Romance and jive – what’s not to like? As the title suggests, this new book by Jenny McLachlan is a kind of toned-down version of Dirty Dancing, but don’t be put off by the ‘romance’ tag because actually this is more about a shy girl finding her inner courage. Which isn’t a new thing in … More Flirty Dancing – review
I loved Frozen In Time by Ali Sparkes when I read it last year, and Out of this World is another cracking read. Ty Lewis is a keen naturalist, spending a lot of time in the woods near his home and building a strong friendship with Sam, the ranger who lives there. One night, Ty finds a … More Out of this World – review
I should have read this book sooner. It’s BRILLIANT. I’ve had Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase (by Jonathan Stroud) on my shelf for a few months. I know quite well why I didn’t pick it up before. It’s hardback (and therefore not my preferred format for reading since I like paperbacks), it’s got a lot of … More Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase – review
A few months before the publication of my book Looking at the Stars, I was asked one of those ‘which book is it similar to?’ questions. They’re always hard to answer, partly because you cling to the hope that your book is original – that no one has ever written anything quite like it before … More My Name Is Parvana – review
Camden is the perfect location for this trilogy of stories by Hilary Freeman about three best friends. The Celeb Next Door (the other two are Stuck On Me and The Boy From France) is the story of Rosie , who is obsessed with her favourite band, Fieldstar. When she discovers that the band’s drummer, Rufus, has bought … More Camden Town Tales: The Celeb Next Door – review
I read the first Wendy Quill last year and LOVED it. Not just because the book is laugh-out-loud funny, but also because of the superb illustrations (done by Wendy Meddour’s supremely talented daughter Mina May). So when the second in the series was published, I begged for a copy to review – and I wasn’t … More Wendy Quill Tries to Grow a Pet – Review
Who Framed Klaris Cliff? is a debut novel from Nikki Sheehan. It deals with the curious phenomenon of imaginary friends from the point of view of Joseph, a self-confessed not-imaginative-at-all boy, who is being bothered by someone else’s imaginary friend! So far, so original! And another exciting aspect is that this world of the book … More Who Framed Klaris Cliff? – review
I can’t remember when I first read ‘Looking for JJ’, Anne Cassidy’s extraordinary novel about a child murderer. I only remember that it blew me away. It was bold, emotive and brilliantly-written, and so I jumped at the chance of reviewing her long-awaited sequel, ‘Finding Jennifer Jones’. I read the first book again, so that … More Finding Jennifer Jones – review
I don’t read a lot of fiction for 8-12s. I mainly read teenage and Young Adult fiction (which is quite often the same thing only the YA tends to include more sex). But I jumped at the chance to read Harvey Drew for review because of two reasons: a) I recently met the author, Cas … More Harvey Drew and the Bin Men from Outer Space – Review
Suzy Puttock is not happy. Her mother (scrimping and saving since blowing all the money on older daughter Amber’s wedding) has won a caravan and has persuaded them all to go camping in West Wales. Suzy doesn’t do camping (neither do I, so I sympathise!) and there are a number of reasons why this will … More Suzy P and the Trouble with Three – review
Jo Cotterill 