Book Review: Where the World Ends, by Geraldine McCaughrean

Where the World Ends, by Geraldine McCaughrean has just been awarded the 2018 Carnegie Medal. My eleven-year-old daughter and I have both read and enjoyed it, although my daughter found it very scary, and I can see why. I am not sure of McCaughrean's target audience with this book and it has been categorised as teenage fiction in our local library. Having read it, I think this is probably a wise move as some of the content is quite graphic when describing injuries sustained- it could be described as gruesome in places - and the categorisation as teenage fiction means younger readers cannot check the book out on their own card, so parents are alerted that content may be unsuitable for some younger readers.
That said, this is a fabulous book, capable of totally transporting the reader to another time and place. For readers of my daughter's age and young teenagers this is a time and place so completely alien to their own experiences that this in itself is remarkable and makes for a magical reading experience. The setting is the archipelago of St Kilda, the most remote habitable islands in Britain, in the 1720s. A group of 9 boys of varying ages and 3 men are sent from the island of Hirta to Warrior Stac (basically a large lump of rock 4 miles out to sea) in order to hunt sea birds for their feathers, oil and meat. This expedition takes place every year and most of the boys have done the trip before. They are usually collected 3-4 weeks later. This particular year, the boat does not return to collect them and summer becomes autumn, which in turn becomes winter, and the weather worsens and the food begins to run out as they are marooned indefinitely on the Stac.
By turns terrifying, heartwarming, heartbreaking and even  humorous, we learn of the ways the boys cope and learn to survive in their extraordinary situation and we also learn a little of what everyday life would have been like on this remote archipelago 300 years ago. Fascinating, and a real page turner - a compelling adventure story and a study of group dynamics under stress.
This is fiction based on events that actually happened, and I think this is what made it even more frightening for my daughter, but it also makes for very poignant reflection on the hardships of life 300 years ago.
This is a deserved winner of a prize that aims to celebrate "outstanding books written in English for children and young people" as it has the power to offer total escapism whilst encouraging empathy with a people and way of life previously unimagined, as well as providing enjoyment, learning and the chance to reflect on your own behaviour in group situations. Powerful stuff, beautifully written.

Roald Dahl recommendations

Today is Roald Dahl day and the fabulous author would have been 101 today! With this in mind I asked my older 2 children (aged 8 and 10) what their favourite Roald Dahl books were...

The 10 year old chose The Giraffe, And The Pelly and Me, which I have to admit surprised me. I think this was because it is one of his lesser known stories and tends to get a little overlooked. The ladder-less window cleaning company (consisting of a giraffe, pelican, monkey and boy) are hired by a duke to clean his windows and interrupt a robbery. 

It is a short, funny story with some interesting characters (great for reading aloud, if you like doing lots of different voices) and has a neat, well structured story with the right amount of adventure, peril and happy ending! A real winner - especially as a read-aloud to younger children just starting on chapter books.

The 8 year old chose Danny The Champion of the World - one of my favourites too. One evening Danny wakes to find himself alone in the caravan he shares with his father and inadvertently discovers his father's deepest darkest secret. This is a story full of adventure and mystery and love! A deserved classic.

I wanted to nominate my own favourite too. My initial thought was Charlie and The Chocolate Factory - probably his most famous novel and loved by millions. Charlie bucket finds a golden ticket admitting him, along with 4 other children, to the most famous chocolate factory in the world. What follows is a sumptuous feast for the imagination as well as a tale with a moral.  I love reading this book aloud for the sheer pleasure of the songs, made up words and word play contained within. The imagination that created these characters and the wondrous Wonka chocolate factory is truly something to be admired. 

So I love Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, but I couldn't let this opportunity pass without mentioning Matilda. It is the character of Matilda Wormwood that I love, more than the story. She is such a fantastic role model for girls - a strong, intelligent girl with a love of reading! I will let a couple of quotes from the book speak for themselves:

Through Matilda Dahl does a fantastic job of extolling the benefits and joys of reading. 

And finally, I wanted to give a mention to Dahl's memoirs  Boy and Going Solo. These are some of the most entertaining autobiographies I have ever read and an excellent introduction to autobiographical writing for children. Dahl describes his own life in ways that are as zany and entertaining as any of his fiction - well worth a read. 

What are your favourite Roald Dahl books?

3 Fantastic series to start your children on chapter books

The transition from picture books to chapter books can be a daunting one for many parents. When should we start? What should we start with? are common questions around this subject. We all want our children to enjoy reading and I firmly believe that the key to this is to read them quality fiction from as early an age as possible. I began reading chapter books aloud to my children when they were about 4 and  a half years old. And these series are the ones we started with. A series is especially engaging because you always want to read the next book. These series all have in common strong, likeable main characters; emotionally engaging or exciting storylines and high quality writing. My older children have enjoyed reading these themselves at the same time as I am reading them aloud to younger children. Do seek them out. You will enjoy reading them and your children will absolutely love the characters and  be desperate to know what happens next...

The Sophie Stories, by Dick King Smith

Sophie is probably my favourite character in children's literature. She is 4 years old when the series start, and "small, but determined". She is a wonderful character for girls to relate to: confident, funny, adventurous, loyal and determined, and my son liked her too. She absolutely loves animals and her ambition is to become a lady farmer. These books are humorous and heartwarming, with a fabulous and lifelike family dynamic portrayed throughout. A real joy. I am sure Sophie will become a big hit in your household too. A perfect introduction to chapter books.

Sophie's Snail is the first book in the series.

The Anna Hibiscus Stories, by Atinuke are a recent discovery in our family, recommended by a friend here in Kenya and we have spent the last 3 months or so reading them at bedtime with my 4 year old daughter (although my 10 year old daughter and 7 year old son have been hooked too!). We were all very sad when we reached the end of the series. I cannot praise them highly enough and believe they should be read by all children, everywhere. Anna Hibiscus lives with her extended family in a large white house in an African city (while never made explicit, it would seem to be Lagos, Nigeria). Her mother is Canadian and her father is African. The series begins by introducing her family and giving the reader a feel for life in the large white house and then moves through various adventures such as singing for the president, visiting her grandmother in Canada and going to stay in the African village where her grandparents were born. Anna is another strong character that children can relate to and look up to: she is compassionate, friendly, funny and very likeable. 

These books portray Africa so well, and do not shy away from the difficulties of living on the African continent - nothing is picture-book perfect in these stories. The wealth gap in Africa is dealt with in a sensitive and age-appropriate way throughout the series and Anna's compassionate nature comes to the front to help people less fortunate than herself many times. This means that there are many sad moments in the books, and many talking points as you are reading them with your children.

For us living here in Africa the books talk about day to day life and what it is actually like to live here and for African children this is a fantastic series with a heroine who is just like them, someone they can really relate to. There is not much children's literature out there set in modern Africa with African characters, so this series is a real gem. And for children living in the rest of the world these books show them what Africa is really like (not the mud huts, lions and famine view that is so often perpetuated) with all its colour, noise and contrasts. 

Please, please, please find them and read them to your children. You will laugh, you will cry, you will learn about modern Africa and you will absolutely love the little girl that is Anna Hibiscus.

Anna Hibiscus is the first book in the series

The Akimbo Stories by Alexander McCall Smith 

These are also set in Africa and do not need to be read in any particular order. Akimbo lives in a game reserve where his father is a ranger and the series follows him through many adventures trying to protect the wildlife and the habitats he loves so much. Each book focuses on a different animal: lions, baboons, snakes, elephants and crocodiles and they contain a lot of information about each species. They are fast paced and adventurous and there are some scary parts (think snakebite, Ivory poachers etc,) and again, plenty of talking points. My children said that Akimbo and the Snakes was their favourite as they learned the most from this one.

A real plus point to the Akimbo books for me is that they contain a male leading character, as well as being very well written, exciting and appealing for children and enjoyable for grown ups to read aloud. I have really struggled to find another series that is as engaging for my son. There are many books and series out there that appeal to him, with action and adventure and male characters, but the writing is not as good, the plots are formulaic, the characters are 2-dimensional  and they are just not as appealing as an adult to read aloud, or even for him to want to return to again and again (an exception to this is the "How to Train your Dragon" series by Cressida Cowell, but these are not really suitable as first chapter books).We all know that good literature cries out to be re-read and the series' I have mentioned above have all been read and enjoyed many times in our house. I would really appreciate it if you have any recommendations for quality series' that appeal to boys! Please!