Bridget Vanderpuff and the Baked Escape

Bridget Baxter lives at the Orphanage for Errant Childs, an institution run by the evil Miss Acrid, who does everything she can to make Bridget’s life a misery. Although Bridget is more than a match for her, she is delighted when the village baker, Mr Vanderpuff arrives at the orphanage, looking for a child to care for. Although she is talented at many things, Bridget discovers that she is a terrible baker; however, perhaps her unique baking style is just what’s needed to save the day!

I was lucky enough to hear Martin Stewart talk about ‘Bridget Vanderpuff’ at the Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ Conference last month. His lovely sense of humour and obvious love of cake made for a very enjoyable session and ‘Bridget Vanderpuff and the Baked Escape’ quickly made its way to the top of my TBR pile!

Unique and quirky, Bridget is a heroine like no other! From her thick orange hair full of useful tools to her paraskirt, she is bright and brave, smart and sassy. As she outwits the ghastly Miss Acrid, whose deep hatred of irregular plurals is responsible for the unusual name of the Orphanage, with her crazy inventions, the reader cannot help but cheer her on! Miss Acrid is the most detestable villain with no redeeming features who locks her charges in the dungeons, puts their legs in bear traps and generally seeks to make their lives as miserable as possible, but is no match for the wonderful Bridget!

A series of foot notes, which ‘clarify’ and expand upon elements of the text, add much to the humour of the tale which bounces along at a pleasing pace. Although I have only read a proof copy, a selection of David Habben’s wonderful line drawings are included, giving life to Bridget, her friends and foe!

A splash of silliness mixed with a heap of fun, ‘Bridget Vanderpuff and the Baked Escape’ is a brilliant read and I look forward to her next adventure, ‘Bridget Vanderpuff and the Ghost Train’!

Bridget Vanderpuff and the Baked Escape

Martin Stewart, illustrated by David Habben

Zephyr ISBN: 978-1804549094

Out in June!

FCBG Conference 2023 Day 3

Sunday always arrives all too soon! Whilst weekend delegates had breakfast and packed up their rooms, the Sunday day delegates were arriving and settling in. The FCBG Conferences are usually held in schools with boarding facilities, but some attendees prefer to stay elsewhere and some come on a daily basis. It never matters as everyone is very friendly and welcoming.

The first Sunday session was the very wonderful Ross Montgomery, whose enthusiasm and energy are infectious. He spoke about his new book, ‘Spellstone’ (which is amazing) and how he was inspired by noticing the quiet, overlooked things. He shared some of the fascinating places and things he had discovered on his walks round London, seeking out the lesser known. This is/ was one of my favourite things to do prior to Covid and since he showed pictures of Postman’s Park, somewhere I have spent many happy hours, I have been determined to start again! Always inspiring, Ross spoke of the alchemy between reader and writer and how writing a book is like cultivating a garden!

Ross was followed by dream duo, Dapo Adeola and Nathan Bryon! We were treated to a reading of the beginning of their new book about Rocket, ‘Speak Up!’, which is obviously going to be every bit as special as the others! They spoke about how Rocket came to be, their very close working relationship (‘It feels like there’s a USB from my brain to Dapo’s!) and the industry they work in. They were a joy to listen to!

The next coffee break celebrated ‘Bridget Vanderpuff and the Baked Escape’. Author, Martin Stewart, told us a little about himself and the book and treated us to a reading, resulting in this book being catapulted to the top of my TBR pile! The cakes on offer were fabulous (only a small selection is shown here)

After the coffee break the Graphic Novels for younger readers panel began. This was such a fascinating and enjoyable session. Not only were Mark Bradley, Andy Riley and Matty Long very entertaining, they also share a real passion for graphic novels. Mark Bradley was extremely knowledgeable, having obviously done a lot of research into this field and the session sparked lots of conversations.

The final session of the morning- and indeed, of the Conference- seemed to arrive so quickly. Unfortunately, it was my turn on the reception desk at this point, but as people were leaving the hall, I could tell it had been an excellent session as everyone was talking about it! Authors, Josh Silver, Simon James Green and Freja Nicole Woolf read from their books and discussed LGBT+ stories for a YA audience.

Lunch followed and soon everyone was saying goodbye and gathering their things- including lots of books, posters, bookmarks, catalogues, badges and all manner of book-ish goodies. It was a wonderful weekend, perfect for book lovers, a great opportunity to meet with like-minded people and brilliant for finding out about recent- and soon to be - children’s publications. Details of next year’s conference will soon be available on the FCBG website https://fcbg.org.uk/ which also has information about local groups.

Can’t wait to see what next year brings!