This is an old folk tale, which I think originates from Eastern Europe but like most folk tales, there are slightly different versions, which makes it all the more interesting. The basic plot is about a traveller/a group of travellers (some versions tell the tale with a solider, another with a monk, and others with animals rather than humans as the characters) who arrive/s in a village with an empty cooking pot. No one is willing to give or share food. So, they drop a stone into their pot and begin to boil it with water. Each villager asks what’s being cooked and is told ‘stone soup’ and that everyone can taste it. Each villager then brings a vegetable or herb to make it taste better so by the end, the stone is removed, and there really is food for everyone. It may not strictly speaking be a potion but it’s a tasty concoction and a clever way to show how the villagers had to be tricked into doing the right thing.
This is a book I read as an adult (after it being highly recommended to me by my own children) and I absolutely loved it. When Jessica begins to turn invisible, she and her friends set off on an adventure to find out why. It turns out that a rose quartz necklace Jessica was given as a birthday gift was reacting to a serum/potion she didn’t know she had accidently come into contact with at birth, and it’s causing invisibility. And Jessica’s not alone – there are others out there who also came into contact with the same experimental serum at birth. Finding them, and finding out what happened, leads her to eventually saving herself and her friends from danger. Fast paced, clever and fun.
This book follows on from the Poppy Pendle books – and again it’s a read I’ve enjoyed as an adult. Cat was born in her mother’s bakery and has inherited the gift of magic. She learns to use this once she’s older but even when she’s young, we hear about how she likes to ‘raid the spice shelf, shaking cinnamon, ginger, and chilli powder into her bowl’. She’d open all her mother’s canisters, spooning in cornmeal and brown sugar. Anything Cat could wrap her tiny hands around she’d use.’ Eventually, Cat can harness her powers for good as she helps out her family and neighbours.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
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
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments