Alan MacDonald, Ill. David Roberts |
Stripes |
1847150047 |
Sep 2006 |
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It is easy to see why the mischievous child has a lengthy tradition in children’s literature. What an ideal vehicle with which to exercise struggled liberation from the constraints childhood often is culturally hemmed within and to implicitly present didactic ethics and morals. |
Mammoth Academy
Neal Layton |
Hodder Children’s Books |
0340930292 |
Oct 2006 |
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Those who have followed Oscar and Arabella, that indomitable, woolly mammoth duo, in their picture book adventures: ‘Oscar and Arabella’ and ‘Hot, Hot, Hot’ will be delighted to learn that the pair have ascended to school age. |
Purple Class and the Flying Spider
Sean Taylor |
Frances Lincoln |
1845076273 |
Oct 2006 |
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A welcome return of the zealous and zany pupils that together constitute the chaos that is’ Purple Class! The four stories in this latest volume see the class battle against the eponymous flying spider, see Leon manage to misplace thirty violins (much to the consternation of Mrs Powell), sees the loss of the class guinea-pig and the discovery of suspected munitions in the class’s new vegetable patch! |
Christophe’s Story
Nikki Cornwell, ill. Karin Littlewood |
Frances Lincoln |
1845075218 |
Aug 2006 |
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The potency of storytelling, its ability to traverse terrain and to cross cultures blazes strong in ‘Christophe’s Story’, an impressive, deeply thought-provoking and moving short novel whose understanding and compassion bathes readers in hope and belief that regardless of who we might be, whatever our backgrounds or beliefs, all our tomorrows might one day be better and brighter. |
Roar Bull Roar
Andrew Fusek Peters & Polly Peters |
Frances Lincoln |
184507520X |
Aug 2006 |
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Bravery and pluck are the lifeblood that abound and flow so thoroughly through Czech siblings Jan and Marie Klesek who, following their father Frantisek, a maths teacher who has got a new job in England, move to a small village. Their arrival in the middle of the night is met by a welcome that is quite literally divest of any warmth and hospitality, a bull charges down the side of the car and the cottage in which they are staying ‘ the curiously named ‘Shoe Cottage’ ‘ is cold, damp and in a state of near dereliction. |
On the Ghost Trail
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. |
Taking Flight
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. |
Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker
Megan McDonald ill. Peter H Reynolds |
Walker Books |
0744583691 |
Jul 2006 |
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Tashi and the Forbidden Room
Anna and Barbara Fienberg ill. Kim Gamble |
Allen and Unwin Children’s Books |
174114731X |
May 2006 |
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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’ |
It moved
Anne Fine |
Walker Books |
1406300136 |
May 2006 |
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Time for reflection, for thought and for the development and exploration of individual imaginative worlds are constantly impaired and impinged upon by the bombardment of visual and audio stimulation that assault children’s senses at every turn demanding their occupation in the ceaseless cacophony of ‘modernity’. Perfect remedy can be found in ‘It moved’ a short, but delightfully witty tale that challenges us to see the extraordinary in the everyday.
Lily tells her peers that the stone moves ‘ a comment that is not entirely fallacious as astute readers will discern. Some of her class firmly uphold belief in the geode’s perambulatory capabilities, others are sceptics whilst others still remain uncertain preferring to rely on empirical evidence rather than gut feeling’ |