Tokyo Ghost Café book cover for review
Book Reviews

100 Tales from the Tokyo Ghost Café | Book Review

By Julian Sedgwick and Chie Kutsuwada (published by Guppy Books, 2023)

“You think you can decide what is real and what is imaginary, what is alive and what is dead. But who is to decide who is alive and who is merely dreamed into existence? I listen to you lot argue about whether ghosts or fox spirits exist, and you forget to check how real you are.”

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Cover of Roots of Happiness for review. Image shows a tree, with multicoloured leaves and swirling roots. Amongst the branches and roots there are words. At the base of the tree, a greyhound digs a hole, while a young boy flies a kite.
Book Reviews

Non-Fiction November | Roots of Happiness | Book Review

Written by Susie Dent, illustrated by Harriet Hobday (Puffin Books, 2023)

We have so many words for sad thoughts and emotions, which means it is much easier for us to moan rather than celebrate. In fact, many more positive words did once exist, but they have been left behind over the centuries, and others have been forgotten altogether.

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The Song Walker book cover for review shows an orange desert under a harsh sun. Two girls are walking - on the left, a white girl in a black dress carrying a metal case. On the right, a black girl in dungarees pointing off and leading the way. In the centre of the image is a green bird, with the book title around it in blue.
Book Reviews

The Song Walker | Book Review

By Zillah Bethell (published by Usborne Publishing, 2023)

The bottle is removed from my lips. I try calling out for it to be returned, but then a hand – wet with water – runs over my brow, cooling my forehead. It feels so good.

“Wait here,” the voice says. “I will be back soon. A few minutes. Don’t move.”

I hear feet scrunching against the dirt. Running. Away from me. I raise my arms in the air. Please don’t go, I try saying, but nothing comes out of my mouth. Please stay. Don’t leave me alone here.

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Ravencave book cover, showing a landscape in dark blues and purples with a waterfall splashing into a pool of water in the centre.
Book Reviews

Ravencave | Book Review

By Marcus Sedgwick (published by Barrington Stoke, 2023)

Eight hundred people, eight hundred families, just like ours, without enough money coming in, with no way of knowing how to survive.
I wonder how many of those eight hundred families are dealing with it by going on holiday and wandering over the empty Yorkshire hills, going to spread their granny’s ashes on the landscape.
A landscape full of ghosts, Mum says, though she hasn’t seen one.
And strangely, it turns out it’s not her who sees a ghost first.
It’s me.

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Stone Age Fiction review book covers
Book Reviews

Stone Age Fiction Review Round-Up

Recently we’ve read three books with a Stone Age/Late Neolithic setting that we think would be ideal for adding fiction texts to your teaching topic, especially as fiction based in this time period is relatively rare. Each one focuses on journeys into unknown lands.

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Non-fiction summer review round-up book covers
Book Reviews

Illustrated Non-Fiction Summer 2022 | Review

This summer we’ve been diving into some fantastic and gorgeously illustrated non-fiction books, from recent and ancient history, to nature and cultures. We’ve picked some of our favourites to share with you in our short non-fiction review round-up!

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The Mab book review map
Book Reviews

The Mab | Welsh Folklore Book Review

Edited by Matt Brown & Eloise Williams, illustrated by Max Low (published by Unbound, 2022)

But as well as being really, really old, the stories in The Mab are thrilling and funny and MAGIC. They speak of a time when the gates between the Real World and the Otherworld were occasionally left open. And sometimes, just sometimes, it was possible to step through. Trust me, you’re going to love them.

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May 2021 review round-up book covers
Book Reviews

Libraries 4 Schools 2021 Review Round-Up 2

Welcome to our most recent review round-up, where we take a quick look at just some of the books you might like to add to your school or personal bookshelves. And what a great selection we have for you!

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March 2021 review round-up book covers
Book Reviews

Libraries 4 Schools 2021 Review Round-Up 1

So many brilliant books have been published in the last six months, and a lot by new and exciting authors, which is always great to see!

We’ve decided that the best way for us to keep you up to date is to do a round-up of titles we’ve recently read, so you can get a quick idea of what you might like to add to your school or home library.

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