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A Secret in Time – In Time 4 by Sally Nicholls ill. Rachael Dean

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 18 Jan 2022

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Highly recommended timeslip adventure series.

This 4 book timeslip middle grade series quietly concluded at the end of last year. All four highly-readable illustrated adventures can be strongly recommended for newly confident readers and are sure to be regularly borrowed from primary school and class library shelves.

In this latest adventure, Alex and Ruby find themselves in the freezing-cold winter of 1947. Food is scarce in the aftermath of the Second World War and life at Applecott House is hard. As Alex and Ruby discover they must solve the mystery of a missing family heirloom to ever have hopes of returning home, their adventure takes them trekking across the snow and treacherous ice on a perilous treasure hunt. Will they make it home and back to the present day or will they be stuck in 1947? Full of action and humour and featuring intricate  black-and-white illustrations throughout.

The earlier three titles are:

An Escape In Time
A Chase In Time
A Christmas In Time

Follow Rachael Dean, who created the black-and-white interior illustration, on Instagram:

 

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The cover illustrator, Swiss-based Isabelle Follath, is also on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/isabellefollath/

Take a peek inside:

Extracts from a ReadingZone interview with the author:

Why did you choose to set this adventure in 1947?

The Great Winter of 1947 is such a great bit of history, and it’s not something we really teach children about. I’m also really interested in endings and transitions and what-comes-afters. Some of my favourite children’s books are set just after the war and explore what happens next. There’s a lot of The Minnow on the Say in this book, which is set in the fifties.

Where did you go to research this period?

I read a lot of novels set in this period! A Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden which I loved. Autumn Term by Antonia Forest. Grass in Picadilly by Noel Streatfeild, which was packed with historical detail but horrifically anti-semitic, which was a bit of a shock. I also read some non-fiction texts about the period. And talked to my mum, who was born in 1947. The anecdote about playing ‘queueing’ instead of ‘shopping’ was hers.

Iceberg by Claire Saxby ill. Jess Racklyeft

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“Richly informative and brimming with detailed facts presented in lyrical, sophisticated, evocative language—an expert merging of knowledge with grace. Text and image balance each other perfectly in their delicate yet powerful tone, conveying exactly the world Saxby and Racklyeft set out to reveal to us. The first-person plural postscript is a quiet plea for the respect this landscape demands, and in turn for a global landscape in dire need of protection.” Books + Publishing

The author featured on The Science Show (ABC Australia)

In the final freeze of an Antarctic winter, green tails wave across a star-full sky, as if to farewell endless nights. If this world looks empty, look closer … Penguins trek across the ice to their winter homes. As the temperature warms, birds fly above on their long migrations. And with the advent of summer, beneath an iceberg, the sea is teeming with life. Ocean, sky, snow and ice – minute greens and giant blues – dance a delicate dance in this evocative portrayal of the life cycle of an iceberg.

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Winter Lullaby by Dianne White ill. Ramona Kaulitzki

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Dec 2021

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“Simple, quiet illustrations executed in a soft, elegant, swirling style trace the transition from tawny autumn’s bareness to early winter’s silvery wonderland. Scenes of Mouse, Chipmunk, Skunk, Hare, Badger, Racoon, and, eventually, Small Bear and Mama snuggling safely inside their respective cozy winter dens should provoke useful parallels and opportunities for parents to cajole their little ones to sleep. Reassuring, inviting bedtime fare. ” KIRKUS

Winter is on its way. For bears, that means it’s time to tuck in for a long sleep. But other forest creatures are still awake, so why can’t Small Bear stay up and play, too? Mama Bear gives her small one the cosiest of answers and paints a dreamy picture of bright colours and new adventures that will greet Small Bear come spring. But first, to sleep.

Ramona Kaulitzki is a book illustrator based in Potsdam, Germany who works primarily digitally and has conducted several ADOBE Live sessions, which can be found on YouTube. Follow her on Instagram:

 

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Oh No! Shark in the Snow! by Nick Sharratt

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Timothy Pope, Timothy Pope looks again through his telescope.
As snowflakes fall without a sound, he looks left, he looks right, he looks all around.

Wait, is that a SHARK?
Turn the page to find out, if you dare . . .

With its funny rhyming text, die-cut holes to peep through, this jawesome adventure is the perfect way to say Snappy Christmas!

Sky by Holly Webb

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Staying with her grandparents in the Scottish Highlands, Lara is fascinated by the rare white snowy owl her grandad has spotted flying nearby. And when she follows the beautiful bird into the woods, it leads her on a magical adventure…
Transported a century back in time, Lara befriends Amelia, who confides in Lara about her cruel cousin, who she’s sure is trying to hurt the baby owls nesting in the woods. When Lara discovers the hatchlings belong to her owl, Sky, she’s determined to help. But how can she protect them when she needs to return to her own time?

Kat Wolfe on Thin Ice by Lauren St. John

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Feb 2021
Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 28 Mar 2021

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“A fun, socially conscious mystery that continues to take the series in new directions.” KIRKUS

A wintry third adventure in this well-received series.
See also Kat Wolfe Investigates and Kat Wolfe Takes The Case.

Kat and Harper can’t wait to join their parents on a winter vacation in a mountain cabin in the US. But a series of misadventures result in them being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Alone.

When Kat discovers that an argument she witnessed in New York City holds the key to a major crime, she’s certain that it’s only a matter of time until the culprits come looking for her.

With a snow storm moving in and no way out, all that stands between the girls and disaster are a team of eight huskies and one impossible raccoon.

The Big Freeze by Pippa Curnick

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Feb 2021

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Shama and Bahama Llama can’t wait for winter – skating, snowballs, hot chocolate . . . and best of all, the Winter Woolly Party! But when The Big Freeze suddenly arrives they discover that their jumpers are in a sorry state! Cue a MAJOR PANIC as everyone sets out on a wild race to Granny Brock’s Jumper Shop to nab the perfect woolly jumpers. Will they make it to the top of the queue before she sells out? Or will they learn that sometimes the only way to get what you want is to work together?

A laugh-out-loud funny, gloriously illustrated tale with a gentle message about learning to work as a team.

Follow Pippa Curnick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippa_curnick_illustrator/

The Snowflake by Benji Davies

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ACHUKA Book of the Day Tue 3 Nov 2020

High, high up in the clouds a tiny snowflake is made. Perfectly small, fluffy, crystal and white, it tumbles and bounces inside the cloud. But then she begins to fall…

Exquisitely told and beautifully illustrated, The Snowflake tells the tale of one snowflake and one little girl – both longing for something and looking for their own special place in the world. The Snowflake is an utterly unforgettable and classic picture book from the multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling picture-book creator, Benji Davies.

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The Good Bear by Sarah Lean ill. Fiona Woodcock

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Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month November 2021 (paperback)

A wintry animal story for readers aged 9+

It’s the Christmas holidays and Thea is looking forward to spending them with her father. She can tell him all about her plans to become a writer, and maybe he’ll buy her the typewriter she’s been dreaming of. But when Thea arrives in Norway, everything feels . . . wrong. Her father is as distant as ever and now she has to share him with his new family: his girlfriend Inge and her children.Then Thea makes a surprising discovery. Deep in the snowy woods by the house, is a bear. He’s scared and hungry and he desperately needs Thea’s help. When the town hears about a bear living in the woods, Bear’s life is in even greater danger. Thea needs to show everyone that he’s not dangerous – he’s a good bear – if she’s to save him.

Beautifully illustrated by award-winning illustrator Fiona Woodcock, the artist behind Abi Elphinstone’s The Snow Dragon.

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