Archive | May 2023

The Stories Grandma Forgot And How I Found Them by Nadine Aisha Jassat

May23

Ripples

The Stories Grandma Forgot And How I Found Them by Nadine Aisha Jassat is a charming contemporary novel that is perfect for ages ten years and over. I am considerably older than the target market but I loved it.

The novel is about family, roots, love and grief. A twelve year old searches for her father whom she was told had died, but she is not convinced. With a new found friendship, she pieces together the clues of his life.

Children can be cruel. We witness the antics of Harry who bullies the lead character. She shows a maturity beyond her years in her approach to him.

Grief can last a lifetime. We witness a mother who is carrying on life for the sake of her daughter, after her husband died. The family unit is still made up of three members as they now look after the grandmother who has Alzheimer’s. “Alzheimer’s … it feels like… the person is slowly walking away.” The twelve year old has the ability to care for her grandmother and draw her out of herself as we glimpse who she once was. “It’s like having her fully back. Like she’s left Alzheimer’s in another time.” Grandmother and granddaughter are united by a secret.

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The Lost Heir by Jane Cable

May23

Cover Reveal

The Lost Heir

Cornwall, 2020

At the beginning of lockdown, teacher Carla Burgess needs to make some changes to her life. She no longer loves her job, and it’s certainly time to kick her on-off boyfriend into touch. But then, while walking on the cliffs she meets Mani Dolcoath, a gorgeous American with a dark aura.

Mani is researching his family history, and slowly their lives and their heritage begin to entwine. The discovery of a locked Georgian tea caddy in the barn on her parents’ farm intrigues Carla, but then she starts to see orbs, something that hasn’t happened since her grandmother died. They terrify her and she’ll do anything to outrun them, but will she lose Mani’s friendship in the process?

Cornwall, 1810

Harriet Lemon’s position as companion to Lady Frances Basset (Franny) perfectly conceals the fact they are lovers. But when Franny is raped and falls pregnant their lives are destined to change forever.

The one person who may be able to help them is Franny’s childhood friend, William Burgess, a notorious smuggler. But he has secrets of his own he needs to protect. Will his loyalties be divided, or will he come through?

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Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks by Sally Fetouh

May21

A Powerful Message

Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks by Sally Fetouh is a perfectly lovely book for the under fives.

The story is a simple but memorable one that will appeal to all children – Jana shares her brightly coloured socks with all her classmates. This promotes the message that it is good to share what we have with others. Jana has a generous heart.

Jana also has Downs Syndrome. We see via the brightly coloured socks, the second message of the book, that it is all right to be different. The socks all have different patterns but they are still all socks. We all have different talents/looks etc but we are all people. As a former learning support assistant to teens, I absolutely love this book. I have worked with a teen with Downs Syndrome, and this book warms my heart. Everyone no matter how old or young, no matter there giftings, we all have something to contribute to life and we can all learn from each other.

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Just Benny by Alex Banwell

May19

John 3:16

Just Benny by Alex Banwell is a marvellous contemporary Christian novel that spoke to my heart.

Every once in a while, a book comes along that just completely resonates with me. As soon as I began reading, I knew that this was one such book. Benny is special needs youngster who suffers with epilepsy that makes him violently sick afterwards. As such, he is a target for the bullies and has very few friends. Benny has a kind, empathetic heart. He connects with those who need love.

We see Benny’s struggle with daily life. We ‘feel’ his fear as the bully confronts him. Benny is a boy who has been smothered with his mother’s love. It is easy to understand why, but Benny needs to break free. He is capable of far more than he can imagine.

There is a wonderful bond with Benny’s older sister. She encourages him to step out into the world.

Benny has only a tentative relationship with his father who doesn’t understand him. As Benny grows, his father finds there are things they have in common and the bonds begin to grow.

Benny realizes he is not like other children – and he is quite correct. Benny is not like other children, Benny is special, but not in the way he thinks. Benny can connect with the very young and the not so young. He is one of life’s gentle souls. We all need a Benny in our lives.

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