We’re mostly small and shy
Browsing the shelves in the kids’ section in the bookshop you’ll come across Tom Percival’s ‘The Wrong Shoes’ – you can’t miss it – bright blue cover, strong yellow text, a tousle-haired boy sitting on the kerb with one shoelace undone. It reminds me of a book I still have from my childhood, ‘Bad Boys’. A collection of short stories aimed at reluctant readers just like me which I bought through the Puffin Book Club at school (does that still exist?). I suspect it was the title and the illustrations of the tearaways on the front cover which appealed to me, but nevertheless, it must have made an impression as fifty years later I still have that dog-eared paperback at home.
As the summer holidays start to draw to a close, the minds of kids and their parents will be turning to the new school year ahead. For some children, the coming week or so will be full of dread – the prospect of returning to school isn’t great for everyone. For some parents, the dread will be of a different kind: new uniform, the right brand of trainers, pencil cases and the like, and of course the new shoes, none of which comes without cost, and that cost is all too apparent to Will, the protagonist in Tom Percival’s book.
For those reluctant readers like me, particularly the boys, I hope Tom’s book finds its way onto the shelves of as many school libraries as possible – and that it fills its readers with a confidence that it’s okay not to conform.
Just Doing My Job by Clare Bevan (from The Big Amazing Poetry Book)
I’m one of Herod’s Henchmen.
We don’t have much to say,
We just charge through the audience
In a Henchman sort of way.
We all wear woolly helmets
To hide our hair and ears,
And Wellingtons sprayed silver
To match our tinfoil spears.
Our swords are made of cardboard
So blood will not be spilled
If we trip and stab a parent
When the hall’s completely filled.
We don’t look very scary,
We’re mostly small and shy,
And some of us wear glasses,
But we give the thing a try.
We whisper Henchman noises
While Herod hunts for strangers,
And then we all charge out again
Like nervous Power Rangers.
Yet when the play is over
And Miss is out of breath
We’ll charge like Henchmen through the hall
And scare our mums to death.
Every Autumn, in the lead up to the festive period, we discount a range of key titles that we just know are going to be a hit. So it’s a bit terrifying that August is drawing to a close already and we’ve reached our first discounted book of the year! But fear not, because it’s a brilliant one. Kate Atkinson’s new Jackson Brodie, Death at the Sign of the Rook, is out and better than ever: ex-detective Jackson Brodie is staving off a bad case of midlife malaise when he is called to a sleepy Yorkshire town for the seemingly tedious matter of a stolen painting. But one theft leads to another, including the disappearance of a valuable Turner from a manor house. Brilliantly inventive, with all of Atkinson’s signature wit, wordplay and narrative brio, this may be Jackson Brodie’s most outrageous and memorable case yet. Our top non-fiction pick of the week is Kit Yates’ How to Expect the Unexpected: Are you more likely to become a professional footballer if your surname is Ball? How can you be one hundred per cent sure you will win a bet? And why did so many Pompeiians stay put while Mount Vesuvius was erupting? From religious oracles to weather forecasters, and from politicians to economists, we are subjected to poor predictions all the time. Our job is to separate the good from the bad – and this book will tell you exactly how to do it!
In fiction, for Crime enthusiasts there’s Death at the Sanatorium, by Ragnar Jonasson and the dark Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville. For those fiction-lovers looking for something a bit more quirky we have Chlorine by Jade Song and Key Lime Sky by Al Hess.
The history of Iraq is brought to us by Bartle Bull in Land Between the Rivers. Sarah Crossman shows us her fascinating past growing up in a commune in Home is Where We Start. The Ultimate Meal Planning for One by Kelly Jaggers is great for the uninspired cook. And The Pep Revolution by Marti Perarnau is a homage to a sporting great.
For Young Adults The Dark Within Us by Jess Popplewell is a dark, gothic fiction. Whilst, for ages 3+ Poonam Mistry’s The Midnight Panther is a beautifully illustrated picture book.
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Amber
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