skye hawk

i really loved it i couldn't put it down lilah

has any one heard of cathy cassidy i really like her books

New authors!

I'm excited to announce that the Page Turners blog has several new authors. I'm hoping they'll be contributing very soon!

April - June: I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

We've just read Sally Gardner's I, Coriander, winner of the Nestle Children's Book Prize gold award.

Set in London in the mid 1600's, it tells the story of Coriander, daughter of a wealthy merchant and a woman with a great secret.
When Coriander is given a pair of silver shoes, a new world opens up to her, and life will never be the same again.

This is a dark fairy tale, with some truly nasty characters and a memorable, feisty heroine.

Everyone enjoyed the book; here are their comments...

"A little bit scary" - Lilah

"I couldn't put it down" - Tabitha

"I didn't want it to end" - Poppy

"You could read it again and again" - Lottie

"I thought it was great!" - Ana
"I absolutely loved it" - Freya

"I'd recommend it to anyone who likes reading" - Lilah

Page Turners' rating for I, Coriander: 4.5/5

Fantastic Festival!

For those of you who have never been, Hay-on-Wye is a small town just over the Welsh border which boasts 30 bookshops, and once a year is home to a world-famous literary festival.

For ten days every May-June, Hay becomes a hive of activity, bursting with author talks, signings, comedy shows, music, art, workshops, and celebrities.

This year there was an amazing line-up of children's authors, including Michael Morpurgo, David Almond, Jacqueline Wilson, Robert Muchamore, Lauren St. John, Julia Donaldson, Hilary McKay, Geraldine McCaughrean, Caroline Lawrence, Judith Kerr, Alex Scarrow, Andy Stanton and Eoin Colfer to name but a few!

David Almond reading from My Name is Mina

My family and I went along to the festival and enjoyed a fun-packed 9 days. Highlights were the Gruesome and Gory Movie FX workshop where passers-by were horrified to see the children coming out with black eyes, hideous wounds and even severed fingers; the wonderful David Almond talking about the book group's Oct/Nov 2010 read, My Name is Mina; soaking up the sunshine and atmosphere while eating a delicious sheep's milk ice-cream, and for me, meeting my all-time favourite author of Young Adult fiction, Patrick Ness.

Movie FX workshop - realistic isn't it?!

The festival is so great it even attracts royalty - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrived in her helicopter to read a story to some children!


Camilla's helicopter!

Michael Morpurgo and Camilla at Hay

Hay Festival has something for every book-lover; check it out next year. See you there, I can't wait!  











Children's Laureate 2011 - 2013

Congratulations to Julia Donaldson who has just been announced as the new Children's Laureate.

Best known for The Gruffalo, Julia has written many well-loved books, especially those for younger readers.

This quote comes from the Children's Laureate website:

"During her two years as Laureate, Julia plans to bring her passion for spoken word, rhyme, song and drama to the fore, by making children's literature in peformance a key focus for her laureateship. ‘With my background in plays and song-writing, I am particularly keen to develop projects which link books with drama and music, and to explore the ways performance can help children enjoy reading and grow in confidence' she says."

http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/

Hay Festival

Whew! Just back from a fantastic week of author talks, workshops and events at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales.

Several Book Group members went along to the festival, so I'm hoping for a few reports of their experiences and highlights, I will certainly be posting mine shortly!