Carnegie/Kate Greenaway medals 2012

Congratulations to my favourite children's author Patrick Ness on winning the Carnegie Medal for the second year running!

A Monster Calls also won the Kate Greenaway medal for its incredible illustrations by artist Jim Kay.

Jim Kay and Patrick Ness

The book tells the story of 13 year old Conor who is trying to come to terms with his mother's cancer. Ness' wonderful storytelling is perfectly complemented by Kay's atmospheric illustrations.

Rachel Levy, chair of the Carnegie judges, described A Monster Calls as "an exquisite piece of writing.
We'd go so far as to say that this is one of the defining books of its generation."

A well deserved win - read it if you haven't already!

April/May: Warrior Cats - Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

This month's read was Into the Wild, the first in the Warrior Cats (now rebranded as "Warriors") series by Erin Hunter.

Into the Wild tells the story of Rusty, an everyday housecat who discovers a whole new world outside his garden when he encounters the wild and fearsome Thunder Clan cats. Should he turn his back on his safe, easy life as a "kittypet" for the danger and excitement of the forest?

This is a thrilling read that keeps you turning the pages right to the end, and leaves you wanting more!

The Book Group gave it another unanimous thumbs up and everyone wanted to go on and read the other books in the series to find out what happens next!

Comments from the group:

"It was really enjoyable and fast-moving." - Lottie

"I got into it straight away." - Tabitha

"Anyone who doesn't like cats would love them after reading this book." - Naz

"It's the best book ever!" - Willow

Here are some pictures inspired by Into the Wild:



"Scarface" by Tabitha



"Bluestripe" by Naz

"Goldenpaw" by Lottie

"Brindleface" by Lilah

"Mousefur" by Freya

"Gangstercat" by Poppy

Page Turners rating for Warrior Cats - Into the Wild: 5/5

Looking forward...

This month we're looking forward to reading Gill Lewis' new book White Dolphin.

We fell in love with Gill's previous book, Sky Hawk, so we're eager to see if she can live up to our expectations; and if the reviews are anything to go by, it's looking good!

We also cannot wait for this year's Hay Festival, which begins at the end of May.

This year is the festival's 25th anniversary, and as it also coincides with the Queen's diamond jubilee, it's shaping up to be one big party!
We're hoping to discover some great new authors and revisit some old favourites. Several members of the book group are going to Hay, so look out for reviews next month.

March - April: Wonder by RJ Palacio

This month's book was Wonder by RJ Palacio.

This is from the dustjacket:

"August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice-cream. He plays on his X-box. He feels ordinary - inside.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page."

So does the book live up to this recommendation? A resounding YES! Funny, sad, thought-provoking and up-lifting - Wonder is a refreshingly different children's book, with a whole host of well-rounded and memorable characters.

The book group ALL loved Wonder. Everyone enjoyed reading from the different characters' points of view and seeing how there are always at least two sides to every story! The language and cultural references are very up-to-date. The group liked that Auggie and his friends read the same books as they did!

The very short chapters and compelling nature of the story make it extremely hard to put it down - it's always easy to read "just another chapter". Just a warning for any adults reading Wonder - make sure you have a box of tissues handy, you may need them on more than one occasion!

Here are some comments from the group:

"It's an amazing book and it really makes you think. I lent it to my friend because I thought it was such a good read." - Ana

"It's a book that really makes you realise other people have problems." - Lilah

"It was really good. I liked everything about it." - Willow (who liked it so much she read it twice!)

"I always say this, but I really couldn't put it down!" - Tabitha

"Go and buy this book, read it, then pass it on!" - Emma (!)

Can't recommend this book highly enough. Fantastic.

Page Turners rating for Wonder: 5/5

Feb/Mar 2012 - The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by L Pichon

Last month's read was Roald Dahl Funny Prize winner The Brilliant World Of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.

This is the story of Tom; his friends, family, trials and tribulations. Dire camping trips, mean teachers, annoying classmates, crazy excuses for not handing in homework, and tips for winding up your big sister - they're all here; interspersed with Tom's doodles which decorate every page.

This was a big hit with the book group - the first unanimously postive reception we've had for a while! Here are some of their comments...

"The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is amazing. I would recommend it to anybody. It is very, very funny." - Poppy

"If you like funny books then you'll love this." - Tabitha

"It's really funny." - Freya

Everyone thought they'd read the other Tom Gates books; in fact Tabitha and Poppy have read all three and Ana has also read the second book!

Here are the book group's Tom Gates inspired doodle pictures:

Page Turners' rating for The Brilliant World of Tom Gates : 4.5/5

Loving Liz Pichon's website!
http://www.lizpichon.co.uk/home.htm

That's a not-so-subtle hint at our next book...! ;o)

December '11/January '12: The Salt-Stained Book by Julia Jones

Our last read was The Salt-Stained Book by Julia Jones, volume 1 of her Strong Winds trilogy.

Here's the blurb from the back of the book:

"In 1945, two brothers die in the icy Barents Sea and a book is all that survives of them. More than sixty years later Donny and his mother set out for Suffolk to meet his mysterious great aunt.
There is an accident and Donny is taken into care. But are the officials all that they seem and why won't they believe Donny's story? Soon he discovers that his life has been built on a lie. Only the new friendships he makes and an unsuspected talent for sailing help him steer his way through dangers that he cannot understand towards a knowledge of his own identity - and the secrets of a salt-stained book."

It made for good reading, but the group had several criticisms. They felt there were too many sailing terms used, and that you probably needed to have experience of sailing to be able to fully enjoy the story. The group thought that a glossary would have been helpful.
There were some interesting characters in the book, namely Donny's new friends "Awful" Anna, and sisters Xanthe and Maggi, but the "baddies" were not so convincing.

Overall, a good but not a great read.

Here are some comments from the group:

"If you like sailing and Swallows and Amazons you'll probably like this book." - Ana

"There are lots of good, strong, girl characters." - Tabitha

"A good book for budding sailors." - Lottie

Page Turners rating: it's another 3.5/5

Ana's treasure map