Blog Tour: Call the Puffins

I am a huge fan of Cath Howe’s books for older readers and so was very excited to hear that she had decided to write something for younger children. In ‘Call the Puffins’, Muffin and the other young puffins, live on the island of Egg where they are in training to be an Unflappable, a member of the Puffin Rescue Team. In this stop of the Blog Tour, Cath shares how her ideas came together to create this delightful new series.

Call The Puffins! tells the story of a puffin rescue team, and, in particular, the newest recruits. These puffins rescue birds and eggs wherever they are in danger from their home on the island of Egg. Muffin, the main character in the first story, arrives on the island with her dad to start her training. She’s very enthusiastic but there is so much to learn: she has to settle into life in the burrows where all the puffins live and be away from Mum and Dad for the first time. And will she find a friend?

I started writing about puffins many years ago and reworked the stories during the pandemic when we weren’t able to meet our families. I decided to create a team of birds who really want to help. I thought about organisations like Scouts and Brownies and how they have mottoes and work towards badges. I read about the way people used pigeons in wartime to carry messages. These puffins were one of the cheeriest things in my life, at a difficult time.

Puffins look amazing. They already look like lifeguards. They toddle along as if they're hoping for the best. They have to flap very hard to stay in the air. They are not graceful, more comical. Sometimes they're compared to clowns. I love their spirit.

I liked the idea of a new little team of recruits and their personalities and squabbles, rather like a new class in primary school. There are so many things to get used to: new rules and things to learn, and new friends by your side. When children start school, they love to be given jobs to do and things they can help with. The puffin motto, It may not work, but I'll always try! is full of that positive attitude towards doing new things.

There is an island of Egg in Scotland but it's spelled EIGG. I used to spend my childhood holidays on the West Coast of Scotland, often in a cottage by the sea in Kintyre. I'm very excited by islands and remote locations.

I love beachcombing. We often found semi-precious stones on the beaches in Kintyre and I used to love collecting them and seeing them cut and polished by the lady who rented us the cottage. My puffins make good use of things they find on the beaches. Sometimes, things wash up which they don't recognise or know how to use.

 I’m fascinated by lighthouses: the spiral stairs, the rotating lamp, the beam shining across the sea, stories of rescue and bravery. I wanted the puffins to take over a human lighthouse and use it in a similar way, to spot trouble out at sea and organise rescues. I thought the training camps might be a bit like PE lessons.

I tried to include lots of real details about real puffins because these details are rather amazing. Puffins do sleep in burrows. The noise they make is halfway between a honk and a groan or growl. When I discovered that their beaks can glow in the dark, I couldn't believe it- it seemed like magic!

The puffins are a side of me, I think. There's been a lot of joy creating these stories and I hope it communicates itself to the readers.

Call the Puffins Cath Howe, illustrated by Ella Okstad

Welbeck Flame ISBN: 978-1801300360

Many thanks to Cath for joining me today- and thanks to the team at Welbeck for the box of goodies! I am not prepared to use the post-it notes- too lovely! I look forward to see what the Puffin Rescue Team get up to in their next adventure.

Woodwitch

Cassie has settled into life in the village of Hedgely. Her broomstick riding is improving and has found loyal friends in Rue and Tabitha, fellow members of Oak Patrol at her school. As Hallowe’en approaches, some of the villagers start behaving strangely, possessed with the need to locate a missing object. Although the Hedgewitch has been called away and her sneering cousin Sebastian has reluctantly come to stay, Cassie and her friends decide to investigate and discover whoever is controlling the villagers is in search of an ancient faery relic. Soon, they are in a race to locate this treasure before it falls into the hands of the Erl King.

I loved ‘Hedgewitch’ and so started reading this with high expectations- and I was not disappointed. Skye McKenna’s world building is second to none and it is easy for those who have read the first book to quickly find their feet in Hedgely once more. Who wouldn’t want to wander down Loft Street and visit Widdershin’s Bookshop, Marchpane’s bakery or the Bramble and Bloom Tea Room? This attention to detail is also shown in Skye’s use of beautifully descriptive language, bringing this world vividly to life.

Cassie continues to be a very endearing character. Courageous and resourceful, she is also a loyal friend. The girls make an excellent team with their characters and skills complementing each other as they bravely face the perils of the Hedge and the threat of the Erl King. The story is pacy and offers just the right amount of peril. Cassie continues to search for her parents and the reader learns more about her past and that of Ivy, the ‘thorn in Cassie’s side since she’d arrived’.

The story reaches a very satisfying conclusion, allowing different characters to find resolution whilst making the reader long for Cassie’s next adventure!

Woodwitch Skye McKenna

Welbeck Flame ISBN: 978-1801300414

Originally reviewed for Reading Zone. You can read my review of ‘Hedgewitch’ here.

The Ship of Doom

When Luna is forced to attend a meeting in the Butterfly Room at the Greenwich Observatory, she expects an evening of boredom. But it turns out to be full of surprises. The Butterfly Club is a society with a secret- they travel in time to ‘borrow’ technology from the future. With two travelling companions, Konstantin and Aidan, Luna boards the time train for her first mission which takes them aboard an unsinkable ship- The Titanic.

‘The Ship of Doom’ mingles fantasy with history to create a pacy adventure, making the reader wonder about which event in time they might travel to and what they might find there! Most children have probably heard of the Titanic and know that the children are being sent into a dangerous situation, building tension and posing questions about the ‘butterfly effect’ of any actions they take whilst on board.

The missing key for the cupboard containing the binoculars and ignored warnings of iceberg sightings are factors which contributed to the Titanic’s fate and these events are woven into the story. Historic figures also appear, including Arthur John Priest, a stoker who survived a number of shipwrecks. He plays a significant role in this story, thwarting the children’s attempts to change events. Marconi also features in the story with his ‘marvellous invention’ saving hundreds of passengers. Note at the end of the book offer more information about significant events and characters, offering an excellent stating point for further investigation.

The children- Luna, Konstantin and Aiden- make an interesting mix with little in common, but ultimately drawn together by the situation in which they find themselves. Once on board, they allow the reader to see how social status was reflected on board ship and how the experience of each class differed.

‘The Ship of Doom’ would make a powerful text to use with children, offering plenty of scope for writing in role, research and asking ‘what if..?’ questions whilst enjoying a very engaging adventure. The Butterfly Club’s next adventure is called ‘The Mummy’s Curse’, promising another exciting historical adventure! Look forward to reading that one.

The Ship of Doom M. A. Bennett

Welbeck Flame ISBN: 978-1801300049

Originally reviewed for Reading Zone.

Hedgewitch

The FCBG Conference is rapidly approaching, offering an author-packed weekend of book-ish fun. I was delighted to notice that the first event is to be tea with Welbeck Flame, celebrating ‘Hedgewitch’ with author, Skye McKenna. Lucky enough to be sent a copy of this most enjoyable book to review for Reading Zone, I am looking forward to this event very much! ‘Hedgewitch’ would make a fantastic class read, offering much to discuss and enjoy along the way. I will write more about this after conference, but for now, here is my review for Reading Zone!

Cassie Morgan has been waiting for her mother to return for her for seven long years. Now her mother has been declared legally dead and she is faced with going to the orphanage, Cassie decides to run away from Fowell House, the awful boarding school she has been attending, whatever the danger. She finds herself chased by a pack of goblins, but escapes their clutches with the help of a talking cat called Montague on a flying broom to the village of Hedgely. Here, she learns that she comes from a family of witches who protect Britain from the Faerie and that she is the niece of the Hedgewitch herself.

What a fabulous read! Skye McKenna balances the real and magic worlds with skill, creating a rich and well developed story. Cassie is subjected to bullying at her school, victim of the hockey team and their leader, Lizzie Bleacher, who make her life miserable. These pages are uncomfortable reading as Cassie tries to become ‘invisible’, isolated from any hope of friendship or support from a seemingly complicit staff, yet suffers verbally and physically at the hands of her tormentors.

Determined to find out what happened to her mother, Cassie shows herself to be determined and resourceful, making firm friendships as she navigates her new life. There is plenty of action and adventure to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Montague is a wonderful character, delivering advice in the most cat-like manner and ultimately proving the most faithful familiar!

A great read for those who love magic and mystery!

Hedgewitch Skye McKenna

Welbeck Flame ISBN: 978-1801300087