Category Archives: Book review

Book Review: Emba and the Beckoning Bones

Title: Emba Oak and the Beckoning Bones

Written by: Jenny Moore

Cover illustrated by: David Dean

Published by: Maverick Publishing

Wow! From the first page to the last Emba Oak and the Beckoning Bones is a marvel. I love this series and can’t wait to join Emba in the next book in the series, Emba Oak and the Screaming Sea. Jenny Moore’s writing is clever and flows perfectly, drawing the reader seamlessly from one well structured event to another. The cover illustration by David Dean with the dragon skull would entice any young fantasy reader to pick the book up and certainly made me excited to start reading.

Emba is a fantastic well-rounded character. Her dragon skills are beginning to emerge and she endeavours to control them. Throughout her adventure she is plagued by dreams of her dragon mother. She is constantly worried Necromalcolm will return as he still needs her blood to complete his spell.

I was pleased to see that Emba Oak and the Beckoning Bones continued with the ingenious chapter headings that I loved so much in the first book, Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows. I was pleased to see the continuation in this book of using double chapters, as there are two chapter ones, one showing Emba’s hopes and dreams for what is going to happen, the second showing what really occurs. I also love the alliteration used in all the place names.

When they find their home is ransacked Emba, Odolf and Fred consult the Tome of Terrible Tomorrows, which suggests they travel to find the hidden crypt under the Ruinous Rocky Mountains for answers. Their journey takes them through the Perilous Peaks to see the Hushed Hermit of Hibbert’s Hill, to fight a giant killer scorpion with two tails and to fall into the clutches of the Sleep Sucking Swirl of Slumber. On the way, Emba reluctantly befriends a wasp snake and meets Merle who is eager to help them on their quest and despite her friends warnings, Emba still trusts.

The ending is a real twist and a half. My jaw literally dropped. Emba Oak and the Beckoning Bones is another exciting, well-written adventure, which I have come to expect from Maverick Publishing, ideal for KS2.

As previously mentioned, but is worth repeating… I loved it.

You can read my review of Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows by Jenny Moore here: Book Review: Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows.

You can buy copies of Jenny Moore’s books direct from the publisher Maverick Publishing, from your local bookshop, or you can also purchase copies online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

I would like to thank Abi Reeves at Maverick for sending me a review copy of Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows. Thank you.

Blog Tour – Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty

For my stop on the Toby and the Silver Blood Witches blog tour I will be doing a spotlight of the book.

This book won first place in the BBNYA 2022. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

The main character of, Toby and the Silver Blood Witches, is twelve year old Toby who has little time for friends or football since his mum fell ill. All he wants is to stay at home and keep an eye on her. But mysterious things are happening beyond his garden hedge. Who is the figure at the window behind the barbed wire fence? And why is there a strange woman in his attic with a broken broom and bothersome pet bat?

Toby becomes entangled in an adventure of flying dogs, sparking hiccups and dangerous escapes. An innocent, young witch has been captured by a secretive organisation which will stop at nothing to find out how magic works. Toby must rescue her and time is running out.

Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty was also the winner of the Book Blogger Novel of the Year Award 2022 and Writeblend Award 2022. Finalist in The Wishing Shelf Awards 2021. Shortlisted for The Selfies Book Awards 2022 and Rubery Book Awards 2022. The book is illustrated by Sarah Jan Docker @sarahjdocker

Sally writes middle grade novels. Her debut novel Toby and the Silver Blood Witches was published in July 2021. She lives in Surrey, UK, with her husband and three-legged Labrador. When not resting in bed due to chronic M.E. she can be found writing, reading or editing, searching for a sunny spot in the garden or providing a good scratch behind the ears.

Sally writes articles about living with chronic illness which have been published by MSN, Yahoo News, Metro UK, The Mighty, ME Association and Action for ME.

She dabbles in flash fiction with pieces published by Reflex Fiction, Spelk Fiction, Funny Pearls and Ellipsis Zine. She has won Retreat West’s Micro Fiction competition four times. And she is WriteMentor’s flash fiction judge.

You can discover more about Sally Doherty and her books on Twitter @Sally_writes and Facebook @sallydohertywrites.

Blog Tour: Meet the Bears by Kate Peridot and Becca Hall

It is with great pleasure that I am joining the blog tour for Meet the Bears by Kate Peridot and Becca Hall.

Kate Peridot is a prolific writer who loves research. Her research skills were honed by a love of books, studying for an international business degree, working as a marketer for food companies and then as a freelance writer.

She writes wild and adventurous children’s fiction and non-fiction about animals, people and STEM that encourage a can-do spirit, a quest for knowledge and a sense of adventure. Meet the Bears certainly does capture this essence.

The illustrator, Becca Hall, has a thing for nature, which often finds its way into her artwork. 

She is constantly finding inspiration from the natural world around her. Over the years, she has worked on an array of projects, including illustrated maps, product and packaging illustrations, branding, book illustrations, website art, and even adorable pet portraits. She also has her own range of giftware. 

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

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Title: Meet the Bears

Written by: Kate Peridot

Illustrated by: Becca Hall

Published by: Welbeck Publishing

Meet the Bears by Kate Peridot is the first in the series of enticing creative non-fiction books that focus on the different species of animals that can be found all over the world. This book concentrates, as the title would suggest, on bears.

It opens with a little girl and her teddy bears in her bedroom and her father telling her how ‘great’ bears are. They pack their bear spotting kit and set off on an adventure to discover the features of all the different species of bear so she can identify her own teddy bears family.

We learn there are eight different species of bear. We also discover that some animals people think are bears are not actually bears. It was a shock to read the koala is one of these animals.

Each species of bear has two beautiful double-page spreads full of facts on their general appearance, the food they eat, their fur, whether they hibernate and where in the world they live.

I was again surprised to find out how few bears actually hibernate. Meet thd Bears is full of interesting and thought-provoking facts like these. Proving this book is suitable for readers of all ages who wish to expand their knowledge of bears.

I enjoyed the addition of the girl’s reason why her own teddy cannot be each particular species using information found in the text and felt it was a satisfactory conclusion when she finally identified the species of her Teddy bear, which gave ghe book a lovely ahhhh factor.

Becca Hall’s illustrations capture the features of the different bears perfectly. One of my favourites is the black bear asleep in the tree. Becca also demonstrates a fantastic loving relationship between father and daughter. I particularly like the way the artwork bleeds to the edge of the page in each of the first spreads.

At the back of the book there is a map with a key of where each species is found and a table comparing the size of each bear. This is a useful and fascinating appendage that young children will love to study and assess. On the very last page there was also some interesting information on how to stay safe in bear country. I believe even children in the UK, where we do not have bears will be enthralled by this.

Meet the Bears would make the ideal gift for any child interested in nature and animal conservation. It can also be used in the classroom or home schooling to support work on animals and their environments and adaptations. As well as this it would provide and excellent springboard for children to research other animals and their different adaptations, such as apes, ducks, turtles, wild cats, etc. to name but a few.

Another exceptionally concise and informative illustrated non-fiction picture book from Kate Peridot, pitched perfectly at KS1 and lower KS2.

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To read my interview with Kate Peridot you can check out: Blog Tour – Caring Conservationists by Kate Peridot

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

To find out more about Becca Hall and her artwork you can visit her website: https://www.beccahallillustration.co.uk, or follow her on Instagram @beccahallillustration and Facebook @BeccaHallIllustration.

You can purchase a copy of Meet the Bears by Kate Peridot and Becca Hall from most independent booksellers or online from uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

To take a look at the other stops on the tour check out the tour schedule:

I would like to thank Anna Cole from Hachette Books for sending me a hardback review copy of Meet the Bears to review on my blog.

And if you have got this far in the post I would like to end with a couple of bear jokes.

What did the teddy bear say after dinner? I’m stuffed.

What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.

Please feel free to comment with your own bear jokes below, even if it is just to prove you’ve read the post.

Book review: Let’s Play Football!

Title: Let’s Play Football!

Written by: Ben Lerwill

Illustrated by: Marina Ruiz

Published by: Welbeck Publishing

One of the side effects of the pandemic has been people have become more isolated and many still prefer to work from home than to travel. I am beginning to see an increase in children’s books with a theme of how the human race are very social beings. Let’s Play Football! by Ben Lerwill and Marina Ruiz is one of these books.

A real celebration of football, this creative non-fiction picture book highlights the importance of football throughout the world as a means of bringing people together. Through his clear and tightly written text, Ben Lerwill, focuses on how football is a social activity everyone can enjoy no matter your age, gender, race of physical ability. The emphasise is on how accessible and enjoyable the game is and not on the rules, the big named football stars, football teams or competitive clubs.

Marian Ruiz’s soft pastel illustrations provide a sense of pleasure and movement. They successfully show how football is a diverse and  inclusive game for everyone. The overall message is football can be played and enjoyed by all, wherever you are. All you need is a ball or something that rolls.

Let’s Play Football is a great book advocating enjoying life as a community.

Book Review: The Jackal’s Graveyard

Title: The Jackal’s Graveyard

Written by: Saviour Pirotta

Illustrated by: Jo Lindley

Published by: Maverick Arts Publishing

The Jackal’s Graveyard is the third book in the Nile Adventure series we follow Renni, his brother Mahu and Balaal the undercover princess, daughter of a Fenkhu king, on another thrilling adventure across thirteenth century Egypt. The Visor has supposedly been defeated but we are introduced to an even more cunning and devious adversary, with impressive skills in disguise. We join the three friends very soon after The Crocodile Curse ended. Prince Khaem, the forth son of Ramesses the Great, has asked them to the Royal Palace to meet Master Khonsu, his long-term tutor.

As with the other books, The Jackal’s Graveyard, is written from the two very distinct points of view of the two brothers. This allows us to see what is happening in different places giving us a wider picture of events. The book has been divided into three acts and at the beginning of each act the reader learns more about the antagonist and how their schemes. I enjoyed being able to see events in this way from the antagonists point of view.

Master Khonsu invites them all to the magnificent City of Per Ramesses as he would like Renni to decorate his new home. He also give Balaal a scroll of spells to study and the Prince makes Mahu an apprentice sailor on his royal barge, taking orders directly from Captain Tefiki. On the way to Per Ramesses the friends discover a ring of spies who are plotting to kill the Prince. The three friends must solve the cryptic clues to save him.

This exciting adventure is full of twists and turns. The three children can never be sure who they can trust as anyone could be a spy. I was hooked to the end and eager for the next book, The Serpent’s Eclipse, as the identity of the Jackal is still unknown and another formidable villain joins the circle of spies at their new hideout.

I recommend this book for all lower KS2 children and it would be the ideal book to read to the class whilst studying the Ancient Egyptians. It provides a brilliant overview of the history and everyday life during this era. Jo Lindley’s illustrations adds to the atmosphere and captures the Ancient Egyptian era well. At the back of the book there is a glossary and really fascinating author notes about Per Ramessu.

A real page turner that grips the reader from the useful map at the start to the author notes at the end.

You can read my review of The Crocodile Curse by Saviour Pirotta and Jo Lindley here: Book Review: The Crocodile Curse.

You can buy copies of The Jackal’s Graveyard and the other books in the series, The Heart Scarab and the The Crocodile Curse by Saviour Pirotta and Jo Lindley direct from the publisher Maverick Publishing, from your local bookshop, or you can also purchase a copy online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

I would like to thank Abi Reeves at Maverick for sending me a review copy of The Jackal’s Graveyard. Thank you.

Book Review: The Tiny Grain of Sand

Title: The Tiny Grain of Sand

Written by: Sylvian Alzial

Illustrated by: Benoit Tardif

Published by: Thames & Hudson

The Tiny Grain of Sand by Sylvian Alzial and Benoit Tardif was inspired by a Basque legend and traditional Asian folklore. The story encompasses the proverbs: ‘The grass is greener on the other side’, ‘You can be anything you want to be’ and ‘Be careful what you wish for’ and the fable ‘How can you be happy with life when there is so much temptation’.

It is about a tiny grain of sand who is bored of life on the beach with the other tiny grains of sand and wishes to be a pebble. The grain of sand’s wish comes true but soon it becomes bored of being a pebble and the wishes escalate, at one point it even becomes the sun floating around in space.

I particularly liked Sylvian Alzial’s use of a wide variety of onomatopoeic words each time it changed to something else. Children will love trying to make up the sounds and thinking of their own.

Benoit Tardif’s digitally produced illustrations consist of bold colour on a white background. These simple, colourful images are highly effective and will keep readers turning the pages. The children could produce some incredible art work of their own in the style of Benoit Tardif.  

A great book for discussing proverbs and fables and examining what they would like to be as they grow older.

This book was originally reviewed for Armadillo Magazine.

Book Review: Marvellous Maps

Title: Marvellous Maps: The World as you have never seen it before

Written by: Simon Kuestenmacher

Illustrated by: Margarida Esteves

Published by: Welbeck Publishing

Marvellous Maps: The World as you have never seen it before brings together a selection of Simon Kuestenmacher’s extraordinary maps, inspired by the incredible collection he posts regular to his Twitter account for his 257.2K followers: @simongerman600

These 40 extraordinary maps will encourage young curious and imaginative minds to explore the world in a unique and visually powerful way. There are wide variety of simple yet stimulating maps to delve into and analyse from The World is a Cat Playing with Australia to an impression of a NASA representation stitched from night satellite images to show a digital view of the world as The Black Marble.

A few of my favourites include The Epic Journey of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, which depicts the twelve years of fighting mythical beings outlined by the Greek poet Homer in his famous Odyssey poem; Where You Can See The Northern Lights, A World Designed By Dolphins and The Longest Straight Line You Can Walk, which is actually from Liberia to Eastern China.

Margarida Esteves digitally produced maps present often complex concepts in an uncomplicated, easy to understand way that would be ideal for encouraging reluctant readers to enjoy books.

This is a clever book that makes you think. Simon Kuestenmacher has packed it full of interesting facts such as, Australia is bigger than the dwarf planet Pluto, all the countries of the world fit into the Pacific Ocean, and in 1972, astronauts took a famous photo of earth called The Blue Marble.

At the back of the book is a bibliography containing more information about the inspiration and original maps which is an asset top the book and demonstrates the dedication and research that went into each map.

I would recommend this book for all inquisitive minds – children’s and adult’s.

You can buy copies of Marvellous Maps by Simon Kuestenmacher and Margarida Esteves from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.

Book Review: I Am Born To be Awesome!

Title: I Am Born To Be Awesome!

Written and Illustrated by: Mechal Renee Roe

Published by: Welbeck Publishing

I Am Born To Be Awesome is a positive rhyming picture book, which identifies the many different ways young boys can be awesome and the distinct things that make us all unique individuals. There is one of the few picture books I have seen that is specifically aimed at black boys. Mechal Renee Roe has seen a gap in the market and effectively begun to fill it.

Boys will love the affirmative text in this easy-to-read picture book that celebrates the joys of being a boy – including activities like sports, music and exploring nature. The text is simple with good use of repetition to keep even the most reluctant reader turning the pages.

The bold illustrations portray a wide range of diverse faces for young children to identify with. Parents and early readers will love Mechal Renee Roe’s enchanting illustrations and positive messages. With fantastic, cute and funny images paired with confidence-boosting text, this gift book will warm your heart and lift the spirit of any child.

This is an ideal book for use in the classroom to stimulate discussion on what things we enjoy doing and how this reflects our personalities.

Book Review: The Musician’s Storyflower

Title: The Musician’s Storyflower

Written by: Liza Mulholland

Illustrated by: Marjory Tait

Published by: Ablekids Press

Written in diary format, Liza Mulholland, outlines her feelings and experiences in taking part in the Storyflower Project in this lovely A4 creative non-fiction book.

The Storyflower Project was inspired by Pauline Mackay, the founding director of Ablekids Press, who decided to grow some sunflowers  for the children at a local family centre. Even though only one survived, which she called Peekaboo, she realised growing the plant for someone else gave it a very special importance and many of the people she told about the project wanted to try it for themselves. So much so, Ablekids Press website now provide free downloadable diaries to document their own experiences. There are two versions one highly illustrated for young children and the other for older people with extra bordered pages for more writing and adding photographs.

In The Musician’s Storyflower, Liza reveals how growing her mum’s favourite plant helped her work through some of the grief in losing her mother. There is a mix of beautiful water-colour illustrations of flowers by Margery Tait and photographic evidence to support the text.

Liza is a classically trained pianist and at the end of The Musician’s Storyflower you can discover the music she composed to reflect her feelings of the process of growing a plant for someone else.

This book would be suitable as a classroom resource introducing caring for the environment in a positive and imaginative way. It would help meet the requirements of science for the programmes of study for key stage one and two, Working Scientifically and Plants. Also the music programmes of study for key stage one, experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music and at key stage two, improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music

You can buy copies of The Musician’s Storyflower by Liza Mulholland and Marjory Tait and download the photocopiable diaries from the Ablekids Press website: https://ablekidspress.com/

I would like to thank Pauline Mackay for sending me a copy of The Musician’s Storyflower to review on my blog.

Book Review: Call the Puffins

Title: Call the Puffins

Written by: Cath Howe

Illustrated by: Ella Okstad

Published by: Welbeck Publishing

I have been a fan of Cath Howe and her writing for a long time and have particularly enjoyed her books for middle grade. Cath Howe’s book for younger readers does not disappoint. Call the Puffins is the first in a heart-warming series, complete with a map at the beginning and I really like maps of the story world.

This is a fun and enjoyable adventure for younger readers with themes of bravery, empathy and team work. It is Muffin the Puffin’s first day on the Island of Egg and she is apprehensive about the entrance test to join the Puffin Rescue Team, following in her dad’s footsteps. He explains her feelings are normal for everyone on their first day. Muffin is worried about her feet as they are different to the other puffins, as they turn up on the ends.

Muffin makes a new friend called Tiny who is also different. His wings are larger than normal which means he often gets caught by the wind. They work together with determination and perseverance to overcome their differences and prove they are just as brave and capable as the other puffins.

Ella Okstad’s black and white illustrations have they definitive ahhh factor. They are adorable not only because the puffins are extremely cute they also have movement and action.

The ideal book to share with the class at story time. A joy to read and explore.

I look forward to reading the second book in the series Tiny’s Brave Rescue due to be released October 2023.

I have also previously interviewed Cath Howe about her teacher resource, Let’s Perform for Writers’ Forum. You can find out more about this interview here: An interview with… Cath Howe

You can buy copies of Call the Puffins by Cath Howe and Ella Okstad from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.