CHRISTMAS BOOKSTORE

Bookstore

There is lots to keep you entertained and while away dark winter hours in this selection whether you fancy being spooked, excited, amused or educated, some combine them all! Hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Who Will Kiss the Crocodile? Debbie

Suly Senior/ Claire Powell (Little Tiger Hb, £11.99) Princess Liss had a fabulous first birthday party, until an uninvited guest turned up. Unfortunately she was a very angry fairy who cursed the Princess to die when bumping her knee when she reached fifteen. Until then she was turned into a crocodile. A pixie helpfully turned the curse from death to a long sleep when she would be awoken with a kiss. This might have been more helpful if she hadn’t been turned into a crocodile - who would kiss one of those? Things happened as predicted and after a long, long sleep princes came to kiss the princess and claim the kingdom, but when they saw her none were brave enough. It seemed she was doomed to never wake up until neighbours, worried about the state of the castle, called in the Handy-Grans. Find out what happened in this funny picture book with expressive, colourful illustrations. It might remind you of another princess story.

Uncle Nat is treating Hal to a trip travelling on the night train to Narvik going to the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Light for Christmas. It is just for pleasure, no danger involved, and Hal’s mum is welcomed when she turns up unexpectedly. Not surprisingly things don’t go according to plan and when a sinister figure appears from Nat’s past they soon realise they have been unwittingly drawn into a plot, faced with an assassin who will do anything to to gain control of a deadly Kill Code who must be stopped at all costs. This puts them in great danger, and this time that includes Hal’s mum, with some surprising consequences. Sadly this is the last book in this highly entertaining series which has never lost momentum. Like the previous stories it is full of excitment with breath taking moments and so atmoshperic, I almost shivered reading it! All aided by Hal’s drawings. You don’t have to have read the others to enjoy this one, but it will make you want to go back and catch up!

I Did See A Mammoth

Alex Willmore (Farshare, £7.99) When a group of explorers go to research penguins in the Antarctic, one young member has other ideas. They are determined to see a mammoth, even though they are extinct. No one believes them when they report seeing a mammoth - on a skateboard, wearing sunglasses, a tutu or ever more daft ideas, ignoring the amazing things the penguins are up to. Not being believed doesn’t help their temper and a tantrum has surprising results, just as they begin to doubt themselves. This is a really entertaining book with vivid pictures that add to the story and will have you laughing out loud. It is great to share and read aloud with a nice surprise at the end. I love it!

The Vanishing of Aveline Jones - Phil Hickes (Usborne, £6.99) It has been years since Aveline’s uncle disappeared and, giving up all hope of his return, her mum and aunt have gone to his house to sell it. Going with them, Aveline and Harold don’t want to give up and are determined to solve the mystery and find him. They discover he had been researching odd happenings around a long barrow, an ancient burial mound. Meeting Sammy who has been researching these they learn other locals have gone missing in the vicinity of the barrow. Sammy is convinced it is full of supernatural activity and therefore dangerous, warning Aveline not to go near it. But she won’t be put off and answering an unexpected invitation with Harold they end up inside the barrow proving Sammy’s fears. They have become the latest victims of an evil faery that lurks there, collecting people and playing mind games to make sure they never leave. They only have until the solstice to defeat the faery and find their way out, a very difficult task fraught with danger. This is an engrossing, spooky story full of nail biting moments. S

The Mummy’s Curse

M.A. Bennett (Welbeck Flame, £7.99) Luna, Konstantin and Aidan are members of the Butterfly Club who have a time train that takes them into the future so they can steal artefacts and bring them back to help make advances earlier. They have a holographic link to Professor Lorenz an inventor in the future who gives them all the information they need to complete their tasks. When a shabti is discovered belonging to Tutankhamun, the club wants to find his tomb. Being told when Howard Carter is going to discover it the friends are sent forward to discover it first and bring the treasures back. Accompanied by Arthur Conan Doyle, despite great difficulty, they locate Carter’s group and do find the tomb first, but start to have doubts about whether the body should be taken away. These are doubled when a curse is unleashed and they only just escape from a near death experience. After failed attempts to stop Carter finding the tomb they have a fight against time to stop the body being moved whilst wondering how to explain their actions when they return to their own time. This is an exciting story full of period details that give you a feel for the time and bring events to life. It makes you think about the moral dilemma they face The Incredible Pop-Up Mummy

Moira Butterfield/ Quang & Lien (Templar Hb, £25) If your appetite for Egyptian history has been awakened, this book will more than satisfy it. To celebrate the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, it tells all about the way Ancient Egypt and the way the people dealt with death and the afterlife, demonstrated by pop ups with flaps to lift that allow you to see into all the layers of pyramids and mummys. Each step is carefully explained in words aided by colourful, detailed pictures. A real gem of a book.

The Book That No One Wanted To Read

Richard Ayoade (Walker Hb, £10.99) Don’t worry, the title doesn’t refer to this book, because I really enjoyed reading it and I think many others will too. It refers to the book in the story - confused? You will be! Have you ever wondered what it must feel like to be a book? Possibly not, but you might have imagined being in a book, in which case you are in for a treat because this book is about You. It’s also about a poor, neglected, lonely book who luckily can interact with you. Stick with it, if you are the right reader you may be able to change its fortune. Along the way you could learn a lot about books and how to treat them. This one is full of funny, slightly bonkers illustrations matching the mood of the words. Warning! You might want to make sure no one watches you reading this because you could do so with a very silly smile on your face only interrupted when you start to giggle!

Honesty and Lies - Eloise Williams (Firefly, £7.99) During the cold winter of 1601 Honesty runs away to London to escape an unwanted future. She finds it large and frightening after her Welsh home. Luckily she meets Alice, a maid of Queen Elizabeth I and in a set of unexpected circumstances manages to become a maid as well. The pair become friends, but while Honesty relishes attention and being noticed by the Queen, Alice tries to stay unnoticed. She is obviously hiding a big secret that could leave both girls in mortal peril and test their friendship. This is a gripping story full of vivid, historic details (you can almost smell the washing room) and exciting episodes. The chapters alternate between each girl’s viewpoint letting the reader see both sides and know more than the characters do, which really draws you in.

You Are History

Greg Jenner (Walker Hb, £14.99) This isn’t a threat! This book shows that history is all around us in the things we use everyday. It takes a really funny, but true, look at fifty common objects and the often almost unbelievable ways they came about. From toilets, showers and glasses to clothes, jewellery and personal toiletries; edibles, entertainment and machines to all things that make life easier and more comfortable, even our pets. Did you know Jewellery in ancient Egypt was used to protect against evil spells while Victorians wore jewellery made from dead insects? Hair styling is nothing new but products have thankfully changed. A few hundred years ago they used cat poo! If the words weren’t amusing enough, the fantastic illustrations will have you laughing out loud.