Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books

Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian mill in which it is housed has seven levels.

Why seven? The theory is that there are seven story topics or themes:

• Quest
• Overcoming the Monster
• Rags to Riches
• Voyage and Return
• Tragedy
• Rebirth
• Comedy

In 2012 I attended the London IBBY Congress and that is when I first heard about Seven Stories which opened in 2005. Actually, while I was at the London event I visited a similar museum in Oxford which was just about to open - The Story Museum. 

After attending the 2024 IBBY Congress in Trieste I travelled to Newcastle-on-Tyne so I could spend a day at Seven Stories. Unfortunately, possibly because it was a Monday, no one was there. I had hoped to meet an administrator or a member of the museum staff. I did email several times prior to my visit and I followed and commented on their social media posts over the previousl weeks. Seven Stories does open on a Monday so I went along to the first story time of the day with Tom (see below). Oddly I was the only one there. Tom reads a picture book three times a day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and once each hour on the weekend. I also met the education staff who were very busy preparing for several school visits the following week. On my visit Tom read Into the Forest by Anthony Browne.

The exhibitions in Seven Stories at the time of my visit were - Judith Kerr and The Tiger who Came to Tea; Judith Kerr and the Mog series; Bob Graham original art from Jethro Byrd Fairy child winner of the 2002 Kate Greenaway Medal; art by Helen Craig for her Angelina Ballerina series; Tony Ross; Nicholas Allen; and Helen Cooper. The bookshop also had some wonderful picture books, middle grade and YA titles for sale. 

I was thrilled by one display. A display case with the author notebook showing the inspiration for this dystopian novel. I adored the book Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari. 

If you are in the UK or you live in the UK do go to Seven Stories but take some children - ideally aged 4-8. There are interactive activities, dressing up clothes, small stages, colouring pages, and creative spaces on every level along with tons of books which are scattered around ready to read. 

The other thing I sadly missed out on this visit was an exploration of the archives. These are held in the city library and are available if you make an appointment. I discovered this on the day of my visit, so I was too late to make a booking. If I had been able to prepare for this, I might have asked to see the box with 45 pieces relating to Sunshine by Jan Ormerod, or work by PJ Lynch (9 pieces including Catkin), or Martin Waddell, or Barbara Firth or Angela Barrett (The Snow Queen). They have:

• Over 250 authors and illustrators  
• Book collection of over 36,000 texts  
• 1000 metres of shelving = about 10 football pitches long! 
• Material is stored in over 2500 boxes 
• The oldest item is almost 250 years old! 

Britain has a wonderful heritage of writing and illustration for children – from The Famous Five to We're Going on a Bear Hunt, British children’s books are among the best known and most widely read in the world. Seven Stories are the custodians of a unique and ever-growing national archive of modern and contemporary British children’s literature dating from the 1930s to the present. Our Collection includes artwork, manuscripts, dummy books, correspondence, editors notes, proofs, and anything else that helps us explore how books are created. The collection includes material by over 250 authors and illustrators including Enid Blyton, Philip Pullman, Robert Westall, Judith Kerr, Edward Ardizzone and Kaye Webb.

Here are the addresses:

Seven Stories
The National Centre for Children’s Books
30 Lime Street, Ouseburn
Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 2PQ

City Library

Charles Avison Building

33 New Bridge Street West

Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8AX

If you live in Australia, we do have our own National Centre for Australian Children's Literature in Canberra. They have a wealth of resources and fabulous databases and from time to time they host exhibitions. 

And after your visit Seven Stories you should also head up the road to The Biscuit Factory - it's an art space with painting, sculpture, jewelry and more all for sale plus a bonus wonderful cafe. The Seven Stories cafe is quite basic so I highly recommend heading to The Biscuit Factory instead. I had the most delicious meal there. 

Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky illustrated by Erwin Madrid

My parents changed. "I can't describe it exactly. It's like all the lights in the house won't turn on anymore and it's always dark, and they can't see me. Like I don't even exist."

Juniper Berry lives a lonely life. Her parents are famous actors and they have made their home into a fortress. Juniper has no friends only a series of tutors and she lives behind a high wall removed from the real world. Her parents love and fear the paparazzi. Sure the house is filled with anything she might want but things are not friends. She used to have a good relationship with her mum and dad but recently that has changed. They no longer talk to Juniper. All they care about is their fame.

"One of these days her parents would come home from work and be thrilled to see her. The rest of the day would be spent in each other's company, not a minute wasted, not even a single second, just like it was years ago."

"She had grown accustomed to her isolation, carrying her binoculars everywhere, spying from afar, searching for what she was missing. ... Discovery and exploration were her salvation; if she couldn't go out into the world, she could bring the world to her; the stars, the insects, the unsuspecting distance. Everything but her parents."

One evening, after another unsuccessful attempt to reconnect with her parents, Juniper spies a boy in her garden. He seems interested in the trees in her garden. He is small and very skinny and he is doing something very strange. Giles is running his hands up and down the bark of various trees.

"Up close, she noticed he had a sweet smell about him and that his eyes captured a pattern she had never seen before, the brown and gold of his iris constantly swirling. He gave a soft smile and she liked the way one corner of his mouth ran up the other side of his face while the other remained level."

Giles is also alone. His parents are also ignoring him. Juniper and Giles have a common problem and it all seems to be connected to one specific tree. And then one night the parents disappear 

There are lots of hints in the description of the tree:

"It was an ugly tree. If any were to be chopped down, it should have been this monstrosity. Its branches were bare and sharp, reaching out as if to pierce the sky, although the sky did nothing to instigate such an assault. The tree, not incredibly thick, not incredibly thin, was riddled with knots and twists, roots that ripped the ground, killing the grass and welcoming the weeds. Nothing else grew from the base all the way to the top."

This tree is hiding a portal to a terrible underground place. That is where the parents have been going. But why? The children are about to meet a very sinister man.

"He was extremely tall, taller than any man Juniper had ever seen. In fact, almost everything about him had length. Each body part was extended: long legs, long arms, long neck, long fingers. He was enveloped in a ratty hooded cloak, his elongated face concealed in shadow. His bony pale fingers wrapped around a wood staff, and Juniper noticed his nails were long as well, and dark, as if painted midnight blue. As the shroud pulled tight against his body with each movement and gesture ... There seemed to be no fat whatsoever and little muscle - a fragile, lank, and stretched frame."

His name is Skeksyl and he want to make a bargain with the children - a bargain. 

"I have the ability to hand you everything you could ever want but believed to be unattainable."

"All you have to do is sign your name on my balloon and blow it up with the fresh, youthful breath from your lungs."

An astute reader will know this offer is sure to have a dreadful cost. And again, we need to ask why this creature is making this offer and how this is connected with the changes to their parents.

I am not a huge fan of Halloween - it actually seems like a strange event here in Australia where because it is Spring leading into Summer not Autumn leading in to Winter. The crazy huge pumpkins that appear in shops look totally out of place. Having said that, though, I know lots of readers ask for an enjoy 'horror' stories. Juniper Berry has just the right level of fright along with a glorious celebration of team work. The subtitle for this book is engraved on the tree - "A tale of terror and temptation'.

Publisher blurb: Juniper Berry's parents are the most beloved actor and actress in the world—but Juniper can't help but feel they haven't been quite right lately. And she and her friend Giles are determined to find out why. On a cold and rainy night, Juniper follows her parents as they sneak out of the house and enter the woods. What she discovers is an underworld filled with contradictions: one that is terrifying and enticing, lorded over by a creature both sinister and seductive, who can sell you all the world's secrets bound in a balloon. For the first time, Juniper and Giles have a choice to make. And it will be up to them to confront their own fears in order to save the ones who couldn't.

There are some terrific descriptions in this book. This is the library:

"Matching the themes of the room were a plush leather sofa and armchair as well as an unbelievably comfortable rocking chair and cushioned ottoman in one corner, a classically ornate fireplace, expensive modern and abstract artwork, and, in the center of the room, an oversized desk craftily designed with various drawers and compartments. ... But for Juniper, the very best thing about the study was the smell."

In conclusion, this book was really, really good and definitely one that will haunt me for awhile. And not just because of the balloons. If you enjoyed Coraline by Neil Gaiman even a little bit, you ought to read this book. CSI Librarian

The trope of taking the soul of individuals by an evil being intent on either the 'fountain of youth' or an immortality is one we have seen before in books like The Book without Words by Avi; Momo by Michael Ende; and Stitch by Padraig Kenny.

You could also take a look at this award winning picture book after reading Juniper Berry:

Paradise Sands

Lost and Found Picture Book list

Lost and Found

A few days someone posed this question in a Facebook group:

Can anyone think of children's story books with a lost/found theme?

An easy question to answer - there are so many picture books on this theme although I did make a few assumptions that they wanted picture books and that this was for a young child or a Kindergarten classroom mini theme. I also wondered why this person who I think is probably a teacher, didn't ask their school Teacher-Librarian but perhaps sadly their school does not have a library professional or even a school library. 

Here are a few that were mentioned on the thread many of which I have mentioned previously on this blog. Over the coming days I will create a Pinterest of books that match this theme - if you have any more to suggest please add them to the comments. 

Felix and Alexander

Finding Monkey Moon

The Best hiding place

Red Ted and the lost things

Jigsaw A Puzzle in the post

Finding You

Eight

Knuffle Bunny

The lost property office

Ducky's Nest

The Sea Saw

Golden Threads

Curduroy and A Pocket for Curduroy

Hannah and Sugar

Mutt Dog

You could also look for other Bob Graham books such as Queenie the Bantam

Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow

"Aisulu's family had always kept eagles: her oldest uncle had hunted with eagles, and her grandfather, and her great grandfather. Her people were nomads who moved with their hers across the mountains of Western Mongolia, and their life could be harsh. And yet it was glorious, and it was sweet, and it had eagles. ... In the fall they went to the Eagle Festival and came home with medals and honour."

"She did not look like an eagle hunter, in a dark thing with bright stitches. She did not look like a poor girl, with a small frame and chopped hair. She looked like something brand new. She looked like a hero. She looked as if she could stand on the sky."

Here are the opening scenes from Stand on the sky:

"There was no sign of Serik's horse. Aisulu and her brother, Serik, had searched for almost two hours ... Above them the sky was high and huge and bright, wheeled with birds."

"Serik stood with his head tipped back. He was watching the birds circling overhead. They were huge and black against the sky, a pair of golden eagles."

The pair of eagles are out collecting food for their newly hatched chicks. The children climb higher into the mountains looking for the lost horse but in the meantime a storm is gathering. A dangerous storm. Luckily, they find a stone shrine which gives them a place to shelter.

"Skerik was wearing a sweatshirt and a denim jacket and jeans and sneaker with the Velcro worn out. Aisulu's hand-me-down shapan was just corduroy and felt padding ... Neither of them was dressed well enough to survive a blizzard and they both knew that."

The children do survive and so do their horses but:

"Something was wrong. She looked down the northern slope. She saw the meadow blazing white, shadowless. Then she saw that scattered across the hard snow were birds. ... They were all dead. They were all dead, hundreds of them, scattered everywhere."

And among the dead birds the children see the golden eagle feeding on the little dead song birds. Sereik decides he can catch this eagle but as he attempts this he breaks his leg. Aisulu knows Sereik's secret. His leg is not just broken - he is unwell. Aisulu has to get her brother back to their camp. She knows she is leaving the eagle to die but what about those chicks?

You can read more plot details following links below but I really suggest reading this book first so you can let this engrossing story unfold as a wonderful reading experience. I will make special mention of one memorable character though - the wife of her Uncle Dulat - she is from a different ethnic group and is called Fox Wife. Her kindness towards Aisulu is a part of this story that lingers with me. Stand on the sky is another of the books I read on my recent holiday on a Kindle. 

On my flight while I read this book the airline kept showing an advertisement featuring footage from the documentary The Eagle Huntress. Just as aside I have no idea about the name of the bank even though I watched this advertisement multiple times on four different flights. It felt a little strange to be reading a book with the same setting and plot as the advertisement. At the time I did not know the ad was using footage from the documentary The Eagle Huntress (see images below). 

Publisher blurb: It goes against all tradition for Aisulu to train an eagle, for among the Kazakh nomads, only men can fly them. But everything changes when Aisulu discovers that her brother, Serik, has been concealing a bad limp that risks not just his future as the family's leader, but his life too. When her parents leave to seek a cure for Serik in a distant hospital, Aisulu finds herself living with her intimidating uncle and strange auntie — and secretly caring for an orphaned baby eagle. To save her brother and keep her family from having to leave their nomadic life behind forever, Aisulu must earn her eagle’s trust and fight for her right to soar. Along the way, she discovers that family are people who choose each other, home is a place you build, and hope is a thing with feathers.

In the interest of a balanced review please read these comments by Kirkus about this book and the involvement of women in eagle hunting. Putting this to one side, though, I thoroughly enjoyed Stand on the sky and I would put aside the issues of gender and just cheer Aisulu and her heroism to save and train this young eagle and her amazing courage to compete against older and more experienced hunters. 

As I mentioned you may have seen the 2016 movie documentary The Eagle Huntress - here are two images from the movie:

(This) is a story of strength, courage, and resilience that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt abandoned, alone, or doubted themselves and their place in the world. While researching the book, Bow spent a summer living with a Kazakh eagle hunter and his family and enlisted the help of Kazakh readers to ensure she got things right. Her writing is both lively and elegant, drawing the reader along on Aisulu’s quest and building toward the moment when she will learn if she has what it takes to be a true burkitshi. Bow delivers a jubilant tale that celebrates the power of family, love, and young women. Quill and Quire

Read this review for full details of the plot (warning this does contain spoilers)

Readers will love the relationship between Aisulu and her eagle Toktar. They will love the connection between girl and bird and reading about how the two learn together and grow together. It’s simply a beautiful story masterfully told, from beginning to end. Pamela Kramer

Ms Yingling also loved this book.

Here is a CBC interview with Erin Bow and audio interview when she ran the Governor General award. And here are some discussion questions. Read an extract from the book here. 

Awards for Stand on the sky:

• Winner, Governor General’s Award for Young People’s Literature — Text, 2019
• Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children’s Choice), 2021
• Short-listed, IODE Canada Violet Downey Award, 2020
• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, 2020
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2019
• Commended, OLA Best Bets, 2019

Companion book:

Running on the roof of the world

Here is a previous book by Erin Bow that I really enjoyed:

Simon sort of Says

Olivetti by Allie Millington

"Memories are like heartbeats. They keep things alive. They make us who we are."

"Typewriters are not allowed to tell the words that have been told to use. That is our typewriter code - to never let what has been typed into us back out. Communication with humans is strictly forbidden."

Olivetti lives with the Brindle family. I love the names of the children - Ezra, Adalyn, Ernest, Arlo. Dad is Felix and mum is Beatrice. It was Beatrice who found Olivetti many years ago. She uses him to write her most personal thoughts along with stories and poems. The family do own a computer but as Olivetti explains:

"I was not familiar with what files were, but I was certain I had more storage. In fact, I had unlimited storage. I held an endless amount of memories inside me. Decades worth of words. Not to mention I was much more low maintenance. I did not need to be constantly charged or connected to some higher power called the internet."

"Remembering is the very language we speak. I am a patchwork of pasts, stitched together with stories. A tapestry of tales."

These tiny extracts show you the unique and witty voice of Olivetti - yes he can 'speak'! 

Now look back at the list of children. Ernest is our story hero. He is a loner. His main companion is the Oxford dictionary. He has memorized hundreds of word definitions, and these are scattered throughout the book. Ernest is also silent. There is a hint early on in the story that something truly dreadful has happened and that this is why he has retreated into silence. I cannot explain this further - you need to read the whole book to make this discovery for yourself.

"My family didn't understand why I spent all my time reading (the dictionary). But there was a lot they didn't understand about me, so that wasn't exactly breaking news. Compared to them, I was different, defined as: not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form or quality."

"I wasn't big on meeting new people. Once you meet people, you might get close to them. And once you get close to them, you might lose them for good. You're less likely to get hurt, the farther you stay away."

Beatrice has disappeared and she has taken Olivetti to a pawn shop. Why? Where has she gone? 

The chapters in this book alternate between the voices of Olivetti and Ernest. By accident Ernest finds Olivetti. Mum has sold him for the strange amount of $126. Ernest will now need help from the pawn shop owner's granddaughter to solve this urgent mystery and find mum. Quinn is character you will love. She is a problem solver, she is patient, she is persistent and most of all she really likes Ernest even though he tries so hard to ignore her. 

After reading this book you will want to revisit the classic story - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. 

If you enjoy a good mystery especially one where two kids work together to gather clues not realising that through this process, they are forming a wonderful friendship, then this is a book you will really enjoy. Hopefully modern kids do know a little bit about typewriters but if they don't you (the adult reader) can easily answer any questions or find photos an actual Olivetti. I read this book in one sitting - the plot just races along. I highly recommend Olivetti for readers aged 10+. And I love the cover too! When I was in London last week I saw a couple of guys with typewriters sitting near Tate Modern offering to compose and type a poem for anyone passing by for a small fee. What an enchanting idea. 

Millington captures the essence of why typewriters are such extraordinary creations, and why everyone should have one: Olivetti takes no side, shakes no finger. (A typewriter simply reflects what you put into it.) And he cares. So when Ernest tracks down Olivetti, inexplicably pawned by Beatrice for $126 (remember that amount), and begins tearfully typing on him, desperate to communicate with her, Olivetti does the unthinkable: He types back. “Do not be alarmed. … I am Olivetti. … I can help you.” Tom Hanks New York Times (try to read this review it contains lots of plot details. I do wonder how this famous actor came to read and review Olivetti but I happy to have found his piece.)

The author winningly blends magic and realism, poignancy and mystery, as her characters close in on what’s happened to Beatrice, bonding through adversity along the way. Her lovely notion of a typewriter as a repository of secrets and dreams is finely rendered, and she imbues Olivetti’s heavy steel case and clackity keys with compassion and determination. This heartfelt tale movingly explores the beauty and importance of communication—whatever form it may come in—while encouraging readers to welcome the singular joy of finding kindred spirits in unexpected places. Bookpage

What's in your pocket, Peg? by Penny Byrne illustrated by Lauren Radley

What's in your pocket, Peg? A story of life in occupied Jersey

I mentioned in a recent post that I visited the Channel Island recently and in particular I spent time in Jersey. The Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans during World War II. Here are a few facts:

• 19th June 1940 The population of Jersey is 23,000. On this date 6,000 islanders left on advice of the government
• 28th June 1940 The island is bombed and 44 islanders are killed.
• 2nd July 1940 Jersey surrenders
• 1940 Islanders instructed to change their clocks to German time and the curfew is 11pm. Cars now have to drive on the right and people can only listen to German radio stations. Everyone is issued with an identity card
• 1941 there are 12,000 German soldiers on the island and fishing is banned
• 1941 the Germans deported 2,300 islanders
• 1942 radios are banned
• 30th December 1944 the SS Vega arrives with 120,000 food parcels, medical supplies, 5 tons of salt and 4 tons of soap.
• 9th May 1944 Liberation Day

The end papers of What's in your pocket, Peg? are filled with photographs of islanders and original documents such as a curfew pass, fuel coupons, Jersey stamps, an identity card, a letter from King George VI, coins, and the Red Cross parcel distribution notice. 

What's in your pocket, Peg? recounts the events of the occupation through the eyes of a child and in a dual language text. Jèrriais is the traditional language of Jersey. During the occupation islanders used it as a secret language.

So, what was in her pocket? You can see some of these things on the front cover. At first, she had some sweets - humbugs and barley sugars. When the neighbours leave, she has a photo of her friend. After the bombing and all the potato trucks are destroyed Peg collects a small piece of shrapnel. On the day the islanders surrender people hang out white flags. Peg has her Aunt Edith's white bloomers which she uses as a flag. On the next page Peg is holding her papa's watch because now they live under a curfew. The family hide their radio. Peg has some copper wire in her pocket. To keep up morale the islanders produce a secret newspaper, and they make small badges from coins. Peg has a victory badge in her pocket. 

Food is now scarce but there are blackberries in the hedgerows. Then Peg finds a turnip in the fields - it is not much but they will share it. Finally, the ship arrives with supplies. On this page we don't see Peg's pocket, instead we see inside the parcel - cheese, coffee, butter, sugar, raisins, sardines, soap and best of all a bar of chocolate. On the final page Papa comes home with a wonderful gift for Peg - an orange!

I did a one-day tour in Jersey and the guide told lots of very interesting stories about this time. In the market one of the fruit sellers used the inside of paper bags to pass on messages to the resistance. One day a young worker accidentally placed some fruit purchased by a young German solider in one of these bags. When he saw the writing he demanded to know what it said. This girl was young and a bit dreamy, but she quickly invented a story that this was a love poem to her sweetheart and luckily the soldier believed her.

This book will probably be quite impossible to find in Australia but if you live in the UK it is available from their major book sellers. The ISBN is 9781838532543 and the publisher is the Independent Publishing Network. This book was published in 2020.

EDIT - Penny Byrne replied to my Instagram post and she said:

Thank you for this! Am heading to Perth in Feb 2025 if anyone needs me to bring copies with me to post from there! I have done 12 children’s books that are either based in Jersey or have some link to it - pop onto my website for a peek pennybyrneauthor.com Always grateful to have readers around the world 🌎 💖

Here is a photo of the author with her books:

"I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book about the Occupation, and the Liberation 75 celebrations seemed the perfect time to do it. The book is designed to work on a number of levels – to appeal to younger readers who might enjoy guessing what is in Peg’s pocket, as well as to older children who want to discover what life was like under German rule. There is plenty of other information for teachers and adults as well. Thanks to our very generous sponsors and the Co-op, all proceeds from the sales of the book will be shared equally between four local charities."

See inside this book here. And check out the other vibrant work by the illustrator Lauren Radley. 

Here is the statue in Liberation Square in St Helier Jersey.