Summer reading... part 2!

Here are a few more books I have enjoyed over the summer...

A Lion in the Meadow by Margaret Mahy (Early Reader)

This is a clever idea... taking a classic picture book and reformatting it as an early reader... great for those emergent readers.

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

I am starting to really enjoy Cornelia Funke - she seems to be able to write a variety of genre, and the stories translate well from her native German.  Igraine is a medieval chick with some serious attitude.  Her family are all magicians, but she isn't having any of THAT... she wants to be a knight!  And when one of her parents' magic spells goes a bit haywire, she finds that she needs some of her knightly skills to restore order to the kingdom...

The Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford

This is the first of the Young Samurai series, and to be honest, it has never appealed to me... although I have seen it issued often enough!  However, when a Year 8 boy told me I 'had' to read it, I thought I would give it a go.  And I am sooo pleased I did!  It is a fabulous story (set in 1600s Japan) which sort of put me in mind of Harry Potter meets Jackie Chan (which is a terrible analogy, but it DOES feature three friends (2 male, 1 female), a nasty arch-enemy... and they all learn martial arts!)  Definitely worth a look...

The Wreck of the Zanzibar and Meeting Cezanne both by Michael Morpurgo

My love affair with Michael Morpurgo has continued with these two beautiful stories.
The Wreck of the Zanzibar is set in the captivating Scilly Isles off Cornwall, and sees the population caught in the middle of a debilitating famine.  The only way out is to hope for a shipwreck - which will mean business for the islanders as the boat needs to be rebuilt.
Meeting Cezanne is a lovely, simple story, which features Cezanne's beautiful impressionism... and the work of another classic European artist.

Little Darlings and Four Children and It both by Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson is a favourite of my daughter's and she recommended both these books to me.
Jacqueline Wilson is a master of social realism and dealing with tricky family issues... both these books feature split families, and all the problems and joys that these families experience.  No wonder her books are so popular!
I particularly enjoyed Four Children and It as it was inspired by E. Nesbit's Five Children and It.  What a great way to introduce young readers to an old classic!