Children’s Book Award FCBG Top Ten 2025 Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Children’s Book Award Top Ten 2025 Blog Tour.

The Children’s Book Award is the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children. It is owned and coordinated by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and is highly respected by teachers, parents and librarians. It has brought acclaim and strong sales to past winners such as J.K. Rowling, Patrick Ness, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo, who has won a record four times. The award has often been the first to recognise the future stars of children’s fiction and has the ability to turn popular authors into bestsellers.

As part of the CBA blog tour, we were given the opportunity to speak with Tom Percival, author of The Bridges, one of the ten shortlisted titles for this year’s Children’s Book Award. Tom has been under some tight deadlines recently and his publicist requested a phone interview, which was entirely exciting for Erin, our blog manager and Vice-Chair.

Knowing Tom’s work so well and being a fan of all his picture books and most recently, his middle grade, The Wrong Shoes, Erin was delighted to create a few questions for Tom. Erin has taken copious notes and shares Tom’s answers in today’s guest blog.

What do you think it is about The Bridges that won children over?

I think it’s the universality of books and stories. Anyone can relate to engaging with stories in any form. Reading broadens your mind and experiences and reading books can increase your empathy, inform you and educate you- all of which are worth celebrating.

There is also a feeling of escapism with reading- you can literally go to a place in a book that you might never be able to do in real life. This is so compelling for readers.

What would you hope they take away from Mia’s story?

Children can really resonate with Mia and even those that can’t benefit from reading her story. The Bridges is an encouraging story on the power of reading and stories. It shows how we can benefit from reading and how accessible books are from libraries and schools.

Readers may find escapism or respite from challenges they are facing in their own lives.

Your picture books often hit to the heart of big emotions and tough situations, are these hard to write about? Are you impacted by your own experiences?

100% yes! We are a product of our own events and experiences and these impact who you will become. I want to help children to explore big and challenging emotions. These give a sense of how you are feeling in the moment and that you need to understand these as they determine a course of action. If you feel angry, you may react angry.

I was trying to communicate awareness of emotions to children.

How does it feel to be nominated for an award solely voted on by children at every stage of the process?

It feels amazing especially with The Bridges. There is often a thought that funny books are more important than those of a more serious nature but children need both in their lives. Sometimes they will want a funny book while at others, something like The Bridges can be a welcome escape and empathy builder.

I am really pleased that it resonated with readers.

Is there anything you would like to say to those children?

Thank you and KEEP READING!

Reading is the best way to grow as a person.

With books, the reader is doing a lot of creative work by interpreting the story and turning it into a reality for themselves. They are growing their mind, building empathy and understanding the world around them. Everyone’s interpretation of a story is different, and this is one reason why reading is so important.

Tom and Erin chatted easily about his thoughts on reading for pleasure and of his processes when writing and illustrating his picture books. There is much more to it than first meets the eye and Erin was really impressed with Tom’s insights into his current work and that of his future- watch this space for more exciting books from Tom Percival.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and to Tom for sharing his thoughts, opinions and plans with Erin.

Children across the UK are encouraged to get involved. Copies of the books can be purchased at a discount from our partner supplier Heath Books here [link https://www.heathbooks.co.uk/federation-of-childrens-book-groups-childrens-book-award-2025/] and online voting will be opened at the conclusion of the blog tour. The deadline for voting is Friday 9th May and category winners and the overall winner of the most popular children’s book published in 2024 will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on 7th June, attended by representatives from all our local groups and livestreamed on the FCBG YouTube channel.

Thank you to Erin and the FCBG for inviting me to take part in the tour. Don’t forget to check out the other stops.

Picture Book Reviews from Little Tiger

I was very excited to receive a wonderful trio of picture books from Little Tiger and really enjoyed reading each of them and looking at their beautiful illustrations. These will all be published on 3rd April. I have reviewed each of them in this Blog Post.

*Written and illustrated by Jessica Meserve*

Our Tree is a stunning hardback picture book celebrating togetherness, community and acceptance.

Tree feels a small animal’s feet climbing up their trunk. They welcome Little Red who wants the tree all for himself but Tree good naturedly reminds him that lots of other animals and insects rely on them for food, rest and shelter from caterpillars to swifts to elephants. Little Red would rather be swishing leaves than eating them, jumping on branches than resting in them and playing by himself than being together with others. He is not at all impressed when he discovers that Tree is for everyone and not just for him so decides to find a tree that’s all for himself. In his rush to leave Tree, he falls and finds himself in need of friends …

This is a wonderful story that will teach young children the importance of friendship and community as Little Red learns lessons in sharing, tolerance and acceptance.

The language is a joy to share with younger children with its use of onomatopoeia, action verbs and repetition of the phrase “Look behind you!” which I can imagine young children enjoying joining in with as they listen to the story.

The illustrations are stunning with an image of Tree personified on every page, full of gentleness, kindness and celebrating the community that they welcome. The colours are a blend of both muted pastel natural shades of browns, greens and blues with Little Red and the other creatures shown in brighter hues. I really liked this contrast and the wide variety of animals and insects on the pages which I have no doubt young children will enjoy finding and identifying. I also loved the movement within the images which suits the use of the action verbs within the story perfectly.

A gorgeously illustrated picture book for young children of 3+.

*Written by Laura Dockrill* *and Illustrated by Kip Alizadeh*

I am Strong Just Being Me is a beautifully illustrated poem celebrating ways to be strong for ourselves and others told through the imagery of strength in nature.

This beautiful, thought-provoking story begins with a series of questions about the meaning of what it is to be strong and whether it is something we should strive to be.

Bean sets out to explore the concept of strength and begins by asking her nanna what strength is. Her Nanna answers her question by first sharing what strength is not and then by sharing a range of ways in which strength is shown from knowing when to speak up and when to be quiet to making mistakes and asking for help as well as finding the courage to say sorry, forgive and give others a second chance.

Bean and her Nanna share their conversation in her Nanna’s beautiful, wild garden and the illustrations of nature act as metaphors for the written traits of strength such as a mouse keeping quiet when a cat is hunting, birds defending their chicks or a tiny seedling growing in strength into a tree capable of changing and growing. I love the final message that there is strength in just being yourself – wonderfully empowering!

The illustrations are gorgeous with both bright and pastel colours depicting a wild, spring garden with its plants and creatures. I loved how Bean and her Nanna stand out against the more impressionistic depiction of the garden. The close bond of love between Bean and her Nanna is perfectly portrayed in both words and illustrations.

The endpapers are beautiful with beautiful illustrations of plants and herbs with a note of what they are associated with from friendship to protection to happiness and bravery.

A stunning hardback picture book with an empowering message about strength, perfect for children of 3+.

*Written by Annemarie Cool and Illustrated by James Jones*

Small Steps, Big Change is a wonderful picture book on sustainable living, inspired by The Sustainable Development Goals (formulated by the United Nations).

Children are introduced to illustrations of twelve heroes from Nature Hero to Fairness Hero and Energy Hero before they start the book. The characters encourage children to take small steps for change to protect our earth, ourselves and each other and to share these steps with friends and family.

Each of these 12 heroes share small ways in which we can make a difference for ourselves and others from sourcing food locally to taking care of our minds and bodies to saving water and energy and treating others fairly. This book is both informative and empowering and I can really see it being a catalyst for children to make changes in their own lives and to encourage the adults in their lives to do likewise. I think this is a wonderful book for teachers to share with their class to open up discussions around sustainable development. The message that taking small steps can lead to big changes is such a powerful and hopeful one.

This book is incredibly engaging with direct questions to the reader, practical advice from the sustainable development heroes and factual information. The illustrations are both fun and helpful and complement the encouragement from the heroes perfectly.

A wonderful book to encourage and inspire young readers – and their adults- to make a difference through small steps that will lead to big change. This is a book I’m excited to share with my class and is ideal for readers from 5+.

Thank you to Little Tiger for providing me with copies of these three fantastic picture books. It was my choice to review them and all opinions are my honest reviews of these books.

Picture Book Review: Let’s Play Rugby!

*Written by Gordon D’Arcy and Paul Howard*
*Illustrated by Ashwin Chacko*
*Published by Little Island*

Let’s Play Rugby! is a brilliantly lively, exciting and energetic, hands-on interactive picture book, perfect both for young rugby fans and for those eager to learn more.

The book starts by inviting the reader to help their team win the trophy and then takes them through the stages they will need to follow to be successful including an energetic warm-up and match play. Young readers will be completely immersed in the game as they follow advice, enjoy encouragement and take on some BIG players to see if they can score the winning try and take the trophy.

What a wonderful book – and a perfect way to inspire imagination and active learning! I can just see the joy on the faces of young readers as they get fully involved in the action of this book. I can imagine the giggles of delight, the star jumps and jumps of joy as they win a tackle!

It’s also a great way to introduce young children to the game of rugby and the language of playing a game such as scrum, line-out and try. And using the book itself as they build up to scoring a try is brilliant and – yes – I did follow the instructions – such fun: woohoooooo!

The illustrations on each page are bright, bold and fizzing with energy and expression. The font and text layout will really encourage young readers to interact with the text and join in with saying the bold and capitalised instructions and commands.

An absolute winner of a book, taking young children into the centre of an exciting rugby game – a brilliant book for families to enjoy with their young children.

Thank you to Lorraine Keating and Little Island for sending me a copy to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Blog Tour: School of Doom by Sarah Harrison

*Written by Sarah Harrison*
*Cover Illustration by Isabelle Follath*
*Cover Design by Steve Wells*
*Published by Chicken House*

School of Doom is a hilarious and heart-warming monster-packed school adventure that kept me completely captivated throughout.

Eddie Harp enjoys munching on wheelie bins and guzzling paint but has to avoid these temptations as she lives in the human realm, a place where these culinary delights are to be avoided if you want to fit in, but Eddie is better at standing out than fitting in … a trait that earns her an unexpected 12^th birthday present.

Eddie receives a summons to enrol at the School of Doom in the Outer Realms as she is deemed unfit for school life in the human realm. This is not altogether a surprise to Eddie as she knows neither of her aunts are human and that she’s not fully human. But what is she?

When Eddie arrives at the School of Doom, she has already made some new friends, Doyden and Granville, aboard the ship which took them to their new school which is on a floating island in the sky. After meeting the Principal and her beastly staff, they learn that they are expected to live up to the school motto: Be the Worst – but also follow the school rules! This presents two problems for Eddie: she may be a monster, but she’s not evil; and, she is not exactly the obedient rule-following type …

It is not long before the new students discover that their school is under threat from a school inspector who seems intent on closing it down, but could there be an even greater danger hiding in plain sight, a danger that may put their lives at risk?

And so begins an action-packed, exciting and hilarious adventure as Eddie and her new friends immerse themselves in monster school life – re-potting baby Vipertike plants, avoiding eight-legged rats, taking part in food fights and drinking gothuccinos. But when the friends discover that someone may be intent on causing them harm, they decide to investigate, an investigation that leads to danger, risks and discoveries that kept me eagerly turning pages to discover the culprit. Will Eddie discover who she truly is? Can she protect her friends from impending doom? And, together, can these new friends save the School of Doom?

This story is set in a brilliantly imaginative world in which I loved being immersed. I loved the school itself with its temperamental, zany buildings, especially Bernard, the astronomy tower and The Lively Library which is utterly brilliant! The cast of beastly school teachers are marvellously monstrous, especially Principal Drazora and Dr Night Terror. And I just have to mention Crawkus, the demon dog, who is absolutely adorable – and ever so loyal, despite the chaos they bring.

Eddie is such a wonderful young monster who is kind-hearted, loyal and courageous, someone prepared to stand up for herself and others when she sees injustice, unfairness and danger. She is finding her place in the world, learning more about who she is, and discovering that having true friends brings her a sense of belonging. Although Eddie did not have friends in the human realm, she makes some wonderful friends at the School of Doom, friends who are loyal, supportive and fun. I really hope there are more adventures for them.

A terrifically thrilling, monster-filled school adventure brimming with humour and heart, perfect for readers of 9+.

Thank you to Laura Smythe PR and Chicken House for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour and for providing me with a copy of School of Doom in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Solving Crimes is NOT my Superpower

*Written by Nathaniel Lessore*
*Illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh*
*Published by Little Tiger*

Solving Crimes is NOT my Superpower fizzes with humour, heart and friendship wrapped up in a wonderful mystery that is sure to delight young readers.

For many years, the people of Walsham have enjoyed the benefits granted by a mysterious treasure: endless sunshine and amazing superpowers, albeit some possibly more useful than others. But who am I to argue that musical hiccups are better than colourful farts!

The only person who does not have a superpower is ten-year-old Sara despite the fact that her parents are members of the IPA (Incredible Protection Agency) who use their incredible superpowers to protect the country. Could this be because all superheroes need a nemesis and Sara hasn’t met hers – yet!

Sara meets best friends Georgie and Jasper at the school gates. It’s not long before the friends are discussing Georgie’s upcoming football match, a match she is sure they will win as her school have a lucky charm – a special football trophy. But, when they get in to school, they discover that the trophy has been stolen. Georgie is understandably upset at the loss of her team’s good-luck charm, especially as she is the team captain. Sara is determined to help her bestie and promises to track down the culprit … but what if more is at stake than a football match?

And so begins a brilliantly funny, action-packed mystery as Sara and her friends search for clues, build a list of suspects and follow the trail of the missing trophy with some genuinely hilarious encounters that are guaranteed to bring chortles of delight – maybe even enough to bring musical hiccups! I really enjoyed following Sara, Georgie and Jasper as they gather their list of perfectly plausible suspects, as they follow their investigative trail and as they eliminate from, and add to, their list. I have no doubt that young readers will love this marvellous mystery brimming with playfulness, humour and heart, but also with intrigue, suspense and twists that will keep them eagerly turning the pages to discover whodunnit!

I loved how supportive both Sara’s friends and her parents are, believing in her even when she doesn’t believe in herself. They can see something in her that Sara finds it more difficult to see: she is kind, supportive and helpful towards others and acts out of love and friendship. She’s a tenacious, courageous young girl who faces her fears and does what she believes is right. I’m not sure what this says about me but I also loved that she finds her own jokes hilarious (they are!).

The illustrations are absolutely brilliant and so expressive, capturing the humour, joy and energy of this story perfectly.

A super-tastic, exciting start to a wonderfully hilarious and heart-warming new series.

Thank you to Little Tiger for sending me a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Puloma and the Bear written by Jasbinder Bilan and illustrated by Skylar White

*Written by Jasbinder Bilan*
*Illustrated by Skylar White*
*Published by Barrington Stoke (an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)*

Puloma and the Bear is a captivating, hopeful story of courage, friendship and trust with a powerful message raising awareness about animals held in captivity for entertainment.

Puloma feels lonely and unwanted since moving in with her aunt and uncle after the death of her parents. Grieving their loss, she tries to make herself useful to her aunt but, when her efforts make her aunt angry, she decides to run away.

Arriving in the large town of Malpur, she is unsuccessful at finding work so, when she meets Dev, who is giving out flyers for the circus, she decides to go with him to find a job with the circus. Unaware of why they have to keep moving to avoid the police, Puloma feels the excitement of an adventure as they move to set up the circus in a new location. She feels accepted by those working in the circus and begins to develop a friendship with Dev.

But then everything changes when she discovers the reason the police have been chasing the circus. The owner, Mr Kapoor, has been keeping a black sloth bear captive. Neglected and hidden in a cage, Nyla is the circus’s star attraction, drawing large crowds to watch her dance despite the fact that this cruel practice is now illegal in India. Puloma feels an affinity with Nyla and can sense her sadness so offers to care for her. But when she sees Nyla being cruelly mistreated, she decides that she needs to rescue Nyla …

I was completely engrossed by this exciting, heartfelt adventure as Nyla gathers the courage to leave her new life, friends and comforts behind to face great danger as she strives to get Nyla to safety … Will she find a place of sanctuary before Nyla is taken from her? Will she be able to save both Nyla and herself? And, will new friendship prove stronger than loyalty to old ties?

Puloma is an incredibly sympathetic young girl who is grieving the loss of her parents and living in a home where she feels unwanted and lonely. She senses a sadness in Nyla that exists in her own life and is prepared to give up a new home and friendship in order to protect and save an animal that desperately needs her help. Puloma has a strong moral compass and shows incredible courage in overcoming her fears and facing danger to help an animal that has spent its life in captivity. I adored the bond that forms between Puloma and Nyla, a bond of trust and friendship between kindred spirits.

At the heart of this story is a powerful message about animals held in captivity and raising awareness that, despite being illegal, this practice of keeping bears in captivity for entertainment still exists.

The black-and-white illustrations are stunning, evoking circus life, the cruelty of the bear’s treatment and the bonds between friends perfectly.

A gripping adventure, poignant and hopeful, with a powerful message about animals in captivity.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke who publish dyslexia-friendly, super-readable and accessible books for children of all ages. This is suitable for 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Review: The Appletree Animal Agency

*Written by Katya Balen*
*Illustrated by Gill Smith*
*Published by Walker Books on 6th March*

The Appletree Animal Agency is the first book in a heart-warming, charming new series for younger readers.

Mattie Robins adores animals and longs for a puppy of her own. When she sees a shooting star from her tree house, she makes a wish for a puppy. However, she knows her wish is unlikely to come true as her dad does not think she is old enough to take responsibility for looking after a puppy.

Mattie may not have a puppy of her own, but her best friend Zoe has an adorable dog, Heinz. When the girls are cycling through Mossdale village, Heinz runs off … and finds an injured puppy which the girls take to their local vet.

But they are surprised to see that there are lots of animals in the garden. When a boy with a jackdaw on his head comes out of the vet’s cottage, they discover that Casper’s mum, Dr Polly, is the new vet and she also runs an animal rescue centre. The rescue centre is so busy that Dr Polly cannot accept any more animals until she is able to re-home some of those she already has.

Mattie, Zoe and Casper offer to help look after the animals which is just perfect for animal-loving Mattie and her friends – and means that Mattie can help look after the injured puppy as well as the kittens, goat, tortoise and myriad of other animals in the rescue centre. But Mattie knows that these animals deserve their forever home: can she and her friends find a way to match them to new owners who will be just perfect for them?

This is an absolutely delightful story, brimming with humour, warmth and friendship. I loved meeting the wonderful assortment of animals, especially Bruno the goat and Archie the ferret who bring lots of humour – and chaos! I also loved the village setting and its residents as well as the fete which gives this story such warm and cosy vibes as well as a real sense of togetherness.

Mattie is such a kind-hearted, helpful young girl who clearly adores animals and cares about their welfare. She is also a whirlwind of energy and ideas which sometimes leads to her making impulsive decisions, but she also takes responsibility for her mistakes. I loved her friendship with Zoe and Casper as they help and support each other and form a great apprentice vet team!

The black and white illustrations throughout are absolutely gorgeous and complement the warmth and charm of this story perfectly.

A delightful start to a heart-warming, humorous new series, perfect for young readers of 7+.

Thank you to Walker Books for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: After by Pádraig Kenny

*Written by Pádraig Kenny*
*Cover and chapter illustrations by* *Steve McCarthy*
*Published by Walker Books on 6th March*

After is a powerful, thought-provoking dystopian sci-fi adventure with the ties of humanity, the strength of community and the promise of hope at its heart. This is a story that held me utterly enthralled and will undoubtedly be one of my books of the year.

Jen loves libraries and stories, but the one she is most interested in is a true one – even though it is a story that terrifies her: the story of how the world ended. Father tells her of the destruction of habitats, human over-reliance on technology and the return to the Dark Ages after the Flood, an apocalyptic event that decimated both civilisation and technology.

Father and Jen have been on their own ever since he found Jen as a baby and took her under his protection. They survive in a desolate, almost-deserted world by finding food and shelter and avoiding the scavengers who drove them from their previous home.

When travelling towards a new home, they arrive at a town where they meet two others who are part of a small community where they are welcomed as new members. But Father has a secret: he is not human, but a humanoid AI who somehow survived the Flood. Can Jen keep Father’s secret from her new friends because, if it were revealed, she is in danger of losing the place she has come to think of as home …

This is a story that completely gripped me both as an exciting, heart-pounding survival adventure brimming with danger, secrets and revelations, and as a story exploring what it means to be human, the nature of love and belonging, and whether the real danger in technological advancement lies with created or creator. These themes would open fascinating discussions in both homes and classrooms.

This is a story that evokes strong emotions: I could absolutely feel the hope and love, the painful decisions and the need for connection – and the ending made me smile through my tears – just perfect – as were the final illustrations. There is such power in words – the power to connect and divide, the power to hurt and heal and the power to bring hope when the world seems lost. Books like this incredible story are so needed in our world right now (and not just for children) and there was one sentence said by a character at the end of this story that still bring tears as I write and I think those are tears of hope.

Whilst Jen and Father are not biologically related, it is clear that there is a strong father-daughter bond between them which I found incredibly moving. Father has a powerful instinct to protect Jen and give her what she needs to survive, both physically and emotionally, even when this means withholding the truth and taking heart-breaking decisions and risks. Jen is a wonderful young girl who is kind-hearted, curious and determined and, whilst she is happy with Father, she also has a natural human need to connect with others and feel a sense of belonging which leads her to make to make some painful decisions.

The chapter heading and page illustrations are stunning and complement this intriguing, breathtaking story perfectly.

An exceptional sci-fi adventure pulsating with hope, connection and love – a captivating story that I cannot recommend highly enough to readers of 9+.

Thank you to Walker Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

February 2025 Wrap-Up

It’s been so good to see daylight this month! It was wonderful to get a half-term break where I enjoyed lots of reading! Also, lovely to catch up with friends after another hectic work month which seems to be getting ever busier!

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 17 books this month: 6 adult books and 11 middle-grade (I’ve posted reviews for 10 of my middle-grade reads this month). Highlights for me were Prophet Song, Flowers for Algernon and The Spellshop (adult) and The Boy at the Window and Leo and Ralph (middle-grade). I’m currently reading Leo and Ralph to my class.

NetGalley:

I have two books on my Netgalley shelf and have requested one book in February. My feedback ratio is at 99% .

Books sent by publishers:

I am grateful to have been sent 8 books by publishers this month.

Books Bought:

I’ve bought 6 books this month:

How has your reading month been? Have you read any of these? Have you any of them on your TBR?

Review: Grumpfort written and illustrated by Jamie Hammond

Grumpfort is a hilarious and heart-warming monstrously marvellous adventure which held me absolutely entranced throughout with giggles and smiles galore!

The villagers of Bogfoss live in fear of the monsters who come from the forest to feast – or nibble – on them. Rather wisely, young Mo chooses to hide at the first sign of trouble as becoming lunch for a monster does not at all appeal to him! Unfortunately for Mo, he also happens to be Monday the Sixteenth, the newest Warden to accept the role of protecting the village from monster attacks. Well, when I say ‘accept’, he doesn’t really have a choice as this is a hereditary role which he must take following the death of his grandma, Monday the Fifteenth.

Arriving late on his first day at The Roost, he is thrown in at the deep end when monsters attack the village and he is given the task of fighting them. When Mo is beaten by the goblins and needs to be rescued, the villagers ridicule him, making him a laughing stock. Feeling dejected, Mo decides to prove himself by going into the out-of-bounds forest, catching a monster and bringing it back to Bogfoss to prove himself the hero the villagers expect him to be.

But, when his plan to catch a monster backfires, Mo finds himself running for his life and, as luck would have it, straight into the home of the monsters via a booby-trapped sausage roll – a giant fortress: Grumpfort.

And so begins the most wonderfully exciting, action-packed and hilarious adventure as Mo meets the inhabitants of the fortress who are not at all what he had expected according to the entries in his not-so-trustworthy book, A Beginner’s Guide to Monsterology. When Mo is tasked with the mission of helping some of the other monsters catch the terrifying Grumpsnatcher, who has been snatching monsters, he hatches the perfect plan to solve his problem, but he didn’t reckon on friendship getting in the way …

I absolutely loved this zany adventure which has just the right amount of peril for young readers with lots of giggles with the situations the monsters find themselves in. The creatures are absolutely brilliant from the grumpy gnome to the feisty troll and the kind-hearted, sausage-roll loving snotwoggle. The villain is perfectly cast and will undoubtedly make the reader question: what makes a monster?

Mo is an incredibly likeable young boy who has the courage to be true to himself and write his own story rather than living with the weight of others’ expectations. I think this is such a powerful message for young readers.

The illustrations throughout are absolutely wonderful and complement the action and humour of the story perfectly.

Enter Grumpfort for a monstrous treat of mayhem, giggles and gasps of delight – perfect for young readers of 7+.

Thank you to Usborne for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.