Writing and reviews with an environmental, science fiction, and fantasy touch
Goodnight Mister Tom was originally published when I had grown out of childish things, but was too young to have younger people around to read it to them. Puffin release a special edition for its 40th anniversary this week. They
I had never heard of this book, but it seems to be a standard in US education, and it was recommended as one of the Great Middle Grade Reads, so I thought I’d read it. What a delight! Charming, beautifully
Last year I did a Classic Children’s Book Challenge, and this would have been ideal for it. However it does sit in my personal Norfolk Books Challenge, and very good it is too. Arthur Ransome definitely spent a long time
At the start of the year I had a number of classic books by Charles Dickens on my to read list. I eventually took them off, but put A Christmas Carol back on to celebrate Christmas in the most traditional
In January I discovered the Pre-1960 Classic Childrens Book Challenge. Like other challenges I didn’t do very well on linking back to the originator and telling what I’d been up to, but the originator didn’t seem to remember to do
Despite the title, the Snow Goose is not about winter. It always gives me the feel of winter, though, as it is set mainly in and around a disused lighthouse on the Essex marshes, a desolate place full of creeks
In my search for Classic Children’s Books written pre-1960 I thought I couldn’t get much earlier than this one. It came free with Kindle, and who am I to ignore it? I was somewhat interested in the Introduction, explaining the
There’s a sort of mindset you have to put yourself in when you tackle some of the children’s classics. I’ve come to this conclusion after being part of this challenge for nine months, so I must be a slow learner.
It seems somehow irreverant to dislike a classic that’s so, well, classic, as Tom Sawyer. In fact I only disliked the first half. When Tom and his friends really embark on their adventures, it becomes a great story. It could
I was reminded of The Princess and the Goblin, and its sequel, The Princess and Curdie, in the Children’s Book Week Giveaway earlier this year when I asked for people’s favourite children’s books. These were part of my childhood, or
I haven’t read this book for many years, because I didn’t like it. I read it after Lord of the Rings, which I loved, and still read often. I had it in my head that I didn’t like Bilbo, thinking
The A to Z Blog Challenge is over, and I hope you enjoyed all the stories – short, medium and long. And, of course, the Book Reviews. If you didn’t get around to entering the Giveaway, then I’m afraid you’ve
Book Review, YA & MG Time Travel Challenge and Classic Children’s Book Challenge This is one of the Puffin Modern Classics series and unusually I got the paperback, which was marginally cheaper than the Kindle edition. It says on the
Book Review and Classic Children’s Book Challenge I first heard of this book at a seminar on children’s writing; it was a recommended book. It then waited in among my long and growing set of ‘books to read’ until I
As we reach the end of March (Happy Easter!), I need to give a quick update on the progress of the various Challenges I’m doing. For the YA & MG Time Travel Challenge I read HG Wells’ The Time Machine