Blog Archives - STORY SHACK

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere" Einstein

8/28/2014

...and hopefully STORYSHACK will, with a bit of imagination, luck and chatting to people find an AUTUMN home very soon....if it could be anywhere for a bit longer that would be EVEN better. I'm so sorry to lots of folk who stopped by today to find out it was the last session this summer. This is because I'm on holiday next week and the Dovecote has other inhabitants in September so hopefully we'll see you very soon.
It would be really good if could find somewhere else because these books you're all making are getting better and BETTER as you can see from the last summer session. I would also like to say a big Thank you to the very considerate Lily who visited Storyshack for the first time today. She held an umbrella over my head whilst retrieving pesky fishes for more fish catching from William. It was also really lovely to see old Storyshack friends who've come to make books before too or who I've known in another head teacher life :-)

Dare you to read "Dixie O'Day and the Great Diamond Robbery" and not want to drive for ever i car just like this one...

8/27/2014

Another adventure for Dixie and Percy but this time out of their town on a little holiday where a robbery takes place. Of course Dixie and Percy foil the dastardly plot and everything turns out FINE in the end. Another delightful chapter book adventure from Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy. I don't have quite as many copies as this pic but STORYSHACK does have 1 'just out' edition courtesy of the lovely peeps at RANDOM HOUSE. SOOO come along and have a browse tomorrow at STORYSHACK AT THE DOVECOTE 10-12pm.

I'm sure you'll want to read it all at once but in case you don't manage there's amazing libraries and bookshops in Aldeburgh, Saxmundham, Leiston and Woodbridge to catch up .

Weather getting you down? Curl up with 'The Spook's Apprentice' - lose yourself in a book and FORGET about the weather

8/25/2014

http://www.spooksbooks.com/spooksbooks.asp

Very lucky to get parcels of books every month. It's even better than CHIP CLUB when I was a at school. I have the first 5 Spooks by Joseph Delaney:
"'
Someone has to stand against the dark. And you're the only one who can.'
For years, the local Spook has been keeping the County safe from evil. Now his time is coming to an end, but who will take over?
Many apprentices have tried . . . Some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Just one boy is left. Thomas Ward. He is the last hope.
But does he stand a chance against Mother Malkin, the most dangerous witch in the County? "

I opened the book and found it to be a spooky read indeed. I liked the kind of not quite sure what era yet obviously set in another period of time. There's that notion of duty-it's written in Thomas' destiny as a 7th son that he will become the apprentice.

I liked the build up of the characters and the developing relationship between the Spook and his apprentice-Thomas Ward. I also liked the way the story of Thomas family slowly and tantalisingly unravels as you read on into the next books. I wondered if it would be a bit formulaic as noticed there are a lot of them but, so far, I don't get that and the story is still building and suspenseful. I do find reading it the daylight helps but I am a bit of a scaredy cat. There is enough of that but not too much..it's Ok for 9+ I think. There's lots of them and I haven't read them all yet but am planning to keep going, especially now I've put the wood burner back in to action. I think it's an Autumnal/wintery read. Spooky and summer don't really go for me....oooh luckily got the ideal weather for spot of curling up with a book then!

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn.....?

8/22/2014

Simply you need to read this-from the library, borrowed, purchased... but please read. It doesn't glorify war, it doesn't romanticise it-it is a collection of important pieces that must be read by the next generation lest we all forget. The responsibility has now been passed to us. 'Only Remembered' is a collection of some pieces you'll recognise and some extracts that might be new too. It's a collection from really interesting folk with very interesting, touching reasons for choosing their pieces.
It's written for everybody and is pieced together with as much emphasis on the way the War affected families at home too. I was constantly moved both by new extracts and ones I knew well. For example, seeing Michael Foreman's illustrations of the Christmas football game and then the next stark images of No Man's land at war once again was striking in a different size book. A piece I didn't know at all about Noel Streatfield (chosen by Jacqueline Wilson) who wrote 'Ballet Shoes'. It's about Noel's cousin who wanted to be an actor but went to fight, having always been the one who was, in no way 'manly'. He came back on leave 'broken' but couldn't express himself to his elders and confided in his cousin Noel. He spent his leave hardly eating and being physically sick, unable to function. He returned to the front and never came back. All the pieces are moving but some seem to strike something in us for different reasons.

I would say it's almost an obligation bestowed upon us to read this, certainly to ensure our schools have this book too. There is art work, poetry, fiction, non fiction. There's also thought provoking history to ponder on such as the number of 'aunties' left in England afterwards-women who never married as such high number of the male population didn't come back.

Not an easy read because of the sadness but easy in the way it flows, in the way it's collated and made so personalise so you really hear what the contributors are saying-you feel as if you're listening to them in a room and it really is worth listening.

Rhyming with Egyptians plus dinosaur combining plus broccoli plus exploding poop = a welcome new addition to the collection by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter

8/19/2014

This was one of the reads greeting me when I got home from 'Folk East's fantastic Friday'-made more fantastic by receiving August's goodie box from Random House. So I don't have children directly in my family now who are terribly into poop BUT from talking to people at Folk East the very next day the previous two pooping books have been received very well. In fact one grandma came by and found this on with some relief because she'd kept having to read 'The Dinosaur that pooped Christmas' during any time of the year and she was fed up with it! I heard it being aloud by a lovely family and it was fun-fun rhyming with aforementioned pooping jokes but not too bad. I like the stacking mini dinos best :-) - something a bit Dr. Seuss about them.

Had some beautiful books made today at Storyshack with some lovely new visitors who found me unpacking from Folk East and picking up the remnants of the mass of straw bales which I seemed to have packed up with the dressing up stuff too!

Some careful fastenings, thoughtful writing and bunting....all in a morning at STORYSHACK.
COME and SEE FOR YOURSELF THIS THURSDAY 1-3pm

"She is too fond of books+it has turned her brain"

8/14/2014

You can NEVER be too fond of books....Here's a few made today in Storyshack to use up some handy card+add to the collection.

Plenty of card and bits and bobs will be available tomorrow, Sat+Sunday at FOLK EAST and then on TUESDAY from 10-12 at the Dovecote for YOU

Only one of the bookshas some amazing writing in it though- that was made by Elena yesterday who wrote, pretty much continually for an hour or more upstairs at the writing desk - the very one in the picture above. Totally absorbed and wonderful to see.

"To escape to another world you only have to turn the page..."

8/10/2014

The first book from Summer Storyshack was made by Isabel today. I'm sure you'll agree Isabel's book is a beauty with a super fastening helped along by a very crafty grandma too. If you admire this one pop in and make your own this week:
Wednesday 13th August 1-4pm
Thursday 14th August 10-12pm
There are plenty of new reads so come and curl up with a good book...there are plenty of adventures to go on once you turn the page.

"Some things aren't meant to be. The rest aren't meant to be yet"

8/5/2014

A wonderful quote from 'The Tin Snail' by Cameron McAllister-a book from the lovely people at Random House I was lucky enough to be able to review. It's based on the true story of the origins of the people's car-the 2CV-during WW2. Oh, it is a really lovely read. Different to the other war stories perhaps we've got used to reading....refreshing because of it, particularly as it's set in a France about to be occupied. It has the quirkiness of Mr. Gumpy's outing, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Gumdrop et al which makes it something different and endearing...9+ would get the most from it I think.

It tells the story of Angelo, his Italian father, inventing partner and patron who are passionate about cars and are striving to make a 'people's car' for ordinary folk to use in France. There are mini stories within the book as the chapters tell about their adventures with their inventions and you meet other folk from the village where they've 'retreated' to think and invent and rise to the challenge of producing a car that will carry a farmer and his wife, a flagon of wine and a tray of eggs across a bumpy field. However, when war is declared they soon realise that the Germans may well want to steal those plans for themselves and they then have to think about how to hide their plans and the TIN SNAIL itself. There are some true 'snippets' in there and it really is a good yarn. The relationship between Father and son is touching and there's a lot of humour in what must have been an very daunting, scary time especially when you're 13 at the onset of war and invasion. It's charming story with black and white illustrations by Sam Usher which set the tone beautifully. There's also a lovely bit about the amazing patisserie offerings they eat whilst they're cogitating-just be warned if you're drinking a cup of coffee like they do in the book, you'll want a cake to go with it!

'Armed only with an oversized purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of wonder+excitement.'

8/2/2014

Picked up this delightful little book today in Aldeburgh and it's very sweet. Could be the start of many great writing and IMAGINING adventures for lots of children (and imaginative older folk too) should you choose to let your pencil do the walking. It reminded me of a story I used to like in 'Twinkle' called 'Polly's Magic paintbox' which I used to think would be amazing to really own AND also the books below which, if you don't know them, are more fabulous reads:

"That's not my meerkat" and other friendly bookish seats in the big smoke...

8/1/2014

If you're heading for the big smoke (not Ipswich for people like me in Suffolk!! but LONDON!!) this summer look out for the jolly book trail of SEATS around Londonhttp://www.booksabouttown.org.uk/?action=ViewTrail&Id=2
It's a FAB way of seeing the sights but also some beautiful benches; if you're tired you can have a sit down too. Here's one I spotted above just before the Millennium Bridge at St. Pauls and it really made me smile. I think you might recognise the ones below too-one says 'Please look after this seat THANK YOU' :-)