Christmas picture books, a humorous retelling of a festive favourite, four brave children tackling a wicked Fairy Queen, Irish folklore and magic, a graphic novel memoir and a gothic mystery make up my November reading. I hope there is something here that is suitable for the young readers in your life.
As Christmas approaches no doubt both families and schools are now thinking about preparations for the festive season. During the last month I have read and reviewed a selection of picturebooks that take a sometimes humorous and sometimes reflective look at Christmas preparations. A robot reindeer, a robin with criminal tendencies, friendship tested and preparations changed all feature in the selection, but all, thankfully, have a happy festive ending.
Over the last few years How Winston Delivered Christmas, Winston Came Home for Christmas and The Grumpus have become a welcome feature of the Advent season for both families and schools. This year Alex T Smith has produced another lavishly illustrated tale but this time taking a rather different approach to a Christmas classic, The Nutcracker. Told over 24 and a half chapters The Nutcracker: And the Mouse King’s Christmas Shenanigans (Macmillan) is a magical delight. On Christmas Eve as Clara and her little brother Fritz settle down for Herr Drosselmeyer’s magic show they do not anticipate the adventure that will follow. First one of the toys comes to life and then they learn that The Mouse King is up to no good and is determined to ruin Christmas. Clara, Fritz and their new friend Walter the Nutcracker are equally determined to stop his shenanigans. It is a race against time to reach the Kingdom of Sweets and release the Sugar Plum Fairy who is the only one who can release Fritz from the evil curse put upon him. There are some lovely inclusive touches in both the text and the illustrations and there is a delightful pantomime feel to this jolly adventure. This is an absolute treat to read aloud and would work equally well as bedtime story or class room read-aloud with nail biting chapter endings, wonderful, amusing illustrations, brilliant characters and a thoughtfully executed ending. Maybe there will be another instalment next year? I do hope so. Children from about 5 will enjoy listening to this and I suspect this is another book that will be returned to each Christmas.
Glassborn by Peter Bunzl, (Usborne) the standalone sequel to Magicborn, is a treat of a read. A story in the best tradition of children’s literature, a magical, historical fantasy tale of riddles and curses, secrets, spells and excitement set in an icy world ruled by a wicked Fairy Queen and featuring four brave children. Glassborn is a captivating story with literary connections to Narnia and Bronte and containing so much hope in its pages. The plot is engrossing with some tense cliffhangers and is told from the point of view of both Acton and his older sister Cora, both of whom are likeable protagonists. The story incorporates the deep emotions of loss and grief but also love and hope. There are some poignant moments but Peter Bunzl ensures that his readers end on a note of hopeful optimism. You can read my full review here. Suitable for readers aged about 9+ .
Magic, Irish folklore and language blend with contemporary modern issues of bullying, social class and environment in The Silver Road by Sinéad O’Hart (Piccadilly). When Rose is entrusted with a powerful stone by a Frost Giant, she is swept into an adventure full of danger. The stone can be used for great good or great evil, depending on its keeper. It leads Rose to discover the magic that runs through all of Ireland. A magic that is threaded together beneath the land: the Silver Road. But the Silver Road is under threat. Sinéad O’Hart’s love of Ireland, its tradition, legends, people and language are evident in every page of this enticing story. The voice of Rose as a protagonist balances the traditional and the modern beautifully and conveys the importance of our connections with both our past and each other eloquently. This is fantasy and folklore for a modern readership building to an exciting and cinematic finale. I was willing the delightful Rose on from the first page to the last. For readers of 9 upwards.
The popularity of graphic novels continues to rise and I was keen to try the first graphic novel published by Guppy Books, MexiKid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín. The storytelling voice in this autobiographical book is engaging and full of humour and yet this coming of age story is also moving in ways I did not expect. The young Pedro chronicles the road trip his family took in the 1970s with his family from California to Mexico to bring his abuelito (grandfather) back to America to live with them. The stories about Pedro’s legendary grandfather have raised him to superhero status in the young boy’s mind so the reader is keen to meet this elderly gentleman too. The focus on family, belonging, tradition, culture, identity and history is incorporated cleverly within the jokes and the sibling banter and MexiKid will teach readers much about Mexico. This is added to by the real-life photos of Martín’s family, and several pages of questions and answers about his life at the end of the book. The vibrant artwork is brilliant and ‘reading’ the illustrations is as entertaining as the text and there are Spanish phrases throughout with translations at the foot of page.. A memoir that will make its readers laugh but also containing poignant moments dealing with family loss. Recommended for about 10+.
As the evenings lengthen and winter draws in many teen readers may turn to darker subject matter and Nicholas Bowling’s new gothic mystery would fit the bill perfectly. The Undying of Obedience Wellrest ( Chicken House) is a story of magic, death and science with quite the most arresting opening sentence I have read for a long time. Although not my usual reading fare I found this both compelling and thought provoking. Ned works as a gravedigger with his grandfather and his quiet life is disrupted when graves start being disturbed and a young woman, Obedience, or Bede as she is known, starts spending time at the cemetery. Prompted by her research into her ancestor, Herbert, Bede is dedicated to science and is strongly resisting her father’s wish to marry Phineas Mordaunt, a man also intrigued by the scientific world. As the mystery deepens before it gradually unfolds with dramatic consequences this story is not for the faint hearted but does have a mesmerising appeal. For readers of 13+ this would prompt discussion about the treatment of women in science during this historical period, the limits of science and our understanding of death. Strange, dark and unsettling but Ned and Bede are convincing narrators and there are some memorable characters. This would probably be a good book club read for teen readers.
As Christmas approaches no doubt both families and schools are now thinking about preparations for the festive season. During the last month I have read and reviewed a selection of picturebooks that take a sometimes humorous and sometimes reflective look at Christmas preparations. A robot reindeer, a robin with criminal tendencies, friendship tested and preparations changed all feature in the selection, but all, thankfully, have a happy festive ending.
Over the last few years How Winston Delivered Christmas, Winston Came Home for Christmas and The Grumpus have become a welcome feature of the Advent season for both families and schools. This year Alex T Smith has produced another lavishly illustrated tale but this time taking a rather different approach to a Christmas classic, The Nutcracker. Told over 24 and a half chapters The Nutcracker: And the Mouse King’s Christmas Shenanigans (Macmillan) is a magical delight. On Christmas Eve as Clara and her little brother Fritz settle down for Herr Drosselmeyer’s magic show they do not anticipate the adventure that will follow. First one of the toys comes to life and then they learn that The Mouse King is up to no good and is determined to ruin Christmas. Clara, Fritz and their new friend Walter the Nutcracker are equally determined to stop his shenanigans. It is a race against time to reach the Kingdom of Sweets and release the Sugar Plum Fairy who is the only one who can release Fritz from the evil curse put upon him. There are some lovely inclusive touches in both the text and the illustrations and there is a delightful pantomime feel to this jolly adventure. This is an absolute treat to read aloud and would work equally well as bedtime story or class room read-aloud with nail biting chapter endings, wonderful, amusing illustrations, brilliant characters and a thoughtfully executed ending. Maybe there will be another instalment next year? I do hope so. Children from about 5 will enjoy listening to this and I suspect this is another book that will be returned to each Christmas.
Glassborn by Peter Bunzl, (Usborne) the standalone sequel to Magicborn, is a treat of a read. A story in the best tradition of children’s literature, a magical, historical fantasy tale of riddles and curses, secrets, spells and excitement set in an icy world ruled by a wicked Fairy Queen and featuring four brave children. Glassborn is a captivating story with literary connections to Narnia and Bronte and containing so much hope in its pages. The plot is engrossing with some tense cliffhangers and is told from the point of view of both Acton and his older sister Cora, both of whom are likeable protagonists. The story incorporates the deep emotions of loss and grief but also love and hope. There are some poignant moments but Peter Bunzl ensures that his readers end on a note of hopeful optimism. You can read my full review here. Suitable for readers aged about 9+ .
Magic, Irish folklore and language blend with contemporary modern issues of bullying, social class and environment in The Silver Road by Sinéad O’Hart (Piccadilly). When Rose is entrusted with a powerful stone by a Frost Giant, she is swept into an adventure full of danger. The stone can be used for great good or great evil, depending on its keeper. It leads Rose to discover the magic that runs through all of Ireland. A magic that is threaded together beneath the land: the Silver Road. But the Silver Road is under threat. Sinéad O’Hart’s love of Ireland, its tradition, legends, people and language are evident in every page of this enticing story. The voice of Rose as a protagonist balances the traditional and the modern beautifully and conveys the importance of our connections with both our past and each other eloquently. This is fantasy and folklore for a modern readership building to an exciting and cinematic finale. I was willing the delightful Rose on from the first page to the last. For readers of 9 upwards.
The popularity of graphic novels continues to rise and I was keen to try the first graphic novel published by Guppy Books, MexiKid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín. The storytelling voice in this autobiographical book is engaging and full of humour and yet this coming of age story is also moving in ways I did not expect. The young Pedro chronicles the road trip his family took in the 1970s with his family from California to Mexico to bring his abuelito (grandfather) back to America to live with them. The stories about Pedro’s legendary grandfather have raised him to superhero status in the young boy’s mind so the reader is keen to meet this elderly gentleman too. The focus on family, belonging, tradition, culture, identity and history is incorporated cleverly within the jokes and the sibling banter and MexiKid will teach readers much about Mexico. This is added to by the real-life photos of Martín’s family, and several pages of questions and answers about his life at the end of the book. The vibrant artwork is brilliant and ‘reading’ the illustrations is as entertaining as the text and there are Spanish phrases throughout with translations at the foot of page.. A memoir that will make its readers laugh but also containing poignant moments dealing with family loss. Recommended for about 10+.
As the evenings lengthen and winter draws in many teen readers may turn to darker subject matter and Nicholas Bowling’s new gothic mystery would fit the bill perfectly. The Undying of Obedience Wellrest ( Chicken House) is a story of magic, death and science with quite the most arresting opening sentence I have read for a long time. Although not my usual reading fare I found this both compelling and thought provoking. Ned works as a gravedigger with his grandfather and his quiet life is disrupted when graves start being disturbed and a young woman, Obedience, or Bede as she is known, starts spending time at the cemetery. Prompted by her research into her ancestor, Herbert, Bede is dedicated to science and is strongly resisting her father’s wish to marry Phineas Mordaunt, a man also intrigued by the scientific world. As the mystery deepens before it gradually unfolds with dramatic consequences this story is not for the faint hearted but does have a mesmerising appeal. For readers of 13+ this would prompt discussion about the treatment of women in science during this historical period, the limits of science and our understanding of death. Strange, dark and unsettling but Ned and Bede are convincing narrators and there are some memorable characters. This would probably be a good book club read for teen readers.