Advent Count Down -Series 21

Last year we read the “The Extinction Trials” with the Book group as part of the Scottish Teen Book Awards. The series has been very popular and described as a cross between “The Hunger Games” and “Jurassic park”. The story has continued with “Exile” and “Rebel.” Plenty of excitement and interesting characters /creatures.

Advent Count Down- Book 20

This story is inspired by the real life story of Annie Oakley. She rose to fame as a sharp shooter on the circus trail of the Wild West. This imagined story is that of young Maggie whose family are in destitute circumstances after the death of her father. Her mother is very much against her using her shooting skills gained from going out with Pa. I loved that fact that despite the challenging relationship she has with her mother young Maggie keeps trying to find ways of supporting her family. Great to have a story about a strong willed woman.

Advent Count Down- Book 16

“Believe in the impossible”

The story of Nikolas and his visit to Elfdom to find his father. On route he heals Blitzen and the seeds of the Christmas story are sown. A magical tale of what it means to be kind and to give.

Advent Count Down - Books 13-15

Ok I am cheating a bit taking a series- to go over the weekend. But I'll Count two as one. I may have read most of these a few years ago but every so often I will pick one of them out and start re-reading.    War is awful and terrible things happen in these books but the resilience of the young people is remarkable.  Beautifully and simply told with a wonderful light humorous touch.

"Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.

Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.

Once I made a Nazi with a toothache laugh.

My name is Felix. This is my story."

Advent Count Down - Book 12

Nicky Singer's "Island"  has to be one of my absolute favourite reads of this year. Beautiful illustration from Chris Riddell add to the magical, mystical feel of the story. Yet it is contemporary with topical concerns of how we look after our planet.

Cameron is a city boy but comes to this uninhabited Arctic island with his mother, a scientist. There he meets an Inuit girl and a white polar bear amongst the snow, the white cottongrass, the erupting graves, the 24 hours of daylight and the Ukpik-owl.

And any book which advocates silence as a positive is a winner with me.

Advent Count Down- Book 10

Ahmet is 9 years old, a Syrian refugee separated from his family. This book will restore your faith in humanity as the children in his class show care and an understanding often missing in the political debate we hear in the news media when discussing issues of immigration and refugees.

Simple, humorous and heartwarming story from Onjali Q Rauf.

Advent Count Down

This advent I will be counting down with some of my favourite reads of the last year.
My first choice is the moving
"Orbiting Jupiter" by Charles D. Schmidt

When Jack meets his new foster brother he only ​knows 3 things about him​ 

•Joseph almost killed a teacher​ 

•He was incarcerated at a place called Stone ​Mountain​ 

•He has a daughter and her name is Jupiter. ​And he has never seen her.​ 

This is a short and deeply moving book about love and resilience.​ 

S1:S3 Book group Teenage Book Prize

On Wednesday lunch we will hand out copies of the first book we are reading. "One Shot " by Tanya Landman is the imagined childhood of Annie Oakley, the American sharp shooter who went on to perform in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and then became even more famous when her story was told in the movie "Annie get your gun"