10/12/2015 0 Comments Christmas Challenge Dec 10Not a happy Christmas book today, but a spine chilling one instead - The Dead of Winter, Chris Priestley. A classic ghost story that takes place in an out of the way mansion over the Christmas period this was a quick read which is good because I don't think my heart could have coped with the fear in a longer book! Red herrings abound and the last chapter is particularly creepy, I definitely don't want to imagine what happened next. One to read curled up safe and warm in bed but don't have nightmares!
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9/12/2015 0 Comments Christmas Challenge Dec 9As Nightmare is one of my top 5 favourite films, when I discovered this in the wonderful Norfolk Children's Book Centre earlier this year there was no way it was going back on the shelf! This is a commemorative edition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the book's original publication and Burton has added some extra drawings to it. I love the fact that it so clearly parodies The Night Before Christmas and I enjoyed the rhyming text. The cover has a velvety feel to it, making holding it a tactile experience, I do so love books that are beautifully produced inside and out. This will be a treasured possession for many years.
8/12/2015 0 Comments Christmas Challenge Dec 8Today's gorgeous retelling of the Christmas story is destined to become a much loved classic in my opinion - Refuge, by Anne Booth, illustrated by Sam Usher. The mainly black and white with splashes of colour pictures are quite beautiful and the text tells the age old tale of Mary and Joseph with implicit parallels drawn with the situation for modern day refugees. "And when we rested, and they were frightened, they took hope from each other, and from the baby's tiny first smile" - such evocative words, that complement the pictures so well. The book was published in support of refugees and £5 from the sale of each goes to the charity War Child which gives you a warm glow but I would have bought this one regardless just because it is such a calm, reflective, enjoyable read.
7/12/2015 0 Comments Christmas Challenge Dec 7A Gift From Bob, James Bowen is about the relationship between a homeless man and his cat, Bob. Bob is one remarkable cat and I very much enjoyed reading about him. The book paints a bleak picture of what it's like to be on the breadline or sleeping rough during the festive season and is a salutary reminder that not everyone is fortunate enough to be with people they love at Christmas. A message of hope comes across clearly however and the bond between one man and his pet is evident.
6/12/2015 0 Comments Christmas Challenge Dec 6Reread a book today which was no hardship as I enjoyed it so much the first time - Monster by CJ Skuse.
Sixteen year old Nash is dealing with some terribly worry as her brother is missing abroad and she is struggling to keep it together so that she will be successful in her attempts to be made head girl. A rash act puts paid to her hopes and when she finds herself left in her boarding school at Christmas with several other girls and the matron events take a very nasty turn. The adrenalin pumping chase through the largely empty old school is rather reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining and I was almost as scared by this as I was when reading the King book all those years ago. Great YA title, but you might need to sleep with the lights on after reading it! 5/12/2015 1 Comment Christmas Challenge Dec 5I suppose I should have kept today's book, Librarian's Night Before Christmas by David Davis with illustrations by Jim Harris, until 24th December but I'm so glad I didn't - plenty of time for rereads before then. A retelling of the famous poem from a librarian's viewpoint the story starts with a very pertinent comment "We toiled overtime at our library here, 'cause the powers that be cut our staffing this year' , rings bells and I don't mean festive ones. Santa arrives to fulfil the poor librarian's wishes though and stocks the shelves with classics, gives books to little children and reads to them having arrived in a flying red mobile library bus. So many quotes I could use but loved this one"Nick chided a censor who wished some books gone. And suggested she scan Fahrenheit 451!" Librarian friends you need to add this book to your collections!
"Nick winked at the cat as they dashed down the aisles, And yelled "Happy reading you bibliophiles!" He loaded his crew and sang from the yard, "The best gift of all is a library card!" |
AuthorMy blog is a collection of thoughts and I hope you will learn something about me from the ramblings as well as finding some useful links. I'm Bev Humphrey and I'm a Literacy, School Libraries and Technology Consultant. I am self employed so views expressed are solely my own. CategoriesAll Android Apps Authors Bett Book Giving Day Books Cats Childrens Books Christmas Christmas Challenge Conferences Dickens Dyslexia English Games Geography Graphic Novels Images Inspiration International Women's Day Ipad Ipad For Education Libraries London Mfl Picture Books Podcasts Poetry Poetry Day Primaries Reading Resources Revision Twitter Urls Video Visits Wbd Wordcloud Wordle Workshops Write Path Writers Writing YA Youtube |