Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief!

First of all, I am not going to make any jokes or puns about memory loss in this blog post. I am better than that... or am I? I can't remem- never mind. 

     So, it's been a while. I have still been reading, of course (most notably the Harry Potter series!!), but time seemed to slip away and suddenly it's November? And it was Halloween a few days ago, too! Spooky. Speaking of all things spooooooooooky, without further adieu..........

YOUR FAVOURITE MINI VAMPIRE IS BACK IN THE BIZ!

The quality of this photo is positively ghastly. 

Hyde & Squeak!

     I am in Pun Heaven!
     Fiona Ross is an absolute dynamo with her witty words and iconic illustrations in this "hilarious comic-book twist in the classic tale of Jekyll and Hyde".

Please excuse my thumb. 

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert

Introducing Sophie Johnson: self-confessed unicorn expert, mythical educator and wearer of tutus. 

     This gorgeously colourful picture book shows a day in the life of Miss Johnson, as she shows us the highs and lows of living with 17 unicorns (including her brother, dog and various teddies with their own horns, excluding the real one that just walked in....)!! 

This picture does not do this amazing front cover justice. Pls buy for yourself.

Witch for the Week: review

Before we kick things off I would just like to say that if there are any witches reading this, I am available to house-sit and unleash my witchy powers at your earliest convenience. 

     Hello! It has been a while, has it not? Just a quick thank you to everyone who has read my blog posts. It really means a lot to me to see the little numbers on the side of my dashboard rise every so often, even if half of them are me constantly re-reading them to make sure I didn't make any mistakes...

Love the teal and gold, what a delight!

The Hate U Give: review

Welcome to the first Young Adult book review!

I said to myself after London Book Fair that I would read more YA and start 'reviewing' it (or whatever you call rambling on the internet about a book). And what better way to start than with Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 WINNER, Angie Thomas?! I'm pretty sure The Hate You Give, also known as T.H.U.G, is currently in it's 60th (SIXTIETH) week at the top of the New York Times Children's Best Sellers list! Rightfully so!

This is an incredibly emotive book about the unjust way that people of colour are systematically oppressed, the power of finding your voice, and finding strength in the hardest times. 

Childhood Favourites: Illustrators!

      Illustrators. The all-too-often unsung heroes of children's books. A good book for kids is nothing without, quite frankly, a magician with a paintbrush at the helm, conjuring up the worlds authors had created for small people. These incredibly talented individuals give children the building blocks for imagination and they help them picture difficult, beautiful and impossible things.

      I've always regarded the marriage of author and illustrator to be a really special one. It must be done right. Often, I remember a book, but cannot for the life of me remember the name or author, but I can SEE the book in my mind! That is the sign of an amazing illustrator - one who can stand the test of time and make a permanent mark on someone's mind.*

     Below, I have listed a few of my favourites!

BookTrust: In Other Words

    If you are a hard-core Bookmarks and Buttons fan, you will know that I went to London Book Fair last week. If you are new here: I went to London Book Fair last week. Brilliant, you are all up to date. Let us get started.

    I got well and truly stuck into my first ever LBF and attended some pretty amazing talks. By far, my favourite one was on Wednesday afternoon, called 'BookTrust announces 2018 Honour Titles for In Other Words with Waterstones Children's Laureate Lauren Child and Chris Riddell'. Such a snappy title... 

London Book Fair 2018!

    I went to London Book Fair!! This time last year, while I was still at university and blissfully unaware of the Real World, I said to myself: "I WILL go to the ball London Book Fair!".

    Nothing can prepare you for the sheer expanse of it. Pictures don't even do it justice (when do they ever, tbh?) hence why I didn't bother taking one. I had actually been to Olympia a trillion years ago when I went with my school for the University Fair. LBF must have used every single corner and crevice because it was absolutely huge. I am told Bologna is 8 times bigger so my tiny brain has well and truly been fried.

Little Red Reading Hood!

Lucy Rowland's (very meta) re-imagining of the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood is one not to be missed.

 

Oh, would you just look at this front cover? That gorgeous silver title font!!!!! Put it on my gravestone!!!!!   

How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel!

    I picked this book up at the library last week (it may even be over-due... whoops) and it wasn't until I got it home and realised that I know (of) the author!! Wendy Meddour joined the University of Reading as a guest (I think) English Literature (and possibly Creative Writing) professor in my last term in my last year there. I went to a Children's Literature pit seminar she held with another professor and she spoke about her books and the industry. As an obsessive note-taker, I still have my scribbles from that day and I actually still think about certain things she said, especially things like the fact that she was repeatedly told that boys don't buy female-led books (in reference to her amazing Wendy Quill series). I'd like to think this has changed a bit over the past year, what with the amazing surge in female-led children's books, but I don't have the stats to hand. Anyway, let's get on with this book review!

Look at that hair!!

Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day!
I hope everyone is dedicating today to grabbing their nearest and dearest ladies and telling them that you love them. Not everyone has a mum, but motherly figures are all around us. Even in children's and young adult books. I've picked some of my favourites, so take a look...
(Yes, I am aware that rhymed, and yes, I am available for freelancin' freestylin' opportunities.)

From I heart You Mum with the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Amelia Fang and the Unicorn Lords!

Yesterday was the publication day for this little beauty...

Purple edges as predicted/hope. Purple nails to match.

AMELIA FANG AND THE UNICORN LORDS!

A Wrinkle In Time: Review

     I had never heard of this book until the talk about the Disney film came about. So, like any normal Lit Kid, I thought "must read the book before the film comes out" and so I did. Very simple stuff.
    I absolutely adore Mindy Kahling and Reese Witherspoon, and who can deny the absolute prowess of Ada DuVernay at the realm?! I did picture Mrs Who, Mrs Whatsit, and Mrs Which as Mindy, Reese and Oprah respectively, but I'm kind of glad that I had these pre-conceived images of these characters: I think I would have found it difficult to comprehend anything else. That being said, even with these women in my head when reading, I still found it all a bit difficult to picture, because of the lucid descriptions L'Engles is so hellbent on using. It seems as if these characters do not really exist and what they look like is not at all integral to the story, which is a lovely little lesson about words over images or whatever, but when you're trying to create this world in your head as you read, it can be quite difficult.
    So, let's actually get to it!! (it being a coherent review... fingers crossed)

A very simple cover design, which I like. Love the pink/red tones too. 

 

The Night Box

   You can tell I'm excited about this book, because I didn't procrastinate writing this blog post and, instead, procrastinated other important things such as drying my hair and applying for jobs. So, another blog post this week, you lucky people. In all seriousness though, I'm really enjoying reading and writing about children's books, and this really reflects in how dedicated I am becoming with this blog. I just think that I know this dedication could pay off and land me my dream job in children's publishing, so it has that extra pressure that a hobby doesn't necessarily have, and I work well with that pressure.

   The Night Box, by Louise Greig and illustrated, beautifully, by Ashling Lindsay was rightfully shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 in the Illustrated Books category. I had seen this book in my local Waterstones once or twice before picking it up and I'll be honest, I did what you're told to never do: I judged a book by it's cover. GASP. I know that children are much more advanced than being easily distracted by bright colours, but if you can't use bright and wonderful colours in children's books, when can you? So when I saw the beige that dominates the front cover, I wasn't convinced. As a uncultured swine when it comes to art, I can't really comment on such things, but I do have my own particular taste in what I like stylistically in illustrations. I'll be honest, Ashling Lindsay's style did not, at first glance, seem like my kind of thing. HOWEVER, the nomination (and the fact that I recently applied for an Egmont job) led me to pick it up, take it home, and give it a chance. 

Check the lil sticker.

Fantastically Great Women Who Made History!

   Hello!

   Whenever I'm feeling low or down, I buy a book as an instant and guaranteed pick-me-up. After a bit of a crap week, I did just that: three-fold (yes, this week was that bad). I bought Louise Greig's gorgeous The Night Box, (which has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018, in the Illustarted Book category), A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (because Oprah, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kahling are in the film adaptation out later this year and it is RIGHT up my street) and the highly anticipated Fantastically Great Women Who Made History by Kate Pankhurst (which you would have known if you had read the title...). VERY pleased with my purchases so I came straight home to begin reading. The other two books will be reviewed in good time. Well, not good time, but time. They will be reviewed in time.

Loving the blue cover. And my nail polish. 

It's Official: I am a Blogger. Capital B.

Hi, this will only be brief because I am shooooooook.

I tweeted my blog post to Twitter because why not. Then I discovered that Laura Ellen Anderson DOES have Twitter, so I tagged her. Right. RIGHT? Ok, so when I woke up the next day, the following two things happened in Real Life:

Amelia Fang: My New BFFL

Two in one week, aren't you lucky?

   Today, I am here to talk about my new Best Friend For Life: Amelia Fang. Detailed in Laura Ellen Anderson's Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball, Amelia's life seems hella exciting and to be perfectly honest, I am jealous of this small, fictional vampire.
   Right from the off, we are informed that these vampires do not eat/drink blood, so as adult reading that to a child, you can let out a sigh of relief, and save the 'some mythical creatures eat humans, it's kind of like cannibalism, because they look like humans, but they're dead or whatever' conversation for another time.

I got this image from Google, please don't sue me. Also just look at Squashy. Aw.

Celebrity Children's Book Authors: for Parents or for Kids?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
   First blog post of 2018 is actually in January! A miracle!
   Blogging more is one of my resolutions, and this specific post has been on my to-do list since the day after my last blog post, so I think I'm doing well.