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"Wild Boy"-a romp of a read, action packed to the last....

11/18/2017

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OOOH what a rollicking read this book is. My advice would be don't start it late at night (like me!) otherwise you'll be reading into the early hours to find out what happens next. The story is set in the always fascinating Victorian era. The story starts with a prologue where a man knocks on the door of a workhouse and demands 'I'm here for the boy'....when told there are lots of boys he says 'THE BOY'.  The man is a showman and the story then begins to rapidly move on as THE BOY starts the next part of his life as part of a freak show at the Travelling Fayre.  
He is treated very harshly and is trying to escape his life when he unwittingly sees a murder. He, along with a circus acrobat are forced to go on the run amongst the grimy, sinister streets and underground passages of London and quickly become the most wanted people in the whole city.  They then have to prove their innocence and use the different skills they both start to appreciate they possess as 'The Wild Boy of London and the Fairground Fiend Clarissa Everett'. 
It is a very atmospheric, thrilling story-fast paced too. It is also a discovery of what it means to be different and how we cope with feeling different and using our often hidden talents to the best ends. A bit gory at times as there are more murders and hunts of bodies that readers of a nervous nature might not like. 10+ if you like a Sherlock Holmes style gritty action paced murder mystery.
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Old friend books and new ones too....

11/1/2017

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Having just done some  drama activities with EYFS/1/2 using the wonderful 'Voices in the Park' by Anthony Browne I felt the need to remind everybody else about what a fantastic book it is on so many levels. As we looked at it together there were so many things for the children to spot, so many ideas, so much feeling and so much unspoken but alluded to-it gave us lots and lots to work on and EVERYBODY saw something in it that I hadn't seen before. Don't you just love that when it happens?

'Imagine' by John Lennon is not new of course but this beautiful hardback book is published by Hodder for the always powerful Amnesty book collection. It's a reminder of the power of this song and the pages show the journey of a young pigeon spreading the message of peace and love-one that we seem to need more than ever.

'Do you Speak Chocolate' by Cas Lester is a pertinent, moving book for our time (10+). It's moving, funny, spot on in terms of girl friendships and just the book every Yr 6 upwards book corner should have IF NOT the book that should be read aloud at the end of the day. It's about the arrival of Nadima who speaks no English and is thrown in at the deep end in Yr 7. Jaz makes friends through sharing a square of chocolate (hence the title) and the story roll-on quickly. We learn much more about Nadima but also about the other girls and the things they face and how barriers can be broken down with kindness and understanding. It's important, it's relevant and it's written in a very 'down to earth' easy to read style which makes you want to read on.

'The Legend of Podkin One - Ear' by Kieren Larwood (9+) is my bed time reading at the moment. It's a great action fantasy read. It seems to move on really quickly as, to celebrate special festival a storyteller arrives at a warren...he tells the story of Podkin One-Ear from the start. Everyone listens, rapt, as they are drawn in to this rabbit legend and consequently we get drawn in as the reader too. It's a fast paced read and very enjoyable. It's not all lovely cute rabbits - there's a merciless iron clad group called 'the Gorm' who gradually turning all the warrens into evil. It is up to some very young rabbits to try and stop them. I can't wait to read more when I've stopped blogging! 

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    Sarah Gallagher

    Avid reader, sometimes a headteacher AND founder of Story shack. A place where  you can release your imagination and see where it takes you....
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