School girl secrets

I had a moment about 3 weeks back. A moment that any decent, hard working person in education is proud of. I speak of course of a moment where a child likes and respects you enough to share a little bit of home life be it through a letter they've written or something they do at home that they want to share with you.

My moment came when a girl in year 5 came down to the library with her class mates. Instead of coming to borrow a book from the library she'd brought one in from home.

"Miss" she said "this is one of my favourite books, I've read it at home and I want to donate it to the school library."
I was so humbled by her gift that I simply couldn't accept it, I offered as an alternative to read the book myself and then get a copy in for the library, so that she could take her copy back home.

That is how I came to be reading Sunita's Secret this week: a story that I would never have picked of my own choosing. From the cover and the blurb it looked like a girl's view of high school and frankly I have never enjoyed books of a certain genre (chick flicks knock me sick).

As I read the first two or three chapters I found it to be a very typical chick flick style of story. Sunita, the central character starts her time at Coppergate High School and has to contend with the popular gaggle of girls who take an instant dislike to her. She then has to fend off the 'losers' who try to befriend her whilst carrying the additional burden that she has a secret. She has joined Coppergate after her family recently had moved to the town, escaping the fall out of their fugitive father who had been caught embezzling funds from his clients.

In short, the 1st half of the book reads thus:

girl joins high school and has no friends,
girl tries to carry on with life alone after being picked on by 'cool girls' who know her past,
girl eventually succumbs to the pressure of her 'loser' peers and befriends them.

As this is all told in 1st person narrative, there isn't even any real beating round the bush when it comes to Sunita's opinions on things.

"While I had no friends, I would always be the odd one out. On the other hand, I din't want to be one of the odd ones. I did not want to hang out with losers. I would only give in if I was desperate, and I hadn't got there yet..." p55

It's around the middle of the book that things start to improve, the plot growing when A) Sunita finally realises the value of having her friends and B) she starts doing secret things to help other people. The pivotal moment is when the coolest girl in the school loses her bracelet and without making a fuss, Sunita returns it to her locker quietly leaving her to find it there later in the day. She tells her friends about her 'quiet good deeds' and the good deed fever starts to spread secretly around the entire school.

Before too long everyone is doing acts of kindness for others without bragging about it. This was a novel idea which reminded me of the old 'pay it forward' philosophy. However, things take a real turn when this same coolest girl in the school stands up and takes credit for everything, leaving Sunita caught between telling the truth (which would mean her acting in secret would make her sound like her fraudster father) and sitting back whilst letting someone else take the credit for her hard earned work and kindness.

This gave me plenty of food for thought. As a person who works hard and takes a lot seriously, I found the moral dilemma a real cause for discussion. In fact I've sat down with several family and friends and posed a 'what would you do' question. The truth is no one likes seeing other people get the credit for their own good deeds, but that's the very nature of what makes them good: the fact that we do them without complaint or proud boasting.  Those who take advantage and do others wrong should be forgiven but of course by no means forgotten. It is my belief that you can let go of a person who was bad for you without wishing them ill or feeling bitter resentment (it's one of the hardest things in the world but it can be done).  As a famous prayer from Mother Teresa says:

"it's between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

With this being Easter and with forgiveness being at the very essence of this time of year, I think this book was a perfectly timed read and I'm so chuffed that it was recommended to me by a pupil who would have thought about the book's morals and taken something positive from it. This is a book someone else recommended and it's 13 on my list. This time I would also like to leave a post with a copy of the prayer, it's definite food for the soul.

Book Title: Sunita's Secret
Author: Narinder Dhami
Published: 2006
Pages: 235
Recommended for: children aged 8 and up
Interesting words: brisk, triumphantly

Keeping an Eye on the North

A few weeks ago I signed up to the Primary School Book Club on Twitter. I was really feeling the buzz about the concept of people from primary schools all over coming together. It was a brilliant idea.

The aim of it is to read a book in a month and then to think of some questions or thoughts that you might want to pose to the rest of the group or even the author through the magic of Twitter. As I said, brilliant idea.

So the challenge for me came when the first book was selected by democratic vote. No it wasn't that I didn't like the look of the book, or that I thought it would be a challenge. No the problem came when I TRIED TO GET HOLD OF A SINGLE COPY!

It was sold out, everywhere I looked. I'd made the mistake of leaving it a few days before trying to pick a copy up (by a few I mean two or three at most). I even found to my dismay that Amazon were out of stock; Amazon, as in the multi million dollar company that should never really run out of anything.

The challenge started on the 1st of March (roughly). I didn't manage to pick a copy up until the 12th and that was thanks to the hard working people at Liverpool Libraries who had ordered a copy in. Imagine my joy when I realised I'd be the first person to  borrow it! I just had a mini librarian moment!

Anyway I borrowed it, took advantage of an opportunity to spend two hours reading the first half of it...
...and then didn't pick it back up for several days.

Now before you think there was something wrong with the book there really wasn't, it was great. Lots of lovely, beautifully used language, nice steady pace that picked up at just the right points, lots of action for those who don't like spending an hour reading a description of a bedroom.

But I was hampered by an encroaching deadline. To add to that, there've been several things that have overwhelmed my real life to the extent where I needed to force the time to read the second half. It was totally worth it though, there was an ending I could never have seen coming!

The story centres around Emmeline, who's parents are often away. One morning she receives a letter coolly informing her that they are both dead and that she must go into the care of a woman she has never met in a country that she doesn't know.

That is simply the start of it. With cloak and dagger espionage, mystical peoples and creatures and a boy who goes by the name of Thing there is plenty to entice and keep a reader going. There are 384 pages so it's a fairly meaty read but there's no harm in that at all.

The strongest part of the story, it's beginning; by far the most unique opening to a book I have ever had the joy to read. How do you even begin to top a book that starts with the following?

'For as long as she could remember Emmeline Widget had been sure her parents were trying to kill her.'

Emmeline, think my parents were trying to do that too, by giving me grey hairs!

This is a great book, one that I have to say I'm looking forward to giving it a re read at some point. It took me ten days to finish it. My poor colleague who has had to wait for me to finish has only got nine bless her!

A book by an author I've never read before this counts as book 12 on my 52 book list. I look forward to talking it over in the book club!

Book Title: Eye of the North
Author: Sinead O'Hart
Published: 2018
Pages: 384
Recommended for: children aged 8 and up
Interesting words: pithily, intricate, illustrious 

Well blown away!

Wow, okay, I don't actually know the best place to start with this one. I'd seen this book floating around on social media. All the major groups on social networks were recommending it. It was generating quite a lot of hype.
The cover looked enticing and I've always had a fascination with twisters (that's tornadoes to us in the British Isles) of which there weren't really any in here (which wasn't a bad thing at all). 

The main character is a young girl called Twister, who's life begins to unravel into chaos after the mysterious disappearance of her father. With her mum struggling to cope and her Aunt being quite the overbearing figure, it's down to Twister to cope with the nasty children at her local school. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this is just a story about a child coming of age and dealing with bullying.

By the 8th or 9th chapter you'd be hard pressed not to feel for the girl. But then an unexpected turn of events occurs and before you know it she's facing otherworldly elements such as witches, monsters and a demon soul swallower who is practically invincible.

The pace is incredibly fast, making you feel like you need a seat belt just to go along for the ride. I loved it! I haven't read a book so engrossing since my teenage days reading my all time favourite author (sorry children I can't name him, he's one for the grown ups)! The story chapters are short and the story leaves little time for dwelling on situations or events.

There is something incredibly addictive about the writing style. It's all first person narrative and done in an accent so that you really get a feel for the  the part of the world in which Twister lives. The way she speaks is truly mesmerising! As I said before the chapters are very short, some no longer than 10 pages. The language is not the richest but once again, that is not actually a bad thing.

As Twister's tale unfolds we are hurled through a world of dreams and nightmares, all of this is underpinned by very real fears and emotions such as grief and intimidation. Twister really does suffer at the hands of the school bully.

It is very dark, not something I would recommend to a child under the age of 11 unless I knew they were a mature reader and someone able to handle the concepts they come across.

Book 11 of my 52 book list and a book with a one word Title. I can't help but say it blew me away!

Book Title: Twister
Author: Juliette Forrestt
Published: 2018
Pages: 283
Recommended for: children aged 11 and up (maybe 9 or 10 if they're a really mature reader)
Interesting words: rabid, reaped, adverse

Chasing Shadows

So this was a funny one. A good friend of mine drew my attention to a competition, the prize being a new picture book that had just been released.

I entered the competition and didn't win but I decided to pick up a kindle copy of the book anyway. At 32 pages and a reasonable price what could go wrong?

This book tells the story of Sarah, who gets picked on in school by an insensitive peer. I don't want to use the word bully as the other character doesn't really come across like that, more like an obnoxious mouthy coward. Anyway, the reason Sarah gets picked on is for having a tall and lanky shadow. I have totally been there (only my shadow was more short and rotund).

Poor Sarah, rather than just ignoring the moronic behaviour of others feels that the problem is with her and upon seeing a shooting star wishes her shadow away. That's when her trouble really starts, that moment when, in a fit of pure sadness and dejection Sarah's shadow simply skulks away.

The illustrations in this book were lovely, reminding me of the cartoons I used to watch on Nickleodeon (think I might be giving away my age a bit there). The picture where Sarah's shadow leaves is genuinely sad.

What I loved most though was Sarah's inevitable realisation that her shadow was very much a part of herself and thus something that she very much needed in her life. She is a constant worrier, from the very morning after her shadow leaves she finds herself worrying about the situation. She fears what others might think and say (again I can relate), which rules her life. At first she tries to get around things by being solitary but that only lasts for so long. As they say you can't run forever.

I love seeing the climactic point of the book which I won't spoil for you but which left me feeling satisfied. It made me think about people in general as well as reflecting about my own vulnerabilities. In the end I was left thinking 'yeah so I don't like this or that about myself but maybe that's half of the problem, I should love and accept all of me as a whole person'. Talk about moments of profundity!

With roughly two paragraphs per page you can still enjoy reading it without the concern that it will be too text heavy. If you're looking for something to challenge a year 2 (7-8 year old) child this probably isn't for you. But I'd recommend it as a lovely one to read during story times to children from 4 upwards.

Book 10 on my list and a book featuring a character with my name in. A charming little read!

Book Title: Sarah's Shadow

Author: Nick Jones 

Illustrated by: Si Clark

Published: 2018

Pages: 32 

Recommended for: children ages 4 and up

Interesting words: majestic, ruined, impressive, silhouette.

All that glitters is DEFINITELY not gold!

I was recently at a reading conference in order to network and pick up some tips in creating a good reading culture within the school that I work in.

I left buzzing, brimming with enthusiasm and positive energy. But the thing that stuck out most in my mind was a workshop which involved several texts that were recommended. I was particularly impressed with the lovely Nikki Gamble, who recommended the texts, she seemed genuinely passionate and knowledgable about them. My mind set, I visited the library the following day and picked up a couple of the stand out ones.

The first of the books I read was called 'The Silver Donkey', a World War One story of a deserter who is discovered in a forest by two young girls who set out to take care of him and help him get home. Terrified that he will be caught he insists that they keep his presence a secret but it isn't long before things begin to unravel.

At first (say the first 2 or 3 chapters) I was wondering what all the fuss was about. Yes the story read well, but it wasn't remarkable. In fact I made the mistake of judging it too harshly as 'just another war story'. I'm not ordinarily a lover of war stories.

I've never been happier to be wrong. As the story progressed and the characters unfolded I fell a little more and more in love with it. I found myself crying at a story told of a soldier who died in agony and denial whilst no one noticed. It broke my heart!

But the real stand out feature of this story was the sudden explosion of rich, varied, beautiful language. To show you just how rich the language was I decided to show a picture of all the interesting words I'd noted.

After a while I simply gave up noting, not because I was put off but more because I was concerned that if I noted every word, I wouldn't be giving other books a chance to impress me. This book reminded me that the English language is truly something of value and beauty, with all of its intricacies, rules and exceptions. We should treasure it. How can you not enjoy rolling words such as unpeturbed (p108), larrikin (p146) and uncouth (p168) off the tongue? 

The chapters are of ideal length and the rich language is well used, serving the plot instead of hampering it. All in all it is something I would recommend for any child who can read and needs an enfusion of vocabulary. 

So far it's my top read of the year... ...so far.

A book with a colour in the title it's book 9 on my 52 book list. 

Book title: The Silver Donkey

Author: Sonya Hartnett

Published: 2006

Pages: 216

Recommended for: children aged 7 upwards.

Interesting words: quagmired, dire, peevish, stoic, frankly too many to mention! 

Thanks to Nikki Gamble who has allowed me to mention her here. Check her out on Twitter and the Just Imagine page!