the little riders emerge from the clock.

"They would ride up to each other, lift their swords in a salute and then go in the opposite door. In and out as many times as the clock had struck.  While they rode in and out of the doors, the carillon of the church played old Dutch folk tunes."

One day the German soldiers march in to the town.  The little riders are no longer safe.  "Grandfather started to think again about a safe hiding place for the little riders because now, more than ever, the Germans needed every scrap of metal for ammunition."

The real crisis is not long in coming.  A German soldier has moved into the house and even into Johanna's room.  In this same room there is a hidden space inside the cupboard.  When her Grandfather and Grandmother are taken by the soldiers Johanna has only minutes to hide the precious riders.  Will she dare to hide them in this cupboard which is filled with German uniforms?

You can watch the movie here.