Gemma

This dinky sized chapter book is such a delight for small hands to hold and explore. The text is large and robust, the chapters are the perfect length for children who are new to reading chapter books and the quirky illustrations are spread evenly throughout the book.

The intriguing story of the boy who couldn't sleep added much fascination and questions from the children who were reading the story and prompted lots of discussions about the importance of sleep. The adventure that Uncle Pete goes on in order to help solve Harry's problems was exciting and mysterious. His little sidekick TM (tiny mouse) was a favourite character with the children adding humour and a touch of ‘cuteness' to the story.

The story is packed full of action from magical stardust, icy mountains, a cloud garden, a black cat wearing glasses and a journey that will ignite the imagination of its reader. The beautiful descriptions in the book allow for vivid images to be painted in one's head as well as providing vocabulary that is rich but easily accessible to young readers.

An exciting start to a new series of books for early readers. The children and I cannot wait for the next instalment of Uncle Pete and his tiny sidekick TM. Where will the adventure take us next?

I was lucky enough to receive the audio version of Backstories which was such an enjoyable experience. The different voices for each story added an element of excitement and authenticity helping me ‘set the scene' and add extra clues to who the character was from the very beginning of each chapter. I loved the ‘guess who' element with each new story. Each of the characters are very well known people, some iconic heroes in history and others real monsters. This real mixture of personalities, the different eras in which they spanned and the diversity of nationalities was a great combination. You never really knew what you would find from one story to the next, which definitely kept me entertained and enthralled.

Simon Van der Velde's clever writing and obvious research makes this a quirky and unique book of short stories. Backstories is truly a fun, dynamic ‘game' for adults that will test your knowledge and memory on people in history as well as give you an insight into their lives that you may not be familiar with. A very thought-provoking and engaging book. Highly recommend.

An absolute beautiful book with an important message. I read this story to my class and they loved it. They had fun guessing which character was coming up next and there was so much laughter from the children when each character was revealed. We discussed our favourite characters from the book and identified the rhyming words, which added to the pace and enjoyment of the story. The illustrations are bold and bright adding to the richness of the text. There is so much detail in the pictures that the children love exploring these and discovering new things that they didn't spot the first time around. I know this will be a firm favourite in the classroom encouraging plenty of discussion and experimenting using different voices for each character.
Edit

Loved it!! A must read!

This book was an unexpected delight. I have to say I struggled a bit at the beginning as I found the way it was written, through Augusta's eyes quite childlike but as the story developed, along with the age of Augusta so too did the writing. It was this writing style that allowed me to grow alongside Augusta and become emotionally involved with her story. I loved the themes that weaved throughout the book: death, sadness, lose which were equally balanced by hope, dreams, love and belonging. I have to confess I ended up sobbing bucketful of tears during sections of this book. If a novel can evoke such strong emotions within then for me that is the sign of a good book and powerful author. I look forward to reading more by Joanna Glen.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of this eBook and introducing me to Joanna Glen.

This gorgeous picture book tells the story of a brave young knight who is faced with lots of adversity but through grit and determination doesn't give up. The illustrations are bold, bright and colourful adding to the narrative. The text is also very striking and appealing, with a mixture of different fonts to highlight significant words. The double page at the back of the book gives some wonderful suggestions and activities for children to try out at home to bring the story alive.

I read this story to my Key Stage one class and they loved it. They were memorised by the pictures and were rooting for Leo to defeat the dragons. The book led to lots of discussions about Leo's feelings at different stages as well as the values that were displayed in the story.

This book was extremely touching. My daughter was born with a rare genetic liver disease and had a liver transplant at 3 years of age. Knowing that this book was written for her son who also has health issues I could completely relate to the words that were written on the page. Having a child who is unwell is one of the hardest things to face as a parent. Going through treatments, procedures and having that constant uncertainty to deal with is extremely hard and stressful. I can see this book adding some comfort to those going through worrying times and providing valuable opportunities to discuss their own battles.

All royalties from the sale of this book will go to CHAS (Children's Hospices across Scotland).

An intense and harrowing story. Very well written and heartfelt. Well done to Colston Whitehead for another powerful novel highlighting the injustice and suffering that occurred in America in the 60s.

A very informative book with links to online assessments that I thought would be amazing (I obviously couldn't access them through my ARC). I really liked Megan's writing style and her approach in informing and advising you; it feels like she is right by your side guiding you without judgement and understanding if things don't go to plan but encouraging you to continue.

The yoga section was a nice element for a non-beginner and I enjoyed the recipe section, especially as they were all plant based.

Although there were formatting issues on the ARC it was an enjoyable read and I can see myself ordering a copy of the book so that I can have a more comprehensive copy and enjoy the added extras of the online assessments.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for a copy of this e-book.

Eithne Shortall took me straight to Pine Road, Dublin and into the lives of the residents. It was like being a fly on the wall or one of the curtain-twitching homeowners spying on her neighbours, and I loved it.

You are immediately introduced to Martha, the newest resident; Robin, who has moved back in with her parents with her son; and Edie, a lonely woman who is desperate to make friends with her neighbours and yearning to start a family; as well as a whole host of colourful characters from the Head Teacher at the local secondary school to the Chair of the Parents Association. There is definitely more than one character that you can identify with and will remind you of someone you know.

Although there are some serious issues being explored in this novel there is also a lighthearted, humorous side which I adored, especially the WhatsApp group messages. I loved how the story developed and I must confess I didn't predict any of the events that occurred which added to my enjoyment of the book. I found myself totally immersed within the lives of these women and enjoyed how the novel unfolded.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you are already a fan of Eithne Shortall, Lianne Moriarty or Jane Fallon.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for a copy of this e-book.

A beautifully poignant tale.

How do you learn to carry on when you loose everyone you love in an instant?

Edward is the only survivor of the plane crash. Badly injured and having no memory of the crash he spends a long time in hospital recovering. His body heals but his memory takes longer to catch up. Slowly, with the help from a stranger, he pieces together what happens and learns to grieve and reconstruct his life.

Edward's story is full of sadness and regret but there is also light and happiness. A must read.

Alfie is not the most likely protagonist, he's slightly arrogant, self absorbed and a tough nut to crack but underneath there is a softer, vulnerable side.

Alfie is eighty-six and lives in a care home. He has to share a room with someone who is messy and talkative and needs help getting out of bed in the morning. He doesn't know any of the staff's names, except for Julia and would rather not join in with any social activities apart from their weekly trip to the library. All in all you can excuse Alfie's lack of socialism and mood as he doesn't really have anything to look forward to and has no visitors. Alfie's highlights are when he sneaks out on Saturday mornings to the local park to feed the ducks and his library visits.

On Saturdays, Alfie talks to Fred, a teenage boy, who he starts to tell his life story to: from his early home life escaping the confinements of his parents, his time in the travelling circus and revealing his greatest loves and regrets. He also finds a pen pal who he starts to write to, a woman in her thirties living in America. This communication he has with Anne is heartwarming; both are lonely and open up to each other despite being strangers. Through their correspondence we see a different side to Alfie and learn more about the secrets he is hiding.

Having read and enjoyed books like A Man Called Ove and Three Things About Elsie I was delighted to read this book. The sadness of old age and deteriorating health is always an interesting topic to read about as it can hold so much emotion for the reader. Loneliness was definitely a key theme running through the book as was remorse and sorrow. I think we all look back on our lives and have some regrets or are embarrassed by some of our actions and The Inconvenient Need To Belong accentuates this brilliantly in Alfie's tale. You really feel for him during certain parts of the novel and want to comfort him. However, as well as being sympathetic towards Alfie I also felt infuriated by his actions and choices. I think this book will definitively divide readers and their feelings towards Alfie, thus promoting lots of discussions.

I loved how the book alternated between Alfie's present day to the past and how the character's had their own back story that we got to hear a bit about. I found it to be a moving, thought-provoking novel and one I will definitely put forward as a book club recommendation.

This was a bit of a slow burner for me. I enjoyed the concept of the book and was intrigued to find out how it was all going to pan out but wanted a bit more to happen.

I did think something sinister was going on with her husband Nick and I loved how he became the villain in my mind, strengthening my sympathy towards Karen. I adored her neighbour Cath and the lovely friendship they formed. I do enjoy reading books where there are a whole host of colourful characters and I felt like this book captured that beautifully, from Karen's London pals, Dave and Jude, to the local people in the hamlet.

If you enjoy family dramas then this book is ideal. It was beautifully written and the ending for me was just perfect.

Many thanks for my ARC

This is a pacey children's book where a lot is squeezed into its 109 pages. The Drako family experience a gruelling power cut in the town Brilliana where they live, causing a spiral of events which in the end forces them to move to Dayton. Here they encounter the delights of the University of Arts and Engineering college where the children are educated and meet the mysterious teacher Hippolyta Scythe who seems to know more about Gallo the dragon than either child could anticipate. However, the Drako family also find themselves in conflict with the Purkisses and some city boys.

I found the story line surrounding the theatre show fascinating, along with the dragon appearances. The mystery surrounding Percy was a great addition to the book as well as the colourful character of Scythe. There was a good balance of writing to illustrations and the short chapters helped keep the pace of the story. I think Dragon River would appeal to both girls and boys from the ages of 7-10.