Nickolai Of The North by Lucy Daniel Raby |
Hodder Children’s Books |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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A refreshingly different take on how the myth of Father Christmas came to be. When Nickolai was just a baby, the wicked Queen Magda killed his mother and the rest of his elfin people. Taken in and raised by humans, Nickolai is teased at school for his abnormally large ears. |
Archives for December 2005
Cloudsailors
Hugh Montgomery ill. by Liz Pyle |
Walker Books |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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What a beautifully produced book this is. Luxurious, thick pages, a swirling font and stunning illustrations. The blurb says simply: ‘In each myth lies a truth, like a grain of sand within a pearl’. |
Greater Gains
K.M. Peyton |
David Fickling Books |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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[Yet again I must follow the ministerial code and declare an interest. K.M. Peyton very kindly helped me with my writing and with general advice when I was just getting started. I’ve always been in awe of her writing ability.]
‘ and Ellen herself is, within a few pages, to be involved in a prank that leads to her imprisonment and subsequent transportation to Australia. |
Under Fragile Stone
Ois’n McGann |
O’Brien |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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Fantasy is a genre that divides. It’s a case love it or loath it ‘ so if you are in the latter category stop reading now, this comic tale of the shape-changing Myunan is not for you. |
Crow Girl
Kate Cann |
Barrington Stoke |
1842993461 |
Oct 2005 |
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Lily is lonely; often bullied, at best ignored. She takes refuge in the nearby woods, finding solace with the crows that live there. Her visits to spooky clearings, her desire for cobwebby outfits and her growing ability to call the crows, give this title a gothic edge. |
House of Spies
House of Spies |
Andersen Press |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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The madness that can grip communities in times of strife, real or imagined, is fertile ground. |