My challenge for the year ahead is to read my height in books. Easy, some might say. No-one has ever accused me of being tall so there’s no excuses, particularly as the pile of books – currently reaching just above my ankle – is deposited right outside my office at school, ready to invite a comment from the too-cool-for-school characters in Year 6. ‘Is that all you’ve read?’ said one (‘More than you,’ I replied, with a smile. The smile was returned – seed planted and challenge accepted, I think).
Like all New Year resolutions the easy bit is starting with a bang; the hard bit is to avoid finishing with a whimper before the shortest month arrives. So far, so good. Here’s what I’ve read so far:
Victory by Susan Cooper
A new discovery for me, Cooper’s books will be popping up more than once in the year ahead. The beauty in this one is in the telling of the story – characters that absorb and feel alive and become part of life. It brings together a girl in the present, recently moved to America against her will, and a boy, press-ganged in to service for Admiral Nelson. The time shifts are handled skillfully and the depictions of Nelson and the naval battles are vivid and powerful. A lovely read.
Survivors by David Long and Kerry Hyndman
Another theme for this year will be to widen my reading beyond my ‘go-to’, which tends to be top-notch middle-grade fiction. Survivors fits the bill perfectly. Superbly illustrated, each chapter tells the story of someone who has survived in the most extraordinary situations – a girl falling from a plane two-miles high, a runner lost in the desert, a doctor forced to operate on himself. Stunning, awe-inspiring stuff. I’ve used some of the stories in assemblies, followed by non-stop requests to borrow the book. Highly recommended.
Overheard in a Tower Block for Joseph Coelho
As well as non-fiction, I’m going to add more poetry into the mix (or the pile). This is a great place to start and is particularly enjoyable as I know the places Coelho writes about – he was born a couple of miles down the road, close to my school (@heathmereschool). Gritty, real-life narratives of fractured families, tower blocks and bullies, are lightened with stories of ponds and runs in the park, ending with a tear-inducing poem for a daughter – Coelho’s journey from childhood to fatherhood is complete. One for top end primary to unpick with their teacher, or older children to read and to read out loud.
The Explorer by Katharine Rundell, illustrated by Hannah Horn
A prize-winner, and rightly so, Rundell’s star continues to shine bright; she is fast becoming the best children’s writer of her generation. The Explorer is about survival and friendship, with a subtle message about preservation of jungle habitats. A group of children, lost in the Amazon, find their way to a mysterious hidden city, inhabited by an even more mysterious explorer, intent on sheltering his secret world from destruction by prying outsiders. Will they survive? Beautifully written and illustrated – there is a flow to Rundell’s writing which edges it towards perfection. I do have a major grumble with the ending but it didn’t overshadow my enjoyment of the books (and I couldn’t possibly say what it is, without revealing too much of the plot).
Stitch Head by Guy Bass, illustrated by Pete Williamson
Stitch Head, oh Stitch Head, where have you been all my life? The first and forgotten creation of a crazy scientist, Stitch Head, our lovable anti-hero living an almost life, ventures forth alongside a troop of other weird and wonderful creations in this delight of a book. It’s funny and heart-warming – it’s hard, if not impossible, to resist Stitch-Head’s charms, even more so with Pete Williamson’s wonderfully imagined drawings which capture our Stitch’s vulnerabilities to a tee.. This one is going straight into my school library – and straight out again, ready to be devoured by anyone who likes a chuckle, enjoys a bit of slapstick gore and has space in their heart for a little Stitch.
A Bookish Life 