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Book of the week archive

The Shed of Books

4/7/2018

31 Comments

 

Our new book blog is here...
www.shedofbooks.com

31 Comments

Viking boy by tony Bradman

7/24/2017

12 Comments

 
Gunnar Bjornsson, a Viking, lives with his parents on their farmstead - an idyllic place to grow up.  Gunnar had a happy childhood but everything changed the night the Wolf Men came.  They killed his father and Gunnar escaped after watching Valkyries descend from the sky and take the body of his father to the halls of Valhalla. 

Gunnar vowed to avenge this act by travelling to Valhalla to bring back his father so they could kill the leader of the Wolf Men.  
On his journey, Gunnar was met by setbacks.  Being kidnapped and sold into slavery was not part of his plan.  However, with the help of some loyal friends he makes his was to the Land of Ice and Fire, across The Rainbow Bridge to Asgard and enters the Hall of Valhalla. 
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Click the image to buy this book
Will Gunnar wreak his vengeance on Skuli; head of the wolf me?  You will have to read the book to find out but it is well worth it.  
At 206 pages long the book is relatively short, a great length for a class read in years 5 or 6 and beyond.  It could be accessed by children in Y4 but teachers should use caution due to some of the content.  A number of characters lose their heads (literally.)

This story would be a great accompaniment to a Vikings history unit, allowing teachers to explore both the brutality of Viking life and elements of Norse Mythology. 

I prefer this text to 'How to Train Your Dragon' as a more realistic portrayal of Viking culture. 
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Find out more about Tony Bradman and his school visits on his website here
Other Historical Texts by Tony Bradman
Click the covers for more detail
More books with a Viking theme
Click on the covers for more detail
12 Comments

The Wonder Garden

6/6/2017

20 Comments

 
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The Wonder Garden 
Kristjana S Williams 
Written by Jenny Broom


Published by Wide Eyed Books

Click here for further information
It is true that I have neglected Non-fiction books on this blog so far.  However, I will blame my 7-year-old son, Noah - he keeps stealing them.  I have had to get this one from by his bed in order to review it. 

The Wonder Garden is a beautifully illustrated book which allows its readers to 'wander through five habitats to discover eighty amazing animals.'
The book entices children and adults alike through the golden gates on the cover and into the wondrous garden that is planet Earth.  From deserts, rainforests and mountains to oceans we are met by double spread after double spread of richly illustrated landscapes and beautifully drawn creatures. 
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The language used in the text is challenging also using the latin names of the animals alongside the common.  The author describes the creatures vividly, using poetic language amongst the technical. (See extract below) 
"Black Caiman
Melanosuchus niger

Beware the Black Caiman stealthily sliding through the water.  This creature is so powerful that fully grown - protected by its scaly armour and strong jaws - it becomes an apex predator, un-hunted by any other species."

Other beautifully illustrated non-fiction texts with an animal theme. 
Click on the images for further information
Please leave further suggestions in the comments section below. 
The Land of Neverbelieve by Norman Messenger is a natural world non-fiction book with a difference - It is all made up! 
20 Comments

Grandad's Secret Giant

4/17/2017

6 Comments

 
Grandad's Secret Giant by David Litchfield - author of 'The Bear and The Piano' is a wonderful picture book about acceptance that can be enjoyed by children of all ages. 
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A giant lives in Billy's town and according to Billy's Grandad the giant spends his days doing good deeds for the people that live there. 

"He has hands the size of tables," Grandad continued, "legs as long as drainpipes, and feet as big as rowing boats.  Do you know who I mean?" 

"The secret giant," Billy sighed, "You've told me about him a thousand times, Grandad.  You're making it up!"


The giant doesn't want people to know about him "Because people are scared of things that are different."  Grandad tells Billy. 
This is the main theme of the story.  Prejudice against things that we are afraid of and the acceptance of such things.   In the story, we see how Billy reacts when he first sees the giant and how his Grandad's words makes him react differently to the other people in the town. 
Click the image below to buy a copy of this book.
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Other stories about 'fear' and/or 'acceptance.'  Click the book cover for details. 
The Iron Man

​Beegu

​I, too, am America
The Island

​Wonder

​Looking after Louis
The BFG

​Elmer

​Mostly Monsterly
6 Comments

Number the stars by Lois Lowry 

3/28/2017

11 Comments

 
For a multitude of reasons, we can sometimes miss books when they are first released and we never revisit them.  ‘Number The Stars by Lois Lowry is considered a ‘modern classic’ by some yet I had never read it until recently.  I put it down to the fact that I was only 7 when it was first published back in 1989.
 
This short book (158 pages) is a beautifully crafted fictional account about the escape of a Jewish family (the Roden's) from Copenhagen during World War II.
 ​
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Click on the image to buy this book
The story is told through the eyes of Anne Marie Johansen, a friend of Ellen Rosen.  Both girls are 10 years old and living through the occupation at first unaware of the dangers that they are potentially in.   They have heard rumours of Jewish families being located and Anne-Marie discovers that the shops in the neighbourhood that are owned by Jews are suddenly being closed down.
 
With the help of the ‘Danish Resistance’ Jews are crossing the sea from Denmark to the relative safety of ‘neutral’ Sweden.
 
Will the Rosens make it?  Will the Johansens and their friends get caught aiding them? 
Young readers  will get caught up in the secrecy and suspense of these actions but are somewhat protected from the implications of capture.  In that sense, they are very much like the three girls in the story.
 
If you are looking for a text to use in class which tells of the events in occupied Europe but without exposing the children to some of the more graphic retellings in novels such as ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ and the wonderful books by Morris Gleitzman.
 
If children enjoy ‘Number the Stars’ they may also enjoy ‘The Silver Sword’ by Ian Serralier and ‘Hitler’s Canary’ by Sandi Toksvig. 
For more books about World War II visit this blog post 
Visit The War and Peace shed for short films about conflict - click here
11 Comments

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd Stanton

3/11/2017

7 Comments

 
Erin Pike lives by the sea and she longed to go out to sea on her mum's fishing boat.  Unfortunately, even though Erin tries to stowaway on the boat she never gets chance to go out onto the ocean.  She is not allowed.  The sea is too dangerous.  There are legends and tales told in the fishing village about 'The Black Rock.'  The Black Rock appears from nowhere and destroys boats; their crew are never seen again! 

One day Erin sneaks onto her mums boat and sails out to sea.  She comes face to face with The Black Rock and ends up finding out the real secret.  Erin lives to tell the tale even if the grown ups of the town do not want to believe all that she tells.  

This modern folk tale tells us a story of people and their relationship with things that they do not understand. It reminds me a little of the story of 'The Iron Man' by Ted Hughes and has themes that echo in this book for older children: 'The Island' by Armin Greder 
Click the image for more details
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7 Comments

A child of books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

2/20/2017

11 Comments

 
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"I am a child of books
​I come from a world of stories."
The child of books sails the seas of her own imagination.  She meets a young boy and takes him with her on an adventure to unlock his own imagination. 

They travel up mountains of make-believe and explore fairytale forests before escaping monsters in a haunted castle.

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A wonderful book to share on World Book Day or at anytime to illustrate the magic of books and the places reading can take you. 
Buy this book here
(Click the image below)
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Other books by Oliver Jeffers 

Click the image for more information
11 Comments

Sketches From A Nameless Land - Shaun TAN

2/16/2017

12 Comments

 
Sketches From A Nameless Land 
The Art of The Arrival 
Shaun Tan 

'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan is a story told through wordless pictures of a migrant's journey  to an unknown and nameless land.  The fact that it is wordless allows its 'readers' to create their own narratives and provide their own interpretation and answers to any questions the story might generate. 

'Sketches from a nameless land' is a companion book to 'The Arrival' and gives insight into the processes that Tan went through in completing the book. 
Click the image for more details
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Tan tells us of his inspiration and the methods he used to create the images that we see in the finished book. 
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12 Comments

The Building Boy 

2/12/2017

8 Comments

 
"Each night before the boy went to to bed, he would light the fire. He would squeeze beside Grandma on her favourite chair.  The house would be quiet, except for the turning of a page and the ticking of a clock."
'The Building Boy' by Ross Montgomery is a truly heartwarming story about a young boy and his grandma who had been a famous architect.  The boy and his grandma spend each night looking at photographs of her achievements and together they plan to build a marvellous house on a hill where they can live together. 
Sadly, Grandma gets old - too old to build houses - too old to sit up in bed and one day she is gone. 

The boy has a plan and even though he is heartbroken he sets to work.  He builds a new 'grandma' and together they travel on adventures over mountains and across huge oceans. 
There are books that can be used to help children get over the death of a loved one.  This book tells of one boys journey through the loss of someone dear to him and the celebration of her legacy. 
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"Then he saw it. 
On the hill above the city that lay beyond the sea, was the house that Grandma had built for him."
The stunning illustrations by David Litchfield compliment the story beautifully. 
Click on the image for further details.
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Further books on the theme of death and bereavement

Click an image for further description
8 Comments

The Resurrectionist, The lost work of Dr. Spencer Black by e.B. Hudspeth

2/2/2017

6 Comments

 
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​Perhaps this book could be classified as 'faction' a hybrid book where fiction is presented as fact, in this case a biography and a scientific journal. 

Part 1 of the book is the biography of Dr. Spencer Black.  The doctor, the son of a grave robber, studied at the Academy of Medicine in Philadelphia during the 1870's.  He was a controversial figure - some people saw him as a genius, but most saw him as a mad man. 

Part 2 of the book is Black's opus, his lifetime's work; 'The Codex Extinct Animalia.'  A collection of anatomical drawings illustrating the anatomy of mythical creatures from throughout history.   Black developed a strange and morbid curiosity of these creatures believing that they were the 'anatomical ancestors of humankind.'  A truly exciting and interesting read followed by a collection of mind-blowing art work. ​

I would possibly use this book to inspire some fictional biographies, Dr. Frankenstein for example.
I would love to know how you might use it in the classroom.
Click the image below for further information
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6 Comments
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    @redgierob

    ​After building up a small library of books we thought the time had come to share them! 

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