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An Abundance of Activities: February 2020 Half-Term Events at Wokingham Libraries

By our-reading-den-admin3rd February 2020Whispers on the Bookshelf
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An Abundance of Activities for Children

From Musical Theatre to Origami, Guide Dogs to building with Lego, crafts, animals, sand-art, recycling and much more, plus stories, poetry and singing, there is an abundance of activities to entertain children at  Wokingham Libraries throughout February half-term 2020.

Please click on our Library link to find out more information.

Whispers on the Bookshelf

  • A Dream Job with Chocolate Sprinkles – your help required.
  • Good News for Bookshops
  • A Bookish Feast
  • Book Sneakie Peakies
  • Let Libraries In

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Wargrave Literary Festival. This event is going Wargrave Literary Festival. 

This event is going to be a fantastic one. Come and listen to talks from an incredible line up of authors. Plus stalls, cheese and wine, and if you are an aspiring author the chance to meet with a literary agent. For more info go to www.wargravefestival.org.uk 

Tickets are available online from 3 April. 

#wargrave #literaryfestival #books #festival
Who knew tiny little Sea Stars lived inside a daff Who knew tiny little Sea Stars lived inside a daffodil!  #useyourimagination #imagination

Ok so I know this isn’t actually a Sea Star (obvs) but when I zoomed in on the photo I took of a daffodil that is what came into my head and I blame my over-active imagination on the books I have been reading. 

My daughter and I have just finished reading the first three books in The Polar Bear Explorers Club series and Alex Bell's incredible imagination just blew us away. It feels like the author has a treasure trove inside her head of wonderfully inventive imaginings and she carefully scatters them throughout this magical and captivating series.

The first three books follow Stella as she strives to be an explorer and finds herself in the most unusual, dangerous, unexpected, and bizarre places, making friends and learning about herself along the way.

The books are not only magical, adventurous, and exciting, but they gently explore what it is to be different, how to love and celebrate your differences, the power of kindness, love and friendship. They will spark your imagination and open your eyes to the potential for magic and wonder in the everyday.

The Polar Bear Explorers Club by Alex Bell

Explorers on Witch Mountain by Alex Bell

Explorers on Black Ice Bridge by Alex Bell 

We are looking forward to reading the next book in the series The Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club. 

I would recommend these for children 9+ or 8+ if you read the books to them. 

#kidslit #childrensbooks #childrensbookstagram
Teenage Reads My boys were always avid readers bu Teenage Reads

My boys were always avid readers but when they hit Year 7 the reading momentum went down a couple of gears. I’m not going to lie, I panicked, worried they would stop reading altogether, that reading would become a chore, neither interesting nor cool.

Once I realised panicking and shoving books under their noses wasn’t working,  I went down a gear.  I found books I thought they may like and left them in their bedrooms, letting them choose whether they wanted to read them or not. 

Sometimes they pick up the books I leave them. Sometimes they ignore them.

It is sporadic but they are still reading, not every bedtime or at the breakfast table like they used to but that’s ok, they have other things on their minds -  independence to explore, stories of their own to start and, lets be honest, screens to distract them.

A wise lady once told me that if your children loved reading when young, though they may put books aside as teenagers, they will come back to them. She has three grown up sons who are proof of this theory. 

Below are books my boys, who are 14 and 12, have recently picked up and enjoyed.

Please be aware some of these books contain themes such as domestic abuse, crime, and violence but they all hold hope, kindness, friendship and tolerance as important values.

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C. G Drews - beautifully written book full of feeling. Compulsive reading. 

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G Powerful, shocking, beautiful and hopeful. 

Fantasy 
I am Number Four – Pitticus Lore (The Lorien Legacies) 

Gone – Michael Grant (Gone series)

Outwalkers – Fiona Shaw - teenagers surviving a dystopian England. 

One of Us is Lying - Karen M. McManus. Murder mystery set in a U.S high school

Ghost – Jason Reynolds.  This book deals with strong emotions, working hard for your dreams, and the important of believing in yourself and having someone believe in you.

The Crossover – Kwame Alexander. This is a novel in verse about basketball, my sons both loved it.

Dear Martin – Nic Stone. Honest and gripping, exploring one boy’s hopes and dreams, and the reality of the racism that shapes his world.
#childrensbooks #teenagers #lovebooks
This made me smile on our walk today. But not as This made me smile on our walk today. 

But not as much as the book making me smile this week which is:

Vi Spy: Licence to Chill by Maz Evans @mazauthor 

There is much to chortle at in this fresh, funny story about a girl who discovers her mum is a Super Spy and her dad is a Super Villain. 

There is adventure, heart, humour and surprising surprises all wrapped up in a fast-paced, engaging story with characters you want more of. 

My daughter is already reading the second book in the series and reading out the funny parts to us all. 

I recommend this book to readers 8+ 

#smile #dontworry #childrensbooks #kidslit #mazevans
I selected these books for the colour of their cov I selected these books for the colour of their covers, to demonstrate my support for Ukraine. As I pulled them out of the bookcase I realised that at the heart of each story are themes of tolerance, kindness, courage, hope, love, and unity and this is despite the suffering, pain and cruelty that is also present. And despite the pain and suffering we see on the news there are stories of kindness and courage and love.

The children in these books have their lives torn apart by war, by bullying, by the ruthlessness of power-hungry dictators, or by other circumstances beyond their control. And yet at the heart of each story are children whose acts of kindness, courage, acceptance of others, resilience and hope are the lights which make these stories powerful, life-affirming and gently optimistic.

Children are once again suffering because of war and we all need to find a way to help them - whether this is by donating to a charity, sending essential supplies, or petitioning our government to let our country be one of the good people and open its arms to the Ukrainian people.

And once we have done what we can, and more, lets pull our children close and read them stories that give them faith in the goodness of people, that although there is suffering there is also hope and kindness, tolerance, and courage, and maybe we can bring up a generation of children who won't let history repeat itself again and again and again.
Cressida Cowell is a magical genius of a story whi Cressida Cowell is a magical genius of a story whisperer with a definite impish kind of humour. I’ve just snuck upstairs to hang out with the cat so I can listen to the end of The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever in peace. 

I’ve giggled, held my breath in anticipation and tears have welled (I’m 46 for goodness sake, keep it together woman!) and just thoroughly enjoyed every word. This is such an incredible and satisfying end to the series. 

I highly recommend The Wizard of Once series - it’s magical and funny, action-packed and breath-taking. For an absolute treat listen to it like I did on Audible as David Tenant narrates the story with such enthusiasm and delight that it is an absolute feast for the ears. 

#cressidacowell #childrensbooks #kidslit #kidsbookstagram #thewizardsofonce #mummoment
I saw this frosted leaf on a morning walk today, i I saw this frosted leaf on a morning walk today, it looks like a curious little frost monster! It could easily have been found in either of the books I am loving at the moment. 

My daughter and I are reading Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend, the second book in her Nevermoor series and I am listening to the audiobook of A Darkness of Dragons by S. A Patrick on my dog walks, and already know that I want to read the second in the series. 

Both authors have the most incredibly rich imaginations and I have become totally immersed in the worlds they have built. 

I highly recommend both books for children aged 9+ and also suggest parents read them with their children so as not to miss out on such breathtaking storytelling. 

#kidslit #nevermoor #childrensbooksofinstagram #whattoreadtoyourkids #lovereading
Bye Bye October. You brought us autumn with its Bye Bye October. 

You brought us autumn with its timeless display of russet tones, Halloween tricks, earthy treats and early fireworks. I have loved the crisp blue-sky moments and the damp, rosy evenings.

If, like me, you love Autumn and the woods and the wild please read October October by Katya Balen to your children. It is about a girl who holds the wild beauty and adventure of nature clutched in her heart. It is also about loss and home and adjusting, and finding friendship and love where you thought none existed and about people finding their way back to each other, all with one fire bright girl at the centre.

Then when you have finished this, and the weather has turned even colder, turn your reading light on to The Last Bear by @hannahgold_author . This is a stunning book about another girl who has absorbed the beauty and kindness of nature into her soul and who loves all that is wild and free. This too is a story about loss and relationships and loving what is right in front of you. It also has a clear message about climate change and the devastating impact it has on wildlife, whilst still giving us hope through the actions of a brave and determined young girl. 

Both stories make me want to take my children outside and immerse them in the beautiful world around us. So we will be pulling our wellies on this weekend and getting out into autumnal woods, enjoying Friluftsliv – a Norwegian word I learnt from The Last Bear which literally means ‘open-air life’ and reminding ourselves why this planet is worth saving. 

#autumn #katyabalen #lovenature #hannahgold #fall #wild #childrensbooks #kidslit #childrensbookstagrams
Dream Big. My daughter has discovered horses. Sh Dream Big.

 My daughter has discovered horses. She is horse-mad. She loves everything about them from their soft muzzles to their surprisingly inoffensive muck. She now dreams of owning her own pony and one day galloping on thundering hooves across the cross-country course at Blenheim, jumping high and inspiring other little girls who love horses and dream big.

As a result of this pony madness, we have been looking for good pony fiction books. We’ve read the first two books in Stacy Gregg’s Pony Club Secrets series which she really enjoyed but her attention drifted by the third book. We did watch the TV series, Mystic, based on these stories which she loved.

One Dollar Horse by Lauren St John turned out to be too old for my daughter. However, the story of a determined girl rescuing a neglected horse and overcoming all obstacles to train for eventing success is compelling and I read it in two days. It was gripping, full of twists and turns and has a great message about working hard to make the seemingly impossible possible. I am saving it for my daughter to read in a couple of years.

If anyone knows of any good realistic books for a pony mad 9-year-old then we would love to hear about them.

#ponymad #kidslit #childrensbooks #blenheiminternationalhorsetrials #mystic #laurenstjohn #ponybooks
Need a Hug? Musings on Hugs. My friend gave me Need a Hug? 

Musings on Hugs. 

My friend gave me a hug the other day after I became upset about something.  It was a beautiful thing, my friend’s hug. It wasn’t a cursory, quick-arms-around-your-back-then-we’re-done job. This was a I’m-going-to-fold-you-in-and hold-you-for-a-while hug. It was a let-me-soak-up-your pain and make you feel better hug.  It was a gift. An all give and no take hug. An all love and no expectation hug. The best version of a hug. 

This hug got me thinking about how and why we give hugs which was timely as a children’s book I’ve been reading recently ‘How I Saved the World in a Week’ by Polly Ho-Yen has a lot to say about hugs.

This is a book with a plot about a mysterious virus and it’s zombifying effect on humans. Yet it is a child’s observations of the hugs he receives which stayed with me. The central character Billy often describes the hugs he receives from his parents.  Through his eyes we see hugs as an expression of the current state of his relationship with a parent or the parent’s emotional status. This made me wonder about the quality of hugs I dish out to my children, and I concluded that I need to stop in my busyness and take more time to hug them, give them the best version of my hugs. 

So from these musings I am taking away this thought. If you are going to hug, hug well. Do it with feeling and honesty. Do it when the recipient is ready and open to the contact. Hug your children to make them feel loved and safe. Keep offering hugs to your teenager to make them feel loved and safe. Hug your friends and other loved ones for the same reasons. Hug with integrity. Hug well. #hugwell 

#hug #childrensbooks #kidslit #howisavedtheworldinaweek #hugging
My dog and the Oxfam bookshop. Two of my favourite My dog and the Oxfam bookshop. Two of my favourite things in one place. A small bit of joy on a Friday afternoon. Just not sure Toffee is feeling the joy along with me! Walkies? 

#charitybookshop #lovereading #lovedogs #dogsandbooks
September school stationary shopping always puts m September school stationary shopping always puts me in the mood for making fresh start resolutions and promises to myself of new adventures and experiences. 

For my children it means the Sunday night feeling of back to school  which is why we’ve done our stationary shopping now so we can holiday the back to school blues out of the last week. 

Once we’ve holidayed ourselves out I’ll post all the great reads we’ve discovered this summer. I’d love to hear about any books you or your children have enjoyed this summer ☀️📚

#backtoschool #freshstart #summerreadingkids #kidslit #childrensbooks

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