Ferris by Kate Dicamillo

After enjoying my first taste of author Kate DiCamillo’s writing last year when I read and reviewed The Puppets of Spelhorst (you can read my review for that title here), when this – her latest read – arrived, I was really looking forward to picking it up. With this being an entirely new story, I

Montgomery Bonbon: Mystery at the Manor (Montgomery Bonbon 3) by Alasdair Beckett-King, illustrated by Claire Powell

It’s funny how children’s aspirations change over the years. At various points growing up, I remember wanting to be a nurse, a librarian and – heavily influenced by watching Quincy as a teenager – a pathologist. Today’s youngsters are more likely to list career choices such as footballer or influencer but one job that still

Winner Takes Gold by Eloise Smith

I think it’s fair to say that I’m not a huge fan of sport and before the 2012 London Olympics, took absolutely no interest in it whatsoever. In general, I like to watch the events that I feel have a point to them – who can run the fastest, jump the highest – that sort

The Narzat by Luke Marchant, illustrated by Rory Walker

To make an impact on their audience, monsters either need to be truly terrifying or anything but. Here, in this debut from writer Luke Marchant, ably assisted by illustrator Rory Walker, we are introduced to the Narzat who falls most fortunately for us into the second category. A filthy dirty, shaggy creature whose best friends

Blog Tour: Tasty Tales by Anna Lena Feunekes

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Tasty Tales. Today, I am thrilled to welcome the author-illustrator of this brilliant new read to my blog. Introducing “Tasty Tales” by Anna Lena Feunekes: Who knew history could make you hungry? In her debut book, “Tasty Tales,” Anna Lena invites young readers on a mouth-watering

Blog Tour: Bringing Back Kay-Kay by Dev Kothari

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Bringing Back Kay-Kay, the brilliant debut novel from author Dev Kothari. Most of us have at least one sibling, and whether they are brothers or sisters, younger or older than ourselves, the relationships that we have with them are unlike those we have with anyone else.

Supersausage to the Rescue! (Superpets! 1) by Rachel Morrisroe, illustrated by Jenny Taylor

Although I am very much now a dog person, after a great many years of being frightened of them, I am quite choosy about what sort of dogs I like, with some breeds really not appealing. One type of canine companion that I love and think pretty much everyone finds cute and appealing is a

The Bravest Word by Kate Foster

At the end of 2022, I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this read from Kate Foster on Twitter, which she very kindly sent to me all the way from Australia. Arriving just before Christmas, I fully intended to read it in the new year and duly added it to my TBR

The Voyage of Sam Singh by Gita Ralleigh

As a child, once I was able to read to myself, most of what I picked up was filled with white British characters in stereotypical settings such as Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers boarding school. Occasionally, in the Dr Who books that I read, my hero and his assistants would head to Ancient Rome or to

The Deadlands: Survival (The Deadlands 3) by Skye Melki-Wegner

The popularity of dinosaurs with children – and many adults – shows no sign of waning. While other animals that lack fur and cuteness are unlikely to find themselves the protagonists in stories aimed at young readers, it is the very lack of these details that make these now-extinct creatures the source of endless fascination