Spellstoppers is an electrifying, magical adventure that absolutely captivated me:  a wonderful story of the strength of family, friendship and self-belief.

12-year-old Max Harrow has to avoid touching anything electrical since his touch is destructive.  Even though he takes precautions by wearing wellies and bright yellow washing up gloves, he accidentally destroys his mum’s new electrical car, knocking himself out.  His mum is worried that he will get seriously hurt, so she invites his grandfather, Bram, to visit.  Max has never met his grandfather before, but he soon discovers that Bram and he have something in common:  they both have a problem with electricity!  Max’s mum thinks it best that he goes to stay with Bram for the summer holiday in the seaside village of Yowling where she hopes he will be able to get his problem under control.

Soon after arriving at Bram’s farm, Max makes a rather intriguing discovery. His grandfather has a very unique and rare ability:  he is a Spellstopper who can fix magical items or, if too dangerous to fix, remove the magic from them.  He has an assistant, Kit, who is adept at repairing non-magical items.  Bram owns Harrow & Co:  Spellstopping & Non-Magical Repairs.  Could magic really exist?  Could Max’s ability be a rare gift rather than a curse? And what on earth do you do when an enchanted kettle escapes, causing chaos?

When Max’s grandfather is kidnapped by the terrifying Keeper of Yowling Castle, Max and Kit find themselves on a dangerous mission to save him, and the village, before the castle’s magic and Keeper, destroy them.  Together with some rather unusual and wonderful friends, Max will need to muster all his courage, ingenuity and strength to face his fears:  will he be able to master his magic in time, and perform the most important spellstop ever?

This is an incredibly exhilarating, fast-paced adventure brimming with danger, secrets and twists. I loved the rich assortment of magical, supernatural and mythical characters from the selkies to the sand witch to the vile owls and man-eating fish – and the enchanted weasel!  The magical system feels really fresh and original and I became completely spellbound as I was taken from the farm, through the village, along the beach and into the castle.  I also loved the food references and would really like to try some of the ice-cream and visit Pearl’s café, although I’d definitely want to avoid the Keeper – and the owls!  Oh, and Bran’s stew – I’d absolutely want to avoid that!

Max is such a likeable character who has been living with an ability he can neither understand nor control for four years, leading to his life changing in so many ways, including loss of friendships.  Going to stay with his grandfather opens up a whole new existence for Max as he finally begins to understand his magic, and tries to harness his abilities, showing great resilience mixed with understandable moments of frustration.  I really liked Bram who is supportive, encouraging and reassuring as he believes in Max’s ability before he believes in himself.  I also adored the friendship between Max and Kit where they support, and find strength in each other, to keep going, even when failure seems likely.    

This is a heart-warming, thrilling, magical adventure that utterly enchanted me, and is one I wholeheartedly recommend to young adventurers of 9+.       

Thank you to Fritha Lindqvist and Usborne for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  

It’s time for my August anticipated children’s book releases – another fantastic month for children’s books, all of which are released on 4th August, except for Ember! I have been lucky enough to get early copies of Alex Neptune and Mia and the Lightcasters, and am aiming to post my reviews close to publication date.

I have taken the synopsis for each of these from the Waterstones website.

Jama is a clever and sensitive young Maasai girl who likes elephants better than people.  She decides to escape the classroom gossip about the new boy, Leku, by going to the watering hole outside her village. There, she befriends a baby elephant that she names Mbegu.  When Mbegu’s mother, frightened by poachers, stampedes, Jama and Mbegu are blamed for two deaths – one elephant and one human. Now Leku, whose mysterious and imposing father is the head ranger at the conservancy, may be their only lifeline.

As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement.  After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?

Liverpool, 1910 When Patch runs up the gangway of steamship, RMS Glorious, she isn’t planning to hang around. But if she leaves her hiding place the constable might catch her: sitting tight is worth the risk. Too late, she realises the ship is setting sail! Patch has become an accidental stowaway. Luckily, Patch’s unconventional past has made her pretty fearless when it comes to fending for herself, and besides there are friends in high and low places to be made onboard. But hiding away becomes less and less easy: her new friends urgently need her help and there’s a mystery that needs solving, all before they reach New York . . . 

Mouse, a foundling, loves her pieced-together family at the Moth Theatre fiercely. When their leading man, Walter, is wrongly arrested for murder, Mouse swears she’ll free him. But another member of the cast has a secret identity – as a ruthless killer. As Mouse’s investigation leads her ever closer to their true, deadly nature, can she outwit them without losing everything she holds dear?

For as long as Alex Neptune can remember, the ocean has been trying to kill him. So he’s not too happy when a bunch of sea creatures drag him to the abandoned aquarium on the hill, where an imprisoned water dragon needs his help. But how can he say no to a magical myth? Recruiting his tech-genius best friend Zoey, legend-lover Anil, a sharp-shooting octopus, four acrobatic otters and a thieving seagull, Alex plots a heist to break the dragon out. And suddenly discovers the power of the ocean at his fingertips…

Baker by day, spy by night – Alice Eclair leads an exciting double life!  A mysterious message sends Alice on a mission aboard France’s most glamorous train. She must uncover an enemy agent before they reach their final stop. But everyone on the train seems to be hiding something…  Armed with her whisk, her wits and her will to succeed, Alice has a spy to catch.

Beware of the shadows, the Reaper King is coming…  Mia always dreamed of being an umbra tamer until she met the wild creature on the Nightmare Plains. Since that day, she prefers to stay safe within the walls of Nubis. Safe, that is, until a surprise attack. With her parents captured, Mia’s only hope is to travel to the City of Light to find help.  But with only her little brother, two friends and one solitary tamed umbra, the journey feels impossible. Mia not only has to overcome her fears, she also has to learn to harness her umbra taming abilities if they are to complete the quest in time.

Ophelia Bottom longs for an ordinary life: to have normal, well-behaved parents rather than embarrassing actors, and to live in a house that stays still. Instead, she’s stuck living in a rickety converted van – and having to manage her parents’ often disastrous plays at Bottom’s Travelling Theatre. When the family are forced to stay in the idyllic town of Stopford, Ophelia’s dream appears to be coming true. But someone is trying to drive the Bottoms out, and there’s the issue of the strange Stopford motto: PLASTIC IS FANTASTIC – DIFFERENT IS DANGEROUS. Can Ophelia discover what lurks behind Stopford’s perfect appearance, before she loses everything that makes her family so special?

A thrilling, unputdownable debut, with extraordinary twists and incredible action, from an incredible new voice in children’s fiction. I can steal time. The most I can take at the moment is fifteen seconds, which is not a lot. Grandmother took almost three minutes once and she told me she’s done more, but I never saw it. She says there are stories of someone who can take all the time in the world, but how can that be right? When Alex and his father are forced to flee their home to escape a brutal government, they begin a life-threatening journey across Europe. But when they are separated before they can reach Britain, Alex finds himself alone, with only his extraordinary gift to keep him alive. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider, Artemis Fowl, and Inception, Running out of Time is an ingenious, high-concept thriller with a twist that you won’t believe.

Hex never meant for the girl to follow him and his friend Tommo into the woods. He never meant for her to fall off the rope swing and break her arm. When the finger of blame is pointed at him, Hex runs deep into the woods and his fierce sense of injustice leads him to a strange clearing in the woods – a clearing that has never been there before – where an old lady in a cottage offers him a deal. She’ll rid the world of those who wronged him and Hex can carry on his life with them all forgotten and as if nothing ever happened. But what Hex doesn’t know is someone else has been offered the same deal. When Hex’s best friend Tommo wakes up the next day, he is in a completely different world but he only has murmurs of memories of the world before. Moments of deja vu that feel like Tommo’s lived this day before. Can Tommo put the world right again? Back to how it was? Or can he find a way to make a new world that could be better for them all?

Bea Black is in her second term at witch school and she can’t wait for the Year Seven residential trip to the haunted Cadabra Castle. The students are excited to fly around the famous GO pitch, explore the ancient turrets and have a magical time … if they can just stop arguing! Except Ms Sparks has other plans – this isn’t a holiday, it’s a team-building exercise for a class who desperately need to learn to work together.  But with rumours of a ghost terrorizing the castle, Bea has a lot more to contend with than scavenger hunts and hikes! Not least being paired up with Blair Smith-Smythe, her ULTIMATE frenemy! Will the class learn anything from their time at Cadabra? And more importantly, will Bea and Blair manage to avoid hexing each other for long enough to solve the spooky mystery?

Kyoto, Japan. Mina is on a bus. Everything is strange and beautiful.  Mina watches as a woman folds a piece of paper into an origami boat, then floats it over to her.  As Mina discovers the magic of origami, her eyes are opened to the wonders of the real city around her.

Odin has given Loki another chance to prove himself worthy of Asgard. But earning everyone’s trust is tricky, and when Thor’s hammer goes missing, everyone blames Loki! Outrageous!  To clear his name, he must:
1) Find Thor’s beloved hammer
2) Uncover the real thief
3) Force everyone to admit they were wrong

An easy feat for someone as handsome and clever as Loki…

Alex’s best friend is Kevin the cockapoo, although what he wants most of all is a friend at school. A charming and gentle story about how life isn’t one size fits all.  Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex and, as an autistic person, change can be terrifying. With the first day of high school only a couple of months away, Alex is sure that having a friend by his side will help. So, he’s devised a plan – impress the kids at school by winning a trophy at the PAWS Dog Show with his trusty sidekick, Kevin. This should be a walk in the park … right?

A thrilling and empowering WWII adventure about the French resistance and their British allies, with a determined, Muslim heroine. Perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo and Emma Carroll, and those looking for diverse historical fiction. July, 1941. Rosina Raja is half-Indian and half-English. She has always lived in India, so when her mother passes away and she moves to England (where it rains all the time) she is miserable and doesn’t have any friends. Life changes dramatically for Rosie when she discovers that her army captain father is actually a spy for the British government. She can’t bear to be left behind so she stows away in his plane. Finding herself in occupied France, Rosie is soon drawn into the struggle against the Nazis. With new allies and new enemies at every turn, she must help her father complete his mission, and more importantly… make sure they both get home alive.

In the magical village of Everspring, everyone receives a fate card before their twelfth birthday, sent down from the mysterious Mount Never. It tells them their purpose, their profession and how old they’ll be when they die.  Nearly 12-year-old Ember Shadows has always believed she is destined for great things. But when her fate card arrives, it’s blank. What does that mean? Then, worse still, her sister’s card decrees she will die before her next birthday. No way is Ember’s going to let that happen.  Determined to challenge what – or who – is responsible for these cards, Ember sets off up the mountain, a place no one is allowed to go. She encounters forbidden realms full of magic, trickery and curious creatures. In a thrilling race through a magical landscape, Ember Shadows must uncover the secret behind the fate cards in order to save her sister …  But will Ember like what she finds at the top of the mountain?

Do any of these catch your interest? Have you read any already?

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

The storm blew up without warning as they rounded the cape, a jagged seam of dark sky splitting the heavens above them as thunder rolled over the horizon. A vicious wind cut down upon the mainsail, tugging back and forth at the rigging with a snap-snap-crack-snap-snap-snap. A cold rain angled from the clouds, a thousand icy pinpricks stabbing at Katy’s face as she fought the rudder.

Any ideas?

Goodreads Synopsis

Living among the flowers and ferns of Kew Gardens, Katy has always dreamed of more – of the sky and the stars and the sea. Unfortunately for Katy, her father doesn’t understand. He says young girls should be content to stay at home, not go off gallivanting around the world.

So when news reaches London of a meteorite falling in the faraway land of Brazil and an expedition being put together to find it, Katy knows it’s her chance to follow her dreams and prove her father wrong. And winning a place on the trip is just the start of her extraordinary voyage on the trail of a fallen star…

Thank you so much to Nigel for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour for his wonderful picture book, beautifully illustrated by his talented son, Robbie.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.

Carl Sagan (taken from ‘What’s That?’)

Siblings Idris and Umo are playing in the garden when they decide to have a race to the garage where they find a rather innocuous item: a piece of red material. The siblings immediately begin to use their imagination to ponder where the material could have come from …

I love how this story celebrates the power of the imagination by encouraging deeper thinking as the children start with the most obvious suggestions and then begin to think outside the box, suggesting much more creative ideas. The question ‘What’s That?’ leads the children to think about what the material could be from with both starting by making statements, but then framing questions and further statements as their imaginations take flight.

The story is written as a conversation between Idris and Umo in a straightforward style using direct speech within speech bubbles. There is plenty of opportunity for inference through the illustrations with fantastic use of body language and facial expressions.

I thought the ending was wonderful as it gives a perfect opportunity for an item to be introduced for young readers to have a go at answering their own ‘What’s that?’ question. I think that a class of KS1 children would have great fun reading this story, and then letting their imaginations take them on their own journey with a range of items.

The illustrations are gorgeous – wonderfully expressive and fun. I loved looking out for Wormington and Siago who will definitely bring giggles, and I think young children will enjoy spotting them too! In fact, I think they need to tell their own story!

This is a perfect picture book to unlock creativity in young children , and encourage them to have fun, explore and let their imaginations run wild – who knows where they will end up?

Do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour below:

I’m really enjoying listening to the audiobook of Spellslinger. I really like Kellen who should be a mage, but he doesn’t have any magical powers much to the disappointment of his father. He is quick-witted and sarky and I’m hoping has a good heart! I’m also reading The Wondrous Prune which is a magical read as Prune develops the ability to to bring her drawings to life. She is a wonderfully sympathetic character who has a lot to deal with. I’ve just started Carnival of the Hunted and am hoping to love it just as much as Carnival of the Lost.

I finished reading Children of the Quicksands which is set in Nigeria and includes Nigerian folklore. I enjoyed this one and am hoping to read The House of Shells over the summer. I also read Spellstoppers which was a fast-paced, magical read. I will post my review soon.

I finish work on Thursday, so I’m hoping to read both of these over the first few days of holiday.

What are you reading? Have you read any of these?

This is my weekly meme celebrating amazing middle-grade books, now with a re-vamped banner!

How to take part:

• Post a picture of the front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.
• Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence. 
• Write three words to describe the book.
• Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

This week, I’m celebrating …

Favourite Sentence from Page 11:

Not one of them was a Curly.

This book in three words:

MYSTERY, TRANSFORMATION, LEGEND

The Mermaid Call is a brilliantly engrossing mystery that kept me completely captivated throughout:  a story of transformation, activism and belonging entwined with a dark tale of a legendary mermaid.

Vivien lives with her grandmother, Mimi, in Lake Splendour, famous for sightings of a local legend:  the Lake Mermaid.  Many of the locals rely on this business to boost tourism, including Vivien’s grandmother, who runs Enchanted Tails.  However, there is stirring unrest about the upcoming Mermaid Festival and, in particular, the Mermaid Crown pageant which a group of students is determined to have banned.  This causes friction between Vivien and her best friend Eleni as she gravitates towards a group of activist students who are anti-mermaid, leaving Vivien feeling like an outsider.

After the disappointment of discovering that her mother, who she has not seen for three years, is no longer coming for a promised visit, Vivien finds herself looking after the shop when she meets the enigmatic, determined Alice DeLacey who reveals that she is convinced there is a dark mystery surrounding her family.  When Alice begs Vivien to help her solve the mystery, she is unable to resist the opportunity to form a new friendship and to seek the truth behind the mermaid legend, but has she dived into a whirlpool of trouble?

So begins an utterly gripping mystery which swirls and eddies with darkness, tension and danger as Vivien finds herself swept into Alice’s determined quest to unmask dark, family secrets hidden within a diary, but at what cost to their fledgling friendship?  How far will someone go to unearth the truth?  I was absolutely spellbound as I followed the unexpected twists and turns of this intriguing mystery which took me on a different journey to what I had expected, and it is all the richer for that.  I loved the interwoven strands of past and present within the story including those of activism and the suffragette movement, disappearances, family relationships, stereotypes and change.

Vivien is an incredibly sympathetic young girl who is on a journey towards finding herself as she deals with changes in friendships, low self-esteem linked to her relationship with her mother and feelings of awkwardness.  She shows great inner strength and courage in finding her voice, standing up for herself and others, and in challenging stereotypes.  The friendships, whether toxic, fractured or close, all felt really authentic and will shine a mirror on real-life friendship issues which many children may experience as they navigate the deep, sometimes turbulent, waters of changing relationships and being true to yourself.  I also really liked Erik who finds the courage to be true to himself in the most fantastic way!

The Mermaid Call is a powerful, gripping story of empowerment, transformation and revelation with deliciously unexpected twists that is sure to completely capture readers of 9+, not only with the intriguing mystery but also the empowering messages.

Thank you to Sian at Nosy Crow for sending me a proof in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’d love if anyone who wants to give this meme a go would comment in the comments box and include a link to your post so I can visit, comment and find some great middle-grade recommendations. If you do create a post and are on Twitter, and would like to share your post, please use the hashtag  #MGTakesOnThursday so I can find it, read it and share it!

I’ve just started listening to Spellslinger on audiobook and I really think it’s going to be one I’ll enjoy. I’m also reading Children of the Quicksands which is set in Nigeria and linked to a myth. I’ve picked up The Wondrous Prune to read at school when the children in class are reading.

I’ve finished The Mermaid Call which I really enjoyed, especially the themes of activism, transformation and belonging. I’ll be posting my review shortly. I also read Orla and the Wild Hunt which will be a book of the year for me. I loved the links to Irish folklore and places and the writing style just kept me gripped throughout. I’ve posted my review.

I loved Carnival of the Lost, so I’m hoping to read Carnival of the Hunted next.

What are you reading? Have you read any of these?

Orla and the Wild Hunt absolutely sang to my heart, and will undoubtedly be one of my favourite books of the year, transporting me back to my Irish childhood when I devoured books with Irish folklore, but with a fresh twist that made this an unputdownable, magical read. 

13-year-old Orla and her younger brother, Apollo decide to come to spend time with their Gran in Ireland rather than go on holiday with their dad and his new fiancée to France.  They have only been to see their Gran once since the death of their mother two years before.  Orla hopes that a visit to her maternal Gran on the Emerald Isle will bring her comfort, and begin to fill the emptiness that grief has brought. 

They soon arrive at their Gran’s cottage on the edge of the Tangled Woods, but it is not long before Orla begins to wonder if her Gran is keeping secrets from them.  Why has she started to lock all doors and windows?  What creature does she keep locked in the shed?  Why does she keep a folder with details of the disappearances of local people?

When Gran sneaks out one night, Orla decides to follow her, but makes a terrible mistake, a mistake that leads to their beloved Gran being taken by creatures of shadow and darkness:  the Wild Hunt who feed on the grief and sadness of mortals.  The children have three days to rescue their Gran, or she will be lost to them forever …

With the help of the creature in the shed – a pooka – and a local boy, Conor, Orla and Apollo begin an exhilarating, action-packed, heart-racing quest to find their Gran, a quest that is brimming with danger, secrets and revelations.  There are dark moments, ominous meetings, but also a wonderful warmth to the narrative that took me on a real rollercoaster of emotions.

Be prepared to meet fairies, merrow, water sprite and even a giant, but who will be friend and who foe?  Irish folklore and mythology entwine perfectly with reality as the two siblings are taken on their own wild adventure, facing their grief and sadness, in their determination to save their Gran.  Will they find the strength and courage to overcome their greatest fears?  Can they outwit dangerous creatures who are intent on causing them harm?  Can they trust those they hope to call friends?

From up here, it was easy to see how beautiful and varied the island of Ireland was.  It was a land of contrasts:   of water and rock, stillness and movement, harsh and soft, howls and whispers.

I loved that the story is set in both Northern and Southern Ireland, both dear to my heart as I was born in Southern Ireland, but moved to Northern Ireland when I was eleven.  I particularly loved the mention of The Giant’s Causeway, one of my favourite places ever.  There is a real homage paid to the natural beauty of Ireland, and its rich tradition of folklore and mythology passed to generations through the tradition of oral storytelling and songs.  I also loved the dialects and turns of phrase as well as the genuine warmth, homeliness and sense of humour that really made me feel at home within this story.

Orla and Apollo are incredibly endearing characters who captured my heart.  Orla is struggling to deal with the pain of grief and has withdrawn from her friends and family, denying herself her love of music for fear of the painful memories it raises, and the guilt she feels at not being able to save her mother.  Apollo is kind-hearted, empathetic and clever, and sees the best in others.  Both children are courageous, determined and have a strong sibling bond which helps them face their fears.  Gran is a really special character who epitomises the straight-talking, kind-hearted, strong Irish grans with their love of storytelling and baking.  I loved that tiffins were Gran’s speciality as these are my favourite bakes!

Oh my!  What can I say about the pooka?  It is easily one of my new favourite characters! It is rude with an acerbic wit and is a genius at insults, yet with a heart of gold although I think the pooka may have something to say about that! 

Orla and the Wild Hunt is a truly heart-warming, mesmerising adventure where the strength of friendship and family shine through the darkness of grief and loss bringing hope, healing and love.  An unmissable adventure, perfect for readers of 9+.

Thank you to Laura Smythe PR and Chicken House for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m currently reading The Mermaid Call which feels like its going to be a wonderfully dark, atmospheric mystery.

I finished reading The Blackthorn Branch which I really enjoyed. Cassie’s family are dealing with grief and her older brother, Byron, gets tempted into the world of the Fair Folk. I loved the twist in this story and the link with nature. I also finished listening to A Pocketful of Stars. Safiya has a fight with her mother who then suffers a stroke and ends up in a coma. Whilst visiting her mother in hospital, she finds herself transported into another world where she meets a familiar face. This one brought tears. I’m definitely now keen to pick up A Flash of Fireflies. I also read the second book in the Lightfall series, Shadow of the Bird which was a wonderful return to Irpa and Bea and Cad’s quest to defeat Kest. The illustrations are stunning. I also read the gorgeous Autumn Moonbeam which was such a magical, fun and playful book.

I’m hoping to read Orla and the Wild Hunt next.

What are you reading? Have you read any of these?

I have read and loved all of Ewa’s books, so I am very excited to be part of the Blog Tour today for her latest book, The Dragon in the Bookshop, published on 7th July.

Thank you so much to Fritha Lindqvist and Zephyr Books for my invitation, and to Ewa for sharing the following piece, sharing books that she has loved over the years, which have a special healing power. I have followed Ewa’s piece with my Review of this wonderful story.

The Dragon in the Bookshop features a dragon, a dinosaur, a lizard-loving girl and an old lady who rescues books and stores them in a cathedral turret. But it’s mostly a story about Kon, a twelve-year-old boy who is struggling after the loss of his dad. Kon’s experience is largely based on my own, as my own dad passed away when I was at secondary school.

At the time, I was lucky enough to have an incredible group of supportive friends, and a couple of teachers who went out of their way to check in on me. But I didn’t know anyone who had gone through the same experience as me. Here’s where books played a big part, because thanks to them I met many wonderful characters who I could empathise with. Below is a list of just some of the books I’ve loved over the years, which have a special healing power. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and it’s one that I add to all the time!

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray

Blake, Kenny, Sim and Ross are best mates. But one day, Ross is killed in a car accident and his friends are in pieces. At Ross’ funeral, they feel utterly ignored and they become furious with everyone who they feel hadn’t behaved well towards their friend. So they steal Ross’ ashes and they take him to Ross in Scotland, where they know their friend always wanted to go. Brilliantly moving and funny.

Skellig by David Almond

A beautiful story of hope in unlikely places. With a magical old man at its centre. When Michael moves to his new house and his baby sister falls ill, he begins to feel helpless. But then when he goes out to the old rickety garage in his garden, he finds a mysterious man living beneath the cobwebs and surviving on flies and takeaways. From that moment on, his world changes.

The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson

Dolphin and Star live with their mum Marigold, who is exciting and unpredictable. Living with her often wild moods can be hard, and Dolphin begins to wonder whether she needs to look for someone who might provide a more stable home. She knows nothing about her dad (who is different from her older sister’s) but she makes it her mission to find him. A beautiful story about families, mental illness, hope and survival.

When The Sky Falls by Phil Earle

This is a recent favourite. A story of wartime difficulties, of unlikely friendships and the powerful bond between human and animal. Joseph is a troubled boy sent away by his grandmother to London to stay with her stern friend, Mrs. Farelly, the keeper of the local zoo. Joseph forms a close bond with Adonis, the only remaining gorilla at the zoo. The friendship helps him deal with many difficulties in his life, including the fact that his mum has abandoned him.

I would definitely recommend these to readers of all ages!

The Dragon in the Bookshop by Ewa Jozefkowicz (front cover illustration by Katy Riddell) is out on 7th July 2022 and will help promote Grief Encounter (www.griefencounter.org.uk) a wonderful charity that works with children who have lost someone they love.

Grief Encounter have a message for children and young people like Kon. As a charity they work closely with individuals, families, schools and professionals to offer a way through the anxiety, fear and isolation so often caused by the grief of losing someone close.

Grief Encounter provide immediate support with a FREEPHONE Grieftalk helpline 0808 802 0111 open Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, a live chat via their website or support by emailing grieftalk@griefencounter.org.uk.

Review

The Dragon in the Bookshop is a heartfelt and tenderly written story that weaves together legend and reality in a magical adventure about grief, friendship and finding your voice when you are lost.

Whilst exploring the Kent coastline, Konrad (Kon) finds a large fossilised footprint in the rock.  His initial bubble of excitement in wanting to share his discovery with his dad is burst when he remembers that his dad has died, and the pain of his loss comes flooding back. There are some really poignant moments as Kon reminisces about adventures with his dad who called him his ‘intrepid explorer’ interspersed with the depth of his grief. 

When Kon goes back to explore the headland after school, he meets Maya, who has moved to the area with her conservationist dad.  For the first time since the day after his father’s death over five months before, Kon finds his voice, and shares his father’s love of Polish legends with her.  This elicits an invitation to his father’s bookshop, A Likely Story, a place he has been unable to visit since his father’s death and which his mother may well have to sell.

As Kon begins to rediscover the magic of the bookshop with Maya, he finds a pile of books that his mum has left for him and, amongst them, is a beautiful, old book.  As he reads, Kon and Maya find themselves no longer in the bookshop, but in the middle of a legend, a legend where a dragon is terrorising the medieval town of Kraków, living in a cave beneath Wawel Castle.  Will the children find the courage to change the legend, to find their voices, and to hope for a return to happiness?

I loved this touching story, both poignant and warm, which deals with the different stages of grief with such sensitivity and honesty. I thought that the use of the dragon legend to explore loss, and the range of feelings that this can engender from anger and fear to sadness and loneliness, was perfectly portrayed as was the sense of hope and reconnection with family and friends. 

Both Kon and Maya have found their way into my heart.  Each is just what the other needs.  Maya has not been part of Kon’s life before he lost his father, and he feels able to talk to her, perhaps because she has no expectations of what his life was like before.  She is kind and empathetic, but is lonely as she has moved around with her family not making her own connections.  Kon is struggling to cope with the loss of his father who he clearly adored and with whom he had a shared love of beach exploration and stories.  Kon’s grief is trapped inside, like his voice, and he pushes others away from him as he tries to deal with his feelings of anger, guilt and pain. He shows great courage and strength in finding a way back to a life without his father, where he can enjoy cherished memories and allow others back into his life as he moves forward.

I also loved how this story is an ode to the magic of stories and bookshops.  I absolutely believe in the power of a great story to allow us to empathise, to understand ourselves and to find strength in the courage of others.  I just have to include a couple of my favourite bookish quotes:

Kon’s Dad: 

“You know, Kon, I believe that for every reader there is a character in a book somewhere that matches them almost exactly.  It’s just a case of finding them.”

Kon: 

“… in books I’d travelled all over the globe and into the past and the future too.  For intrepid explorers, books are stepping stones to so many places …”

The Dragon in the Bookshop is a beautifully poignant and hopeful allegory of grief, healing and reconnection, and a heartfelt ode to the magic of stories. A wonderful adventure for children of 9+.

Do check out these other stops on the Blog Tour: