Featured authors – Page 14 – Bookmonitor

Om Shanti Babe

Winner of the 2011 Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award,Helen Limon’s novel Om Shanti Babe is a real winner of a story, hard to put down from beginning to end.

Cassia can’t wait for her first visit to India… Bollywood glamour, new friends, a new adventure into this exciting world.

But it doesn’t work out quite like that!

Kerala has a life all of it’s own and the culture shock is HUGE! and then her Mum’s new romance with ‘call me V’ Mr Chaudury, her own stand off with fashion mad Priyanka takes over. But pop idol Jonny Gold arrives on the beach with his new song, Om Shanti, Babe, sparking a mystery, new friendships, a race to save the mangrove swamps…

Om Shanti, Babe, a roller coaster journey of discovery with an exciting environmental twist- all against the backdrop of beautiful Kerala.

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award encourages and promotes diversity in children’s fiction. Jointly founded by Frances Lincoln Ltd and Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books it is a powerful voice for the world of children.

Om Shanti, Babe is published by Janetta Otter-Barry at Frances Lincoln. Buy direct from Frances Lincoln or through Dolphin Booksellers.

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Books of the Year 2012: Children’s books

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The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling

The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling

Pre-order now for September 27th 2012 release…

Your chance to get ahead and enjoy a J.K. Rowling book all for yourself!

Click on the book to pre-order at Amazon price of £9.86 (saving of £10.14)

The first novel for adults by J.K.Rowling will be released on Thursday 27th September.

A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

For all Harry Potter e books visit Pottermore.

The Casual Vacancy is published by Little Brown Book Group and will be available in hardback and ebook at £11.99

The plot…
When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils… Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

It’s going to be the Big Read and Must Have book.

Pre- order through Dolphin’s link to Amazon or just click on the book cover above.

Dolphin Booksellers- the best in children’s books always on line

Pottermore

Ifeoma Onyefulu – New books about Africa – full of colour and life!

Ifeoma has recently visited Mali and some of her photographs can be seen in two beautiful books to be published by Frances Lincoln on August 2nd.

The images bring to life every day activities for children and families in Africa, full of vibrancy and colour. These are unique and culturally diverse word books, with lots to look at and talk about.

Let’s Look at This – Clothes

Hat, shorts, long skirt and top, wrapper…All kinds of things to wear, with a vibrant mix of Western and traditional African clothing.

Let’s Look at This – Food

Mango, rice, plantain, okra…All kinds of delicious things to eat, with a vibrant mix of universal and African foods.

Ifeoma makes frequent travels to different parts of Africa, carrying her camera and capturing smiling faces.

On her last trip to Mali there was much to see and I guess it is a different place today.

Ifeoma’s website tells of her adventures.

Ifeoma’s blog is packed full of journeys and unexpected happenings in some of the remoter parts of Africa. Click on the links to the journey to Mali and the journey to Nigeria, and take a few minutes to get a real sense of what Africa is like.
On her website you can also buy books direct through the Amazon link and get the best prices.

Sue Martin
Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line

Cave of Secrets

A great read, recommended by www.dolphinbooksellers.co.uk

When Tom is rejected by his father, he finds a secret second family among the smugglers who trade in and around Roaringwater Bay.

Though Tom doesn’t know it, his family’s future in the Big House is in trouble. From his new family, Tom learns all about boats and smuggling – and secret treasure.

And then Tom learns the best secret of all…

This latest book is from Morgan Llewellyn, an international writer of best selling historical fiction and an award winning author for young readers. Published by O’Brien in Ireland, Cave of Secrets is a thrilling adventure set in Ireland in the 1700’s, full of adventure, suspense, deadly enemies and great friendships.

Pirates -Smugglers- Hidden Caves-Secret Treasure, a must read for ages 10+ and beyond.

Buy the book on Amazon.co.uk here….

Sue Martin – Dolphin Booksellers– the best in children’s books always on line.

House Held Up by Trees

House Held up By Trees

By Ted Kooser
and illustrated by Jon Klassen is new this month from Walker Books UK.

Have you ever played in a house in the trees? Maybe you have a rope ladder that only you could climb. Or even a very special tree that was nearly flat and let you climb right up into its branches.

This very moving story in a picture book format has beautiful illustrations and leaves you with a real feeling of time moving on.

‘When the house was new, not a single tree remained on its perfect lawn to give shade from the sun. The children in the house trailed the scent of wild trees to neighbouring lots, where thick bushes offered secret places to play. When the children grew up and moved away, their father, alone in the house, continued his battle against blowing seeds, plucking out sprouting trees – until one day he, too, moved away. Then, as the empty house began its decline, the trees began to take over. At once wistful and exhilarating, this lovely, lyrical story evokes the inexorable passage of time – and the awe-inspiring power of nature to lift us up.’

Walker Books UK

A book to share or to read alone. but definitely a book that will leave you with past lingering memories.

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureat for 2004 – 2006, a poet and essayist and writes across genres in amazing ways.

This book available from Amazon.co.uk here.

Dolphin Booksellers- the best in children’s books always on line

What on Earth Books!

At the Federation of Children’s Book Groups conference we were blown away with this new concept.

The What on Earth Wallbook, from the Big Bang to present day.

A whole wall book of facts! It’s a book with no spine, that doesn’t mean it has no real bite, this book will give you all the facts and information you need to know about the whole history of the world for billions of years.

It’s dynamic and creative and is just amazingly brilliant.

It goes on to become a whole wall display or even larger…. an outside huge wall covering for passers by.

It’s a treasure hunt of learning, it’s a story on a time line, and it changes scale like a telescope, especially as humans start to appear on the world scene.

On Monday April 30th Chris is launching the Wallbook of Sport on London’s South Bank. a great event if you can make it, or find visit World of Books.

Definitely worth finding out more and you could even make a discovery about this wonderful world.

This is clear view thinking!

How Chris made this journey himself is fascinating and resonates with all who feel that the National Curriculum is a barrier to active learning.

Or, as Chris expressed it, ” It makes discovery feel like looking through a pane of shattered glass”.

pictures courtesy of Chris Lloyd

Sue Martin Dolphin Booksellers- the best in children’s books always on line.

Mrs Muffly’s Monster

Mrs Muffly lives by herself in a house on the top of the hill.

But why is she now buying loads and loads of food? Maybe there really is large and dangerous monster in the house?

A beautiful story which sets children thinking about jumping to conclusions and what can happen when you make assumptions.

The drawings and pencil illustrations are stylish and appealing, Sarah Dyer has a brilliant use of colour and space.

Sarah has written and illustrated many children’s books and in 2001 her first book, Five Little Fiends won the Smarties Bronze Award.

Frances Lincoln published Mrs Muffly’s Monster and Monster Day at Work in the summer of 2011. Both are available in paperback and can be bought through the links above.

Dolphin Booksellers – the best in children’s books always on line.

Great and Dangerous – new from Frances Lincoln

“We have a list too and your name is on it…”

gad The graffiti messages for Ben Harvester as he is followed by bad forces to his home. Ben has joined the Ministry of Pandemonium and along with Becky and Mr October rushes to the scene as people die. It’s Ben and Becky’s job to guide their souls on before the enemy gets in first.

Great stories and a real page turner. A ‘not put downable’ book until finished!

Second in a series of Ministry of Pandemonium books by Chris Westwood, published by Frances Lincoln, about an alternative and secret London. Chris has written children’s books that have been in the limelight for many awards and is considered for film options with Steven Spielberg for his books, Calling All Monsters.

But try this book, if you are not too scared and want to find out which is the most difficult for Ben…meeting gruesome soul stealers or meeting his Mum’s new boyfriend?

New, out on March 1st – be there!

Sue Martin

Dolphin Booksellers – The best in children’s books, always on line

Lilah May’s Manic Days

hhh What makes you so angry that you could scream!!

For Lilah May it’s about whatever is happening to her very best friend Bindi, why is she behaving so madly? The love of her life, Adam Carter is apparently having nothing to do with her!! Is the whole world coming to an end?

Author Vanessa Curtis has another winning book following from The Taming of Lilah May in this latest book, Lilah May’s Manic Days, a new title published by Frances Lincoln.

Edgy, sparky and just the book to read when you are convinced that anyone older is absolutely out of the ark.

Great cover too…I’m now on to read her other books, Zelah Green and Queen of Clean.

You can buy the book through Dolphin Booksellers- the best in children’s books always on line.

War Horse

war horse

War Horse, that amazing book written by Michael Morpurgo, and dramatised in the West End at the New London Theatre will shortly be available at the movies.

Steven Spielberg’s latest film production, War Horse, is opening at cinemas on January 13th. It has already been acclaimed for its powerful and thought provoking message.

With a great line up of actors, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Watson and Peter Mullen, and over 200 horses, trained by Bobby Lovgren the film shows the story of the relationship between a boy and a horse.

But yet, there is so much more…. more than a million horses were sent to the front during the first World War,only 62,000 returned. The horse, Joey,is taken through so many different places and into such horrendous situations. It is a tale of endurance, courage and the pitiful way that war treats humans and animals alike.

There are many newspaper editorials, but try The Observer or The Guardian for some extra information.

A remarkable film, an outstanding theatre production and an even better story, written and developed by Michael Morpurgo.

See you at the movies

Sue Martin

You can buy the book through Dolphin Booksellers– the best in children’s books always on line

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