Tag Archive | Puffin Books

The House In Norham Gardens by Penelope Lively

Mar22

Highly Entertaining

The House In Norham Gardens by Penelope Lively is an entertaining novel for children aged ten years and over. It was penned in 1974 but is still reaching audiences today.

The action is set in Oxford as we follow a young girl, living with her aunts. She has the most amazing experiences as she sleeps – could this be real? Or imagined?

Having found artefacts from New Guinea, the young girl has vivid dreams about the tribes. Penelope Lively brings the exotic landscapes to life, with her magnificent descriptions. The book springs to life in glorious technicolour.

The leading lady is very kind, having empathy for those around her. Her elderly aunts are taken care of as the teen anticipates their needs.

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At Home In A Book by Lauren O’Hara

Dec23

A Pure Delight Whatever Your Age

At Home In A Book by Lauren O’Hara is the most delightful book suitable for anyone with a love of reading, an active imagination and who likes to escape into a book.

This is a unique book that takes several novels and illustrates the dwelling places – from houses to ships to submarines. It is a pure delight for the imagination.

Some of the books covered include Little Women, Alice In Wonderland, Peter Pan, Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess and more.

Each chapter gives a short synopsis of the book, has a passage from it, writes about the lead characters and has a double page spread of the dwelling plus illustrations of key items within the story. It is a real treat to truly lose yourself in a book.

Within each picture there is the invite for the reader to step inside their imagination as we ‘wander’ through the dwelling. Each one has so much detail. I think that each time we re-visit the book, we will notice something different.

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The Other Edie Trimmer by Jacqueline Wilson

Feb22

Fabulous Tale

The Other Edie Trimmer by Jacqueline Wilson is a fantastic dual timeline and just perfect for ages ten years and over.

The novel is set in present day and Victorian England. It will educate you as you read about the awful conditions facing children and the poor in Victorian England. The landscape comes alive under the author’s descriptive pen.

We hear about the mudlarks, young flower girls and the appalling treatment within the workhouse. Families were split up as males and females were segregated. People were cruelly treated and food was scarce.

We witness children as young as five years old, scrambling through the mud. Children were not treasured as they should be.

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Fritz And Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield

Feb25

Never Forget

Fritz And Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield is a powerful historical novel for children aged ten years and over.

The novel is the true story of brothers Fritz and Kurt who lived in Vienna in 1938 as the story opens. They were Jewish and at the time 180,000 Jewish people lived in Vienna.

Hitler and the Nazis marched into Austria with very little opposition. Any that they encountered was swiftly put down. We see how daily life altered rapidly for the brothers who lived with their parents and two sisters. Friends soon became informants to the Nazis. Avenues were sought to send the children to safety but it came too late for Fritz.

The story follows both brothers – Kurt to America who bravely voyaged alone aged just eleven years old. And Fritz who was old enough to be sent on the transport to the concentration camps with the men. It was a truly harrowing and awful time.

The reader sees the close bond between Fritz and his father as they try to help each other and keep hope alive that there will be better days ahead.

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