The Children of Green Knowe
My sister, Alice, sent me this for Christmas but I’ve only just got round to reading it. It’s excellent. It’s about a boy – Tolly - who goes to stay with his great-grandmother in her ancient house, Green Knowe, and discovers ghost children from years ago. Alice says it was her favourite book for years and I can see why. It’s sort of comforting and spooky at the same time. Green Knowe is based on a real house in England and Alice has been there – she sent me a postcard. I’m hoping Alice will send me the next one in the series for this Xmas.
Jingle the Christmas Clown
My sister, Alice, sent this book to me when I was little and I loved it because there’s an elephant in it called Lolly! It’s about a little clown who travels through Italy with a circus troupe and is left behind in a village to look after the tired baby animals. The villagers have no money because their crops have failed and when Jingle sees how sad they are he organises the baby animals to do a special free show to cheer them up. Byron and Adele like this book now, too – because it also has a recipe for Stelline d’Oro which are Golden Star biscuits. I like all the Italian words too…when my Dad annoys me I call him a vecchietto (an old timer)…
The Lady with Iron Bones
I chose this one from Ms Love's pile because it's about two girls who are best friends. The lady with the iron bones is an old tattered statue in the garden of an actual old lady who lives next door to one of the girls. One of the girls, Kasey, is worried about her big brother, so she starts praying to the lady with the iron bones, asking her to fix things. Then it seems like her prayers are being answered and the girls get scared...I can't say any more. Except one thing: I didn't know that crossing your fingers (for good luck) is actually an old Christian symbol for the cross. Ms Love says you always learn something new from a
Jan Mark book.
Tuck Everlasting
Alice (my sister) gave me this for Christmas. She sent it from America where she's working at the moment...It's an extremely mysterious book, a fantasy, really, and I liked it a lot, but it made me thoughtful (my Dad says anything that stops me talking is a Good Thing) ...the main character, Winnie, becomes friends with the Tuck family who have accidentally discovered the secret of eternal life. This seemed like an excellent idea to me...but, wouldn't you know it - it's really not that simple. I rang Alice to talk to her about the story...she said it's that kind of book - one you need to talk about with people...
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society
Adele gave this to me. We both loved Chinese Cinderella.
Adele loves any story about China or Chinese people, since she is half-Chinese herself. The story is excellent: CC is living with Grandma Wu at a martial arts academy and becomes involved in a perilous adventure…there’s kung fu, acrobats, dragon boating, war and terror. I love the Chinese horoscopes at the back of the book…though I secretly wish I wasn’t a Pig like Byron and Adele.
I am a Dog.
The Lost Thing
Brett told the GGSC about this picture book. It’s very, very mysterious, but I can’t stop looking at it. The boy in the story finds a ‘thing’, a big, clumsy machine like thing that he takes home…. but no one notices or understands it as he does…The pictures are so full of detail that I see something new every time I look. Brett says the story is about not fitting in and how there aren’t enough people
or things around anymore that don’t fit in. He reckons not fitting in
is important.
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (my second favourite author)
Actually, I’m re-reading this book – it’s my third time. I love it because it’s an adventure in an exotic place – the Amazon – and because the characters are all so eccentric (mostly, the adults, of course: naturally, the children are perfectly normal). Also because it’s a good long read and you never know what is going to happen next (well, the first time, anyway).
Cracker Jackson by Betsy Byars
(my favourite author)
I’m reading all her books because they’re funny and sad.
This is about a boy trying to help his favourite babysitter who’s in trouble; he’s also trying to get his Dad to be serious, which is what I’m always trying to do, too.
The Diamond in the Window
Adele has been raving about this book for weeks – she’s onto the third in the series… and she’s right – it’s excellent. A brother and sister, Eddy and Eleanor, live with their aunt and mad uncle in Concord, Massachusetts (where the author of Little Women lived)…when they discover a secret attic in their amazing house, and a diamond in the window, and an old family mystery….strange things start happening. I knew I was going
to love this book when Eddy said his name backwards on the
first page!
Framed
This is the funniest, funniest book about a boy who lives in a tiny Welsh village and whose family runs the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel (a garage). He has a very smart little sister who is dying to commit a crime. There are lots of mad characters and a complicated plot. Byron says he hardly needs to read the book now since I’ve read so many parts out loud to him. There is heaps of fascinating information about cars and art.
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