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| Chris Powling |
| A & C Black |
| 0713676809 |
| Jun 2006 |
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Sibling jibes, rivalry and jackanapes form the background to Chris Powling’s book “On the Ghost Trail” which forms a part of the “Mystery and Adventure Stories” collection for year three pupils in A & C Black’s “White Wolves” range for guided reading. An accompanying resource guide can be bought to support use in class. This series has been developed in conjunction with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
People often attribute shared characteristics between dog and owner, here it is grandpa’s house that is painted as being similar to him – it being old, creaky and somewhat untidy! It makes a classic setting for a ghost story, Adam plants the seed of doubt in his younger brother and sister’s minds (Ben and Susie respectively) when he suggests that the cobwebs in the fireplace are actually trails left behind by ghosts, or that the twig tap-tap-tapping on the window pane is in fact a ghost’s heart beat. So begins a midnight mission, a dare amongst the two brothers that they should visit a nearby graveyard. Whilst there, however, a flash of intense light startles them and they immediately run for safety… Is the light a supernatural apparition or is there a more surprising ending still?! A fun book that explores the nature of bravery.
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Early Readers: July 2006 Archives
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| Julia Green |
| A & C Black |
| 0713675942 |
| Jun 2006 |
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A father figure is absent for Luke in “Taking Flight” by Julia Green. It is easy to empathise therefore with the sense of closeness existing between Luke and his grandfather, who appears to constitute the boy’s sole paternal influence. His grandfather’s house and its gardens represent a safe-haven for him, an area in which Luke’s imagination is unshackled, a clear opposition to the rigour and rules implied in his school life. The sense of freedom and the ability Luke has to be a child: to explore, to discover, to play and to imagine, relieve him of responsibility.
This carefree existence is shattered by the impending sense of reality that is unwittingly imposed through the concerns of Luke’s mother. “In the car, she tells Luke that he ought to help Grandad in the house more. ‘Didn’t you see the piles if dirty dishes in the sink?’” This tension between the responsibilities of adulthood and the carefree time of childhood is never resolved and highlights the ways in which children in single parent families sometimes appropriate adult anxieties. Nonetheless, grandfather’s condition is deteriorating and he is eventually admitted to hospital. Luke makes him a promise that he will look after his pigeons, but soon after realises that his unlikely to recover. The ending to the novel is at once poignant, moving and uplifting as the pigeons fly-off into the sky and Luke and his mother move into the home where he has memories of enjoying his childhood. “Taking Flight” forms one of the novels in A & C Black’ guided reading series “White Wolves”, this novel is a part of the “Stories that raise issues” collection for year four pupils and there is a teacher’s resource pack that can be bought alongside it to facilitate use in the classroom. The book, however, is a perfectly satisfactory read in its own right too.
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| Megan McDonald ill. Peter H Reynolds |
| Walker Books |
| 0744583691 |
| Jul 2006 |
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"Once he started, Stink could not stop writing letters. He wrote a letter to Webster (the friend, not the dictionary). He wrote a letter to his other best friend, Elizabeth, who liked to be called Sophie of the Elves. He even wrote a letter to his teacher, telling her how great he was at writing letters." Megan McDonald, author of the perennially popular Judy Moody series, has created a spin-off featuring Judy’s brother Stink. In “Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker”, Stink is disappointed to find that the aforementioned jawbreaker in fact does nothing of the sort and that his jaw remains very firmly still in tact. Stink sends a letter of complaint to the company and receives a mammoth box of complimentary sweets. From here-on-in he writes numerous letters and receives a good number of replies, unfortunately amidst this deluge of post one important piece of mail gets lost thereby threatening Stink’s friendship with Webster… Can this be remedied? This is a fun, easy-to-read novel that will appeal to boys, particularly those with sisters who are ardent fans of the Judy Moody titles. Peter H. Reynold’s illustrations really help to bring the book to life. Look out for another adventure featuring Stink “Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid”.
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| Anna and Barbara Fienberg ill. Kim Gamble |
| Allen and Unwin Children's Books |
| 174114731X |
| May 2006 |
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“Now let’s look at this marvellous world of ours and think where we would most like to explore.” The twelfth book in the series about Tashi, “Tashi and the Forbidden Room” sees the hero regale his audience, within which readers become cleverly included, with two further tales from his time back in the village… The first of these adventures is a rip-roaring, rollicking, re-telling of the legend of Bluebeard with Tashi firmly at the centre as the hero. Tashi confides in his best friend Jack that Bluebeard has been the most terrifying villain he has ever faced. The second story “The Three Tasks” re-introduces a familiar adversary, the Baron. The Baron’s peacock has gone missing and Pongo his dog is, alas, found with incriminating feathers around him and a mouth soaked in blood. The Baron threatens him with death, but allows opportunity for reprieve provided that Tashi is able to complete three tasks. Firstly the Baron expects to hear Tashi but not to see him. Secondly Pongo must no longer bleed and his cuts must be healed. Finally, the peacock must be back in the garden alive. Anna and Barbara Fienberg really bring stories to life in this series of novels that are perfect as introductions to reading and to the backdrop of mythic and legendary tales. Kim Gamble’s illustrations give an other-worldy aspect to the books making for beautifully packaged collections of stories that introduce new readers to the magic, wonder and endless possibilities of story-telling and reading.
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