Friday 8 May 2015

Snuggling down for winter?

well winter is coming as they say.....

What is everyone reading?

I am still reading all I can for Creative Kids Tales. 
Recently I had the pleasure to read "Plenty" by Anada Braxton-Smith. 

Plenty - A place to call home by Ananda Braxton-Smith

Published by Black Dog Books

Plenty is one of those books that stamps it's authority on pre-teenage angst from the first page. Maddy Frank is one cross girl. Set in Melbourne this follows the journey of Maddy as she is forced to leave her comfort zone of the house that she has known her whole life and move to the small town in the country. She battles her home sickness for a good majority of the book.
Slowly though, through getting to know her grandmother and her friend Grace she starts to feel at home.
It is a lovely well rounded fiction that also has a touch of fantasy, with the appearance of fairies. This little gem is targeted at the older primary school age group of 10-12, and even if the readers themselves haven't experienced such dramatic changes themselves, it is a nice preparation for the changes that may come as they transition to high school.
A lovely one for mother and daughter to read and discuss how people approach changes in their lives and become stronger.
Reviewed by Allie Mokany



Author: Ananda Braxton-Smith
Title: Plenty - A place to call home
Publisher: Black Dog Books
ISBN: 9781742032429
Published: August 2014
Age: 10-12

Sunday 3 May 2015

New journey

over the next year I would love you to join me on an excting journey. I am starting my own small photography venture, and building it up. There are no project plans or business cases, but I will be doing a little bit each week, and by this time next year, I hope you will be all there to join me at my cyber launch.

For this week i have taken a baby step. I have created a logo. What do you think, does it convey fun and business all in the one?


Tuesday 28 April 2015

Platform 9 3/4

My two loves, books and photography combine when I was Hogwarts bound on the weekend.

I was extremely privileged to photograph one of the most awesome childrens parties that I have ever seen. There was an hour and a half potions lesson, followed by butter beer, and plants grown from the herbology glass house. 

All the amazing images are over at Kids Kanvas

Monday 2 March 2015

I was recently asked if I had any book ideas for 7 yr old-9 yr old boys…..


I review for Creative Kids Tales so see all the new books come through you can check out their site for good reviews. The following is a list of good authors and series that would suit even the fussiest reader.

Tom Gates, Diary of the Wimpy Kid, Big Nate and Andy Griffiths are all popular with this age group. Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda are absolute musts and are not to be overlooked, along with Morris Gleitzman. Recently from left of field has come Dan Gutman also suitable for this age group.

On the older side are the Septimus Heap series of books which are brilliant, Harry Potter is always an option and don’t forget Roald Dahl, Beast Quest, How to train your dragon and Geronimo Stilton’s. Enid Blyton’s adventure series has recently undergone a facelift too.

There are ways to explore these titles on a budget as well with school and community libraries, if you have an iPad or ebook reader, there are awesome e books at the library.

Does anyone else have any to add to the list? How many have you read?

Print off this list and keep on your fridge for a handy reference to see which ones that they like best.

Childs Name:
Reading Record
Author
Book
Read It!
Rate it!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Alice Miranda in Paris

Well it is back to work after the summer break.

The first cab off the rank is "Alice Miranda in Paris" by Jacqueline Harvey.

This is a sweet story in the ever popular series. My full review is on the Creative Kids Tales Website

I must admit that I was a little ambitious and tried to read this to my 6 year old, trying to kill to birds with one stone, so to speak (working and parenting at the same time). I thought that because of our trip to Paris last year she might be more into it than she was.  The fashion terminology and the subtle love affairs really went over her head.

I was going to give up on it, then I saw a whole bunch of older girls that were in the same production as my son, avidly reading copies of the book. I think that I had made a mistake in ignoring the back cover which clearly stated 9 plus.

So the verdict is, great captivating reading for the older girls!

Wednesday 12 November 2014

November: Something for the girls, Something for the boys

This month I have once again managed to review another two books that are squarely aimed at each gender:
The first is for the girls, mainly the 5-7 year olds, and is a very sweet tale, Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box , by
Review: Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box
The second is primarily for the boys,
by  for the older YA market  (11-14 year olds) , it is a bit of a commitment thought, with thirteen books in the series, the last one due for release in December, just in time for Christmas. It has short sharp chapters, but can often be difficult to follow in terms of plot.
Review:        


Let me know if there are any particular books that you would like to see reviewed here, and I will do my best!


Happy reading.


Allie

Sunday 31 August 2014

Something for the Boys, Something for the Girls

In my new role as a reviewer for Creative Kids Tales I have been lucky enough to review two books this week to review two excellent books for the 4-9 year old age group
 The 26 Storey Tree House and Pearlie Goes to Rio .

While both books tend to enforce the entrenched gender stereo types that proliferate the literature for this age group, the 26 Storey Treehouse is definitely worthy of a good laugh for both sexes. Stay tuned next week for the review of the latest book in the series - The 52 Storey Treehouse.

Feel free to follow me on the Childrens Reading Journey

Twitter

Facebook

Linked-in

Smashwords

Books:

Snakes and Ladders (print version)

Snakes and Ladders e-pub

Bee Bee (e-pub)