Tag Archives: Friendship

The Snowman Code

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Simon Stephenson, Reggie Brown. HarperCollins. (288p) ISBN: 9780008668761
The Snowman Code

The Snowman Code

This showed up at the shop and I really needed a light Christmassy read so dove right into it.

This is the story of Blessing who has been missing school as she is being bullied and doesn’t want to put any more pressure on her mum who is suffering from depression and SAD as this may mean she has to go into respite care.

This has been a particularly difficult winter as it seems to be going on forever and people are comparing this to the long London winters of the past and saying that the weather is broken.

So she goes out each day in her uniform and tells her mum stories of her day at school, all the while she has been out at museums, and other places where she can blend in or hide.

This culminates in her meeting Albert Framlington, a snowman! He teaches her the snowman code and they go on adventures together, helping her sort out her bullies, find his long lost love, and ending the ever-lasting winter…

Great fun with some really sad bits but overall a lovely little adventure about friendship, love, and family – oh and nocturnal marsupials 😉

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Anna’s Garden

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Sarah Hewitt. Tiny Tree Children’s Books. (32p) ISBN: 9781837914845
Anna's Garden

Anna’s Garden

I’m giving this review as part of a blog tour.

A gorgeously illustrated picture book about a young girl and how she interacts with others.

A lovely simple rhyming system keeps the story moving along at a gentle pace without losing breath.

Anna is visited by some other people and animals and asked to participate in an activity that she’s not comfortable with, and rather than capitulating Anna is firm in the fact that she doesn’t want to take part.

But as part of Anna’s refusal there is an olive branch held out to each of the others and there is a beautiful ending where they all get together.

Sweet and beautiful throughout with such nice illustrations and a great take on friendships.

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Black Hole Cinema Club

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Christopher Edge. Nosy Crow. (240p) ISBN: 9781839942730
Black Hole Cinema Club

Black Hole Cinema Club

A small group of friends visit the local cinema for the regular ‘Black Hole Cinema Club’, where an unknown selection of films chosen at the cinema are to be watched over a day usually on a theme.

Lucas, Ash, Maya, Caitlin and Finn get sent into a completely new immersive form of cinema (4Di) where they are actually become central characters in the story and have to work to resolve the film before the final frame, but it is left hanging as to what will happen if they don’t.

Spy thrillers, adventures, monster movies, they have to solve them all.

As they go through each adventure Lucas finds himself ot fully immersed into the activity, nowhere near as immersed as his friends.

A brilliant concept which plays out well with a fantastic conclusion. Exploring friendship, trust, responsibility and sacrifice, this is another well-written and executed book from Christopher Edge.

I received this from NetGalley and Nosy Crow in exchange for an honest review.

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The Secret Elephant

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Ellen Rankin. Wren & Rook. (32p) ISBN: 9781526363794
The Secret Elephant

The Secret Elephant

OK picture book about a cute little elephant why would you make me cry?

This is a beautifully illustrated story about an elephant and their keeper at Belfast Zoo during WWII. All based around a true story of the first female keeper sneaking a young elephant back to her house in the middle of the night to help keep it calm.

This is a story about love, care, and friendship and this comes across so strongly throughout and brought a tear to my eye as I was reading.

The warm orange tone to the whole book gives it a feeling of the 50s and 60s in my mind, but the janglier scenes of bombing brought out the harsher side of those tones and this contrast was used so well.

Loved this so much!

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Wolf and Bear

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Kate Rolfe. Two Hoots. (32p) ISBN: 9781035019595
Wolf and Bear

Wolf and Bear

Wolf and Bear is about two best friends and their developing relationship.

The art work is beautiful throughout and carries to story wonderfully, especially the darkness that can weigh on a soul, the big ‘No!’ from Bear double spread is especially effective.

We follow Wolf who is enthusiastic and outgoing and Bear who has a darkness in him, gradually drifting apart and neither of them acknowledge why, but the end is so well done and talks of the friends that can help just by being.

Beautiful rendition of depression and how this can weigh on friendships but also about how friends can lift the darkness from you by being friends.

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The Last Stardog

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E. K. Mosley. Flying Eye Books. (64p) ISBN: 9781838741068
The Last Stardog

The Last Stardog

This is such a beautifully illustrated picture book, each page rich and with a level of detail that draws you into examining each page carefully and for a long time to find all the bits.

This is a story of The Last Stardog who is on a constant search for others like hime, protector of the stars and their realms.

In this journey Stardog travels to lots of different lands and comes across others who have their own stories and experiences to add.

The group grows throughout the travels bonded by a developing friendship though they are all from different backgrounds.

This is a lovely book about accepting friends for who they are and how they can help overcome the darkest times and together you can develop a new place for all to be comfortable.

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