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just a bloke blogging 'bout books....

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The Wanderer - Peter Van Den Ende
I've been enjoying the company of this book for a month now, and it's still amazing and intriguing me with every reading... A wordless...
simpsonrd
Oct 10, 20202 min read
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Zombierella - Joseph Coelho, ill. by Freya Hartas
MY FIRST BLOG TOUR! (and I'm so pleased it's for this book!) Let me make it clear from the start - I'm already a big fan of this author's...
simpsonrd
Sep 23, 20203 min read
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I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast - Michael Holland FLS & Philip Giordano
This beautiful, colourful, fun-fact-filled book is a fabulous addition to my classroom library. Packed with bold, modern, detailed...
simpsonrd
Sep 23, 20201 min read
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A Journey Through Greek Myths - Marchella Ward & Sander Berg
This retelling of classic Greek myths is given a fresh spin and an interesting slant as the stories are told to Little Owl by her grandpa...
simpsonrd
Sep 15, 20202 min read
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The Wolves of Currumpaw - William Grill
If you've ever wondered where the idea of a wolf as a cunning and wily creature came from, then read this book and the story of 'Lobo'...
simpsonrd
Sep 13, 20203 min read
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The Smile Shop (updated) - Satoshi Kitamura
THIS BLOG POST HAS BEEN EDITED AND UPDATED TO COINCIDE WITH THE BLOG TOUR FOR THIS BOOK IN FEBRUARY 2021, WITH LINKS NOW ADDED TO...
simpsonrd
Sep 12, 20202 min read
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Tamarind & The Star of Ishta - Jasbinder Bilan
Another of the plethora of books arriving last week, this one has some serious 'clout' behind it, being the follow-up novel from...
simpsonrd
Sep 5, 20203 min read
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Victor - Jacques & Lise
Amongst the flood of new releases and publications last week was this hardback gem of a pciture book, telling the story of Victor, a...
simpsonrd
Sep 5, 20201 min read
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The Hungry Ghost - H.S. Norup
Publishing 24th September 2020, Pushkin Press This is a beautifully descriptive and emotional story, telling the tale of Freja and her...
simpsonrd
Aug 31, 20203 min read
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Umbrella - Elena Arevalo Melville
This is a lovely book with messages of kindness, sharing, compassion, hope and possibility. Following a girl called Clara as she moves...
simpsonrd
Aug 31, 20202 min read
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My Name is River - Emma Rea
Oh, I do love a book about the Amazon...Katherine Rundell's 'The Explorer' being one of my favourite class texts to use in Y6 each year!...
simpsonrd
Aug 24, 20204 min read
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After the War - Tom Palmer
This is one of THOSE books. The ones that affect you by being more than just 'a good read' - the ones that have that personal appeal or...
simpsonrd
Aug 24, 20204 min read
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Last - Nicola Davies
This is a sad but ultimately hopeful story based on true events around the life of 'Sudan', the last male Northern White Rhino. Told in...
simpsonrd
Aug 11, 20202 min read
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My Other Life - Polly Ho-Yen
This is a lovely book about a girl called Mae living with asthma, who makes frequent, frightening visits to hospital as a result of her...
simpsonrd
Aug 10, 20201 min read
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The Middler - Kirsty Applebaum
I heard Kirsty reading an extract from this on Pie Corbett's online radio show during lockdown, and was hassled into buying it there and...
simpsonrd
Aug 8, 20203 min read
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The Explorer – Katherine Rundell
With what I think is one of the best sets of opening lines I read to a class (‘Like a man-made magic wish, the..’), this is one of my...
simpsonrd
Aug 3, 20202 min read
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Clifftoppers: The Thorn Island Adventure – Fleur Hitchcock
A great adventure in the classic tradition of Blyton and the Famous Five. I didn’t notice any mention of ‘lashings of ginger beer’, but...
simpsonrd
Aug 3, 20201 min read
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Crater Lake mini-review and task ideas – Jennifer Killick
Perfect for year 6, this tale of a group of year 6 pupils on a residential-gone-wrong is action-packed and just the right amount of scary...
simpsonrd
Aug 3, 20201 min read
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Boy in the Tower – Polly Ho-Yen
A very poignant novel for our times, this is the story of a boy left behind with his mum in a tower-block when all around him escape to...
simpsonrd
Aug 3, 20201 min read
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Texts to tackle teamwork
On returning to school in September, it may be that some children have not had extended time with their peers in groups for nearly 6...
simpsonrd
Aug 3, 20205 min read
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