Difference between revisions of "Newest Emerging Readers Reviews"

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[[Category:Emerging Readers|*]]
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Nigel Baines
|author=Betty G Birney
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|title=A Tricky Kind of Magic
|title=Imagination According to Humphrey
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=If you haven't already, meet Humphrey – the most squeakily vocal inhabitant of Classroom 26.  The charming and inventive hamster is here with yet another of his main novels – as opposed to early readers, quiz and joke books, anthologies, [[Humphrey's World of Pets by Betty G Birney|guides to having pets]] – there are so many around that my edition didn't try to put them all on one inventory page, but chose to leave a few out.  Here the series continues with Humphrey and the same children as he's befriended over the last few volumes, and it's storytime.  The class is being read a novel about a boy and the dragons doing evil to his village's weather, and everyone is trying to write creatively about flying as a response.  But when someone threatens to bring a real-life dragon to class, how could the little class pet be safe, especially when he hasn't the imagination to see what the result could be?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571282512</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Frank Cottrell Boyce
 
|title=Desirable
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Poor George. He knows that he is not popular but when even his own Grandad doesn't want to stay around for his birthday party he realises that things are even worse than he thought. However this was before he discovered the contents of the present from his Grandad and experienced the dramatic impact on his life an aged bottle of aftershave would bring. Although George tries to think himself invisible in order to cope today he is not invisible. In fact he is not only visible but desirable too!
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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>1781124248</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1444960261
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Jane Lightbourne
|author=Kelly L Bingham and Paul O Zelinsky
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|title= My Cat Called Red
|title=Circle, Square, Moose
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|rating= 4
|rating=4.5
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|genre=For Sharing
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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 meanBut 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.
|summary=If you have children you have no doubt read loads of books about shapes; the circle, the square, the dodecahedronThey are all variations of the same things – this wheel is round like a circle, this bread reminds me of a square, what on earth is a dodecahedron?  Why not spice the book up by throwing in a moose, but not just any moose. This is a moose that brings chaos to everything he touches and must be chased from the book!
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|isbn= 1838216812
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783441860</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Francesca Simon and Steve May
|author=Tony Ross
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|title=Two Terrible Vikings
|title=Rita's Rhino
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Rita really wants a pet, but when she asks her Mum for one she isn’t so keen. They’re smelly and greedy and take lots of hard work. Eventually she relents, and gives Rita a jar with a flea in it, his name is Harold. Obviously, Rita isn’t happy with this so she decides to take matters into her own hands. What will she do, and how will she manage to hide a Rhino from her pet-fearing mother?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783440252</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=The Illustrated Old Possum
 
|author=T S Eliot and Nicolas Bentley
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=This title is clearly of importance to the house of Faber. To this day their puff mentions it was one of their first childrens' books, after the author sent his publisher's son, his godson, some writings based on jellicle cats and some of their scrapes.  It's clearly a book that's important to Andrew Lloyd Webber, too, but we'll gloss speedily over that. It's a book that was important to me as well – I certainly had a copy, a thin, barely illustrated, old-fashioned style paperback of it once I had seen the musical.  And with the excellent writing here and the ability of it to delight so many people of so many ages, it has the power to be important to a future generation.
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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>0571313086</amazonuk>
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|isbn=0571349498
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1838593187
|title=Nonsense Limericks (Faber Children's Classics)
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|title=Guess What I Found in the Playground!
|author=Edward Lear and Arthur Robins (illustrator)
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|author=Victoria Thompson
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There was a young man whose critique<br>
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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 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.
Of this book was submitted one week<br>
 
When they asked 'Was it fine?'<br>
 
He said 'No denyin' –<br>
 
'There's very little here they could tweak!'
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571302262</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Innosanto Nagara
|title=Katie's London Christmas
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|title=M is for Movement
|author=James Mayhew
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=We have never been strict about Christmas in our house.  It's usually my husband who starts it, with a carol or two during the summer!  It's hard to resist that Christmas urge if you're a die-hard fan of the season! I have a friend who keeps all her Christmas related stories safely in a cupboard, brought out in a special basket only during the season itselfWe, meanwhile, have Christmas stories all year round because, honestly, who doesn't like a bit of Father Christmas magic now and then?!  Anyway, this is all to say that here is a Christmas story that some purists will tuck away until Christmas Eve but we have quite happily read during Halloween!  Katie is back, and heading back to London, but this time she's on a mission to help Father Christmas...
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|summary=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 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 fail.  The message is a positive one; that in an increasingly uncertain world, we do still have the power to instigate change.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408326418</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1609809351
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1949471004
|title=Good Dog Lion (Little Gems)
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|title=Dog on a Log Chapter Books: Step 1
|author=Alexander McCall Smith
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|author=Pamela Brookes
|rating=5
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|rating=4
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|summary=Being a firm fan of Alexander McCall Smith's novels for adults, I wasn't surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed this children's story. Written with the same gentle understanding of human nature, and so very deftly told,  I read this story with a great deal of pleasure.  Although the story behind Timo's life is rather sad, with his father leaving him and his mother when Timo is only young, and his mother then struggling to find enough money to raise both of them, it never descends into tragedy but remains positive and upbeat.  It's a story of strength, and bravery, and I'm not just talking about Timo and his mother.
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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 mixYou need a story which engages the young mind and you need stages which progress steadily through the learning process without there being any large jumpsSome online support and games wouldn't go amiss, eitherReading - and ''learning'' to read - should be a pleasure. It should be ''fun''.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781123721</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Allan Plenderleith
 
|title=The Bonkers Banana
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Father Christmas has a problem.  Because the house had no chimney he had to use his magic dust to shrink himself down so that he could slip into the house through the keyholeAll went well until the very tiny Santa bumped into a fruit bowl containing just one banana and all his magic dust flew up in the air - and landed on the bananaThe banana was rather pleased - brought to life he jumped up and down and began dancing and singing - but Father Christmas was distraught.  Without the magic dust he couldn't ride his sleigh and deliver all the presentsEventually the banana calmed down sufficiently to realise that Santa had a problem and the only way out of it was for banana to fly Santa to the moon so that he could get more magic dust. Yes - I know - it's bonkers.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1841613878</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=099334030X
|title=The It Doesn't Matter Suit and Other Stories
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|title=Can You Draw the Dragosaur?
|author=Sylvia Plath and David Roberts
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|author=Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Crafts
|summary=I've said it before and I'll say it again, that you should always approach classical authors through their least typical, shortest and more individual works – you won't gain much insight perhaps into why they were famous, but you will find more entertainment and greater pleasures by staying outside the canonAnd the lovely people at Faber and Faber have a case in point – rather than plough through serious dross from Eliot, why not stick to [[The Illustrated Old Possum by T S Eliot and Nicolas Bentley]]? And with Sylvia Plath I cannot think of a better place to start with her oeuvre than with these snappy and delightful pages.
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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 LynasThen 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>0571314643</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1609809335
|title=Pigsticks and Harold and the Tuptown Thief
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|title=The Lizard
|author=Alex Milway
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|author= Jose Saramago, J Borges, Nick Caistor (translator) and Lucia Caistor (translator)
|rating=3.5
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|rating=2
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Problems are afoot in Tuptown, leading up the annual Butterfly Ball – bit by bit the whole thing is being stolenHarold has made a special statue for the occasion, but has awoken to find it missing, the berries for the catering have vanished – and someone's even run off with the butterfliesIt's up to our heroes Harold (the hamster) and Pigsticks (the, er, pig) to don their stereotypical detective outfits and save the day.
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|summary=One day a giant lizard appears in the cityWe 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>1406346039</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1789016320
|title=The Witch Dog
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|title=Tadcaster and the Bullies
|author=Margaret Mahy and Sam Usher
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|author=Richard Rutherford
|rating=4.5
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|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Every witch needs a cat. Everyone knows that. But when we meet Mrs Rose, she’s not really a witch. She’s a mum whose children have left home, and now she’s finding herself with a bit of time on her hands. Her husband suggests she join him with his hobby of Bowls, but that’s a bit boring, thinks Mrs Rose, so instead she decides to do an evening class. In how to become a witch.
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|summary=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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444011340</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B01N0OZQOD
|title=It's Snow Day
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|title=Nickerbacher
|author=Richard Curtis and Rebecca Cobb
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|author=Terry John Barto
|rating=5
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|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=We all remember the best sort of school days, don’t we? Snow days. Waking up in the morning and seeing the glow of white through the curtains, and looking out of the window to see the whole world of our back gardens and rooftops turned white. This is a book all about that, and the only two people who turn up at school on this particular snow day.
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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>0723288925</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0008265836
|title=Horrid Henry's Haunted House
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|title=Rory Branagan Detective
|author=Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
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|author=Andrew Clover and Ralph Lazar
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Horrid Henry is a character I remember vaguely in passing, a bit like ''Just William''. I knew the books existed and regularly saw them in the children’s room of the library, but I didn’t bother to pick them up. The clue was in the name. And I was the sort of girl who didn’t want stories about nasty, horrible boys. Having read my first Horrid Henry story now, though, I can let you in on a little secret. He’s actually  quite a funny boy and not the naughty thing his nickname would suggest.
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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>1444009079</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0192758748
|title=The Snow Leopard (Mini Edition)
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|title=Horace & Harriet Take on the Town
|author=Jackie Morris
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|author=Clare Elsom
|rating=3.5
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|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=You probably haven't heard of Mergichans – although if you pronounce it correctly in your head, in connection with spirits and magic, you will work out what they are.  One of them is the totem, if you like, of a hidden Himalayan valley, and she is in the form of a snow leopard, singing existence as she sees fit and protecting the Shangri-La type location. But she cannot protect it from all-comers, least of all when she's trying to sing to find a successor. Mergichans do not have it all their own way…
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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>1847805477</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Saulles_Bee
|title=The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf and Grandma's Wardrobe
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|title=Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens
|author=Diane Fox and Christyan Fox
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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=Have you ever sat down to read a story aloud to someone and found that they interrupt at every given opportunity, asking questions, making comments, and generally fidgeting with anything and everything?  I'm sure if you've spent any time with a toddler then this will be a familiar experience. This story plays on that, with a cat trying, very hard, to tell a dog the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  But dog can't sit still, and he wants to know what Red's superpower is, because if she has a cape she must be a superhero, and he's pretty sure that Red must have zapped the wolf with her kindness ray when she met him...
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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>1910277002</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=The Dance Teacher
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|isbn=Davidson_Night
|author=Simon Milne and Chantal Stewart
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|title=Night Zookeeper: The Giraffes of Whispering Wood
 +
|author=Joshua Davidson
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Miss Sylvie is a dance teacher to the many girls and boys in her town. One day, a little girl called Isabelle walks through her door and says she wants to start ballet, so she joins the Saturday class. As months and then years pass, some friends come and go, and others try different forms of dancing, but only Isabelle sticks with ballet.
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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>1743313314</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|title=The Three Little Magicians
 
|author=Georgie Adams and Emily Bolam
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=The ''Three Little Magicians'' are just that, a group of young friends who like magic and are pretty good at it, but they're nothing compared to the likes of their neighbour and magician extraordinaire, Mr Marzipan. When a mishap takes him out of the running for the important magic show at the Crystal Castle, the three friends offer their services. But will the evil Zigzag thwart their plans and steal the prize for himself?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444011456</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=Frances Mackay
 
|title=Always Last (On the Ball)
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Ben was always last. Last to the bathroom in the morning, last to breakfast, last into school...  You get the picture.  These didn't worry him overly much but Ben's a football enthusiast - and he was always last to be picked when the captains were choosing teams. Even the girls were picked before him and there was always a bit of grumbling when someone had to take him onto their side.  But then an anonymous friend gave him some advice in a letter and although Ben couldn't see how it could ''possibly'' work, he decided to give it a try.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781276978</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Seuss_Read
|title=Winnie's Big Bad Robot
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|title=I Can Read With My Eyes Shut
|author=Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
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|author=Dr Seuss
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Winnie the Witch is something of an institution in children’s literature these days, and with good reason. From the very first book in the series Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul managed to capture a wonderful sense of fun, mischief and adventure. This addition to the series is no exception.
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|summary=''The more that you read,''<br>
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192738720</amazonuk>
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''The more things you will know.''<br>
}}
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''The more that you learn,''<br>
 +
''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=Zanib Mian and Laura Ewing Ferrer
 
|title=Never too Small
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=There was once a young boy who didn't try to do things because he felt that he was too small, but he was lucky.  He had a good friend and that friend wrote him a letter to tell him that people are never too small, or too big, or too old to try something new.  There was also a little girl and she was afraid of the dark.  It was her brother who wrote her a letter to tell her that he would always be there for her.  There was the boy who wouldn't try new things to eat, the young girl who was afraid of heights, a boy who was terrified about going to school and a girl who was frightened of spiders.  They all had that special someone who took the time to write them the letter which gave them the confidence to overcome their fears.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0956419658</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Neal_Words
|author=Tony Ross and Wendy Finney
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|title=Words and Your Heart
|title=What's My Name? (The Not So Little Princess)
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|author=Kate Jane Neal
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=Now, I do hope that what I'm about to tell you won't be too upsetting.  The Little Princess is growing up and it's causing a problem in the palace. You see the little princess has always been known as, well, the Little Princess. Whilst the Queen was helping to make cucumber sandwiches the King was striding up and down, wearing the carpet out and making his shoes squeak.  He had a problem - a big problem. Now that the little princess was growing up was it really appropriate to continue calling her the Little Princess?  There was an open secret in the palace: everyone knew the little princess's ''real'' name - but no one was prepared to tell her what it was.
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|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>1849395799</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Tavares_Red
|title=Wolfman
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|title=Red and Lulu
|author=Michael Rosen and Chris Mould
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|author=Matt Tavares
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=People are panicking. The police are afraid. The army have run away. Who or what could possibly be so scary? It’s Wolf Man. And he’s on the loose.
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|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>1781123748</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Dickens_Search
|title=Danloria: The Secret Forest of Germania
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|title=Search and Find A Christmas Carol
|author=Gloria D Gonsalves
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|author=Charles Dickens, Sarah Powell and Louise Pigott
|rating=4
+
|rating=3.5
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Emerging Readers
|summary=Stan loves to go for walks in the forest of Danloria, located in the seven hills of Germania. He goes with his father almost every day. One particular day, Stan's father is ill in bed and can't take him out. And that's when Fern appears. Stan notices the plant waving to him and can't help but investigate. Fern has an invitation for Stan. He wants to take him to the secret parts of the forest, to a party. Stan has a fabulous time, meeting all the plants and finding out about the various ways in which they benefit humanity. The following spring, Stan is racking his brains to think of the perfect gift for his mother's fortieth birthday party when Fern appears again. More friends of the forest supply presents more wonderful than Stan could ever have dreamed of. A firm friendship ensues.
+
|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>1491876964</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=Seuss_Eggs
|title=Mine!
+
|title=Scrambled Eggs Super
|author=Jerome Keane and Susana de Dios
+
|author=Dr Seuss
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Horse and Fox are really bored. Nothing had happened for ages, until the egg arrived. In this lovely book, they are forced to try and share, but they aren't particularly good at it. I really love the style of this book, it uses bold, different colour schemes to make it instantly eye catching and engaging. The text has an immediately obvious sense of humour whilst still managing to be simple enough for early readers to grasp.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408331365</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat-Dragon
 
|author=Sarah Courtauld
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
+
|genre=Emerging Readers  
|summary=In this story we have two sisters. There is Eliza, who dreams of being a swashbuckling hero, whilst her sister Lavender spends her time mooning over pictures of princes, hoping to become a real princess.  One day Lavender gets kidnapped out in the forest by a rather dreadful villain, Mordmont. Will poor Lavender ever escape?  Will Eliza get to be the hero?  And what about these monstrous moat dragons?!
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|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>1447255550</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest Entertainment Reviews]]
|title=Lucky
 
|author=David Mackintosh
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=''We're having a surprise at dinner tonight. Mum says so.''
 
 
 
Leo and his brother are desperate to figure out just what the surprise might be. Could it be crinkly chips? A new bike? Tickets to the Amazing Yo-Yo Super show?
 
 
 
Or maybe, just maybe...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007463030</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 13:05, 8 December 2022

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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