Children's book round-up: February
You want books? I'll give ya books...
Last year I interviewed nearly 80 authors (not braggin’, just sayin’) and if February is any indication, this year I’m set to double that number comfortably. There are SO MANY brilliant, brand new books out this month that I’m struggling to keep up. But of course I have, because that’s kind of my job. (One that I love, of course1)
So where shall I begin? Chronologically, with the first book I read this month? With the one that’s published earliest? Or with the one that made me throw my book in the air?
I think we all know I’m going for the third option.
Rugby legend Gordon D’Arcy (an Irish player my dad loved, and therefore, I am contractually obliged to also love) released his book for 3-6 year olds which I adored- Let’s Play Rugby! The book is marketed as ‘interactive’ but that doesn’t mean it has stickers or audio or any other thing that infers it will immediately get ruined/broken. (Looking at you, old-school Disney ‘Golden Sound’ Storybook). It means this book encourages readers to play with it; find out what your favourite players go through on the pitch while also learning about the game’s rules. You’ll be encouraged to jog on the spot, do some star jumps, and even throw the book in the air.
(Probably not a great book for bedtime, but a fun one to read together to help burn off some excess energy)
My interview with Gordon (and also chats with authors Esther Marshall and Gregg Millman) can be found here.
There’s no business like show business
Next up we have an author I consistently adore- Judith Eagle. Every time I read her books I am reminded of the fact I LOVE HER WRITING. She’s quick with a story, creates likeable (and unlikeable…) characters, and has a way of pacing the adventure that draws you in immediately.
For her new one, The Great Theatre Rescue, we’re in 1930s London, following Charley. Her dad owns a tiny struggling theatre in Soho called The Wren, and when he has to leave the city, she finds out it’s been on the brink of closure for longer than she realised. Her aunt sends her off to a grim boarding school (as a fan of Enid Blyton’s ‘Elizabeth’ books, I’m a sucker for a boarding school setting) but she soon breaks out to try and solve the many mysteries of her family home. Why is her dad paying huge sums of money to a stranger? Who exactly is the new girl she’s befriended? Will they save the theatre? And, crucially, will she get on stage herself?
I loved this book so much but was 50 pages off the ending when I interviewed Judith. God bless her for avoiding spoilers in our interview- not for the sake of the listeners, but for me.
(Not) A Baker’s Dozen
Liz Hyder spoke to me about her atmospheric, haunting and surreal story The Twelve, and it’s fair to say I was all over it like jam on toast. She won the Nero Prize for Children’s Fiction with this story about Kit, who goes off on a winter holiday to the coast with her mum and sister Libby. But one night, after she dreams about Libby disappearing into thin air, she wakes up to find that not only has Libby vanished, but no one else remembers that she ever existed.
I mean really, do you need any more encouragement to read on? Ok, well, if you do, just know she befriends one of the kindest and most interesting characters I’ve read recently- Story, a boy determined to help Kit recover her sister and uncover what’s been going on.
This book is probably for slightly older readers in the age bracket, maybe 10-15 years old, so if you’re looking for something to bridge kidslit and YA, this is it.
I-Spy
Last year I read- and loved- Rhian Tracey’s Bletchley Park mystery books, set in World War 2. Now, with the third book in the series, Wink Murder, we’re back in the era but following a different hero. We see Mary from Liverpool as she gets evacuated, sent to learn Japanese, and put forward on a mission to save King and Country, culminating at the Ritz in London. There’s so much plot to the book- in a good way- that it feels like you really get a sense for the world Rhian is writing about, and you grow with the characters. To whet your appetite more, I’ve put together a (not entirely helpful) descriptive playlist.
Celebrity books
Ok, so let’s get into the thorny issue of celebrity books, shall we? What’s that you say? Please Bex, let’s not? Oh, ok, probably for the best. It’s a tricky topic and one I don’t really have the time to write about here, though rest assured I have MANY thoughts. (I actually took part in a debate about them on Radio 4’s Front Row in November). But let’s face it, there are lots of celebrities releasing children’s books, and some of them are great. So every month, I’ll try to highlight one or two.
This month, it’s JLS star and Strictly Come Dancing hero JB Gill’s2 Ace and the Animal Heroes: The Wacky Weather Mystery. It’s the sequel to The Big Farm Rescue, and I found both books to be utterly charming and magical- it’s like a cross between Dick King-Smith and Tom Fletcher. JB does live on a farm himself, so he’s writing from a place of knowledge, although I’m not entirely sure he has magical wellies like the characters in the story.
Ace and his best friend Bear need to look after the farm, speak to the animals, foil the dastardly Councillor Crabbington, and figure out what’s going on with the bizarre weather patterns. When I spoke to JB he mentioned that this was a mirror on his own experiences, and how affecting weather is to our farm life. The book deals with that topic in a fun and useful way.
To hear my interviews with Judith, Liz, Rhian and JB, just check out this Book Worms episode.
‘That will be quite enough, thank you.’
-Mary Poppins
I agree with Mary, I think that’s plenty for now, don’t you? I’ll be back soon, but please do comment or like or subscribe or tell your friends about this little book blog. In the meantime…
just thought I’d add that in case the ol’ Fun Kids bosses are reading
I still watch this video every Christmas, it brings me immense joy and I was desperate to ask him about it