Friday 28 February 2014

The Queen of Dreams by Peter Hamilton (Children's, 11 years +, 9/10E)

2nd January 2014, Random House Children's
304 pages, Hardback
Review copy

Contents: Fantasy, magic, mild violence, tension, time travel

Taggie and Jemima are summer holidaying on their dad's farm, when they see a white squirrel wearing glasses . . . and soon after their father is captured and trapped in a faerie world that's fallen to Darkness.

But why would anybody want to kidnap boring old Dad, especially the dreaded King of Night? Could it be that their family isn't quite as ordinary as they believed?

The Mole's Review 

When I picked this up the first thing that struck me from the synopsis was the squirrel wearng glasses. Many synopses focus on kids with special abilities that are making them extra special to save the world but this one focuses on a squirrel with glasses - underlining that with this book you are going to suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in a fun adventure and leave any stress behind you. The bad guys are undoubtedly bad and the good guys are a bit unusual. Normally bad guys are just 'wiped out' of the story - turned to dust, vapourised, killed - but here the good guys go to great lengths to defeat the baddies without loss of life. It's a nice twist but I'm not sure how well it works with the reader as a plot device -what are they going to do with all these bad guys?

A book that will certainly appeal to it's target readers and this is book 1 in the series, so there's more to come.

There are lots  of parallels to other stories - Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, Dr Who and so many others including Harry Potter but only occasionally to do you sense the parallel while reading - it does come over as an original work but readers will certainly find other books, both old and new, on the same themes to enjoy after reading this one.

Nayu here! Thanks for reviewing this Gerry - it looked too scary/weird for me. Glad it's good though!

Thursday 27 February 2014

Nayu's News #107 Mmm, chocolate!



Currently in a hot chocolate daze, which is good as this is the 2nd time I've written this post. The first I accidentally deleted as I couldn't find an undo button. This is the 1st time I've used the Blogger app, and I couldn't find the undo buttonn. D'oh. Wait a moment, will it still have what I wrote on the copyboard place? I may not have to rewrite this post! *goes off to check* 

*Sighs* Sadly it hadn't been saved. Oh well! Discovering the Blogger app makes it even easier to create posts as I can do it all on my tablet, instead of needing my laptop. Not only that, but I don't have the palavar (unsure if this is a real word, it might be a figure of speech.) of putting up drafts with a pic in on my laptop so I can later pick one and write the content on my tablet. And I can put in more than 1 pic! I have a suspicion that I'm writing in the text box of the pic - I want the pic at the top of the post. Will see if that's the case when I publish it. Bear with me on the next few posts as I get to grips with the app. I use few apps, so I'm not as swift on them as others may be. Ooo, just realised instead of writing review details in my tablet's word processor then copying and pasting to Blogger, I can just write it directly as a blog post! That will be handy ^o^ 

EDITED AFTER PUBLISHING TO ADD I haven't written in the text box! I've yet to work out if I can adjust the size of the pics (Flora and Holo below are a bit too wide to fit the post), but it's still early days. 

The other topic I wrote in the first version is about anime. Today I watched Crunchyroll for the first time with ads. Up til now I've been a paid member. I thought ads would be ok. Er, they aren't. I'm the girl who waits until I can watch an entire ep in one go rather than watch 8 minutes then have to stop so I can do the dishes, before heading back to the rest of the episode. That reall bugs me! I prefer to get lost in the anime. That isn't possible with at least 3 ads! I didn't finish the episode of AKB0048 rewatch because I was ad crazed, so I watched it elsewhere with no ads. Sites I use include Pinoy, Anime Season, Youtube and Daily Motion. Sometimes the anime are in parts but I've got used to that as I can watch the next part in under 30 seconds (it depends how fast my fingers move to find the next ep!) I could reactivate my membership, but I'd prefer not to as I've joined Amazon Instant (so exciting!) I may be forced to if an anime I've already watched on Crunchyroll is only available on Crunchyroll (yes I'm still not watching any new series, only those I've seen one ep or more of, in an effort to get to know the anime better) Next up I'm watching an ep of Winx!

Here is Flora doing her Bloomix transformation -I like her floaty sleeves, the colour of her outfit as well as her hair which always looks cute in plaits/braids. See, I AM watching other anime than Aikatsu. I just happen to be at the obsessed stage of Aikatsu where I like watching it endleslly. It is a mega happy go lucky anime. I find these days, more than even a few months ago, I can't watch more than 1 ep or so of intense anime. Sadly this now includes AKB0048 which I used to watch loads in a single day. Now it's 1 ep a day, which is better than none. Depending on how low my threshold is for doom & gloom + conflict sometimes I can only watch an ep of Winx! Regular blog readers will know how bad that is as Winx is my favourite anime, with Aikatsu almost overtaking it. I can watch Aikatsu in any type of mood as every episode is guaranteed to make me smile. 

Well, it's time for me to go and relax after a busy day. I hope you all get some quality zzzs tonight, like Holo below, from one of my many top animes, Spice and Wolf. 

Very Little Red Riding Hood by Heapy and Heap (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)

January 2014, David Fickling Books, 32 pages, Paperback, Review copy


Themes: fairytale with a difference
 
Very Little Red Riding Hood is little. Very little. She's brave and bossy, fearless and determined, loving and funny. And like all toddlers she likes everything just so – woe betide anyone and anything that gets in her way!

Join Very Little Red Riding Hood on a very important expedition to her Grandmama's for a sleepover.

She's got some cakes, she's got red ted, she's got her blanket and she's got her tea set. And NOTHING is going to get in the way of her well-laid plans. Not even a Wolf!

Will they all live happily ever after?


Nayuleska's thoughts
Here is yet another (see suggested read) adorable version of a famous fairy tale. I enjoyed how unafraid Very Little Red Riding Hood was of the wolf. From both the child style grammar and what she says shows very clearly she has a mind of her own, wants things done a certain way and will not be put off by a mere wolf!

Alongside the inventive story are the pictures which add dynamism to each scene. I loved how her little teddy has a similar blanket to her, in a darker colour. It's sweet how whatever Red Riding Hood does her teddy does too. Her mannerisms accentuate her speech, having me giggling away as she ticks the wolf off, who she calls foxie. I could clearly imagine her bossing the wolf around. It was a bit heart wrenching when she thought of her mother, but she was able to be distracted. I liked how her mother was called Mummy rather than Mum-that's how it should be! The fold out map is a fun feature, and from the places mentioned I sincerely hope there will be more tales about Very Little Red Riding Hood's neighbours as they sound equally colourful characters.

Suggested read
For a fun twist on fairy tales check out The Fairytale Hairdresser: Or How Rapunzel Got Her Prince by Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard, first in a series of wonderful books! (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E) 

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Nayu's News #106


I think this is a spot on portrayal of my Muse when she is figuring out plot twists and ignores the world around her, including me. She will only work when she wants to, and that hasn't been today.

I'm still in the phase of getting little sleep, which may explain why today I chilled out with anime and tv drama. I needed not to think, just to be, which is why figuring out some of what I want to watch on the new Amazon Instant streaming video site kept me occupied for over an hour. I discovered the earlier series of Waterloo Road which I haven't seen, Prison Break which I've only seen a few episodes, Sabrina the Teenage Witch animation, plus various movies. Those are the shows that stuck in my mind, I'm sure more will unravel in time. I've seen many I watched in the past like Star Gate and police dramas, but I'm unable to watch such apocalytic-y shows without my Inner Panicker having a field day when I sleep. Where possible I prefer to avoid nightmares, so I won't be watching them.

There is a sort of big issue with Amazon Instant (or whatever its called. I thought it was Instant so I'm sticking with it). There are few devices you can watch it on, mostly due to HD capabilities (I think). There is the poison piece of i-fruit which works fine for others, but which I dislike intensely for not being easy to use and for being a right pain when it comes to music software updates. I quit using said i-fruit technology a few years ago. There are a few HD home systems, as well as most of the major game consoles which can play Amazon Instant, plus there is the Kindle Fire. Amazon do have a list of compatibke devices, so check there before you get too eager with picking what to watch. Since few shows I choose to watch are on TV online streaming is becoming a firm favourite media outlet for me. It is most definitely the future of watching shows, and I for one am eager to see what delights will appear over the next few years.

Right, time to head off and stuck into a good read for an hour or so before I dare sleep. At the moment it seems a good idea to stay up a bit later and be able to sleep my 5 hours so I wake a vaguely more sensible time than 3am instead of going to bed now and waking at 3am as I have been. Tomorrow I may think differently, but for now I'm trying anything. I'm doing my best to relax about it. I've been blessed with better sleep in some ways since sorting out my pain management, but having blips is part of tbe package. I feel for anyone who can't sleep solidly for long, or who struggle to get to sleep. I assure you that somehow you will find a distraction that gives you rest when your body can't catch zzs. I find reading relaxing, especially when they are rereads. Night!


Blog Tour: Reviews of Essenced + Emblazed by Connie L Smith (Young Adult, both 9/10E)

Hi, Nayu here! Today's blog tour is for Connie L Smith, a truly evil author (all will be explained in Emblazed review below). Now, for those of you who are quick enough Essenced is free on Amazon from the moment this post goes live until 28th February. Plus Connie will be putting copies up for grabs on her Twitter page! You won't be disappointed with either book, I promise! Right, review time. 
 
Essenced  
November 2013, Amazon Media, 346 pages, ebook & Paperback, Review copy

Content mild teen romance, some violence, lots of humour, tissues needed

Summary of the book from Connie's website
Years ago, demons were forced out of the earth’s realm by a band of supernatural fighters, banished from the place and its people in the aftermath of a horrific war. It should’ve ended there – would’ve – if not for the final demon’s claw snagging on the open portal. What felt like victory became only a reprieve, the winning warriors understanding that the tear would spread, and the demons eventually would escape exile. It was only a matter of time, and a need for future defense – a question of genetics and essences, magic and power.

Now, centuries later, a new army must bind together – one of teenagers with inhuman potentials and abilities…


AJ went to bed Sunday night an average teenage girl, clumsy and athletically lacking. So when she wakes up Monday morning with super-strength, she does what any rational person would do: She goes into denial. When a smoking hot guy in a suit shows up, rambling about the end of the war and demons spilling through some kind of rift, she refuses to listen, telling herself he’s insane. Except weird things just won’t quit happening, and the guy keeps popping up in her life, trying to explain the changes suddenly happening within her. Is she crazy, or is this guy… not so crazy after all?

Nayuleska's thoughts 
Confession time: I read this while germ gremlins were brewing inside me. I put that as the reason why I wanted to chuck my ereader out the window when I got to the point where the point of view changed. At the time I was mega grumpy about the story not being told from AJ's view. I like AJ. She cares for her...team. I say that carefully because I don't want to give spoilers and at the moment don't know what the blurb says. AJ is hot tempered, which makes for an entertaining read. she does have a sensible side which helps her understand what the angels are trying to get the teens to do. Her team mates are better understood from the pov changes, which +made complete sense when I was thinking straight.

 The abilities AJ and her colleagues have are so awesome! I love the negative traits to each person's essenced species-they include anti-social and health damaging habits.  The descriptions for each species had me completely captivated. I totally wanted to be fairy essenced or mermaid essenced. I have to stress how, barring the prologue which I wasn't captivated by and my fear that the fighting would happen quite soon in the story and would be horrific (I was wrong in both cases), this is a spectacular read. I often moan at books which don't spend too much story time training up characters for war, getting to know each training session's finer details, but Connie lets the reader see everything. Whenever I thought the story couldn't get any cooler, wham! A new plot twist appeared and made me squee. Its not just weapons and some special abilities involved - there is something unique to every species which makes the book incredible.
 
I'm really eager for book 2 now to see what form all the battles will take, and who will die as I'm certain some will. There are such high stakes - the entire world is under threat, which is a huge pressure. That is imporrtant to AJ, but foremost in her mind is her little sister and her parents. That is who she uses to get through the tough times, she can't afford to let them down. It doesn't stop her love/hate relationship with her mentor, which was an important part of the story but wasn't the entire story, if you get what I mean. AJ did focus on the status of the relationship, but she also concentrated on other areas of her life too.

Remember for a limited time until 28th February 2014 this is free on Amazon! I don't get anything by promoting it.
 
Suggested read
I highly recommend Rae of Hope by W J May as another thrilling read

Emblazed   
24th February 2014, Amazon Media, 350ish pages (can't remember exact details & info isn't online at the time of writing this post), Ebook, Review copy 

Themes: angels, monsters, battles, friendships being forged,

Content: giant sn*ke, moderate teen romance, lots of humour, tissues most definitely needed

Summary of the book (from the press release info)  
After all the preparations, Nicholai’s warriors stand on the threshold of warfare, the demons entering the realm in battalions and the world unknowingly depending on the army’s success to continue intact. But the battle is only the beginning of deadly struggles, and the soldiers will soon realize how little they know, how many things are at stake, and how much they have to lose. 
Love, hate, hope, despair, anguish, joy… The journey is a gauntlet of emotion and combat, threatening their resolve as much as their lives.
Will their training and ties be enough, or will the complications and the forthcoming evil forever cripple the world’s last hope of survival?

Nayuleska's thoughts
The first thing I did when I finished this second in a series book was tweet to Connie how evil she is. What else can I do with that kind of cliff hanger ending? Just as in book 1, Essenced, lots of time is spent on the continuing friendships which are being strengthened during and between training sessions and battles. Yes the teen romance relations are also strengthened, but I confess to skim reading those points (hence the grade, as I skimmed the battle as I wasn't in the mood for intense situations...I read most of this book! It's what I do with every book, skimming is not the same as skipping entire chapters... Oddly I didn't totally skip the snake chapter because I was eager to see how Ray-Ray, a girl who makes me laugh just like Bree and McKenna do, as she is petrified of snakes. She does good is all I'm saying!

 *coughs* Regardless of the parts I didn't examine as closely as I could have, the rest swept me away. I love second books because I already know and love the characters. The banter between AJ and her friends is highly amusing, especially when they all come out with quips which fit them perfectly. It was such a joy to read about so much down time in training and to have the humour in medium to minor battles because there's a real sense of hope as opposed to doom and gloom. These days that is what keeps me reading (and skim reading) books with battles in. Battles are a part of AJ's crazy life, but, along with her friends, although they are only together for the battles it's what happens outside them which gives them (and me) the strength and the courage to fight for those love, regardless of whether they are nearby in battle or far away in ignorance of what the missing person in their family is doing. There are intense moments of gut-wrenching grief which make tissues a necessity, but they are buffered by the fun parts.

I love this series! Extremely desperate for book 3 thanks to the evil awfully good ending in book 2. Yes I did go on Twitter as soon as I finished it to tell Connie exactly how evil she is. She took it well!

Find out more on Connie's website.

Suggested read
You have to read book 1, Essenced which is reviewed above this one ^o^

Tuesday 25 February 2014

The Dragon's Dentist by John McLay & Martin Brown (Children's, 5 years +, 10/10E)


6th February 2014, Orion Children's, 80 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Themes: a cranky dragon, an aspiring knight, a faithful steed, unsupportive people, courage, aiming high,
 
Content: oodles of humour, mild peril

Summary from Orion
Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.

Harry wishes he was a knight. All his family are. So, one morning, as he sits cleaning the shields after a very muddy battle, he decides to do a great deed. He decides to capture Eric the Dragon.

Nayuleska's thoughts 
Confession time: when I read books I don't often think about the author/s and illustrator/s when I start reading. That's why when I thought I recognised the style of illustrations I hastily checked the front cover and realised it was the illustrator of Horrible Histories, Martin Brown! That's why I was in stitches on most pages because the expressions on everyone's face, especially Oats and Harry's are super expressive.

The story itself is rather a clever take on the longstanding dragon vs knight showdown. Sure, people's lack of faith in Harry until the end was predictable, but Harry has tremendous strength and resolve to pursue his dream. It was the small details like there being several well known Erics besides Eric the dragon, the flowers on Harry sister's shield which are at odds with her don't-mess-with-me attitude, and the thoroughness of Harry's preparations which make this an delightful read.

Suggested read
For another knight with a difference story check out Sir Mouse to The Rescue by Dirk Nieland and Marjolen Pottle (Children's, 5 years +, 10E/10E)
 

Monday 24 February 2014

What are YOU reading? #206




What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Read


Angelina and the Princess by Katherine Holabird and Helen Craig
Children's, Picture book
9/10E
(Utterly adorable tale with a sweet lesson...check out my review!)





Very Little Red Riding Hood by Heapy and Heap
Children's, Picture book
10E/10E
(This is a very cute red riding hood with attitude!)





Emblazed by Connie L Smith
Young Adult
9/10E
(A truly evil author wrote this book - I mean that in a nice way!)






The Dragon's Dentist by John McLay
Children's, 5 years +
10/10E
(Every page made me laugh!)





Wonder Light by R R Russell
Children's, 9 years +
9/10E
(Good and bad unicorns exist in Twig's world...)









Reread


Drina Dances in New York by Jean Estoril
Children's, 9 years +
10E/10E
(Drina's temper flares up a few times as do a few new emotions...)









Watched


Waterloo Road
Drama, English version
9/10E
Some of the characters are seriously deranged!





Winx: Season 5
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10E/10E
It is seriously good to watch this in French and not in English - Winx for me is French! The girls have Sirenix now ^o^





Tough Young Teachers
Documentary, English version
9/10E
The finale had a surprise from one teacher which took me by surprise and although I could see their point of view, I don't agree with what they did...





Winx: Season 6
Anime, English version
10E/10E
Squee - Bloom gets her Bloomix in a mega drama filled ep! It's frustrating having to wait for these new eps to be released.





Outnumbered
Drama, English version
10E/10E
This comedy continues to have me in stitches!





My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 2
Anime, English version
10E/10E
I know I've seen it before, but seeing the girls dress up as a dragon to keep an eye on Spike as he investigates his dragon heritage is hilarious!










Played
Yup, still no console playing but plenty of other gaming going!






Flower Shop Star is like last week's pizza game, except it is with flowers and not pizzas.





I had the best luck ever this week and discovered a load of Hello Kitty Games! I'm currently addicted to Hello Kitty Salon, where I run a beauty salon with people who have hats/headbands of Hello Kitty characters come in. It is quite hard-its going take ages to get enough credits to buy equipment, hire more staff etc. You can buy money/credits but that takes the fun out of gaming plus I can't exactly spare the money for it either. So I'm swallowing the fact I'm going to have to restart the game as I bought a nail bar not realising that I don't have enough staff to cope with the extra demand from the new area...I do highly recommend it if you are a Hello Kitty fan or if you love cute things. Each 'day' of playing lasts 2-3 minutes, so it's perfect for a quick play.   Edited to add 25th Feb 2014: I feel out of love with this game. Will explain why soon.


The other games I'm playing isn't Hello Kitty (I downloaded a lot but only playing 1 at a time for now) It's Strawberry Shortcake & Winx!



Winx Sirenix Magic Oceans is a fun tetris-y type game that I keep forgetting the rules so don't do very well in gaining points but it's easy for a quick game.





Strawberry Shortcake Bake Shop is the one exception so far where I've paid for the add-on's. You get to bake a dessert and decorate it. There's so much fun to be had stirring the mixture, breaking the eggs (sadly you cant do it wrong and make eggs go splat outside the bowl), grease tins with butter to name a few. The free version only has 1 dessert, and it's impossible to complete the requests Strawberry's friends make without the add ons which have the relevant icing colours/fillings/decorations. I did gulp at the price (just under £6) but I find it such fun I went ahead and haven't regretted it at all! I might not have energy to make real desserts but thanks to Strawberry I can do it virtually!









Craft
Check out the number of crochet squares I've been able to enlarge so far!




Made some more progress on my new cross stitch kit too.





Sunday 23 February 2014

Review + Q&A: Who's in the Tree that Shouldn't Be? by Craig Shuttlewood (Children's, Picture book/flap book/novelty book, 9/10E)

January 2014, Templar, 24 pages, Hardback, Review copy 

animals, anime habitats, flaps to lift, 

loads of humour

Summary from Templar
An elephant in the sky? A peacock in the sea? Are creatures hiding where they shouldn't be? Lift the large flaps, follow the romping rhyme, and find each face that's out of place. Graphic artist Craig Shuttlewood whisks kids from desert to forest to ocean deep - ending up with an out-of-place animal that's sure to be a BIG surprise!

Nayuleska's thoughts 
I expected this book to be cute, I didn't realise how funny it is! I was giggling away by the various witty comments on each page from the other animals. I liked how some of the illustrations looked as if they were made by stamp and ink, and how others looked painted. The scenes themselves made me laugh it was funny looking at a cow with a few ink flowers drawn near it, the flea in the tree made me laugh...yet the funniest part of all was the way that once each animal was found it would congregate in the bottom right hand corner of the book and make comments on the other animals which joined them. 

The flaps themselves are fairly sturdy. Most make it impossible to guess which animal is hiding (except for the last animal which is really obvious). I guessed 1 of the animals from the clue provided, some were pretty clever and tricky to guess correctly. The only reason that this doesn't get full marks is that somehow I thought I'd see which habitat the animals really lived in, which was partially true for the final revelation, just not in the way I'd expected. 

Suggested read
Another book which made me laugh a lot is Stick! by Andy Pritchett (Children's, Picture book, 10/10E)


Question and Answer with Craig 

It's been a real pleasure having the opportunity to ask Craig a few questions about his latest fun book. I'd like to thank Craig for making me laugh a lot, and for giving us more of an insight both the book and his writing/illustrating process. 

Nayu (N) 1) What inspired you to opt for a flap/novelty book instead of a flat picture book?  

Craig (C) My original plan for the book was always to reveal the characters in the wrong environment behind flaps to create a surprise for a young audience. 

N: 2) How did you decide which animals/scenes to include in the story? 

C: I have since been drawing new animals but for this book I tried to choose a good mix of quirky characters in different shapes and sizes. Also, it was important to create animals that children would recognise rather than more unusual critters like an aardvark for example! 

N: 3) Yes, an aardvark would puzzle a fair amount of adults too! This is a fun way of getting readers interested in animals and habitats - do you hope to write more books with a similar theme? 

C: I do and have another book in progress with lots of animals / new characters. Animals are more fun to draw than people so these often appear in my work (illustration, painting and prints).

N: 4) Are you able to give a rough estimate of how long each page took to illustrate? 

C: Tricky question! Each page goes through a planning process from rough to finished artwork with tweaks along the way. Each spread is made of groups of layers i.e. base art (showing spread without flap), outside of flap and inside surface of flap. So it's really difficult to say how long but somewhere between 1 - 3 days 'very roughly speaking!'

N: 5) What is your favourite snack and drink while working? 

C: I do like a snack and have a proper coffee every morning in an Italian espresso maker. If at home in the studio I can be easily distracted by tea breaks and munching on fruit or peanut butter on crumpets. 

Mmm, crumpets with peanut butter....somehow I think I'll have crumpets before the week is out! Thank you for being here Craig, I'm already looking forward to your next book!

Saturday 22 February 2014

Nayu's News #105

I did it!
As promised I've just organised several draft posts each with a picture in so I can write future Nayu's News on my tablet without becoming upset at the lack of pictures. Still struggling with only have 1 picture, but as I discovered the other day 1 is better than none. I'm about to finish up 2 blog tour posts and then it's time to watch anime and READ! Just because I'm on my laptop I'll allow myself a 2nd picture in today's post ^o^ 

As ever pictures are taken from random online search, but all quotes are by me. 
See you next time!

Angelina and the Princess by Katherine Holabird and Helen Craig (Children's, Picture book, 9/10E)


 January 2014, Puffin,  32 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Themes: ballet school, important performance, forgoing sleep for practise, getting ill, disobeying parental advice, wanting to quit, feeling a failure, fortunate goings on

Summary from Puffin
Miss Lilly's Ballet School has been invited to perform for the Princess of Mouseland, and Angelina hopes to be a prima ballerina. But disaster strikes when she is only given a minor role. Angelina is so disappointed that she wants to leave ballet school, but she decides to work hard for the sake of all her friends in the performance. There is an unexpected turn of events, however, when the prima ballerina sprains her ankle and Angelina is delighted to be able to step in and save the day!

Nayuleska's thoughts
As far as I can remember this is my first Angelina Ballerina book. It's utterly adorable! The level of detail with the expressive pictures remind of Brambly Hedge series or Little Grey Rabbit (links take you to sites about those particular tales). Angelina's toys are a little freaky, but I loved the mice on each of her bed pillars, the mice ornaments and how Angelina' mother is a knitter. There are the 4 seasons pictures om the wall outside Angelina's room, the pens and books in the basket beside Angelina and the balls of yarn by her mother when they are in the garden, the cute baby with no clothes on...there is so much to look at and inspire readers to imagine more tales.

Angelina looks so forlorn when she predictably doesn't do well in her audition. Sometimes we have to experience staying up too late practising something to understand the true value of sleep. It was a huge aw moment when she wanted to quit ballet and her mother gathered her up with love and took her to bed. I enjoyed how the reader learns just because Angelina flunked the audition doesn't mean her dreams are dashed, as she - like us - never knows whats around the corner.

Check out more on the dedicated website.
 
Suggested read
Another ballet themed tale is Magic Ballerina: Delphie and the Magic Ballet Shoes by Darcy Bussell (Children's, 5 years +, 10E/10E)