We have been reading some spooky fun stories this half term, all ready for halloween.

The Invincibles: The Beast of Bramble Woods by Caryl Hart & Sarah Warburton is a perfect early reader book with delightful illustrations and a story with just the right mix of excitement & peril. 

The 3rd book in the series with Nell & Freddie up to their usual high jinks. Using the ingenious Pester Power they gatecrash Nells big brothers camp out. When its time for them to go to bed they decide to play a few tricks but are they safe out in the dark with the beast?

Amelia Fang & the Barbaric Ball by Laura Ellen Anderson is a sweet little adventure. We had chuckles a plenty with the fun word play, gruesomeness  and cast of kooky characters. Working on rescuing her pet pumpkin, Squashy, from the spoilt prince Amelia & her friends encounter a number of surprises & revelations. The book perfectly sets up the next adventure  â€˜Amelia Fang & the Unicorn Lords’ which we are now ‘dying’ to read.

This companion novel to the Witch Wars series by Sibéal Pounder & Laura Ellen Anderson is full of facts about the characters and tips & activities to setting up your own magical party against the backdrop of Fran making a documentary about Sinkville’s most famous witches.

Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power by Mariko Tamaki was a more fantastical then spooky read as we follow a group of five friends on an adventure like no other, based on the Lumberjane comics. The five girls tackle a mysterious mountain which tests their friendship when they find themselves stranded in the clouds with some quirky cloud folk. With plenty of good cheer & teamwork the girls soon devise a new plan to try and make it back to camp. Another fun adventure story with a diverse set of characters. 

Here are some lovely picturebooks we borrowed from the library this month.

In Hibernation Hotel (by John Kelly & Laura Brenlla) bear decides to check himself into a hotel for some proper sleep away from his friends. It is described as “A hilarious book about getting what you want then discovering what you need” and we found plenty to chuckle at.

In Pink Lion (by Jane Porter) we meet Arnold, a lion raised by flamingoes. This is a sweet story about discovering who you are as Arnold finds his inside lion when dealing with an unwelcome visitor. The illustrations are striking with thier simple lines & a limited pallete. 

Another story about discovering yourself & having the courage to ‘dance to your own tune’ is Perfectly Norman (by Tom Percival). When Norman grows a pair of wings he starts to worry about what his parents might think so decides to hide them under a coat. He soon realises that hiding his wings wasnt making anyone happy. This is an uplifting read & makes such great use of colour, with the monochrome spreads aside from Norman’s yellow coat when he’s hiding his wings to the glorious technicolour when he is finally happy. 

Also its not often we come across a page of charaters where the kids can see people resembling thier own family. 

We have been enjoying a trio of fabulous books from the publisher, Nosy Crow.
First up is the second book in a series published by Nosy Crow in partnership with the National Trust, The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny, Victorian Housemaid (and accidental Detective) by Philip Ardagh & Jamie Littler.

This highly illustrated story is brimming with facts, laughs, drama, intrigue & a pigeon who writes. The story is generously peppered with historical nuggets, interesting & short enough not to distract you too much from the exciting story. I really liked the way it gently introduces some history alongside painting a vivid picture of life in a grand house. I have no doubt that on our next visit to a NT stately home property we shall be thinking about Jane & life as a housemaid.

A book we just couldnt put down was Spectre Collector, To Ghoul for School by Barry Hutchinson. In this story a schoolboy calked Denzel finds himself mixed up with Spectre Collectors, a secret ghost-battling organisation. He finds himself suddenly losing any sense of normality & being left completely unprepared to deal with the supernatural. Luckily he discovers some friends to help him save the day

While reading I was reminded of great blockbuster movies such as Men in Black & Ghostbusters owing to its fast pace, great sense of humour & explosive action.

The last book is You Cant Make Ne go to Witch School by Em Lynas which follows the story of Daisy Wart. Daisy finds herself at Witch school but feels it’s a big mistake as she should really be at drama school. Her attempts to escape the school lead to adventures, new discoveries & more importantly new friends. 

Daisy is the star of this show & it was great to have such a sparky characterful protagonist bringing this story to life.