What our Children are Reading

 

 

The Boy who Flew – Fleur Hitchcock – Nosy Crow Publishing

 

 

Review by Finlay age 13. This spine shivering murderous tale tells the story of a young boy Athan Wilde and his inventor friend Mr Chen who was unexpectedly murdered, leaving Athan astonished and left with a massive dilemma which put his whole family in terrible peril. This tale is set amongst rooftops and skylines, will he decide to carry on flying his secret invention in which to lift his family from extreme poverty or save his family from mortal danger and never fly again? As you follow the storyline with Athan you will soon come to realise that he is a sneaky, cheeky, but likeable boy. Along his way there are plenty of adventures to keep the reader amused. I think this book is suitable for ages 10 plus and would appeal to adventurous boys and girls. It wasn’t my favourite read of late but I think it could appeal to a younger audience who are keen to read more of a crime genre than I am.

 

Finlay is also re- reading the favourite classic of Swallows and Amazons and found Alex Rider – Russian Roulette immensely entertaining.

 

 

How to Bee – Bren MacDibble- Old Barn Books

 

 

By Daisy age 10. This is an adventurous book set in the future where bees no longer pollinate our Earth. Nine year old Peony is on a mission to be the best human bee using her feather stick. Faced with challenges and tests to be be a worthy bee she is stuck between town and farm. Peony has to think of ways to slip away from her hard working mother who is destined to change her mindset on saving the earth and wanting a City life for her instead. To add to Peony’s troubles her mum marries into an unfavourable family; will Peony ever get back to the countryside and finally be top bee? This book along with Dog Runner by the same author would appeal to keen young environmentalists.

 

Daisy is also currently enjoying reading Anna at War by Helen Peters.

 

 

Out and About Night Explorer – National Trust & Nosy Crow

All you need to know about nature and your surroundings at night with this handy guidebook. For its size the book packs in so many facts on night time wildlife and also handy hints on how to be prepared for night time exploring. I also love the elastic page marker function and the fact that my 6 year old can do extra comprehension learning with the contents, glossary and quiz pages. Teddy (age 6) told me that in particular he loved the pages about making shadow puppets, night time mini beasts, moths and learning about star gazing. We think this book is perfect for taking on late summer camping trips and for those Autumn nights when the dark is drawing in.

Teddy has been enjoying sharing some picture books with Florence, listening to the Faraway Tree again (read at bedtime by Daddy) and listening to some of our favourite audio books

Save the Day with Ada May – Elizabeth Dale – Willow Tree

A fun interactive book to share with your toddler/preschoolers. Ada May is a mischievous toddler who leads her big brother Max a merry dance! The book asks the readers for help on every page from tilting, blowing and tapping the pages. A cheerful story for any time of the day. Teddy and Florence both enjoyed listening and interacting with this book and it reminded Teddy of his own little sister.

Snow White – Nosy Crow

A new adaptation of a classic fairytale. Teddy and Florence have been enjoying our old classic fairytales recently and what I like about this more recent adaptation is that it tells the story in a little more depth, making it the right length for a bedtime story. The writing is laid out well using some good vocabulary to extend his reading making it a good tale for Reception and Key Stage One aged children to read independently. We also loved the pretty woodland illustrations by Ed Bryan. A great bedtime classic which can also be played aloud on your smartphone with the Nosy Crow QR code.

Florence is also enjoying sharing books about the Seasons and using the potty, we will share some of these shortly with you.