Reviews

There are so many incredible books available at the moment that it is impossible to read them all, no matter how hard I try! Here are my thoughts about some of the books I have read and how I think they could be used in school as well as Q and A sessions with authors and illustrators.

FCBG Children’s Book Awards 2024

Yesterday, I was delighted to be able to attend the Federation of Children’s Book Groups Children’s Book Awards 2024 Ceremony. This year, it was being held in Birmingham so I was up bright and early for a very exciting day out!

I hadn’t been to Birmingham for years and so was really grateful to one of the members of the Birmingham group who had not only written directions to follow from the station, but had also added in things of interest to look out for along the way! The famous bull, Ozzy, from the Commonwealth Games 2022, the lovely Piccadilly Arcade, the impressive Council House building and the domed Hall of Memory were all features of my mini guided tour as I made my way to the Novotel where the ceremony was being held.

Had the incredible library been open, I might never have made it to the ceremony, but that was a treat I had to save for later. The gilded bronze statue, known as the ‘Golden Boys’ honours Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch, shown studying steam engine plans.  Together, these three revolutionised the steam engine. Also on my route was the Black Sabbath bench, a tribute to this Birmingham metal band, located on Broad Street, above the bridge on Canal Street, also named after the band!

At the Novotel, excitement was mounting as the dedicated and hard working team of FCBG members, led by Sarah Stuffins, were putting the finishing touches to preparations for the ceremony. Always a lovely occasion, the Children’s Book Awards ceremony keeps children- the voters- at its heart as members from each of the testing groups are invited to attend the occasion. Each child arrives to find a bag of goodies ready for them-including a Fed Ted- and that they will be sitting at a table with one of the shortlisted authors or illustrators! There are not many events which offer that!

As the guests all started to arrive, there was a wonderful atmosphere as everyone circulated and asked for their books to be signed. There was so much excitement from young (and somewhat older!) readers and so much excited book-ish chat, proving that these awards really do encourage reading for pleasure and that there are plenty of young readers who enjoy a great story.

Once everyone had eaten a delicious lunch, the ceremony was ready to begin and Korky, Winnie the Witch and Wilbur treated us to much wand waving and merriment, including a masterclass in how to draw Winnie. Every child had a numbered ticket in their goodie bag and one won a signed book and another won the picture. Sadly, adults weren’t included!

Each shortlisted author was then presented with a portfolio of work, full of pictures and writing from the children who voted for their books. These are so special and each author was genuinely moved to see the contributions these contain. Sadly, Karen Obuhanych, Philip Reeve, Sarah McIntyre, Michael Rosen and Simon Fox were not able to attend, but they sent messages which were shared at this time.

And then, the winner of each category was announced. Rob Biddulph won the Books for Younger Children’s category with ‘Gigantic’, Thomas Flintham won the Books for Younger Readers’ category with ‘Press Start! Game On, Super Rabbit Boy!’ and the Books for Older Readers’ category was won by ‘The Final Year’, written by Matt Goodfellow and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton. Although everyone had their favourites that they were rooting for, the results were received with great delight and much cheering.

As with each category, the overall winner was announced by children from one of the FCBG groups- another thing which is special to this award! Overall Winner of the Children’s Book Award 2024 was ‘Press Start! Game On, Super Rabbit Boy! ‘ by Thomas Flintham.

It was a fabulous occasion, greatly enjoyed by everyone! The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Children’s Book Awards is absolutely about children having a voice and genuinely reflects their interests and reading tastes. Huge congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators - and their publishers- and a huge well done to those involved in the organisation of the event!

This has nothing to do with the awards, but on the way home, I visited the wonderful Birmingham Library and then the ‘Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement' at The Gas Hall, part of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. The perfect way to end the day!

You can read about CBA2023 here and CBA2022 here.

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Cheltenham Literature Festival

During the crisp autumnal days of this weekend, I had a wonderful time at Cheltenham Literature Festival. It is one of the highlights of my book-ish calendar and although it has changed quite a lot over the twenty or so years I have been going, the atmosphere is just lovely with so many friendly, helpful people working there and so much to do and see.

If you have time to explore, the town of Cheltenham is well worth exploring. Full of Regency architecture, it has been called 'Britain's most complete Regency Town'. The Pittville Pump Room is a reminder of the town’s fame as a spa town. Overlooking Pittville Park, it is a lovely place to visit and imagine the past! If you don’t have time to make it that far from the Festival site, the Imperial Gardens are lovely spot to walk round or to sit and enjoy the formal gardens. A statue of Holst, the composer, stands in one corner and the house he was born in- the Holst Birthplace Museum- is open to visitors.

Although events are held throughout the town, the Festival site occupies Montpellier Gardens. The first event I attended was held just round the corner in the Queen’s Hotel. Here, an excited audience of super-kids enjoyed a super-session about super-hero, Marv with author, Alex Falase-Koya and illustrator, Paula Bowles. After sharing some of the first story, everyone enjoyed a quiz before learning how to draw Pixel, Marv’s trusty sidekick, and creating new superheros with a wide range of superpowers! You can read my review of Marv’s first two adventures here.

Next, I had the great pleasure of catching up with Lou Fraser and Kate Hindley, whose joyful tale, ‘The Littlest Yak’ won the NSTBA 2021 Picture Book Category. It was so lovely to see them. You can read how to make a salt dough Gertie here, an activity my class really enjoyed!

My final event of the day was Oliver Jeffers, talking with astrophysicist Stephen Smartt about the scale model of the solar system which they created. It was a fascinating event as they discussed this collaboration between art and science and how this then inspired Oliver’s new book, ‘Meanwhile Back on Earth’. The perfect way to end a lovely day!

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful! I was just in time to catch the end of Jennifer Claessen’s talk before going to catch meet up with the lovely Dom Kingston with the equally lovely, Rosie Jones and Jenny Pearson.

I then headed for the ‘Game On’ panel session. Led by Sharna Jackson, Jennifer Bell, Taran Matharu and Matt Plampin (half of Logan Macx). This was a great session, offering plenty to think about for teachers and engaging the keen audience of game-lovers who had plenty of ideas to contribute.

Having bumped into various people and had some lovely conversations, my last event of the day was another panel event- this time about ‘Fantastic Fiction’. Anna James (review for Reading Zone) led the discussion with Annabelle (A F Steadman), Peter Bunzl (review of Magicborn here) and Tolá Okogwu (review for Reading Zone). This was a wonderfully warm event which felt like a chat between friends as they discussed characters, settings and their inspiration. A wonderful way to end a busy weekend.

Already looking forward to next weekend…

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Fiction, Younger Readers, Series Sue Wilsher Fiction, Younger Readers, Series Sue Wilsher

Suit Up. Step Up. It’s Time to Become a Hero!

Marvin loves reading about superheroes, but is stunned when his grandad passes on his superhero suit and robot sidekick, telling Marvin the suit is powered by kindness and imagination- two things Marvin has plenty of!

When the school Science Fair is thrown into chaos by a Mastermind supervillain and her giant robot, Marvin must suit up and step up to become the hero of the hour.

‘Marv and the Mega Robot’ is a very engaging and accessible read with plenty of action! Marv doesn’t believe he has what it takes to be a superhero, but as his Grandad says, ‘The sky’s the limit when you just believe in yourself.’ The relationship between them is delightful- warm and supportive- just what Marv needs to build his confidence.

A sweet, good natured boy, Marv is a true friend, making a dream team with his best friend, Joe, as they work together on their science project. As a superhero, Marv is marv-elous and Pixel makes the perfect side kick!

The second book, ‘Marv and the Dino Attack’ is every bit as appealing and engaging as the first. Highly illustrated by the excellent Paula Bowles, they are sure to appeal to those children who enjoying sharing a story with their parents and/or are independent readers, no doubt inspiring them to create their own superhero/ villain figures - perhaps based on themselves! I can see them creating their own ‘Top Trump’ style cards like those shown at the back of these books and using them to play games. The books would work well as guided reading texts, offering much to discuss and enjoy as well as a rich vocabulary to explore. They have a fabulous message at heart about kindness and imagination being what makes a true superhero…something we all need to realise! Brilliant stuff!

I hope there are many more in this series to come!

Marv and the Mega Robot

Alex Falase-Koya, illustrated by Paula Bowles

OUP ISBN: 978-0192780423

Marv and the Dino Attack

Alex Falase-Koya, illustrated by Paula Bowles

OUP ISBN: 978-0192780447

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