Difference between revisions of "Newest Emerging Readers Reviews"

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[[Category:Emerging Readers|*]]
 
[[Category:Emerging Readers|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|Emerging Readers]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|Emerging Readers]]__NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Nigel Baines
|title=The Christmas Carrot
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|title=A Tricky Kind of Magic
|author=Allan Plenderleith
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=It’s Christmas time, and there’s every reason to be afraid, at least if you’re a carrot. While everyone else is getting excited about the season, the Christmas carrot is dreading it. He’s about to go under the knife and emerge as a side dish on the family dinner table tomorrow. Gulp! Luckily Billy has other ideas, and seizes him from the kitchen where his dad (a nice touch…it’s not just mums who cook) had been about to prepare him. Outside they go, heading for Billy’s snowman who is missing one small feature… a nose! It’s a last minute save from the chopping board, but the Christmas carrot is still not happy with this career change, because it’s, y’know, rather cold out here. And so his adventure continues.
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|summary=Cooper loves to perform magic tricks.  His father was a magician, and named Cooper after the great Tommy Cooper. But sadly Cooper's father died suddenly, and now Cooper doesn't quite know who to be, or how to be.  And when his dad's prop rabbit starts talking to him, he ''really'' doesn't know what's going on anymore!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1841613754</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1444960261
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Jane Lightbourne
|title=Too Many Hats (My First Reader)
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|title= My Cat Called Red
|author=Hilda Offen
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|rating= 4
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=It can be difficult, sometimes, to find a good story that an emerging reader can try to read themselves. I know some of the books my daughter has brought home from school to read have had the most boring plots everThis is an example of a good early reader however. It's a funny story about princesses and hats and a cat.
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|summary= Robin has red hair. He hates it, and the freckles that go along with it. He's been bullied and mocked at school because of it. ''Ginger Minger! Carrots!'' Kids are mean. But red hair is not Robin's only misery in life. He's already lost his dad to a mountaineering accident when his mum gets ill and is taken into hospital. She doesn't come home again.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0957301332</amazonuk>
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|isbn= 1838216812
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Francesca Simon and Steve May
|title=Things You Never Knew About Dinosaurs
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|title=Two Terrible Vikings
|author=Giles Paley-Phillips and Liz Pichon
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|rating=4
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=The idea of a dinosaur on a trampoline or playing football is just plain silly. After all, everyone knows dinosaurs died out yonks ago…didn’t they?
 
 
 
Nope.
 
 
 
No, they did not.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1472319842</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Elmer and the Whales
 
|author=David McKee
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Elmer and Wilbur are spending some time with Grandpa Eldo, something lots of children will identify with. He tells them that in his youth, this was the time of year he’d go down to the coast for some Whale watching and, well, that sounds like a marvellous idea, so Elmer and Wilbur decide to try it for themselves. But it turns out there’s more to Grandpa Eldo’s story than he’s telling them, and Elmer and Wilbur soon find themselves on a wild adventure.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184939749X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Dixie O'Day in the Fast Lane
 
|author=Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy
 
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=The first collaboration by award winning children’s author [[:Category:Shirley Hughes|Shirley Hughes]] and her illustrator/author daughter [[:Category:Clara Vulliamy|Clara Vulliamy]] has been eagerly anticipated for some time and this gorgeous little book more than meets expectations. In the first of a new series we meet Dixie, a car-loving dog who is always ready for adventure and Percy his smaller and slightly more cautious friend. Together the two chums enter an all-day race in Dixie’s car and are determined that they will win first prize. However, first they discover that they will be up against Dixie’s arch rival Lou-Ella, then all manner of mishaps cause them problems and the race does not go smoothly for our heroes. Can Dixie save the day?
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|summary=In a small Viking village there live two twins, Hack and Whack, who are eager to be the very worst Vikings ever!  Nothing can stop their mad marauding, as they cause havoc at a birthday party, chaos whilst tracking a troll, and undertake a grand journey to raid Bad Island with their friends!  They get up to all kinds of mischief and naughty behaviour, along with their wolf-cub Bitey-Bitey, and their crazy cast of friends.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782300120</amazonuk>
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|isbn=0571349498
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1838593187
|title=George's Dragon Goes to School
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|title=Guess What I Found in the Playground!
|author=Claire Freedman and Russell Julian
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|author=Victoria Thompson
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I would have been useless during ''Take your pet to school'' week. The goldfish who lived with us for short moments of my life (and the entirety of their short lives) wouldn’t have been very portable and even if they had, they’d have been a bit boring, swimming in circles mouthing 'o-o-o' . I would have been immensely jealous of anyone who brought in a lively puppy or a cute snuffly bunny rabbit. As a bit of a trophy whore even at a young age, I would have been very sad that I wasn’t really in the running for the ''Best Pet'' cup.
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|summary=Tilly is excited.  She's just come dashing out of the classroom, pigtails flapping behind her and a big grin on her face. Dad's come to collect her and her brother and he ''has'' to try to guess what she found in the playground today, although she concedes that he will never guessDad wants to know how school was, but ''obviously'' that's not importantCould Tilly have found more collectable things for her scrap box? (Isn't that so much more sensible than a scrap ''book''?Well, actually, Tilly did find exciting stuff. There are sequins, glittered paper and all sorts of other things in her pocket, but that's not what she wants Dad to guess.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407132067</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Blood and Guts and Rats' Tail Pizza
 
|author=Vivian French and Chris Fisher
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Despite a revolting menu  with dishes like slug and snail stew or rats' tail pizzas, Billy Bone's café was usually packed at lunchtime. Perhaps because there was no other place to eat. All of their customers were male, because neither Billy Bones, nor his assistant Hank liked girls at all.  A large sign in the window proclaimed ''Absolutely No Girls!  But one day the customers disappeared - and what was worse, Hank soon discovered their customers had all been stolen by girlsThe girls were very large, green and hairy but they were girls nonetheless, and their traveling cake shop had enticed all of Billy Bone's customers away.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444007297</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=ABC and Do
 
|author=Lee Singh and Karen Wall
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Being able to recognise letters is an essential aspect of emergent literacy. I know so many parents and children who feel that being able to sing their ABC's is the same as knowing the alphabet. It isn't. A child must be able to recognise the letter forms, in  upper and lower cases, identify them by name and understand the sound or phoneme made by each. Learning the alphabet is something that most children will need some help with at home. No matter how good the school your child attends, it is impossible for a teacher to give each child the individual attention required to master this subject easily, and failure to do so often leads to lifelong difficulties in literacy.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405265329</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Space Pirates: Stowaway
 
|author=Jim Ladd
 
|rating=3
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=It's a weird place where Sam livesThe planet P-Sezov 8 is just a nothingness in the middle of nowhere, and is home only to his scientist parents and a whole spaceport full of bickering, nasty pirates.  Both groups only use the place as a departure point for more interesting things elsewhere, his exploring parents leaving Sam with his computerised tutor. But when he gets word they are stranded on a fully gold world the pirates would be interested in, Sam must muscle in with the worst of them and try and help.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857631543</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Mary's Hair
 
|author=Eoin Colfer
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
 
|summary=Mary hates her hair. It has black bits and brown bits, curly bits and straight bits and Mary feels that it looks very much like a bush. Her Daddy says if you don't like something, you should change it (instead of whining about it to your parents when they want to relax with a cup of tea). Mary's Daddy, like many others, should watch what he says to children. Mary follows his advice with hilarious results. First she cuts her hair, but when that doesn't go to plan she decides to dye it. She has learned something from the whole hair cutting experience though, this time she plans to try the dye out on someone else first.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781122261</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Chris Higgins and Lee Wildish
 
|title=My Funny Family on Holiday
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Mattie Butterfield and her family are going on holiday to Cornwall and as ever for Mattie there's lots for her to worry about.  What if they lost one of them on the train to Cornwall?  What if someone fell over the edge of the cliff?  What if...  As usual Mattie can think of all sorts of things which could go wrong and it looks as though her worst fears are going to be realised when the family manages to leave Jellico the dog on the station platform.  It's a long journey to the south - eight hours on the train and then another hour on the bus to get them to the campsite, but after a couple of days they've all settled into a relaxed way of life.  Mattie makes friends with a local boy too - although strangely enough no one else can see him.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340989858</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Innosanto Nagara
|author=Chris Higgins and Lee Wildish
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|title=M is for Movement
|title=My Funny Family
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Mattie Butterfield is a worrierWell, it's not surprising with a family like hers - something always seems to be going wrong.  Or if it doesn't go wrong then it very easily ''might''.  She gets upset that the tomato seeds which she and Lucinda have planted at school won't thrive because they're in the cold, dark cupboard and they're all wetLucinda's parents don't seem to like each other very much and it might be that they're going to get divorced.  What would happen if Mattie's parents stopped liking each other?  Why does grandma seem not to like the Butterfield children very much?  You see, when you think about it, there's lots to worry aboutAnd Mattie is particularly worried about why Mum has been to the doctor.
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|summary=Set in Indonesia, in the not too distant past, this is a story about social changeDealing with some difficult issues, such as political corruption and nepotism, the book is neither boring nor preachyIt educates gently, with vibrant, challenging illustrations, and it portrays how social movements need people who will try, even when it seems that they will failThe message is a positive one; that in an increasingly uncertain world, we do still have the power to instigate change.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>034098984X</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1609809351
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1949471004
|title=Cheesemares
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|title=Dog on a Log Chapter Books: Step 1
|author=Ross Collins
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|author=Pamela Brookes
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|summary=Every time Hal eats cheese he has terrible nightmares. Hal's mother suggests drastic measures - no more cheese before bed. Hal loves his cheese though so he sets off on a quest for clues to solve the Case of the Cheesemares. He is accompanied by his canine sidekick, Rufus. He stumbles upon his first clue very quickly. All of the cheese that has been giving him bad dreams has come from Contessa Von Udderstein's  (not at all evil) House of Cheese in Bovina. Hal follows the trail to a spooky castle ruled by the evil Contessa Von Udderstein, a very mad cow who looks quite a bit like a bovine version of Cruella De Ville. The irate cow wants revenge on humans for stealing their milk for years (it's a good thing no one mentioned hamburgers or roast beef) Hal and Rufus must escape from the clutches of the mad cattle and make cheese safe to eat again. It's a good thing cows don't have hands to clutch with.
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|summary=What do you do when your child has dyslexia and you need books which will help them to achieve the wonder that is reading?  You can risk buying early readers, but the sounds in the book might not be the ones you've been working on and encountering words which are just too challenging can have more of a negative effect on the young dyslexic than a child without that problem.  You need to be able to buy books at a reasonable price which concentrate on what you've been working on, without anything else being thrown into the mix.  You need a story which engages the young mind and you need stages which progress steadily through the learning process without there being any large jumps.  Some online support and games wouldn't go amiss, either.  Reading - and ''learning'' to read - should be a pleasure. It should be ''fun''.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781121915</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=099334030X
|title=Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door
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|title=Can You Draw the Dragosaur?
|author=Julia Donaldson and Hannah Shaw
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|author=Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts
|rating=5
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|rating=4.5
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
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|genre=Crafts
|summary=I love Julia Donaldson's books for younger children. Everyone loves [[The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson|The Gruffalo]] and [[Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson|Tyrannosaurus Drip]] is still one of our favourites, but as the children have grown, these books have been read less frequently. I have to admit, I've missed them. ''Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door'' gives us a chance to enjoy this brilliant author for just a little while longer. This is fun story, told in the first person, so we never know the name of the main character. We do know she is lively active young girl, perhaps with  an active imagination. I would guess her to be about 10 years old with an equally active and inquisitive younger brother named  Elmo.
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|summary=You're going to get a hint of what this book's about very quickly. When you see the title page, you'll find out what the book's called and that it's been written by Peter Lynas. Then we move on to who has done the illustration - and there's a gap. ''You'' are going to put your name there. It's ''your'' responsibility to provide the pictures for this book about one of the largest creatures ever to roam the earth. There's some help available, but your name is on the title page - and you have work to do!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781120056</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1609809335
|title=My Zoo
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|title=The Lizard
|author=Rod Campbell
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|author= Jose Saramago, J Borges, Nick Caistor (translator) and Lucia Caistor (translator)
|rating=5
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|rating=2
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=My children have always been drawn to Rod Campbell's simple but appealing illustrations, so I was delighted to have a chance to review this book, even though my boys are now older than the expected age range. This is a very simple book. There are fifteen large die cut animals on a pastel coloured background. The illustrations have a unique quality to them that I can only describe as ''Rod Campbell''. The animals all have friendly appearance, and a kind of gentleness to them. The front view of each animal has only the animal's name in bold black print. When you turn the page, there is a single sentence about the animal in smaller print. With a very young baby, the parent can read only the animals name, perhaps adding the sound for each animalAs the child grows older, the parents can begin reading the extra line on each animal. The fact the animals are larger than usual in these pictures, and on sturdy pages that are perfect for little hands, means this book would be ideal for babies as young as six months. I feel this would make a lovely first book for  young child. As much as we loved [[Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell|Dear Zoo]], I feel this book is even better for infants.
+
|summary=One day a giant lizard appears in the city. We don't even get told how it arrived, but it certainly appeared. People took against it, and if they weren't shrugging it off as a hallucination brought on by tiredness just as they fled it, they wanted something done about itCan something be done about it, though?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230770924</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1789016320
|title=Kurt Gets Truckloads
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|title=Tadcaster and the Bullies
|author=Erlend Loe
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|author=Richard Rutherford
|rating=5
+
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Meet KurtHe's a dockyard truck-driver, with a wife and three children, and more dreams than moneyThe family has travelled before, but might not be able to in future, as there is just not the budgetFunnily enough, just the day after talking about what having a huge amount of money would do for and to Kurt, he gets a windfall. And then the problems start…
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|summary=In some ways it was a gentler time: video games were around, but children usually went outside to enjoy themselvesThey flew kites and went sledging if there was snow around.  Tim and Mary's great-grandfather started a business in 1899 so our story is probably set in the nineteen seventiesSomething which hasn't changed, unfortunately, is bullying and two lads are making life miserable not just for Tim and Mary but for other children who gather in the playgroundTim's probably about ten - just at the stage where he's beginning to feel responsible for his younger sister, who's two years younger than him, but he's not yet at the stage where he knows how to deal with bullies.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1877579300</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B01N0OZQOD
|author=Peter Bently and Russel Ayto
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|title=Nickerbacher
|title=Dustbin Dad
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|author=Terry John Barto
|rating=3.5
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|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=''Dustbin Dad'' is a cautionary tale aimed at all of those children who leave food on their plate at the end of a meal. Dad likes nothing better than to polish off the leftovers, much to the disgust of his family. One day, however, he gobbles down a pint of something that tastes like fish chowder. Unfortunately, it is cat medicine and it has some very strange side effects indeed, as dad discovers when he hears a loud rip and a long tail pops out of the back of his trousers...
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|summary=Nickerbacher is doing his dragonly duty as all dragons do. That dragonly duty is, of course, princess-guarding. That's what dragons are for, after all. But Gwendolyn isn't any princess. She finds the whole princessing thing quite boring really and she is much less interested in fairy tales than she is in watching comedy on ''The Late Knight Show''. Nickerbacher likes ''The Late Knight Show'' too - in fact, it's his favourite TV show because he wants to be a stand-up comedian himself. He tries out his jokes on Princess Gwendolyn but they don't always come off quite as Nickerbacher intended.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847388744</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0008265836
|author=Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
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|title=Rory Branagan Detective
|title=Horrid Henry's Nightmare
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|author=Andrew Clover and Ralph Lazar
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Confident Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Horrid Henry was the first chapter book my son ever read alone. It was quickly followed by a succession of books in the series and my son's confidence in reading grew by leaps and bounds with this engaging series that gets young children reading and keeps them reading. The simple fact is, with such a large number of books in the series, any child who reads through the whole lot will improve their reading skills. As he has grown older, his tastes in books have changed, but as I sat down to read 'Horrid Henry's Nightmare' to my four year old he was happy to listen in as well and we all enjoyed sharing this book as a family.
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|summary=Ten-year-old Rory Branagan isn't just a normal kid. He's a detective and he has a mystery to solve – why did his dad disappear when he was three? Rory doesn't know where to start but, then, Cassidy moves in next door and he discovers he has an accomplice who is full of ideas. This is just as well as they soon discover a very serious crime: Corner Boy's dad has been poisoned and is at risk of dying but no-one else will believe he's in danger. It's up to Rory and Cassidy to uncover the truth and save a life.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444000160</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0192758748
|author=Anne Fine and Vicki Gausden
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|title=Horace & Harriet Take on the Town
|title=How Brave Is That?
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|author=Clare Elsom
|rating=5
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|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=All Tom has ever wanted to do is join the army, but the odds seem stacked against him. Schoolwork doesn't come easily for Tom, and without a lot of work, he'll never pass his exams. Tom is determined and with enough determination we can overcome huge obstacles. It's a good thing too - because Tom is going to have major obstacles thrown in his path. Any child with younger siblings will be able to laugh at the disasters that befall Tom as he tries to prepare for the most important day of his life - the exam that will determine his future. If he passes he can join the army. If not - his dreams are over.
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|summary=When Harriet, aged seven and a quarter, decides to go to Princes Park to practise 'Going to the Park on Her Own' (i.e. with her Grandad walking at least thirty steps behind) she can't believe her eyes. The statue of Lord Commander Horatio Fredrick Wallington Nincompoop Maximus Pimpleberry the Third (or Horace for short) starts to move. He not only moves but stamps his foot, shouts something that would get him in serious trouble with Harriet's mum, and climbs down from his pillar. Understandably Harriet can't resist following and quickly finds herself dragged all around the town as Horace searches for a new – and more suitable – home. His sights are firmly set on the Mayor's mansion and it, therefore, falls to Harriet to persuade him that there must be a better alternative. Sadly, Horace's visits to the museum, cinema, train station, playground, bank and library all cause mayhem. Luckily, however, a competition in the park reveals the perfect answer.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781122431</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Saulles_Bee
|author=Gemma Merino
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|title=Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens
|title=The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water
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|author=Tony De Saulles
|rating=5
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|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary='The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water' begins with a Mother crocodile carrying a basket of blue eggs. But one of the eggs isn't quite like the others, and when the little crocs hatch, one crocodile isn't quite like the others. All of the other crocodiles love the water, but the odd one out prefers to climb trees. The other crocodiles were not cruel, but he felt left out as they all played water games. He tried to fit in, but he just wasn't meant to be a water creature. His attempts to be something other than what nature intended are touching, but also terribly funny. Soon the reason for the little crocodile's dislike of water becomes apparent - he isn't a crocodile at all and he wasn't meant to swim - he was meant to fly.
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|summary=Young Mel's friend has left and the beehive is now his to look after. Unfortunately, Mel lives in a tower block and not all of his neighbours agree that it is the correct place for a hive. Things change when Mel suddenly realises he has an amazing superpower; he can become a bee.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447214714</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Davidson_Night
|author=Lane Smith
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|title=Night Zookeeper: The Giraffes of Whispering Wood
|title=It's a Little Book
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|author=Joshua Davidson
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Lane Smith's blockbuster hit 'It's A Book' spent six months on the New York Times bestsellers list. Her new 'It's a Little Book'  provides a very similar story, but on a  level better suited to very young children.  Both books feature a very computer-literate donkey and a quiet thoughtful monkey. In both books, donkey has never seen a book before and has all sorts of questions to which monkey always replies ''no'' or ''it's a book''. Donkey doesn't seem able to quite figure out why monkey is so interested in this thing with no whistles and bells or lights or action, or to understand why monkey likes this strange thing so much - until monkey shows him the magic of books as well.
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|summary=A straight-laced student makes one defiant act of creativity and has a world of magic and imagination opened up for him. Will is the new Night Zookeeper and his tenure in the role of protector to a magical world starts with the repulsion of a dangerous invasion.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>023076875X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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Joshua Davidson has written about the Night Zookeeper before and there are online cartoons devoted to the character but this marks a new launch and a new series. This is not just a book but a whole online event with huge educational tie-ins and a push to get children using their own imagination. The story itself mirrors what the author is trying to achieve in real life; the power of the imagination makes everything better.
|author=Rachel Renee Russell
 
|title=Dork Diaries: Holiday Heartbreak
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=This being the sixth full-length novel to feature Nikki Maxwell and her crush on Brandon, there is little point in doing a summary or resume at great length. They're still at school, and they're still finding being in any kind of friendship both socially awkward and hampered by the presence of the evil Mackenzie, Nikki's cute but catty rival. All you really need to know is this volume covers an entire February, in order – and manages to finish with the Valentine's night school dance.  Yes, it has weird circumstances, Nikki getting embarrassed and jealous, and more.  But I haven't told you about the greatest surprise yet…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471117669</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Seuss_Read
|author=Tamara Macfarlane
+
|title=I Can Read With My Eyes Shut
|title=Amazing Esme
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|author=Dr Seuss
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Esme leaves behind her circus home for the first time to spend the summer with her cousins Magnus, Cosmo and Gus at Maclinkey Castle and discovers that it is not quite as she expected. It is very easy to get lost inside the castle and all sorts of weird and wonderful animals can be found in unlikely places. The children are cared for by Mrs Larder the housekeeper who allows delights such as a ''bad-mannered tea party''. Despite the fun and laughter Esme misses her dear friend Donk, a loveable half donkey- half horse until one day a mysterious parcel arrives for her. It is then that the adventures really begin.
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|summary=''The more that you read,''<br>
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340999934</amazonuk>
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''The more things you will know.''<br>
}}
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''The more that you learn,''<br>
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''The more places you'll go.''
  
{{newreview
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This is a classic Dr Seuss quote from this book, and one that I painstakingly stickered onto the wall of my children's school library! The book is very silly, as Dr Seuss always is, but is also a good rhyming ode to the joys of reading.
|author=Alex T Smith
 
|title=Claude in the Spotlight
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=You have met Claude, haven't you?  He's a funny, plump little dog whose best friend is Sir Bobblysock and the two of them frequently get themselves embroiled in all sorts of adventures. This time Claude heads, accidentally, towards a career on stage.  But something is amiss in the theatre. Can Claude help save the show?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444909290</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Neal_Words
|author=Karen McCombie
+
|title=Words and Your Heart
|title=You, Me and Thing 4: The Mummy That Went Moo
+
|author=Kate Jane Neal
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Do you remember Thing?  Yes, that's right, he's that funny little creature who's a bit like a troll or a fairy or a squirrel or a, well, a ''something'' and he lives in the woods at the bottom of Ruby's garden.  Ruby and Jackson became friends thanks to discovering Thing, and now they try to take care of him as best they can, and keep him out of trouble if at all possible.  Unfortunately with Thing's wayward magical powers it isn't always easy to do!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571272630</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Rachel Lyon and Vanina Starkoff
 
|title=The Cautionary Tale of the Childe of Hale
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=There was a giant who lived in Hale and if you care to you can visit the cottage and grave of John Middleton who reputedly topped nine feet tall and had to sleep with his feet dangling out of his cottage windows.  Rachel Lyon tells the lightly-fictionalised story of how the Childe - as he was known - was taken up by the king, commanded to move to London and given every luxury. For a while he didn't regret leaving Hale at all - for once he was dry, slept in a comfortable bed and had clothes which fit him. He mixed with the royal family and the court - and life seemed good, until the day when the king commanded him to fight. This was bad enough, but even then the king's motives were not exactly as you might expect.
+
|summary=Trolling, bullying, cyber-shaming, whatever-it's-called-this-week-ing – all act as proof that the adage about sticks and stones is actually a lot of piffle. In a world where we all have hearts, we should have a heart that what we say to other people is positive. We can examine our world and the sound it makes through communication, we can make each other smile, laugh, sing and be happy together, and bit by bit the world can be a better place. And hang the 'no, after you' attitude some people would have in response. There, I've given the entire plot of this book away in my summary, but that's not really an issue.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848860951</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Tavares_Red
|author=Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
+
|title=Red and Lulu
|title=Prince Charmless
+
|author=Matt Tavares
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Prince Charmless was probably born complaining and every day there is something new to complain about. Amongst his complaints are that he wants to be a panda rather than a prince; he wants to live in a big, gold palace instead of a silly, silver, little one; and he wants to get up in the middle of the night rather than in the morning. If he can find something to complain about, he will, and Prince Charmless does not worry about upsetting people when he does complain. Unsurprisingly, the palace staff has had enough and all decide to leave.
+
|summary=Meet Red and Lulu. They're a committed couple of cardinals and they have lived for some time in someone's garden, safely in an evergreen tree. It seems to them that every year people mention their home in a lovely song, which tells the tree thy leaves are so unchanging. But one year, just as the seasons turn for the cold of winter, the tree vanishes, taking Lulu with it…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849395128</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Dickens_Search
|author=Jane Simmons
+
|title=Search and Find A Christmas Carol
|title=Come On Daisy!
+
|author=Charles Dickens, Sarah Powell and Louise Pigott
|rating=5
+
|rating=3.5
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Daisy the duckling is having too much fun exploring the riverbank to listen to Mamma Duck. Mamma has told her to stay close, but where is the fun in that? After all, there are lots of interesting creatures living in the river and Daisy wants to make friends with them. Then, of course, there are the giant lily pads. Daisy loves to bounce on the lily pads. ''Bouncy, bouncy bouncy. Bong bong!'' But when Daisy stops playing, she notices something. She is all alone.
+
|summary=Recently I got to applaud a book that branched away from the Where's Wally? style volume, and taught the explorer about a non-fiction subject as they went a-searching. Well, it seems tweaking the form is going to be a big thing, for this book tries yet another different approach – to teach us about a fictional story. They've started at the deep end, with a book hastening towards being two centuries old, and one that has been adapted countless times before now, yet always has people returning to it at a certain time of the year for its ageless lesson. But does the rich content of Dickens, even at his most populist, survive this quirky variation?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1843622726</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Seuss_Eggs
|author=Simon Rickerty
+
|title=Scrambled Eggs Super
|title=Monkey Nut
+
|author=Dr Seuss
|rating=5
+
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Two curious little spiders find a monkey nut lying on the ground. They don’t know what it is, but they do know that they both want it and that they don’t want to share. But what is this strange, knobbly object? Is it a chair? A musical instrument? Maybe a boat? Whatever it is, the two little spiders are not the only ones interested. A much bigger, hairier spider is lurking in the shadows, waiting for the chance to grab the monkey nut for himself, but will he succeed?
+
|summary=Peter T. Hooper doesn't mean to show off, but he is ''very'' good at cooking. Some would say he is ''The Best'' capital T, capital B. And his signature dish is scrambled eggs. You might think that's quite an easy dish, one with which it's a little hard to showcase one's prowess, but not so. For Peter T. Hooper, what makes his scrambled eggs so super is the choice of the egg itself, and he will go out of his way to procure the best of the best from whatever nest.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857075764</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=David McKee
 
|title=Elmer and Aunt Zelda
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Elmer the patchwork elephant was reminded by his cousin Wilbur that they had promised to visit Aunt Zelda, who is getting old and a little bit deaf.  Their visit is peppered with misheard words and misunderstandings but there’s an obvious affection between the two generations.  Aunt Zelda is very proud of the two youngsters, and Elmer and Wilbur just love Zelda for what she is. There’s never  hint of impatience or frustration, no matter how wrong Zelda hears what the two young elephants have to say.  But - just in case Elmer was feeling at all superior - he finds when he gets home that he’s been rather forgetful too.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842707515</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest Entertainment Reviews]]
|author=Angela Banner
 
|title=More and More Ant and Bee
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Right at the beginning, when you're just starting to read books which have more words than pictures, you need a book that's structured to help you.  You need a book which is comfy to hold in small hands and which has a firm cover so that everything keeps ''straight''.  You need to share the reading and to know which words you're going to read and you might perhaps appreciate a ''hint'' in the form of a picture which will help you to get the word all on your own.  Most of all though, you need to have a proper story and a feeling that you've achieved something when you get to the end.  You need Ant and Bee.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405266732</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Johanne Mercier
 
|title=Arthur and the Earthworms
 
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Arthur has got himself a new job.  He might be only seven but a boy can never start too soon.  He's going to be selling earthworms from a table at the side of the road and the idea came when his pet duck started pulling up the worms.  They were his favourite food, you see and on a rainy day you could find a lot of them just near the surface.  He and Grandad managed to get quite a few worms together, but trade wasn't very brisk on the first and the woman who was determined to buy his pet duck did rather scare him.  But the next day, trade picked up (although some of the customers did look suspiciously ''family'') and then the big order came in...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1907912177</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 13:05, 8 December 2022

1444960261.jpg

Review of

A Tricky Kind of Magic by Nigel Baines

4.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Cooper loves to perform magic tricks. His father was a magician, and named Cooper after the great Tommy Cooper. But sadly Cooper's father died suddenly, and now Cooper doesn't quite know who to be, or how to be. And when his dad's prop rabbit starts talking to him, he really doesn't know what's going on anymore! Full Review

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Review of

My Cat Called Red by Jane Lightbourne

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

Robin has red hair. He hates it, and the freckles that go along with it. He's been bullied and mocked at school because of it. Ginger Minger! Carrots! Kids are mean. But red hair is not Robin's only misery in life. He's already lost his dad to a mountaineering accident when his mum gets ill and is taken into hospital. She doesn't come home again. Full Review

0571349498.jpg

Review of

Two Terrible Vikings by Francesca Simon and Steve May

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

In a small Viking village there live two twins, Hack and Whack, who are eager to be the very worst Vikings ever! Nothing can stop their mad marauding, as they cause havoc at a birthday party, chaos whilst tracking a troll, and undertake a grand journey to raid Bad Island with their friends! They get up to all kinds of mischief and naughty behaviour, along with their wolf-cub Bitey-Bitey, and their crazy cast of friends. Full Review

1838593187.jpg

Review of

Guess What I Found in the Playground! by Victoria Thompson

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

Tilly is excited. She's just come dashing out of the classroom, pigtails flapping behind her and a big grin on her face. Dad's come to collect her and her brother and he has to try to guess what she found in the playground today, although she concedes that he will never guess. Dad wants to know how school was, but obviously that's not important. Could Tilly have found more collectable things for her scrap box? (Isn't that so much more sensible than a scrap book?) Well, actually, Tilly did find exciting stuff. There are sequins, glittered paper and all sorts of other things in her pocket, but that's not what she wants Dad to guess. Full Review

1609809351.jpg

Review of

M is for Movement by Innosanto Nagara

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

Set in Indonesia, in the not too distant past, this is a story about social change. Dealing with some difficult issues, such as political corruption and nepotism, the book is neither boring nor preachy. It educates gently, with vibrant, challenging illustrations, and it portrays how social movements need people who will try, even when it seems that they will fail. The message is a positive one; that in an increasingly uncertain world, we do still have the power to instigate change. Full Review

1949471004.jpg

Review of

Dog on a Log Chapter Books: Step 1 by Pamela Brookes

4star.jpg Dyslexia Friendly

What do you do when your child has dyslexia and you need books which will help them to achieve the wonder that is reading? You can risk buying early readers, but the sounds in the book might not be the ones you've been working on and encountering words which are just too challenging can have more of a negative effect on the young dyslexic than a child without that problem. You need to be able to buy books at a reasonable price which concentrate on what you've been working on, without anything else being thrown into the mix. You need a story which engages the young mind and you need stages which progress steadily through the learning process without there being any large jumps. Some online support and games wouldn't go amiss, either. Reading - and learning to read - should be a pleasure. It should be fun. Full Review

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Review of

Can You Draw the Dragosaur? by Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts

4.5star.jpg Crafts

You're going to get a hint of what this book's about very quickly. When you see the title page, you'll find out what the book's called and that it's been written by Peter Lynas. Then we move on to who has done the illustration - and there's a gap. You are going to put your name there. It's your responsibility to provide the pictures for this book about one of the largest creatures ever to roam the earth. There's some help available, but your name is on the title page - and you have work to do! Full Review

1609809335.jpg

Review of

The Lizard by Jose Saramago, J Borges, Nick Caistor (translator) and Lucia Caistor (translator)

2star.jpg Emerging Readers

One day a giant lizard appears in the city. We don't even get told how it arrived, but it certainly appeared. People took against it, and if they weren't shrugging it off as a hallucination brought on by tiredness just as they fled it, they wanted something done about it. Can something be done about it, though? Full Review

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Review of

Tadcaster and the Bullies by Richard Rutherford

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

In some ways it was a gentler time: video games were around, but children usually went outside to enjoy themselves. They flew kites and went sledging if there was snow around. Tim and Mary's great-grandfather started a business in 1899 so our story is probably set in the nineteen seventies. Something which hasn't changed, unfortunately, is bullying and two lads are making life miserable not just for Tim and Mary but for other children who gather in the playground. Tim's probably about ten - just at the stage where he's beginning to feel responsible for his younger sister, who's two years younger than him, but he's not yet at the stage where he knows how to deal with bullies. Full Review

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Review of

Nickerbacher by Terry John Barto

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

Nickerbacher is doing his dragonly duty as all dragons do. That dragonly duty is, of course, princess-guarding. That's what dragons are for, after all. But Gwendolyn isn't any princess. She finds the whole princessing thing quite boring really and she is much less interested in fairy tales than she is in watching comedy on The Late Knight Show. Nickerbacher likes The Late Knight Show too - in fact, it's his favourite TV show because he wants to be a stand-up comedian himself. He tries out his jokes on Princess Gwendolyn but they don't always come off quite as Nickerbacher intended. Full Review

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Review of

Rory Branagan Detective by Andrew Clover and Ralph Lazar

5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Ten-year-old Rory Branagan isn't just a normal kid. He's a detective and he has a mystery to solve – why did his dad disappear when he was three? Rory doesn't know where to start but, then, Cassidy moves in next door and he discovers he has an accomplice who is full of ideas. This is just as well as they soon discover a very serious crime: Corner Boy's dad has been poisoned and is at risk of dying but no-one else will believe he's in danger. It's up to Rory and Cassidy to uncover the truth and save a life. Full Review

0192758748.jpg

Review of

Horace & Harriet Take on the Town by Clare Elsom

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

When Harriet, aged seven and a quarter, decides to go to Princes Park to practise 'Going to the Park on Her Own' (i.e. with her Grandad walking at least thirty steps behind) she can't believe her eyes. The statue of Lord Commander Horatio Fredrick Wallington Nincompoop Maximus Pimpleberry the Third (or Horace for short) starts to move. He not only moves but stamps his foot, shouts something that would get him in serious trouble with Harriet's mum, and climbs down from his pillar. Understandably Harriet can't resist following and quickly finds herself dragged all around the town as Horace searches for a new – and more suitable – home. His sights are firmly set on the Mayor's mansion and it, therefore, falls to Harriet to persuade him that there must be a better alternative. Sadly, Horace's visits to the museum, cinema, train station, playground, bank and library all cause mayhem. Luckily, however, a competition in the park reveals the perfect answer. Full Review

Saulles Bee.jpg

Review of

Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens by Tony De Saulles

4.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Young Mel's friend has left and the beehive is now his to look after. Unfortunately, Mel lives in a tower block and not all of his neighbours agree that it is the correct place for a hive. Things change when Mel suddenly realises he has an amazing superpower; he can become a bee. Full Review

Davidson Night.jpg

Review of

Night Zookeeper: The Giraffes of Whispering Wood by Joshua Davidson

5star.jpg Emerging Readers

A straight-laced student makes one defiant act of creativity and has a world of magic and imagination opened up for him. Will is the new Night Zookeeper and his tenure in the role of protector to a magical world starts with the repulsion of a dangerous invasion.

Joshua Davidson has written about the Night Zookeeper before and there are online cartoons devoted to the character but this marks a new launch and a new series. This is not just a book but a whole online event with huge educational tie-ins and a push to get children using their own imagination. The story itself mirrors what the author is trying to achieve in real life; the power of the imagination makes everything better. Full Review

Seuss Read.jpg

Review of

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut by Dr Seuss

4.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

The more that you read,
The more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
The more places you'll go.

This is a classic Dr Seuss quote from this book, and one that I painstakingly stickered onto the wall of my children's school library! The book is very silly, as Dr Seuss always is, but is also a good rhyming ode to the joys of reading. Full Review

Neal Words.jpg

Review of

Words and Your Heart by Kate Jane Neal

4star.jpg Emerging Readers

Trolling, bullying, cyber-shaming, whatever-it's-called-this-week-ing – all act as proof that the adage about sticks and stones is actually a lot of piffle. In a world where we all have hearts, we should have a heart that what we say to other people is positive. We can examine our world and the sound it makes through communication, we can make each other smile, laugh, sing and be happy together, and bit by bit the world can be a better place. And hang the 'no, after you' attitude some people would have in response. There, I've given the entire plot of this book away in my summary, but that's not really an issue. Full Review

Tavares Red.jpg

Review of

Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares

4.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Meet Red and Lulu. They're a committed couple of cardinals and they have lived for some time in someone's garden, safely in an evergreen tree. It seems to them that every year people mention their home in a lovely song, which tells the tree thy leaves are so unchanging. But one year, just as the seasons turn for the cold of winter, the tree vanishes, taking Lulu with it… Full Review

Dickens Search.jpg

Review of

Search and Find A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Sarah Powell and Louise Pigott

3.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Recently I got to applaud a book that branched away from the Where's Wally? style volume, and taught the explorer about a non-fiction subject as they went a-searching. Well, it seems tweaking the form is going to be a big thing, for this book tries yet another different approach – to teach us about a fictional story. They've started at the deep end, with a book hastening towards being two centuries old, and one that has been adapted countless times before now, yet always has people returning to it at a certain time of the year for its ageless lesson. But does the rich content of Dickens, even at his most populist, survive this quirky variation? Full Review

Seuss Eggs.jpg

Review of

Scrambled Eggs Super by Dr Seuss

4.5star.jpg Emerging Readers

Peter T. Hooper doesn't mean to show off, but he is very good at cooking. Some would say he is The Best capital T, capital B. And his signature dish is scrambled eggs. You might think that's quite an easy dish, one with which it's a little hard to showcase one's prowess, but not so. For Peter T. Hooper, what makes his scrambled eggs so super is the choice of the egg itself, and he will go out of his way to procure the best of the best from whatever nest. Full Review

Move on to Newest Entertainment Reviews