Emma Carroll never fails to disappoint. The Tale of Truthwater Lake is a gripping and fast paced adventure story, set in part, in the future and in part in the past.
The story revolves around Polly and her brother, Joel who are growing up in 2032 when climate change is causing a prolonged summer heatwave, with daily government warnings sent to warn people to stay indoors. The children live with their parents in a small flat in Brighton and are sent away to their aunt’s house in the country for a few weeks in the summer holiday – although not before Polly has to be rescued by her brother from a late night swim resulting in some online bullying.
Their aunt, Jessie lives by a reservoir but in the drought, it has shrunk to reveal the village, Syndercombe that was flooded in the 1950’s to enable the flooded valley to become a reservoir. What ensues is a story of time travel, with Polly being transported back in time (through the magic of 2 AM swims and an old door handle) to the weeks before the flooding of the village. Polly inhabits the life of Nellie, a young orphan with great ambition. Nellie, is a fabulous swimmer and dreams of swimming the English Channel, but her chance is taken away by a young boy called Nate, who is the son of the man brought in to organise the evacuation and flooding of the village.
There are so many twists and turns of this adventure, with friendship, bullying, the climate, old age and even parenting, making it a story to read rather than describe! Emma Carroll paints a real and vivid picture of each character and scene and evokes empathy, excitement and suspense in every chapter.
The story reaches an exciting climax when Nellie does in fact swim the Channel and is a real page turner in the build-up, swim and aftermath of her achievement. Emma Carroll is a master of happy endings – tying up loose ends, resolving all of the problems raised in the story and by bringing together estranged characters. This is a great book for an upper KS2 primary classroom.
Shiloh is a princess. Her family are all great musicians and singers – but Shiloh can’t sing a note. She feels like there must be something wrong with her until one day she hears a different kind of music and joins in. It takes wise words from others to learn to be proud of what she can do – even if it does mean she is a little bit different.
This is a bright and engaging picture book perfect for younger readers. The illustrations are bold and colourful and reflect the story being told effectively. The story is told in rhyme and has an easy-to-pick-up rhythm – making it a great story for retelling with help from children.
The story teaches that everyone has a talent to be discovered and that even if it isn’t the talent you expected it might still be something to be valued and shared.
My first thoughts on reading this story were that it could be used as part of music lessons. Children across the primary age range could create body percussion and untuned percussion compositions to accompany a reader as the story lends itself well to being told to a steady beat. It could also teach rhythm and rhyme as part of English lessons with key stage 1 children. As part of PSHE lessons, the story could be used to talk about children’s talents and things they are proud of.
This fast-paced adventure revolves around a fantastical invention, The Imagination Box, which gives users the power to create anything they desire. When the contraption falls into the hands of lonely only-child, Tim, he thinks that all his birthdays have come at once, until inventor Professor Eisenstone is kidnapped…
This book is jam-packed with action, adventure and danger, as well as plenty of humour in the form of forthright finger-monkey sidekick, Phil! I love this book as it cleverly explores both the wonders and perils of technological advancement.
Liska is a griffyx – part fox, part dragon, part eagle – an ancient creature lost to the world except to those shapewalkers who take on their form. Warriors who take on the form of long-dead beasts are protectors of the Undrentree and of all who live in Arborven. While Liska marvels at the order that everyone in Arborven appears to respect and follow, she also grows frustrated at the way she is treated and spoken to, even by her own family, and longs for the day when she can earn her own stripe for bravery.
With a split second decision, Liska suddenly finds herself alerting the city to an invasion of the rot, the greatest threat that the city faced. Can she make her voice be heard in time and can anyone stop Bitterblight from sucking the very life out of the Undrentree and all who rely on it for their magic?
Following on from Larwood’s success with the Five Realms series, I had high expectations to discover another fantasy world by this author. This one is filled with plot twists and turns, and a cast of characters that the reader inescapably becomes emotionally invested in. Yet again, Larwood has delivered. Great as a class read, this book could also be enjoyed as a source of discussions about friendship, inclusion, the class system and mythical creatures.
I had planned to read this as a bedtime story with my daughter, but by the second day I found myself squirreled away, needing to know what happens next and binge reading through to the finale! I’m left hoping that, much like the Five Realms books, this is going to be a trilogy too, as I would love to know what happens to Liska and her unlikely companions next.
Reviewer: Jane E
Meet Hack and Whack – the worst behaved Vikings in the village! They revel in creating chaos and causing carnage wherever they go with hilarious consequences – and what is more, their parents are proud of them!
This series of 3 short stories set in the frozen fjords of a Viking kingdom, the two terrible twins (along with their wolf cub Bitey-Bitey and their friends Twisty Pants and Dirty Ulf,) plunder and pillage the polite and perfect Elsa Gold Hair’s birthday party, track a troll and attempt a daring and dangerous raid of a nearby island.
As well as plenty of laughs and make believe, this book includes some more accurate historical details too; describing longhouses with smoke holes and thatched roofs, iron cauldrons and the need for foraging for rood and smoking fish to name a few. It would be a great addition to a class library during a Viking topic to use alongside non-fiction texts.
Francesca Simon is best known for the Horrid Henry series but also harbours an interest in Norse mythology after having read Old and Middle English at Oxford. These stories bring the author’s expertise in all things Vikings into the full spirit of Horrid Henry’s comic revelry. The variations in font and the comic illustrations by Steve May really add to the humour and engagement of the story for young readers. It is a fantastic early chapter book – a really accessible read for those starting out tackling longer texts. It will also engage and amuse older but more reluctant readers and would also be great fun to read aloud.
With The Pear Affair comes a detective story set in the sixties, complete with a search for a missing person, hidden tunnels, and a plot to ruin lives for the gain of a few.
The gripping pace of this story makes this a hard story to put down and the many threads and questions form a very satisfying ending that the reader is not expecting. All of this is set against the beautiful backdrop of Paris, complete with its beautiful hotels, shops and landmarks, its smells and colours, and its exciting hidden depths. A very satisfying read.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Andrew Murray, Year 3 Teacher
An unlikely friendship/partnership between a ‘hard-working goody-two-shoes’ boy and the young witch (with a penchant for cake) who lives at the bottom of his garden. Much laughter, fun and laughing out loud moments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Joyous and vibrant, this captures perfectly the excitement of getting ready for a celebration, as well as showcasing a dazzling array of intricate hairstyles.
This is a glorious debut from an exciting new partnership who both emerged from the FAB Prize for undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators.
This stellar edition of her poems brings together work from her four award-winning collections for children, and sprinkles in a generous helping of new poems to match. From her dazzlingly debut Meeting Midnight through to her newest, brightest poems, Carol Ann Duffy’s writing for younger readers has always bubbled with wit and humour, intelligence and affection, and introduced us to many strange and wonderful characters along the way. Among the enchanting voices to be heard are those of the Loch Ness Monster’s husband, the oldest girl in the world and a herd of cows on a shopping trip to Manchester.
SHORTLISTED for the Scholastic Lollies Awards – My Mum Is A Grown Down is a larger than life collection of poems for a middle grade audience about one wild, hysterical and hilarious Mum.
She says ‘I’ve worked so hard for years and I deserve a rest!’ As she scribbles with crayons and pours custard down her dress, She’s dangling from the banister with her head upside-down! Does your Mum do this? Help! My Mum’s growing DOWN!
Mum is a gamer, a party animal and a free spirit making life hard work for her nine year old son. These poems are a glimpse into their parent child relationship; their antics and adventures. The poems are bold, brave, funny and some – very moving. This collection shows just how funny, rude and naughty mums can be! It’s Dahl meets Dr Seuss meets Colin McNaughton with a sprinkling of Absolutely Fabulous.
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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
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