The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
by Liz Pichon

I like this book because Tom is always trying to trick his sister Delia and his teachers. My favourite character is Delia. She is really cool.

My favourite part is when Mr Fullerman tells Tom off for getting ink all over his work.

My favourite drawings were the front cover and the class portraits of the class. Poor Marcus Meldrew put I'm and idiot or was it Tom?...

I really enjoyed it. I love the little pictures of the eye's when he writes down Mrs Worthington, who has a moustache (it's tricky not to stare). It is also cool when he draws a moustache.

Comic like books I don't really read but this one was really funny and full of things that you just wouldn't do.

Writing like this is really smart in books like this. BIG AND Wide.

Liz Pichon is a really good author. Sometimes chapter books can be boring but comic chapter books are different.

The writing is different than normal Times New Roman (boring- I'm so tired) but the types of writing that Liz does is exciting and enjoyable.

I really do think this book is exciting to read and fabulous laughter.


review by Rebecca
age 10

6/12/2011

Picture Book Picks - The Boy Who Cried Ninja

The Boy Who Cried Ninja
by Alex Latimer

As soon as I saw the title and the ilustrations on the cover of this picture book, I wanted to delve between the pages.

I wasn't disappointed.

It's a far-fetched tale, but I love it.

Tim has a strange cast of characters visiting his house and they are rather naughty too. The ninja ate the last slice of cake, the astronaut took his dad's hammer and the giant squid ate his school bag.

Tim tells his parents the truth, but as you can imagine his parents don't believe him. In this case truth really is stranger than fiction, so Tim decides to lie. When the pirate drinks all the tea, Tim tells his parents he did it and yet he still gets in to trouble. Tim needs to take some drastic action.

This is a fabulously original story with crisp, beguiling illustrations. A great read for any child (and adult).

Picture Book Picks - You're a Hero Daley B!

You're a Hero Daley B
written by Jon Blake
illustrated by Axel Scheffler

This is an old favourite of mine and I do mean an old favourite. It was written nearly 17 years ago. It hasn't aged a bit as a story or for it's illustrations. It is illustrated by the artist who illustrated The Gruffalo. So you can imagine just how good the illustrations are.

I must have come across it about 15 years ago when I started working in the children's library and it was one of the first books I started to collect myself for my future children. In fact I haven't read it to my wee boy yet, so I must have stored it somewhere extra safe. I must have a hunt for it.

You're a Hero Daley B is the story of a rabbit called Daley B who is rather confused about who he is, where he should live, what he should eat and why he has such big feet. There is a rather hilarious illustration of him lying on the ground with his feet in the air wondering if they are for keeping him dry when it rains and a wee mouse sheltering under them. Of course, his guesses are all bizarre and very funny. It's not until an evil weasel appears that he learns the truth.

This is one for the parents as much as the children.

Oh, and it is also available in Chinese.

Small Persons with Wings

Small Person with Wings
by Ellen Booraem

When Mellie Turpin was in Kindergarten, her best friend wasn't of the human variety. Her best friend Fidius was a fairy small person with wings (they hate to be called fairies).

Mellie isn't popular at Kindergarten, but once she announces she has a real live fairy living in her bedroom, everyone wants to be her friend. However, as soon as she tells Fidius she has promised to take him in for show-and-tell, he disappears, leaving Mellie with a very red face and more unpopular than ever.

Mellie is now thirteen and is still trying to live down the shame. She has persuaded herself that fairies don't exist and that it was all just her vivid imagination.

Then, when Mellie's grandfather dies, her father inherits his dilapidated inn, so the whole family up-sticks and move to an area where no-one knows about Mellie and her fairy. A fresh start for Mellie or so she thinks until she discovers the basement is overrun with small persons with wings and the nightmare begins again.

Throw out all your ideas and opinions about fairies and read this amusing tale. It will leave you feeling glad that there are no fairies in your basement!

Picture Book Picks - Doodle Bites

I'm back with a selection of my favourite picture books. The ones I read to the children who visit the library. They are targeted at the under fives, but when school is out, the older children do tend to drift over to listen, so let's just say for all ages.

My first choice is a picture book that has been around for a couple of years now, but I just discovered it recently and I absolutely love it. It is Doodle Bites by Polly Dunbar.

Polly's book can always be picked out by her beautiful illustrations. Her pastel coloured backgrounds and simply drawn characters are a joy. Nothing fussy and each page is quite sparse, but the characters have wonderful expressions on their faces that carry you through the story.

This story is one in a series about a group of animals who live in a little yellow house with a girl called Tilly. This story focuses on the crocodile called Doodle. One morning Doodle wakes up feeling 'bitey, bitey' and gets into all sorts of trouble. She even bites poor Tumpty (yes, an elephant) on the bum!

This book will make you laugh out loud. So sweet, but very funny! I can't wait to read the other books in the series.

Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex

Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex
by Eoin Colfer


This is the latest in a long line of tales about the devious, teenage, criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl.

Artemis has gathered his group of fairy co-horts in a remote location in Iceland to unveil his latest plan. His greatest plan ever! A plan to save the world. That doesn't sound like Artemis at all. Artemis doesn't help other people unless there is something in it for him, usually money. Something isn't quite right, he is thinking about other people and counting in fives.

Before the others can put their finger on what is wrong with their young friend, they are under attack from what should be a friendly vessel.

Killer space probes, unfriendly robots, zombie wrestling fans and the unlucky number four, well unlucky for Artemis anyway. Will any of them make it out alive this time? It's looking really unlikely.

This is the seventh and penultimate book in the Artemis Fowl series. The books are all centred around the teenage mastermind Artemis Fowl, whose only goal in life is to make money through illegal schemes by taking advantage of the fairy underworld he has discovered.

The books are written with a great deal of humour and often leave you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. I usually whizz through the stories, laughing up'roariously, especially at the antics of the kleptomaniac, gasey and rather pongey dwarf - Mulch Diggins, but I just didn't find the book as thrilling or as funny as usual. A great disappointment.

If you want to continue the story of Artemis, I would recommend you read this, but just don't expect as many laughs as usual.

Christmas Picture Book Selection

Well, I am back from maternity leave and it is time to get this blog back up and running again. I had great plans to post while I was off, but that was before I realised that free time would become a thing of the past.

Christmas is approaching very, very fast, but there is still time to visit your local library or bookshop to pick up a book or two. Here is my top picks in picture books.

Aliens Love Panta Claus
written by Claire Freedman
illustrated by Ben Cort

Another fabulous book in the alien series by Claire Freedman. You would have to live in outer space to have missed out on these cheeky little creatures, but wait a minute, if you live in outer space you will probably know who they are already! In which case, I hope they left you with at least one pair!

In this Christmas special the Aliens are helping out in santa's workshop and giving away underpants instead of stealing them.


I'm Not Santa
written and illustrated by Jonathan Allen

My second pick is I'm Not Santa starring Baby Owl. My baby loves the Baby Owl books and I have to admit to a fondness for them too. They are very amusing with beautifully simple illustrations that convey so much. The expressions on the creatures faces are just fabulous.

In this story we have a case of mistaken identity as Baby Owl sets out for the day with his santa hat on. As you can imagine, he loses his patience very quickly. Very funny!


Christmas Is Coming
written by A.J. Wood
illustrated by Stephen Lambert
paper engineered by Jonathan Lambert

If you are looking for something rather special, look no further than Christmas Is Coming. It is filled with the most beautifully illustrated and crafted pop-ups.
For the full effect it is best to lay the open book on a table. Oh yes and I nearly forgot to say, it is a Christmas story about a mouse.

Johnny And The Dead

Johnny and the Dead
by Terry Pratchett

Johnny Maxwell is a pretty average 12 year old boy. He spends his time playing computer games and hanging out with his mates - Big Mac, Wobbler & Yo-Less. He doesn't think anything remarkable will ever happen to him. That is, until....

The day he walks through the cemetery on the way home from school. The day he decides to stop and have a look around. The day that changes the rest of his life!

It seemed like such a good idea at the time, to run up to one of the tombs and knock on the door. He really didn't expect anyone to answer, but they did! The ghost of Alderman Thomas Bowler to be precise.

Johnny turned and ran like the clappers.

But then he stopped and thought "what if I don't go back, what if I never know the truth?" So Johnny turns back and knocks on the tomb again.

This meeting is the start of a friendship between Johnny and the dead. Only Johnny can see and hear them, so when the council decides to sell the cemetery for 5p to a company who want to knock it down, the dead decide that Johnny is just the boy to stop them.

This is the second in a trio of books about Johnny Maxwell.

1 Only You Can Save Mankind

Johnny is playing his new computer game. He is about to blast the alien fleet to smithereens when a message appears on screen that says "We surrender!".

What happens when a computer game turns into real life? Johnny is about to find out!

2 Johnny and the Dead

3 Johnny & The Bomb

Johnny and his friends travel back to World War II in a wonky shopping trolley that belongs to Mrs Tachyon, the local bag lady.

It could only happen to Johnny Maxwell!


This is a great set of books to read. Pratchett at his best. Funny, poignant and unforgettable! The one I always go back and read again is Johnny and the Dead, although I really enjoyed Only You Can Save Mankind. Johnny and the Bomb is my least favourite, but still a good book and worth a read.