On the 4th day of Christmas my LitPig brought to me ...
FOUR DAVID MITCHELLS
THREE MARGARET ATWOODS
TWO HOMER SAGAS
and
A BOX SET OF ROALD DAHL BOOKS
Each day I want to share the writing of an author that I read for the first time in 2011. These are my personal choices - you may know many of them, but perhaps one or two will be new to you ... So why not try a new author in 2012.
April 2011:
ALI SPARKES - Frozen in Time
In March as the indoor writer was finishing the first draft of her children's novel I discovered the excellent Ali Sparkes, also writing for 9+ age group. 'Frozen in Time' was voted Blue Peter Book of the Year for 2010 by the programme's viewers and is a fast paced 'super' read. Ali clearly confesses this book as a homage to Enid Blyton, and though it does have many references to that style of writing and the 1950's it is definitely a modern children's book. The premise is two children were frozen in the 1950's and accidentally thawed back to life in the present day. The delight for an adult reader are the nostalgic references and the hilarious attempts of the children adjusting to the modern world - a landscape where their 1950's sensibilities and mode of speech mark them as the aliens.
I also went on to read: Finding the Fox (Shapeshifter 1) and Wishful Thinking. Both page turners and fun stories. Ali mixes humour with the genuine emotions & events experienced by children (grief, exclusion, parents divorce etc) and so far I've found her books all accessible. Much more fun than adult novels!
Other books by Ali Sparkes:
Miganium (a prequel to The Shapeshifter), Dark Summer, Frozen in time, Wishful thinking, the Monster Makers series, S.W.I.T.CH. series, The Shapeshifter series
Miganium (a prequel to The Shapeshifter), Dark Summer, Frozen in time, Wishful thinking, the Monster Makers series, S.W.I.T.CH. series, The Shapeshifter series
No comments:
Post a Comment