18/03/2010
Gotta Keep Reading Video
It is total American cheese, but I just love this video. The thought of a school dedicating so much time and effort to get 800 kids dancing along to a song about the joys of reading is great.
15/03/2010
Devil For Sale by E. E. Richardson - Barrington Stoke Book 9
At our reading mentors meeting last week Barrie from the publishers Barrington Stoke spoke about how they go for direct impact in their books; using renowned authors, engaging covers, punchy first lines and not avoiding edgy subject matter.
Inspired by this I looked for the edgiest Barrington Stoke book I could spot on my shelf. I went for Devil For Sale by E. E. Richardson. It was certainly unsettling with a certain menace, but I was a little disappointed. It has a very straight-forward plot with only one key character who I didn't feel I got to know too well.
The evil devil of the title has a few moments of scariness. But with all horror or sci-fi books, I am put-off when fantastical happenings are just explained as magic or evil. It feels like a cop-out and I need to know a little more.
Devil For Sale is the first Barrington Stoke book I have read that does not have any illustrations. They may have been going for a more adult feel, but I would have liked to see a smart illustrators take on the story.
It is, of course, a well produced, gripping read, it just didn't hit the spot for me; diet Darren Shan.
Inspired by this I looked for the edgiest Barrington Stoke book I could spot on my shelf. I went for Devil For Sale by E. E. Richardson. It was certainly unsettling with a certain menace, but I was a little disappointed. It has a very straight-forward plot with only one key character who I didn't feel I got to know too well.
The evil devil of the title has a few moments of scariness. But with all horror or sci-fi books, I am put-off when fantastical happenings are just explained as magic or evil. It feels like a cop-out and I need to know a little more.
Devil For Sale is the first Barrington Stoke book I have read that does not have any illustrations. They may have been going for a more adult feel, but I would have liked to see a smart illustrators take on the story.
It is, of course, a well produced, gripping read, it just didn't hit the spot for me; diet Darren Shan.
11/03/2010
The Toymaker By Jeremy De Quidt - Random House Review by Reading Leader, Sabeela Mahmood from King Ecgbert School
A few weeks back I was sent a stack of new books from Random House. I passed these on to King Ecgbert School
To do justice to Sabeela’s reviews I will post them up one at a time once a week or so.
Enjoy!
The Toymaker
By Jeremy De Quidt
PLOT
The story is about a boy called Mathias who finds a hidden piece of paper inside the collar of his dying granddad’s coat. Then he has to run because of the many people who would love to have that piece of paper. Along the way he meets a girl out for revenge, a friend of a strange type of people called Burners and his jealous brother.
MAIN CHARACTERS
The main characters are Mathias, Katta, Koenig, Stefan, Anna-Maria, Lutsmann and Dr Lieter.
WHAT I THOUGHT
The book was an intriguing story. It kept me hooked. The plot had many twists and turns and it’s a book that you can’t put down. The words used by the author are not complicated so it is very suitable for all teenagers. I would definitely recommend this to other readers. The only thing that could be made better was the ending. It isn’t a very satisfying ending. You don’t know what happens to some characters when they leave the building. But apart from that a very worthwhile read.
By Sabeela Mahmood
To do justice to Sabeela’s reviews I will post them up one at a time once a week or so.Enjoy!
The Toymaker
By Jeremy De Quidt
PLOT
The story is about a boy called Mathias who finds a hidden piece of paper inside the collar of his dying granddad’s coat. Then he has to run because of the many people who would love to have that piece of paper. Along the way he meets a girl out for revenge, a friend of a strange type of people called Burners and his jealous brother.
MAIN CHARACTERS
The main characters are Mathias, Katta, Koenig, Stefan, Anna-Maria, Lutsmann and Dr Lieter.
WHAT I THOUGHT
The book was an intriguing story. It kept me hooked. The plot had many twists and turns and it’s a book that you can’t put down. The words used by the author are not complicated so it is very suitable for all teenagers. I would definitely recommend this to other readers. The only thing that could be made better was the ending. It isn’t a very satisfying ending. You don’t know what happens to some characters when they leave the building. But apart from that a very worthwhile read.
By Sabeela Mahmood
08/03/2010
A week and a day
So Thursday was World Book Day and, perhaps as a result, my week has been incredibly busy with all manner of reading based activity:- I have been back to Sheffield University where I was a student, training current students to be reading mentors in Sheffield primary schools. They will be helping children be Book Busters; an ESCAL (Every Sheffield Child Articulate and Literate) project in conjunction with Sheffield School Library Service.
- Our new Care2Read course begun last week with a group of foster parents at the fostering service. I am always so amazed by foster carers; taking on children of different ages and backgrounds and with such different needs, often as well as their own children. They are so dedicated to the children they care for they're going to make perfect reading partners. They are also able to inspire new reading partnerships; I heard about older children reading with the younger ones. Great stuff.
- On Monday 1 March we had our regular termly meeting for reading mentors. I always enjoy catching up with people who I do not see enough of. And this time we had a great presentation from Barrie from Barrington Stoke. He completely re-affirmed my love for their range of books. He showed us how everything is so carefully prepared; the covers, the font used, the editing process with young people, paper quality and all other aspects of the publishing system. It results in a perfect range of books. Check out one of their newest ranges, the Five Lords of Pain.
- On the day of World Book Day, Thursday 4 March, I was training a group of primary school staff to run their own Reading Matters volunteer reading mentors project in school. It is a nice session and I always get lots of new ideas.
- World Book Day itself has some great activities as usual, for example games and resources on their website. I was in my favourite book shop, Scarthin Books, at the weekend, they had a nice display of the current batch of £1 World Book Day books.
- Finally, I am preparing for a set of training courses this week and next. Getting a bunch of new mentors up-to-speed, and a bit of a refresher for longer-term mentors next week.
28/02/2010
Johnny Delgado by Kevin Brooks - Barrington Stoke Book 8
I was really impressed by Johnny Delgado, it is a little longer than the other Barrington Stoke books I have read so far this year, but packs a lot in. The sentences, paragraphs and dialogue are short and snappy. This shows the influence of classic thriller writers; the introduction mentions Raymond Chandler, and I also recognise a bit of James Ellroy. But unlike these heavy American authors, here the characters and situations are very close-to-home on a South London estate.
I really like the central character, wannabe PI Johnny Delgado, he is deeply naive, but very endearing. All the brains, muscle and morals come from his friends on the estate. But his heart is very much in the right place.
It is a true thriller with a lot of action, and it was interesting to re-read with hindsight. The world of gangs and violence indicates an older audience, and there is a bit of bad language, but this is also what makes it an exciting read.
It also has a nice cliff-hanger ending, setting up a sequel, Like Father, Like Son, that I will definitely be checking out.
I really like the central character, wannabe PI Johnny Delgado, he is deeply naive, but very endearing. All the brains, muscle and morals come from his friends on the estate. But his heart is very much in the right place.
It is a true thriller with a lot of action, and it was interesting to re-read with hindsight. The world of gangs and violence indicates an older audience, and there is a bit of bad language, but this is also what makes it an exciting read.
It also has a nice cliff-hanger ending, setting up a sequel, Like Father, Like Son, that I will definitely be checking out.
25/02/2010
Unexpected First Word
I know it is not cool to go on about how wonderful your own kids are, but I do have a reading related bit of news about my daughter, Rose.
I was so proud, what a great first word. It was inspired by a book we got out of the library, Baby Baboon by Mwenye Hadithi (Author) and Adrienne Kennaway (Illustrator). It is not a book we looked at any more than any other, but something obviously made a strong impression.
Over half term, she said her first word:
"Baboon"
I was so proud, what a great first word. It was inspired by a book we got out of the library, Baby Baboon by Mwenye Hadithi (Author) and Adrienne Kennaway (Illustrator). It is not a book we looked at any more than any other, but something obviously made a strong impression.
I'm am now trying her on gibbon, bonobo and orangutan!
17/02/2010
Luck by Alison Prince - Barrington Stoke Book 7
The title, cover and blurb do not give much away about this book. But the first line gives you a big clue as to the sort of read it is going to be; "My mum is a slag."
As well as domestic drama, Luck deals with gangs, robbery and car accidents, and also fits in sub-plots on immigration, bereavement and broken homes. It does all this in 53 short pages, many of which have illustrations. Amazing.
The illustrations by Patrick Morgan are worth a mention, they complement the hard-edged writing perfectly, and there is a breath-taking double page spread that works brilliantly.
A short, but great book, for older readers, about not blaming your luck when things go wrong; "It wasn't bad luck. It was stupid."
As well as domestic drama, Luck deals with gangs, robbery and car accidents, and also fits in sub-plots on immigration, bereavement and broken homes. It does all this in 53 short pages, many of which have illustrations. Amazing.
The illustrations by Patrick Morgan are worth a mention, they complement the hard-edged writing perfectly, and there is a breath-taking double page spread that works brilliantly.
A short, but great book, for older readers, about not blaming your luck when things go wrong; "It wasn't bad luck. It was stupid."
15/02/2010
Competition Time
I have spotted a few competitions to try:
Bounce into Books
We have just missed the week long Bounce into Books festival (in particular I missed Tommy Donbavand at my local library), but there is still time to enter their competition. They are looking for the most peculiar facts about your neighbourhood to be included in a new book Yorkshire: A Very Peculiar History. Sounds like fun, closing date is 28 March 2010.
Harriet Goodwin
Next, do you like the idea of appearing as a character in a book, well author Harriet Goodwin is offering the chance to be in her next book, The Extraordinary Legacy of Elvira Phoenix. A great opportunity, closing date is 31 March 2010
Sheffield Libraries Readers Card
Finally, and this is more for older readers, Sheffield Libraries' new reader’s card scheme lets you get free coffee, but also the opportunity to win prizes. It is a pilot scheme running up until 18 April 2010, which I presume is the closing date.
Bounce into Books
We have just missed the week long Bounce into Books festival (in particular I missed Tommy Donbavand at my local library), but there is still time to enter their competition. They are looking for the most peculiar facts about your neighbourhood to be included in a new book Yorkshire: A Very Peculiar History. Sounds like fun, closing date is 28 March 2010.
Harriet Goodwin
Next, do you like the idea of appearing as a character in a book, well author Harriet Goodwin is offering the chance to be in her next book, The Extraordinary Legacy of Elvira Phoenix. A great opportunity, closing date is 31 March 2010
Sheffield Libraries Readers Card
Finally, and this is more for older readers, Sheffield Libraries' new reader’s card scheme lets you get free coffee, but also the opportunity to win prizes. It is a pilot scheme running up until 18 April 2010, which I presume is the closing date.
09/02/2010
Game Boy by Alan Durant - Barrington Stoke Book 6
Game Boy
was recommended to me by a Volunteer Reading Mentor as a good choice for reading partnerships, and it's hard to disagree.
I think the reason it works well is that, rather than chapters, the book has levels just like a computer game. Sometime it is hard to read a book over a period of weeks, as happens with our reading partnerships, but with Game Boy it would be fine. The plot can be recapped in seconds and off you go on another exciting level.
Books as computer games is quite a trend at the moment; fast-paced episodic adventures to keep readers interested with lots of potential for sequels. I read a review of The Enemy
that made this link, and I think the Maximum Ride books follow the same pattern. Game Boy was ahead of the curve, written in 2002, with two sequels, Game Boy Reloaded
and Game Boy Galactic
coming more recently.
was recommended to me by a Volunteer Reading Mentor as a good choice for reading partnerships, and it's hard to disagree.I think the reason it works well is that, rather than chapters, the book has levels just like a computer game. Sometime it is hard to read a book over a period of weeks, as happens with our reading partnerships, but with Game Boy it would be fine. The plot can be recapped in seconds and off you go on another exciting level.
Books as computer games is quite a trend at the moment; fast-paced episodic adventures to keep readers interested with lots of potential for sequels. I read a review of The Enemy
that made this link, and I think the Maximum Ride books follow the same pattern. Game Boy was ahead of the curve, written in 2002, with two sequels, Game Boy Reloaded and Game Boy Galactic coming more recently.
01/02/2010
Blade by Chris Powling - Barrington Stoke Book 5
Blade was published in 2005 but seems incredibly relevant today with so many tales of knife crime in the press. The Barrington Stoke website, gives the Interest Age for this book as 12+, and although it could be read by younger children the subject matter feels very edgy.
It's a short book; some pages only have a few one-sentence paragraphs. This can look like poetry, but, in fact, just keeps the story moving at a very quick pace.
The morals and behaviour of the heroes are not clear-cut. This gives lots of potential for discussing how to deal with the situations encountered, and makes it a great book to read in a partnership.
It's a short book; some pages only have a few one-sentence paragraphs. This can look like poetry, but, in fact, just keeps the story moving at a very quick pace.
The morals and behaviour of the heroes are not clear-cut. This gives lots of potential for discussing how to deal with the situations encountered, and makes it a great book to read in a partnership.
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