A Medal for Leroy is Michael Morpurgo’s latest book. It’s a story of war, love and family secrets from this master storyteller. If you haven’t read a Michael Morpurgobook you don’t know what you’re missing.
Thanks to everyone who entered. This competition is now closed.
Is there a kid in your life who loves cooking or would love to learn how to cook? You have to get them Nic’s Cookbook, by an inspirational young New Zealander called Nicholas Brockelbank.
Nic lives with muscular dystrophy and was the 2012 ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). He started cooking when one of his teachers suggested it might help with his schoolwork, and has since shown significant improvements in reading, spelling and maths. He put together his first ‘cookbook’ when he was eight years old, as a Christmas present for family and friends. This photocopied booklet of recipes was so popular he wrote another one and set up a website (www.nicocool.com) to sell the recipe books and artwork to raise money for the MDA, the Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund and the True Colours Charitable Trust. The website also describes aspects of Nic’s life with muscular dystrophy from his point of view, like having a wheelchair and undertaking lots of hospital appointments and tests.
Nic, with the help of his mum and the wonderful people at Scholastic New Zealand, has produced his own cookbook, that contains some very yummy, easy-to-make recipes. They’re perfect for kids who want to learn how to cook and it’s all food that kids will love, from savouries and rice paper rolls to chocolate slice and lamingtons. There are heaps of photos to show you the delicious food and to help kids with the trickier parts of the recipes. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and Nic gives you lots of handy hints throughout the book. There’s a very handy page at the start of the book which helps kids to understand the different terms used in the recipes and what each of the measurement abbreviations mean. The things I really like about the book are that Nic lists the equipment needed for each recipe and he tells you how many people each recipe should serve.
Not only is Nic’s Cookbook full of great recipes, it’s also great value. It’s only $10 and 50% of the royalties from the book are going to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. At that price you can grab one for every kid you know!
Last year Scholastic NZ brought Kiwi legends, The Topp Twins, together with one of our top illustrators, Jenny Cooper, to produce a wonderful illustrated edition of the song, There’s a Hole in my Bucket. Now, this fantastic team have come together once again to produce a very cute and funny, illustrated edition of the song, Do Your Ears Hang Low.
Based on the original song, Do Your Ears Hang Low? is a new arrangement by The Topp Twins, that ties in perfectly with Jenny Cooper’s illustrations. I’d love to know what came first, the lyrics or the illustrations, because they’re made for each other. The Topp Twins’ lyrics are funny and you can add some easy actions for children to sing and play along. Who would have thought there were so many uses for big ears? The CD of the Topp Twins performing the song (that comes with the book) is a great addition to the book and it’s that classic Topp Twins sound that we love.
I absolutely love Jenny Cooper’s big-eared illustrations! They’re cute and made me crack up laughing. Jenny is amazing at capturing animals, especially the wrinkled skin of the dog and the curly fur of the llamas. The expressions on animals faces are hilarious too. I love the shock on the dogs face as the mouse ties up his ears, the mellow look on the llama’s face, and the expression of pure joy on the pig’s face. The animals all look so cuddly and loveable that you just want to give them a big hug. Book Design have also done a fantastic job of the design of the book, from the layout and size of the very cool font, to the flaps and the cute end papers.
As well as the wonderful song and illustrations, you also get the added extras of some strange, but true facts about ears. Do Your Ears Hang Low? is the perfect book for Kiwi kids with ears of all shapes and sizes.
4 out of 5 stars
The Crystal Code is the latest book in Richard Newsome’s action-packed Billionaire Series. I absolutely love this series and if you know anyone who loves books packed with action, adventure and mystery you have to push this series on them. Once they’ve read the first chapter they’ll be hooked! You can read my review of The Crystal Code here on the blog.
To celebrate the release of The Crystal Code I’ve got a copy to give away, thanks to the wonderful people at Text Publishing.
Thanks to everyone who entered. This competition is now closed.
Fleur Beale has written some great novels, both for children and young adults. My favourite books of hers are the award-winning Juno of Taris series. Fleur’s latest book, The Boy in the Olive Grove, is a about a girl living in present day New Zealand, whose past lives resurface and turn her life upside down.
On the night of her seventeenth birthday Bess Grey sees images of a witch-burning unfold in front of her as if in a movie. She also sees images from a different time — lovers, and the girl, she’s sure is — was – herself. When she meets Nick she recognises him as the boy. There’s an immediate connection. However when her father nearly dies from a heart attack there’s no time to brood as Bess tries to save her father’s business. She falls in love with Nick but her difficult mother interferes, forcing Bess to make the hardest decision of her life. She must decide whether to lose her mother or the boy she loves.
The Boy in the Olive Grove is a really unique story about a girl who is navigating the minefield of her family life, while trying to deal with the lives she has lived in the past. In the present Bess has a horrible mother who doesn’t seem to care for her at all, a protective brother who has just up and left her, a father who is ill, and a step-mother who she feels awkward around. When she has a visions of herself burning a witch at the stake and of a mysterious boy who she has strong feelings for, she gets drunk and nearly kills herself on the road. This only seems to be the beginning of her troubles, as she gets expelled from her boarding school and sent home to live with her mother. Her dad falls ill and Bess gets left to look after his struggling furniture business. She continues to have the visions and her step-mother sends her to a psychiatrist who helps her to understand these and come to terms with what they mean.
I found the story quite unusual (it’s quite different in a way from Fleur Beale’s previous books), but the more I read, the more intrigued I became and wanted to find out how it would end. Fleur Beale always gets inside her characters heads so we know everything that they’re thinking and feeling. Bess has so much to deal with, from her visions, to taking over her father’s business, and dealing with her horrible mother, but she deals with everything extremely well. I know I wouldn’t have been able to handle all that at her age! I love the relationship that Bess has with the men that work for her dad. After some initial skepticism they warm to her and she helps to boost their confidence. I love the way they call her ‘boss.’
The only thing I didn’t really like about the story was the scheming, vindictive bitch that was Bess’ mum. I don’t think I’ve met a character that I’ve hated quite so much as her, and she didn’t seem to have any redeeming characteristics. I’d really like to know if there are mothers out there that are really like her, because I couldn’t quite imagine a mother that could be as cruel and uncaring as she was.
If you like contemporary Young Adult fiction that stands out from the crowd, The Boy in the Olive Grove, get a copy now. If you’re a fan of Fleur Beale then this is one not to be missed.
4 out of 5 stars
You can read an extract of The Boy in the Olive Grove on the Random House New Zealand website.
Would you like to win a set of 6 postcards featuring everybody’s favourite skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant? Derek Landy’s wonderful publishers had a whole heap of these very cool postcards left over after Derek’s tour of NZ so I’m very lucky to have some to give away here on the blog.
If you would like to get your hands on a set, just enter your name and address in the form below and I’ll pick 10 lucky winners on Friday (NZ only). If you’re one of the winners, a set of the postcards will turn up in your letterbox soon.
This competition is now closed.
John Boyne is touring New Zealand this week, including attending the Christchurch Writer’s Festival. I had the pleasure of interviewing him this morning, and I’ll be posting this soon. As well as signing my copies of Noah Barleywater Runs Away and The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, John kindly signed two extra copies of Barnaby Brocket.
If you would like to win one of 2 signed copies of The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket all you have to do is enter your details in the form below. Competition closes Friday 7 September (NZ only).
Thanks to everyone who entered. This competition is now closed.
Blue Gnu is a delightful, tongue-twister of a book about friendship and being different, written by one of our best children’s writers, Kyle Mewburn and illustrated by new talent Daron Parton. If you’re not already hooked on Kyle Mewburn’s books, you will be once you read Blue Gnu.
Thanks to Scholastic NZ I have 2 copies of Blue Gnu to give away. All you have to do to get in the draw is enter your name and email address in the form below. Competition closes Wednesday 15 August (NZ only)
This competition is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. The winners are Christine and Gabrielle.
The Magical Life of Mr. Renny and My Happy Life are the latest releases from the wonderful Gecko Press. I LOVE The Wonderful Life of Mr. Renny and reviewed it here on the blog in my Picture Book Nook feature. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of their ‘curiously good books from around the world.’
Thanks to Gecko Press I have a special pack of 4 of their latest releases to give away. The pack contains:
This competition is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. The winner is Jenny.
You can always rely on Kyle Mewburn to write a book that will make kids laugh and keep them entertained from start to finish. Kyle’s latest book, illustrated by new talent Daron Parton, features a silly animal who likes being different.
Boo is the one and only blue gnu. Well he thinks he is, until he meets Hoo. Hoo tries to convince Boo that it’s more fun with two, but Boo likes being unique. So Boo tries to make himself look different by adding touches of colour. Boo has to decide whether it’s better to be the one and only striped or spotted blue gnu or whether things really are better with two.
Blue Gnu is a delightful, tongue-twister of a book about friendship and being different. You can tell that Kyle has had so much fun writing this book! You can get tripped up very easily with his wonderful, rhyming text. Kyle always uses lots of ‘noisy’ words and Blue Gnu is no exception. Sentences like “What a splotchy, spotty, dotty gnu!” and “What a hoopy, loopy, stripey gnu!” are fun to get your mouth around and it would be great to get the children saying it with you (try saying those sentences quickly three times!). I love Daron Parton’s illustrations, which seem to fit the story perfectly. He has brought Kyle’s silly gnu’s to life and made Boo and Hoo stand out from the herd. His style is really unique and his bright, bold illustrations make the book great to share with a large group of children. I’ll look forward to seeing more of his illustrations in future books. Book Design have also done a great job of positioning the text so that it doesn’t get in the way of these wonderful illustrations.
If you’re not already hooked on Kyle Mewburn’s books, you will be once you read Blue Gnu. Grab a copy from your library or bookshop now.
My Best Friends Are Books 