Monthly Archives: August 2023

Blog Tour – Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

Today is my turn on the blog tour for Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamsom.

Written by an award-winning established author with many years of teaching experience. Norah’s Ark explores poverty, homelessness, childhood illness and bullying
It offers young readers a powerful lesson in empathy, through an uplifting tale and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity. Perfect for young animal lovers and readers of Katherine Applegate and Onjali Q Rauf.

My slot today will take the form of a book review.

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Title: Norah’s Ark

Written by: Victoria Williamson

Cover design by: Anna Morrison

Published by: Neem Tree Press

Norah’s Ark is a story about friendship and being honest with each other. It is written through the dual narrative of two eleven-year-olds who are from different worlds but they are both desperately in need of a friend. Victoria Williamson has created characters you care about, who you want to succeed.

Norah is living in poverty – she has no food, nowhere permanent to live and no mother, believing she was born in a test tube, during the day she has to fend for herself and takes solace in her bicycle she received from the church, a mouse she feeds what little scraps she can find, a pet spider and a nest of birds whose parents have gone. She suspects her father is addicted to gambling and works out he has been lying to her about who the woman he was arguing with at the library truly is. She is bullied at school and has no friends. Yet she smiles and pretends everything is ok because she does not want to upset her father.

Adam has food and a secure home but he has a ‘helicopter mother’ and since he has been in recovery from leukaemia, his father is always working. He is home tutored and not allowed out of the boundaries of the garden so has no contact with anyone other than his tutor and parents. He has given up on his dream of being an Olympic swimmer, as due to his illness he is no longer allowed in the water. Despite understanding that his mother’s actions are driven by love and fear of losing him, he feels trapped and alone. Yet, he grits his teeth and pretends everything is ok as he does not want to see the hurt and anguish on his parent’s faces, he has witnessed ever since being diagnosed. In the same way as Norah he just wants his parents to be happy.

Norah and Adam’s unlikely friendship develops though their love of animals. They are both looking after the same nest of birds. When Adam moves the nest to protect the chicks from the neighbours ginger cat, Norah is devastated that the chicks she was looking after, have been taken.

Both Norah and Adam had jumped to conclusions about the circumstances of not only each other but of the abandoned cat, the bully at school who is in foster care and each other’s parents. After Norah tries to get the chicks back from Adam’s tree house they slowly begin to find out more about each other. Together they set about trying to rescue animals in need.

The way their friendship develops is brilliantly written and highly believable. #children want to present them selves in a good light and rarely discuss the short fallings of their parents, unless they have developed a relationship of trust. It was a poignant moment when Norah and Adam reached this point. Yet still they are not totally open about their feelings. The message is that if only that could be more open about what they want for their future in the first place, instead of bottling it up,  so much heartbreak could have been avoided.

This middle grade novel is a powerful and realistic story that makes you think. I like the way that Norah’s poverty has not been sugar coated in the same way as many other stories for this age range have been. The realities of the world today and the need for foodbanks and understanding of people’s circumstances are made clear. How essential it is to communicate properly with loved ones and be honest about things is highlighted through the events and action in the story. It shouldn’t take a daring rescue in the flood after the river burst its banks to bring things to a head but entirely credibly it has.

A great story that will have readers gripped to the end.

You can read my interview with Victoria Williamson about the writing of Norah’s Ark here: The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour – Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson.

You can read my review of another of Victoria’s books, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams published by Tiny Tree Publishing here: Blog Tour – The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by Victoria Williamson.

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Victoria Williamson is an award-winning children’s author and primary school teacher
from Scotland. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her
own real-life adventures and taught children and trained teachers in Malawi,
Cameroon, and China and worked with children with additional support needs in the
UK. She previously volunteered as a reading tutor with The Book Bus charity in
Zambia and is now a Patron of Reading with CharChar Literacy to promote early years
phonics teaching in Malawi.

She is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see themselves reflected. Her books have won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award in 2020/2021, have been shortlisted for the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award in 2021, the Trinity Schools Book Award in 2021, the Yaldi Glasgow School Libraries’ Book Award in 2023, and have also been longlisted for the Branford Boase Prize and Waterstones Children’s Prize.

To find out more about Victoria, her books, her free resources and competitions for schools take a look at her website: www.strangelymagical.com. She can be found on Twitter (or ‘X’ as it is now!) at: @strangelymagic.

You can buy a copy of Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson direct from her publisher Neem Tree Press at: https://neemtreepress.com/book/norahs-ark/. You can also purchase a copy from any independent bookshop or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

I would like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. Thank you.

To follow the rest of Random Things Tour please take a look at the schedule below:

Blog Tour – Monster Max: This Time it’s Sirius by Robin Bennett

It is with great pleasure that I am taking part in the blog tour for Monster Max: This Time it’s Sirius by Robin Bennett and illustrated by Tom Tinn-Disbury.

Max can turn into a huge monster just by BURPING, and back again when he SNEEZES. Now Max and his best friend Peregrine realise that a dangerous pack of werewolves from Max’s home country of Krit are closing in on him and his family. But Max hasn’t told anyone about Sirius the tiny werewolf cub he found, smuggled home, and decided to keep but they soon realise… Werewolf cubs are not just for Halloween.

When Robin grew up he thought he wanted to be a cavalry officer until everyone else realised that putting him in charge of a tank was a very bad idea. He then became an assistant gravedigger in London. This is a photo of Robin with his cat Gnasher.

After gravedigging, Robin had a career frantically starting businesses (everything from dog-sitting to cigars, tuition to translation)… until finally settling down to write improbable stories to keep his children from killing each other on long car journeys. Robin claims he plays most sports. Poorly.

My spot on the blog tour will take the form of an extract from the prologue of Monster Max: This Time it’s Sirius.

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High up in the mountains, the tiny country of Krit was even more hidden than usual.

For it was a dark and stormy night.

Fanghorn, leader of the Red Eye wolves, and fearsome enemy of Monster Max, prowled the chilly corridors of his grim castle, getting crosser by the minute. Fanghorn was a wolf who didn’t like people leaving Krit, and that meant Max’s mum (and Max). And he also didn’t like people who made him look stupid and that also meant Max’s mum (and Max).

‘They think they’re free, running about doing good in this England place!’ he snarled. ‘But no- one leaves Krit without my permission. I want them here … I want to punish them!’!’

But how to capture them, when all his efforts had failed so far?

I must have werewolves for this job, he thought. Not just any old ones; I need the strongest and the most loyal.

He burst out onto the castle battlements just as the moon appeared from behind a black cloud, raised his huge jaws into the night, and he howled into the frozen air, ‘Bring me the leader of the Varkas pack! Wooooo!’

Almost immediately, he heard answering howls from the ice regions of Krit and it didn’t take long for the sound of running feet to reach his wolfish ears.

Fanghorn leapt from the battlements to greet his guest in the castle courtyard.

‘Raise the gate!’ he snarled at his guards.

But before they got their paws on the lifting lever, there was a terrible splintering noise and the gate exploded into pieces. A wolf burst into the courtyard and came to a screeching stop a whisker away from Fanghorn’s nose.

The Varkas pack leader was even bigger than Fanghorn – like the werewolf equivalent of a cage fighter but with extra bits, like teeth and claws. Fanghorn had to stop himself from gulping.

‘Yes, sir!’ the Varkas wolf barked. (He probably would have saluted if he’d had hands, not four paws.) ‘At your service!’

‘YES!’ said Fanghorn, thinking: these guys are great, they’ll always follow orders. ‘I have a job for you and for twenty of your best fighters.’

‘Sir!’

‘You must go to England, to a place called Oxford, and find a Grey Eyed wolf who escaped from Krit, who now calls herself Sally Forbes, and her son, Max. Bring them to me!’ Fanghorn turned to go.

‘Sir?’

‘Yes? What is it?’ He turned back to the Varkas wolf impatiently.

‘Well, um…’ The huge wolf looked embarrassed. ‘Did you want us to go, like, right away?’

‘Of course, like right away. Otherwise, I would have waited until morning instead of doing this dramatic midnight howling… Anyway, why?’

‘It’s just that we’ve just had a cub, lovely little fella, and my wife and I kind of run the pack together – like a family thing, you know – and, what I mean to say, your Royal Highness, is that it gives us a bit of a childcare issue … um…’ He stopped as Fanghorn glared at him in furious silence.

‘Well, take the cub along – everyone travels with kids these days. You’ll probably get a discount.’

‘Sir!’ The Varkas pack leader looked relieved. ‘Thank you, sir! So, twenty vicious wolves wot know no mercy and are extremely terrifying, against one kid and his mum?’

‘Yes… Anything wrong with that?’

‘Er, no, sir.’ The huge wolf looked a bit unsure but wasn’t going to push his luck with Fanghorn’s terrible temper. ‘Consider thems got!’

The Varkas wolf turned and leapt.

‘Wait, hold on … argh! RAISE THE GATE!’ Fanghorn barked at the guards, who had only just finished sticking the broken pieces together with rope and glue. He was too late. There was an awful crashing noise like a small meteorite ploughing through a forest as the Varkas leader smashed the gate all over again.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t these Varkas ever use doors like normal werewolves?’ Fanghorn growled. He watched the warrior disappear into the night and, instead of dwelling on his broken gate, he thought about what he would do when he finally had his captives in Krit.

Fanghorn slowly grinned with several dozen very large fangs. He couldn’t wait to get his teeth into them.

Extract from the Prologue of Monster Max: This Time it’s Sirius by Robin Bennett.

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You can follow Robin Bennet on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter): @writer_robin and on Instagram @robinbennettauthor.

You can purchase a copy of Monster Max: This Time it’s Sirius by Robin Bennett and Tom Tinn-Disbury from the following links:

Firefly Press Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com uk.bookshop.org

I would like to thank Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. Thank you.

To follow the rest of the tour please check out the schedule below:

The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour – Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

I am excited to be taking part in another of The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tours for Victoria Williamson this time for her fabulous middle-grade novel, Norah’s Ark.

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

Her latest book Norah’s Ark is about two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming…

Eleven-year-old Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough, as she has a dad, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for. Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect – far from it. He’s recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer.

When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they’re not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood? Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah’s Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.

My stop on the tour will take the form of an author interview.

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Welcome to my blog Victoria. to start us off could you please tell us a little bit more about yourself and the inspiration for your book Norah’s Ark.

As a former teacher, I’ve got to know a lot of children in my years in school, and have been struck by the very wide range of background experiences they bring to the classroom, despite often living in the same area. A lot of my contemporary issue stories explore these differences, and the ways in which they can be overcome so that children can form lasting friendships. In previous books I’ve explored subjects such as cultural differences and neurodiversity. For Norah’s Ark, I wanted to explore something that can have a big impact on children’s educational experiences: class differences – how the cost of living can be a big struggle for some families, while barely affecting others. However, I didn’t want it to be a book about how children from poor families who experience homelessness have negative outcomes while children with stable home lives whose parents have well-paid jobs all have positive experiences. Life is much more nuanced than that, and Norah – who lives in temporary accommodation and relies on food banks, and who initially sees only the positive sides to Adam’s life – eventually comes to learn that Adam’s battle with cancer and his problems with his overprotective parents have led to him to live a much more lonely life than she imagines. Their friendship gives them both something to look forward to and provides them both with hope for a better future – this is a theme that I particularly enjoy emphasising in books, as I’ve often seen the transformative power of friendship in my work as a teacher.

Why did you decide to write Norah’s Ark from a dual viewpoint?

I think empathy is a vital thing to teach children – how to see the world from the point of view of someone else who might live a very different life. While single-narrative stories give children the opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone else and experience their thoughts and feelings, I particularly like using dual narratives to help children explore prejudice and biased initial impressions. We’re all guilty of making assumptions about other people, but dual narrative stories give readers the opportunity to see how two children might make assumptions about each other based on external factors – such as clothes, where they live and how they speak – and how these assumptions make each character feel. Dual narrative stories are particularly good at teaching children that there are two sides to every story, and that two people might experience the same event in very different ways. This can help them to understand a very common occurrence: why, when they argue with someone in the school playground and they come running in to tell the teacher, there are often two conflicting stories being told about the same event, and both children are convinced they’re the one telling the truth about what ‘actually’ happened!

What are the underlying themes of Norah’s Ark?

There are the initial themes which jump out at the reader from the blurb and opening chapters – childhood poverty, childhood illness, bullying, loneliness, homelessness, the cost of living and the problems associated with it (foodbanks, temporary accommodation, zero-hours contracts, lack of certainty and stability for families). But this is very definitely not intended as a ‘doom-and-gloom’ story. Ultimately this is intended as a story of hope – of friendship, overcoming adversity, and of developing close family relationships through honest dialogue.

Where did you get the idea of rescuing such an odd menagerie of animals?

Children love animals – I think that’s why they feature so often in my stories. As adults we tend to think of ‘suitable’ pets as being dogs, cats, rabbits – if there’s space for them – and hamsters if space is an issue. However, children tend to be much more curious about the world, and will befriend pretty much anything that moves! Norah lives in temporary accommodation and can’t have the dog or cat she’s always wanted – she’s not even supposed to keep a hamster in the hostels or B&B the Council moves her and her father to. She loves animals, though, and is always on the lookout for anything she thinks might need to be rescued, which includes baby birds, the occasional hedgehog, and even a spider called Boris!

Is there a particular place you like to write?

I don’t have a writing shed or anything like that! I do need peace and quiet to write, though, and I like to be fairly close to the kettle so I can easily reward myself with endless cups of peppermint tea for getting through particularly tricky pages!

What made you decide to donate 20% of your author royalties for Norah’s Ark to Shelter?

I like to give 20% of my book royalties to a particular charity, as it’s my way of ‘giving back’. I’ve been lucky that I’ve had the opportunity in life to work towards the career I’ve always wanted. Becoming a writer hasn’t been easy, but it has been an option for me. I’d like to make sure my books contribute in some small way to ensuring other children get the option to work towards the career of their choice too. Shelter and Shelter Scotland both do a great job in supporting children like Norah whose families experience homelessness – as well as making a small contribution to this work, I’d like to use this book as an opportunity to open discussions in schools about homelessness and to hopefully help publicise the work that Shelter and Shelter Scotland do.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

I know I should pick a current author, but there are so many wonderful authors out there, it would be impossible! I’ve been very lucky to have had many opportunities to spend time with other lovely authors in real life – at book events, festivals, on school visits and even on special occasions such as the recent ‘Children’s Publishing Picnic’ in Edinburgh. So I’m going to cheat a little and pick my favourite author – Jane Austen. I adored her books when I first discovered them in my late teens. I used to swish around the Glasgow University campus in empire-line dresses and lace-up boots with my hairstyles copied from whichever period drama I’d most recently watched. I might not have looked so out of place if I’d been studying English Literature, but since I was doing a degree in Physics at the time, the white lab coat and safety goggles really messed with the Regency Period look I was aiming for!

If you had to describe yourself in just three words, what would those be?

Oh, that’s a tough one! The three words would depend on the day of the week and what mood I was in at the time! I’ve been working hard on a new writing project over the summer, and unwinding after battling with first drafts and edits by watching some of my favourite period dramas in the evening, so I suppose right now I’m:

Lost. In. Austen.

Is there an aspect of writing for children you wish someone had told you when you started out?

‘Don’t write in a vacuum!’

When I first started writing, I thought that you were supposed to hide away for ages while working on your magnum opus and only show it (and yourself!) to the world when you were finished. Now, I always tell other aspiring authors to engage as much as possible with local writing groups, talk to other authors, and attend lots of writing events. It’s really hard to keep the momentum and motivation going on your own, and there are lots of wonderful people out there you can learn from and who will support you on your journey, so the more you share ideas and discuss writing with other people, the better your stories will be.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about your books and writing for children?

A bit of a plug here on behalf of myself and other children’s authors, but to all the lovely readers out there – please do consider leaving a book review or even just a rating on Goodreads, Amazon or another website after reading a book! It makes a very big difference in terms of other readers being able to find a particular book, and makes writers like me very happy!

Thank you Victoria for such an insightful look into the writing of Norah’s Ark and the themes behind it. I look forward to reading more of your books in the future.

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You can find out more about Victoria Williamson, her books, her free resources and competitions for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com. She can be found on Twitter (or ‘X’ as it is now!) at: @strangelymagic.

You can buy a copy of Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson direct from her publisher Neem Tree Press at: https://neemtreepress.com/book/norahs-ark/. You can also purchase a copy from any independent bookshop or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

I would like to thank The Write Reads for inviting me to take part in this ultimate tour. Thank you.

To follow the rest of The Write Reads Ultimate Tour please take a look at the schedule below:

You can read my review of another of Victoria’s books, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams published by Tiny Tree Publishing here: Blog Tour – The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by Victoria Williamson

Book review: The Not So Uniform Life of Holly-Mei

Title: The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei

Written by: Christina Matula

Illustrated by: Yao Xiao

Published by: Inkyard Pess

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei is Christina Matula’s debut novel and the first in a fun and engaging trilogy, which showcases a diverse smorgasbord of mixed-Asian cultures.

When Holly-Mei’s mum gets a promotion, Holly-Mei and her trendy younger sister, Millie, are uprooted from their home in Toronto, Canada and enrolled into Tai-Tam Prep, an elite private school in Hong Kong. Holly-Mei considers this a fresh start as she has fallen out with her best friend, Natalie and has been ostracised by her hockey team mates after blurting out the ball hit her foot before it went in the goal during the hockey tournament, costing them the game. However, moving to Hong Kong brings many new challenges, which are escalated now her Mum’s new position as Chief Operating Officer for Asia-Pacific Lo Holdings International, means Holly-Mei needs to make a good impression as she has an image to protect.

Holly Mei does not get off to a good start in her new home – there is friction between her and her cousins, Rosie and Rhys – she has to cope with only video chats with her beloved confidant, Ah-Ma whose favourite saying is ‘bitterness ends and sweetness begins’ (a motto that encapsulates the ideals and message of The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei) – she also has a run in with Queen-bee Gemma on her first day at school who is definitely the ‘mean girl’.

Gemma and Holly-Mei eventually become friends when a near-fatal accident during Gemma’s birthday party become a bonding experience and they realise they each have their own teenage problems. Ultimately Holly-Mei must learn to curb her habit of speaking without thinking.

Christina Matula’s use of descriptive language is eloquent and evocative, especially some of her lovely expressive passages on the mouth-watering food. She creates a vivid picture of the way

the community consists of high-achieving, high-powered families who want their children to be the best. I enjoyed reading about the rich-society lifestyle and I particularly liked the way Christina expertly highlighted how when it comes to cultures and traditions each family is very different, yet have similar expectations and strong family bonds.

Yao Xiao’s detailed illustrations are scattered throughout the book giving it a traditional charm. At the beginning of the book is a functional map of Hong Kong and I am partial to a map in fiction books. At the back of the book is a useful Mandarin and Cantonese glossary and pronunciation guide. Another great addition are two fun-to-try recipes; one for Ah-Ma’s Dumplings, the other for Millie’s Red Bean Creamsicles.

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei is celebration of the world’s vast diversity that incorporates themes of honour, duty and parental pressures.

This book was originally reviewed for Armadillo Magazine.

Special Guest Q & A with Tania Tay

I am delighted to have Tania Tay as my special guest on my blog today. Tania has written the first in latest Storymix creation Spellcasters under the pseudonym Crystal Sung and published by Hachette Children’s Books.

Tania is second generation British Malaysian Chinese. She first wrote stories and plays on her mum’s old typewriter in the school holidays. Working as an advertising copywriter in Singapore and London was great training in writing commercial fiction.

As well as ghost writing Spellcasters Tania has written a screenplay, developed with BBC Writers Room London Voices.

Spellcasters is an empowering magical adventure series, which will cast a spell over children aged 7+. Jenny is the new girl in town and forms a band called The Spellcasters with her new friends.

When an ancient evil spirit escapes from its underground lair, the girls discover that they have something even more special in common – they can all channel the magical powers of their ancestors! Maya can shapeshift, Tamzin can control nature, and Ananya can read minds. But to stop the evil Graydig from destroying their beloved community centre, Jenny must travel back in time to ancient China to master her own supernatural ability.

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Welcome Tania to my blog.

Tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for your book Spellcasters.

I’m an advertising copywriter and SCBWI volunteer and I’ve been writing fiction and spec screenplays for over ten years before I got this chance to collaborate on Spellcasters with Storymix Studio. The idea behind Spellcasters comes from Jasmine Richards and her drive to produce books for children with a diverse cast of characters, having fun adventures with magic.

I know Spellcasters is a Storymix book, how have you found the book packaging experience and how was the pseudonym for Spellcasters chosen?

Working with Storymix has been really fun. While Storymix came up with the idea and storyline, I filled in with much of the character descriptions, especially for the Malaysian Chinese grandparents and Jenny’s family life. By coincidence, my own daughter lived with my parents while I worked away for a while, and I drew off this experience. I added a lot of Malaysian food descriptions as well. I also researched Chinese magic and found the Wu shaman female ancestor for Jenny, which was really interesting.

For the pseudonym of Crystal Sung, we used the Chinese surname Sung. Since the English spelling also relates to music, it was a fun way to relate the author name to the story, as the four girls are in a band. For the first name, we wanted something magical and I came up with a long list of possible names, but in the end we chose Crystal.

How did you decide what magical powers your characters would have in the story?

The magical powers were in the storyline created by Storymix. They wanted each girl’s magic to have been passed down from a female ancestor who was rooted in history. I found the female Wu shaman who passed down powers of astral projection to Jenny. These shaman used song and dance to channel the spirit plane. Maya is descended from an ancient Egyptian acolyte of Isis who could shapeshift into animals. Tamzin has powers of healing and the ability to control the weather which is passed down from her ancestor Gang Gang Sarah – a legendary witch from Trinidad and Tobago. Ananya’s telekinetic ability is wish fulfilment magic, passed down from an ancestor who used the magic of the Kalpavriksha wishing tree.

What magical power what would you choose to have and what jewellery amplifier would be connected to it?

I loved reading about magic as a child and mixing potions. I’d choose to have the wishing magic if I could! My favourite jewellery to wear are earrings so that would probably be the best talisman for me.

If you could meet your characters, Jenny, Maya, Tamzin and Ananya, what would you say to them?

To enjoy their magical powers to the max! I would have loved to have magic powers as a child – and still would! But also I’d tell them resolve any differences as they come up and keep being friends. Friendship is the most important super power of all.

What writing advice would you give to an aspiring children’s book author?

If you get stuck, write longhand in a notebook. You can always find something to write down, even if you’re just writing about people you see on the tube, or you’re just having a moan about annoying things in your life. Often, writing longhand gets your imagination going and you could find yourself writing about a past event or in the voice of a character, or coming up with a story. Always be curious. (My family might say nosy…)

Has having a book published changed the way you see yourself? 

I guess it’s given me external validation, and proves to my family that I’m a real writer, rather than just scribbling in my notebook every day. I’m still doing the same things day to day but it has boosted my confidence.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about Spellcasters and writing for children?

I couldn’t have written the book without Jasmine Richards and the Storymix editors, including Clare Whitston who devised the storyline, and Irem Ozpullukcu. So the author Crystal Sung isn’t just me but a collaboration of all of us. With my own writing, I’m constantly angsting about the plot so having the storyline given to me made the process a lot easier. But you also can’t be precious about anything – if they want to change anything you have to say yes. My own writing at the moment is mainly for adults, not children, so it’s been fun to have this chance to write about some fun adventures and magic.

Thank you for joining me today. I am looking forward to reading book two of Spellcasters Potion Power.

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You can follow Tania Tay on Twitter @taniatay88 and Instagram @taniatay88

You can buy a copy of Spellcasters by Crystal Sung in any good bookshop and online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

Book Review: Smart Sisters

Title: Smart Sisters

Written and Illustrated by: Mechal Renee Roe

Published by: Welbeck Publishing

Another Happy Hair book written and illustrated by Mechal Renee Roe that vividly displays a wide range of female portraits from different races and how their sisterhood unites them and makes them stronger.

Smart Sisters celebrates the joys of sisterhood through simple, life-affirming messages and Mechal’s trademark warm and charming illustrations. Just using faces, the illustrations highlight the many enjoyable activities sisters can encounter together. Discover some of the amazing things about having a sister, including doing everything from science and sports to reading together, or just sharing big dreams of a great future.

Again Mechal uses a repetitive phrase which children can join in with when reading aloud in class or at bedtime. This time the phrase, ‘My sister and me’,  making the reading of Smart Sisters a fun, interactive experience.

Ideal for any girl who has a sister she loves – or just for anyone who wants a family-sized dose of positivity and empowerment – this is the ideal gift book.

Other books in the Happy Hair series include Cool Cuts, Happy Hair, I Love Being Me, I’m Growing Great and I Am Born To Be Awesome! You can read my review of I Am Born To Be Awesome here: Book Review: I Am Born To be Awesome!

Book Review: Caring Conservationist Who Are Changing Our Planet

Title: Caring Conservationist Who Are Changing Our Planet

Written by: Kate Peridot

 Illustrated by: Sarah Long

Published by: Walker Books

In Caring Conservationists Who Are Changing Our Planet, Kate Peridot, takes on a whistle stop tour around the world to discover the stories of 20 conservationists and the endangered animals they are helping to save, including the blue whale, honeybee, Indian tiger, the last kākāpō, Komodo dragon, orangutan, rhino and the sea turtle. Sarah Long’s bright vivid illustrations capture the heart of the conservationist and the endangered animal.

This is a cleverly designed book full of inspiring facts about a wide variety of diverse conservationists and the endangered animals they are campaigning to save. The activities are fun and engaging I am sure young children will be eager to build a bug hotel, draw a campaign poster, or make their own nature documentary, to name but a few.

This vibrant non-fiction book is positive, uplifting and packed full of information, with 20 fun activities for children to try, this book demonstrates no one is too small to make a difference.  

Useful for use in the classroom to support work in the science programme of study for – Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, in particular, Working scientifically and Living things and their habitats. The ideal book to buy to keep your children active and happy during the holidays.

You can read my interview with Kate peridot about the writing of this book on my blog: Blog Tour – Caring Conservationists by Kate Peridot.

You can buy copies of Caring Conservationist Who Are Changing Our Planet  by Kate Peridot and Sarah Long from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

To find out more about Kate Peridot and her books you can visit her website www.kateperidot.com, Twitter @kateperidot, Instagram @kateperidot and on Facebook @kate.peridot.7.

Blog Tour – The Stranded and The Exiled by Sarah Daniels

It is finally my stop on the last day of the blog tour for this quite honestly brilliant duology by Sarah Daniels. I have been eagerly waiting to post my thoughts on these fantastic books. The whole premise is brilliant.

Blurb for The Stranded

Welcome to the Arcadia.

Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States – a leftover piece of a fractured USA.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.

Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all.

When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever . . .

Blurb for The Exiled

Trust no one.

It is four months since the Arcadia set sail for the first time in forty years. But this wasn’t the freedom the inhabitants were hoping for. Esther Crossland did what she had to do, but it has left a trail of destruction in her wake. Now the wrecked ship is abandoned. Its inhabitants are in exile, trapped in sprawling make-shift shelters made up of warehouse, tents, shipping containers.

Esther and Nik, architects of the rebellion, are on the run. Esther is in hiding, desperate to do something to help her people, and Nik seems to have abandoned all hope, on a journey taking him further and further from home. And neither of them want to face up to their true feelings about one another . . .

Not only that, there is a new villain in town. With the fall of Commander Hadley, it’s left to the ruthless Admiral Janek to deal with the traitors, and her own past is beginning to catch-up with her.

Then the shaky ceasefire negotiated by General Lall, Nik’s mum, falls apart. Nik and Esther find themselves in a world of betrayals and double crossings – a game of power, with no one to trust but themselves.

It’s time for the final showdown.

For my stop I have written two separate reviews as I read both books and once I’d started I found it hard to put them down.

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Title: The Stranded

Written by: Sarah Daniels

Cover Art by: Thomas Walker

Published by: Penguin

After the first few pages of The Stranded I was hooked. This is a fast-paced dystopian that quickly draws you into the world and rooting for the main characters.

The concept is excellent. In 2050 ten cruise ships had left Europe just before a European biological war broke out. Any survivors from the impact contracted the deadly virus contained in the missiles. Unable to go home, the ships were stranded at sea and had hoped to find refuge in the US. Their arrival caused tension and disagreement throughout America some wanted to accept the refuges others thought the threat of contamination and the expense of accepting so many immigrants too great. The areas closer to the where the ships were docked declared themselves independent from the United States and became the Federated States. Forty years later, in 2094, the refugees are still aboard. Aid is minimal. The ships are slowly being cleared and the passengers are being killed, or sent to workcamps run by the prison corporations. The Arcadia is next in line.

This is so realistic. You can imagine this persistent quarantine really happening especially when you consider that in July 2020, there were 67 cruise ships stranded at sea, or in docks around the globe, waiting to finish Covid quarantine. I found it highly believable that a newly formed independent state that sees itself as a separate country from the United States would let the sudden freedom of power and the threat of contamination overwhelm them to create such a repressive regime. The brutality of the Federated States reminded me of Animal Farm by George Orwell in that ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’

It is written from several points of view in mostly alternating chapters:

  • Esther Crossland who is trying to keep her head down so she can graduate earning her place off the ship and to freedom at a Federation medical school on land.
  • Nikhil Lall who works in the engine room and is a member of the resistance, led by his mother.
  • And Commander Hadley, head of the security force aboard the Arcadia for seventeen years. He is a bitter, cruel man with issues of his own compounded by the fact he is also a victim of the Federated States, as he was placed on the ship as a sadistic punishment.

All the characters are highly believable and well-written. I liked the way Esther’s sister, May, who was training to be a soldier for the Federation is a double agent and Nik’s love interest. I thought the way Esther is reluctantly pulled into the world of the resistance was clever and plausible. Esther’s long-term controlling boyfriend is manipulative and not beyond deceit, hoarding food and encouraging Esther to cheat on her tests to ensure her place in the medical corp. I thought the development of his character and how Esther was torn by her family loyalties, her familiarity to Alex and to do what she knew what right in her heart was well-plotted and credible.

In fact, the whole plot of The Stranded was brilliantly intricate and totally compelling. It is a realistic story of survival, which I found difficult to drag myself away from. I felt lucky I had the sequel ready to dive into when I’d finished the last page.

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Title: The Exiled

Written by: Sarah Daniels

Cover Art by: Señor Salme

Published by: Penguin

Before I started reading The Exiled I was wondering if Sarah Daniels would keep up the momentum and the plot moving forward as well as she did in The Stranded. I was not disappointed. The second in this dystopian duology was just as gripping as the first.

Again it is written in several points of view, that of Esther and Nik again and this time we meet new character Meg and a more devious and cruel antagonist, Javik who we had briefly met in The Stranded.

The book opens in the makeshift cramped camp of the survivors from the crashed Arcadia with alternating chapters from Esther and Meg. The second half of the book is then told from the point of views of Nik who is now working in the Gulf of Mexico cleaning trash from the ocean and Janik who wants the survivors neutralised.

We learn how the events unfolded since Esther crashed the ship into the mainland. Nik and Esther have been exiled from the main resistance headquarters, so Nik left the camp to get away from his mother and her desire to take over as leader of the resistance and Esther is acting as a medic for the other refugees from the Arcadia along with her former teacher, Corporal Harriet Weston (Corp).

The characters of Corp, General Lall and Silas are expanded as we discover their motivations and goals and these effect their actions and the development of the plot. Meg is another great character. Her infatuation for Alex was scary and the way he has manipulated her is true to his own character. Meg’s final heroic actions brought a tear to my eye. I was pleased with the way Alex got his comeuppance in the end. I also liked the introduction of Harveen, Javik’s assistant, and was intrigued by how her life become entangled with the sinister Javik.

Esther has a new love interest in Patrick Huang and the love triangle between them and Nik was well-written but I found myself wanting her to choose Patrick rather than Nik who I still feel was on the rebound from her sister and so them getting together was not a good idea. This logic illustrates how three-dimensional the characters are in that as I read I was trying to advise Esther against Nik all the time knowing realistically the heart wants what the heart wants, so I was fighting a losing battle.

Sarah Daniels has certainly racked up the tension in The Exiled. The shorter chapters made this an even faster, more exciting and breath-taking read than the first book.  Great plot and fantastic characters.

I would highly recommend this duology.

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Sarah Daniels is an ex-archaeologist who escaped academia and now writes stories from her home in rural Lincolnshire.

Her work has been published in various online magazines and has been nominated for best British and Irish Flash Fiction and Best Small Fictions. 

To find out more about Sarah and her books you can view her website:  http://www.sarahdanielsbooks.com. You can also follow her on Instagram: @sarahdanielsbooks, TikTok: @sarahdanielsbooks and Twitter: @sarahdanbooks.

You can read more reviews of The Stranded and The Exiled by following the links below:

The Stranded on Amazon The Exiled on Amazon

The Stranded on Goodreads The Exiled on Goodreads

I would like to thank Dave from The Write Reads not only for inviting me on this blog but also for inviting me into the fabulous Write Reads community. Thank you.

Blog Tour – Deep by Stephen Hogton

It is my delight to be taking part in the blog tour for this breath-taking picture book, Deep by Stephen Hogton. I am quite excited about this tour as not only is it a beautiful picture book but today, Thursday 3rd August 2023, is launch day.

Stephen Hogtun is an author/illustrator who lives on the west coast of sunny Norway with his partner, two children and several rescue animals in an old house overlooking a lovely fjord. His house sits on the edge of a beautiful fjord, and his artwork is inspired both by the love he feels for his family and the views he sees from his window.

This is his second picture book for Bloomsbury, following his acclaimed debut, Leaves. Both picture books cover serious topics in a very gentle, child-friendly way and feature visually stunning illustrations.

Deep encapsulates a mother’s love for her child. When a tiny whale calf is born, his mother raises him to the surface to take his first breath. She guides him as he grows, until he is strong enough to swim at her side, and they set off together on a great journey across the oceans.

One day, the time will come for the grown calf to set out on his own . . . but wherever he goes and whatever he does, his mother will be waiting for him and sending her song of love across the oceans. Filled with beautiful, luminous artwork, this stunning picture book tells a universal story about love and family that’s perfect for readers young and old.

My stop on the tour will take the form of a book review.

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Title: Deep

Written and Illustrated by: Stephen Hogton

Published by: Bloomsbury

A story of love through the generations. Deep portrays how the mother whale guides, protects and teaches her young calf about the ocean. They travel on a long journey and back again to learn the way before she is confident her child is old enough and strong enough to fend for themselves.

This touching picture book of highlighting a mother’s love for her child is such a joy to read. I found myself reflecting back on my own children when they were younger, like leaving them on their first day at primary school and more recently as they go off to study at university. In this way this book will appeal to adults and children alike.

The illustrations are gorgeous. I love the use of colour and the way the light appears to sparkle off the sea. Absolutely mesmerising. There is a hypnotic effect created as you imagine these enormous yet elegant creatures gliding through the water. Stephen Hogton’s use of colour draws you in – from the warm still waters to the stormy choppy seas.

There are several heart-warming philosophical messages throughout the book I feel will get children thinking. A few of my favourites are:

“There is always calm is you seek it.”

“If you search, hidden beauty and truth can be found.”

“It’s not how quickly you travel but who you travel with.”

“Remember to treasure each moment because each one goes by quickly as a blink of an eye.”

Extracts from Deep by Stephen Hogton

I think teachers and carers could use some of these insights to open some very fruitful and enlightening discussions with the children.

On the whole I think Deep creates an atmosphere of calm, which leaves the reader with a feeling of safety and belonging. Young children will want to hear Deep read again and again.

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To follow the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule below:

I would like to thank Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to take part in this tour. Thank you.

Book Review: The Great Fox Heist

Title: The Great Fox Heist

Written by: Justyn Edwards

Illustrated by: Flavia Sorrentino

Published by: Walker Books

The Great Fox Heist is the second book in the Great Fox series. This fast-paced mystery adventure is full of magical misdirection and distraction. Flick Lions and her friend Charlie are in Switzerland to take part in another competition to steal a priceless diamond necklace from one of the most secure bank vaults in the world, whilst still searching for answers about her father’s mysterious disappearance, never knowing who she can trust. Flick is a strong, dynamic character who the reader can easily identify with.

The Great Fox promises several times that at the next stop her father will be there but he never materialises. Even by the end of the book she has not yet discovered where her father is. But the reader does have a greater understanding of why The Bell system should remain a secret.

Just like the first in the series, The Great Fox Heist, is cleverly written with a well-crafted plot that builds up the tension as Flick searches for answers. The heist is well thought out and believable. Flick’s prosthetic leg is shown through her cautious way of climbing but is never seen as a hinderance and does not restrict her achieving her goal.

There have been a lot of crime style mystery books for middle grade recently but The Great Fox Heist is unique as it is from the thief’s point of view. Unlike other books in this genre it invites the reader to solve how the heist was done and send the author a message with the promise of being able to help with the next assignment. What a fantastic incentive to get readers to invest in the characters and the series. I know I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

This book was previously reviewed for Armadillo Magazine.

You can buy copies of The Great Fox Heist by Justyn Edwards from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.