ThursTAG: The Book Snob tag

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Hello ThursTAG friends! How are you all doing?

The most remarkable thing has happened… I found a tag on my friend Charlotte’s blog that she didn’t steal from me… therefore it’s a tag I haven’t done! *SHOCKED FACE*. So today I am taking on:

The Book Snob tag!

(Check out Charlotte’s post here, or don’t yknow. Don’t tell her I sent you!)

Adaptation Snob: Do you always read the book before you see the movie?

Not always! I saw Love Simon before I read SImon vs the Homosapiens Agenda. However that doesn’t speak of much for me because I’m not a MASSIVE movie goer. I will go if invited, but I will rarely go on my own!

Format Snob: You can only choose 1 format in which to read books for the rest of your life. Which one do you choose: physical books, ebooks, or audiobooks?

Physical books all day every day. I don’t mind ebooks and audiobooks, but I much prefer the physical having and holding of a book (yes, I’m married to books, deal with it!)

Ship Snob: Would you date or marry a non-reader?

I mean sure… but I have conflicting emotions about it! I think I’d prefer to date a reader because I do so much reading, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I wouldn’t date someone who was anti-reading though because that would not be fun for either of us. Everyone is a reader: they’ve just not found the right book yet!

Genre Snob: You have to ditch one genre – never to be read again for the rest of your life. Which one do you ditch?

WHAT?! Can I ditch a genre I hate? Or is that cheating? I guess if I play by the rules, I have to ditch something I love… so of the kids books and YA books I read, the most common genres I love are: fantasy, autobiographies, contemporary, crime, adventure and mystery. I’d probably ditch crime from that list.

Uber Genre Snob: You can only choose to read from one genre for the rest of your life. Which genre do you choose?

Fantasy. There is no question. Absolutely none whatsoever. I couldn’t not read magic ever again. (It would mean that some of my faves would need to start writing fantasy books though).

Community Snob: Which genre do you think receives the most snobbery from the bookish community?

Anything YA. I know it’s technically not a “genre”, but YA gets missed out of a lot and it really shouldn’t.

Snobbery Recipient: Have you ever been snubbed for something that you have been reading or for reading in general?

Hmmm… I dunno? I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by people who love reading. I get a lot of “Why’s she reading on the bus/train?” but in general, people don’t bat an eyelid at me reading!

Well that was fun! I dunno how much of a snob I’ve come across… *shrug* (I don’t think I’m snobbish at all, but who knows!)

Did you learn anything about me?
Have you got any snobbish opinions?
Which genre would you choose for the rest of your life?

Talk to me in the comments!

S x

MG round up: Magical, mysical books

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I’m here with another round up of 3 MG books that I’ve read this year! I’m sticking by my pledge to review EVERY book on my blog, regardless of length, so here we go with 3 orange and blue books! 

mg round up dragons

Otto Tattercoat and the Forest of Lost Things – Matilda Woods

“Otto lives in the frozen city of Hodeldorf, where an eternal winter has fallen. When his mother goes missing one morning, he must join forces with the Tattercoats, a gang of brave orphans, to find her. They will journey into a dark forest where witches lurk and sun dragons lie sleeping, on a heart-racing adventure that will chill you to the bone.”

As a big fan of Matilda Woods’ other books, I had high hopes for this book. PLUS the cover is GORGEOUS. A story that starts with a coat, a missing mam and a lonely boy ends with a boy who learns a lot about himself and about other people. This is a gorgeous story about the importance of friendship, hope, kindness and humanity. There’s stories within stories here and the comraderie between the Tattercoats made me so happy. There’s wickedly bad baddies in this book and it made them even more delicious. I do not wish to visit the polish factory, but I would love to be friends with Otto and his crew. This was like a proper hug in a book. 

Dragon Detective: Catnapped by Gareth P. Jones

“When detective Dirk Dilly gets a call from Holly, a young girl whose pet cat has gone missing, the dragon ends up with not only a new case to solve but also a self-appointed partner-in-solving-crime. And it turns out that Holly’s cat is just the beginning! As the pair hunt for clues, Dirk spots other dragons flying over the city – and not the good kind. Dirk has a hunch they might just be involved, but will he and Holly be able prevent further cat-astrophe before it’s too late?”

This was a whole load of fun! It’s a great detective book with dragon detective sleuthing done brilliantly well. There’s loads of bits where I laughed aloud at this book. This is full of jokes that kids are going to love, but it would make a great read aloud too. It tells a wonderful story about a young girl who won’t give up and a dragon who really doesn’t want her to be there. This unlikely pair end up solving a mystery about missing cats and become friends. Who knew? I mean, who wouldn’t want to be friends with a dragon who knows all the underground secrets of the dragons around the world? Totally recommend this! 

The Land of Roar by Jenny Mclachlin

“When Arthur and Rose were little, they were heroes in the Land of Roar, an imaginary world that they found in their grandad’s attic. Roar was filled with things they loved – dragons, mermaids, ninja wizards and adventure – as well as things that scared them (including a very creepy scarecrow…) Now the twins are eleven, Roar is just a memory. But when they help Grandad clean out the attic, Arthur is horrified as Grandad is pulled into the folding bed and vanishes. Is he playing a joke? Or is Roar real?”

I properly loved this book. I had heard an awful lot about it on twitter, but never got round to picking it up… when I did, I instantly regretted waiting so long to pick it up! It was so much of what I loved about stories: brilliant storytelling, gorgeous characters and an interesting plot! Plus, there’s a whole load of magic, which instantly makes me happy. I loved that this book talked about the importance of play and using your imagination. There’s some gorgeous explorations of the relationship between the siblings in this book which I loved reading (as someone who has a close with her sibling). This book has a pretty scary baddy, but there’s a massive host of good guys to make it all ok! I can’t wait for book 2… I don’t wanna have to wait til June for it! 

And there you have it! Another round up of some smashing kids books! 

Have you read any of these books?
ARE YOU EXCITED FOR LAND OF ROAR 2 TOO?
Can you recommend me any more magical books please?

Talk to me in the comments. I’d love your magical recommendations!

S x 

Half term reads…

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HELLO!

As you will have seen from yesterday’s post, last week was half term, and as we know, in half term…

I READ ALL OF THE BOOKS. 

I love half terms because it gives me a proper chance to just gobble through a whole load of books. Today, I thought I would share with you what I read and VERY QUICK reviews of them! Some of them I have full reviews planned for in the coming weeks, but if you’re interested in full reviews of any, let me know and I’ll schedule them in! 

This half term I read 10 books and started an 11th. I think that’s pretty impressive for a half term holiday. I read a load of YA books which makes my brain so happy!

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Half term reads meets MG books

The Bigwoof Conspiracy – Dashe Roberts

This was a whole lot of fun. A small little town that’s being taken over by Bigfoot type monsters, a little girl who refuses to accept that the adults don’t have the answers and a factory owner who is plying the town with sugar. I don’t think I’d like to visit… but I’d love to be Lucy’s friend! A great sci fi mystery!

Bad Nana: All The Fun of the Fair – Sophy Henn

Lush to be back with Bad Nana and the gang. As usual, she is up to no good! This book, like the rest of the books in this series, are loads of fun! I love the gorgeous illustrations and this one proper made me chuckle!

The Shark Caller – Zillah Bethell

Well… this was a BEAUTIFUL story filled with love, hope, grief and friendship. I absolutely adored Blue Wing and Mabel’s stories: how they went from being cold to each other to bonded. How important the sea is. How important kindness is. This is a magical story. I just loved it. (Full review already scheduled)

Jungledrop – Abi Elphinstone

Blooming magnificent. A book, like all of Abi’s others, filled with adventure and heart. You can’t read one of her books and not be swept away with the lives of her characters, the depth and richness of her worlds and the brilliance of her baddies. I loved the twins and the journey they go on: kindness really is the bravest thing in the world. As much as Morg terrifies me, it was great to be back with her dastardly ways. And Heckle is a brilliant character (with a perfect name!) bloody bravo Abi Elphinstone!! (Full review already scheduled)

Half term reads meets YA books

Noah Goes Nuclear – Simon James Green

A wonderful short story that I was delighted to get my hands on. Brilliantly funny, quintessential Simon James Green. Poor Noah. I love him so much. “Abort all intercourse” might be one of my favourite quotes from these books. Cackled through this! (The couple opposite me on the train were a bit taken aback by my laughter!)

Into the Crooked Palace – Alexandra Christo

My friend Charlotte gave me this to borrow and I really enjoyed it! Really interesting characters and some interesting relationships going on. Secrets, lies, manipulation, magic (YES) and a battle for power. I am looking forward to the sequel provided the sister isn’t in control cause she scares me a lot.

First Day Of My Life – Lisa Williamson

This book is all kinds of magnificent. It’s heartbreaking and tough and hard to read. It’s revelations and secrets. It’s love in so many forms. It’s doing what’s right for you even when you know it’s going to hurt the people you love. It’s hard hitting and raw at times. I love how intertwined the 3 characters are and how their stories unfolded. The 3 perspectives worked so well. The epilogue made my heart so happy. Massive shout out to the scene between Ram and the policeman: it broke my heart. Bloody bravo! (Full review to come)

The Pieces of Ourselves – Maggie Harcourt

This book is honest and raw and interesting. It’s different and it’s curious. It made me think and it made me feel. I love Flora and Hal’s story so much. There’s so much goodness in their lives and they’re surrounded by questions. I see a bit of myself in Flora. I loved Charlie and Felix so much. Just a brilliant story that made me shocked, made me cry and made me fall a little bit in love. History and the present well and truly overlapping. (Full review scheduled)

Rules for Being A Girl – Candace Bushness and Katie Cotungo 

This made me all kinds of angry, disgusted, happy and sad. I love that Marin’s family were so lovely. Team Grey all the way. The power of believing a person’s truth and their story, versus a battle of power. She was treated so unfairly, but she’s a fighter. There’s so much truth in this book and it made me cross for women all over the world.

Love Is For Losers – Wibke Bruggemann

A great book! I loved the diary entry format and the sarcastic, cynical voice of the MC. She goes through a lot in this book, but she comes out on top. Shout out to the kittens, the representations of love in all its forms and grief in this book. This is a great story told in a brilliant way.

***

And that’s it! A very quick, whistle-stop tour of all of the books I read in half term! I’m sure my reading will slow down a bit now that we’re in term time, but I still read EVERY day so I should get through a few books in the next few weeks!

Do you read more during half term?
What did you read in half term?
What are you excited to read in the coming weeks?

Talk to me in the comments. I’d love to know which of these books you’re most interested in hearing about! 

S x 

 

Half term wins

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Half term wins…

Reading an awful lot of books. Going to London. Receving a proof I never thought I’d own. Sending messages to friends. Having a working date and actually being productive. Spending time with a twiglet and a Joey. Having many many delicious breakfasts. Being productive. Doing something I’m really proud of. Geordie Gifts. Watching the clouds roll past on the train. Sitting opposite a very handsome chap on the train. Laughter. Getting some wonderful book post. Visiting Waterstones for books for my faves. FINALLY finding Round Table Books in London. New dresses. 6am trains to London. Hugging lovely people. The roof of Kings Cross. Hot chocolates that taste like heaven. Having time to breathe and think. Doing a little bit of work every day. Having a Sunday where I didn’t need to panic. Lovely chats. Texting my faves. Making plans. Reading all of the books. Listening to SimplyPodLogical. Finally doing a thing I’ve been putting off. Looking forward to the future. Newcastle. Coming home. Texting my faves. Having time to blog during the week. Being asked to do exciting things. Books. Always books.  

S4S – Favourite covers

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Good morning! It’s #SixforSunday time again!

How are we all this fine Sunday morning? What are we all up to? Hopefully, you’re here to check out my #SixforSunday post or have just stumbled upon me from someone else’s blog! Regardless, you’re here so hello!

Today, we are talking:

Six favourite covers

I’m going to go with my 6 favourite covers of books I’ve read so far this year, otherwise I could be deliberating over this for months to come!

I’m not sure what this variety of books says about me because they are all so different and I love them all for different reasons. They’re bright, shiny, intricate, minimalist, scary. It does seem that blue and green are my cover colours of choice. I am a MASSIVE fan of a good cover. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but I am SO GUILTY OF THIS. What can I say? I like it when covers have shelf appeal!

What are your favourite covers?
Do you have a favourite cover style?
DO YOU ALSO JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER? (Don’t lie!)

See you next week for more #SixforSunday fun! Don’t forget to tag me in your posts. I’d love to see what covers you all love!

S x

BOOK BLOG: Kirsty Applebaum

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Troofriend: a little bit creepy, a little bit scary, but SUCH a good story!

img_2168proof copy sent from the publishers

“Imagine having the perfect friend, one who never steals, lies or bullies. Now you can, with the TrooFriend 560, the latest in artificial intelligence! What can go wrong with a robot buddy? Especially one that’s developing human characteristics and feelings, and who has just run away with her human?”

I AM A TROOFRIEND.
I DO NOT BULLY. I DO NOT HARM. I DO NOT LIE. I DO NOT COVET OR STEAL OR ENVY.
I AM YOUR PERFECT FRIEND. YOUR ONE TROOFRIEND.

Troofriend is the second book from the brilliant Kirsty Applebaum, author of The Middler, which was one hell of a book. I had high hopes when I saw there was a new book and I really enjoyed Troofriend. It was the perfect mix of creepy and thought provoking. 

Troofriend tells the story of a world set in the near future where parents can buy a Troofriend for their child. A Troofriend is the “perfect friend” for their children. They don’t bully, harm, lie, covet, steal or envy. What could go wrong? Sarah is a young girl whose parents do just that: they buy her a Troofriend because they’re very busy and she wants a puppy. When things start going wrong with other Troofriend Mark IVs like Ivy (Sarah’s Troofriend), we see an exploration of what it means to be human, what it means to be friends and some interesting talking points about robots! 

I really enjoyed this book. The story is told from Ivy’s point of view and I found that really endearing. You got to see into the world of the robot. You got to watch as Ivy changed and became something different to what you’re originally led to believe. Sarah isn’t convinced about Ivy to start with – she has Ivy turned off a lot of the time at the beginning, but as she starts to warm to Ivy, things start to change. Sarah wants to use Ivy to show off to her friends at ‘Bring Your Tech To School Day’.

I loved the ending. I thought it was very touching!

I read this book with a very ominous, tense feeling throughout. It was sold to me as Black Mirror for children and I can totally see it! There was always a feeling that something was going to go HORRIBLE wrong with the robots. This is the kind of book that I can see kids absolutely loving. I can’t wait to put it in the hands of some of my Year 5s and 6s.

It is going to create some real good talking points. This book lends itself to some brilliant converstaion starters/PSHE lessons about friendship, is it ever OK to lie and the future of the world with robots and AI becoming more and more prevalent. 

 My Goodreads review:

I really enjoyed this! Lots of brilliant talking points and I really loved the characters! I was tense a lot of the time. A lot of gripping reading!

Are you excited for Troofriend?
Would you want a Troofriend?
Can you recommend me any books like this?

Talk to me! I’d love to know your thoughts!

Massive thank you to the publishers, Nosy Crow, for sending me a proof copy of Troofriend for review! It;s sat in my classroom waiting to find a new friend after half term! 

S x 

ThursTAG: The Valentine’s tag

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Hello again! It’s ThursTAG again. This week I am doing the Valentine’s Tag because I love books and screw you calendar. I know it was Valentines Day last week… I was just NOT ORGANISED ENOUGH OK? Please forgive me!

Stand alone book you love

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I can’t not say Hold Back The Tide. I just finished it recently and I ADORED IT OK?

Dystopian book you love

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Oh man. I used to love a good bit of dystopian. I’ve not read a dystopian for a while I don’t think. However, I need to mention The Extinction Trials series by S.M.Wilson because they’re BLOODY BRILLIANT. They’re Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park, and if that doesn’t convince you, get out.

A book that you love but no one else talks about

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I WILL NEVER NOT SAY THIS TRILOGY BECAUSE NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT AND IT’S SO SO GOOD OK?

Favorite book couple

SO SO MANY. I AM SUCH A SHIPPER. But it has to be Sorrow and Luvian because I love Luvian with all of my heart and soul.

Book that other people love but you haven’t read yet

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LOL. Is there any other option? I will get round to reading this, but just not yet.

A book with red on the cover

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This book is PROPERLY GREAT. Please go buy it!

A book with pink on the cover

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This is the pinkest book on my shelf so naturally it came to mind first. If you’ve not read A Quiet Kind of Thunder, then please can you get on it?! I love Sara Barnard books with all of my heart. Plus, she’s an absolute darling.

You were given a box of chocolate what fictional boyfriend/girlfriend. Who would have given them to you?

HAHA. I have any number of candidates I would LIKE to give me chocolates, but my man Luvian probably wins. Then Grey (of Brigid Kemmerer fame) because I love him so much.

You are single on Valentines Day. What book would you read?

Image result for jungledrop abi elphinstone

Thanks for reminding me I am infinitely single.

The book I was ACTUALLY reading on Valentines Day was this one! Jungledrop is the newest Abi Elphinstone book and It WAS MAGNIFICENT. My review is to come next week!

You are in the bookstore. All of a sudden you get shot with an arrow by Cupid. What new release will you love?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. I do not know! I’ve read 2 of my most anticipated releases recently.

And there you go! I did it!

Have you read any of these?
Which books do you love?
What releases are you most excited for?

Talk to me in the comments!

S x

BOOK BLOG: Laura Steven

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The Love Hypothesis: hilarious, relatable and a whole lot of brilliant

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“Physics genius Caro Kerber-Murphy knows she’s smart. With straight As and a college scholarship already in the bag, she’s meeting her two dads’ colossal expectations and then some. But there’s one test she’s never quite been able to ace: love. And when, in a particularly desperate moment, Caro discovers a (definitely questionable) scientific breakthrough that promises to make you irresistible to everyone around you, she wonders if this could be the key. What happens next will change everything Caro thought she knew chemistry – in the lab and in love. Is her long-time crush Haruki with her of his own free will? Are her feelings for her best girl friend some sort of side-effect? Will her dog, Sirius, ever stop humping her leg?”

As a massive fan of Laura Steven’s other books, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy of Love Hypothesis as soon as humanly possible. Luckily for me, the brilliant publishers at Egmont sent me over a copy and, as soon as I finished the book I was reading, it went to the top of my list. I was hoping for a funny story with relatable characters and what I got was those things AND SO MUCH MORE. 

The Love Hypothesis tells the story of Caro – a bloody genius with 2 hilarious fathers – and her struggles with finding love in her teenage years. She’s always been the smart girl, and the people around her are always getting boyfriends and girlfriends, but she’s never managed to quite get there, until she discovers she can buy some dodgy pheromones from the internet, which will make people fall in love with her. Despite the fact she’s a genius, she thinks this is a stellar idea and what ensues is HILARITY, a lot of embarrassing situations, relatability and a story which I devoured in a matter of hours. 

As always, I’m going to try and keep this as spoiler-free as possible because I wold hate to ruin your lives by giving away everything! 

This book, like Laura’s other books, just oozes charm and wit. From my cackle on the first page to my sheer tears in the final pages, this book is one of those stories that I just wanna shake in front of everyone and tell them to read. I’ve read books where I’ve related to the main character many times before, but with this one there was a LOT of stuff that close to the bone and there were many times I was PUNCHED in the gut. But that’s why I loved it. There’s a certain magic in seeing yourself in a book, and while I’m no supergenius like Caro, I’ve been where she is. I am who she is. I’ve struggled like she does. I’ve thought to myself ‘I’m smart, I’m kind, I’m funny, WHY DOES NO ONE WANT ME?’. So reading this book was a bit like reading my thoughts.

I always love reading female protagonists, but what Laura’s got here (like she had with Izzy) is someone who is funny, clever and brilliant. You can’t read The Love Hypothesis and not find Caro endearing. I love reading clever characters. They’re one of those niches I love reading. Caro doesn’t shy away from being science-y in her story. She makes mistakes; she has to say sorry; she does most of this with grace and with her tail between her legs. She realises that there are some things more important than being wanted. She has those tough conversations and realises things about herself through the book and going on that journey with her felt like a bit of a priviledge. She goes through some HILARIOUS things – enter her two dads, who I will get to in a minute. 

Her dads. Man. I can’t NOT dedicate a little bit of space to her dads. They are HILARIOUS, SHAMELESS and MAJESTIC. I just loved them. They gave this book such warmth and love. They filled the pages with hilarity and compassion. I loved that it was SUCH a positive representation of a gay relationship and it wasn’t just there to tick a box: they were her dads and they loved her endlessly. I also love that they loved each other endlessly. They were the ying to the other’s yang. They both seemed to fit. I really loved their relationship. I loved that they were shameless dads: telling dad jokes, embarrassing Caro at every opportune moment. Vati was definitely an early favourite for me, but Dad definitely came into his own later on in the book. I’d LOVE  a book just about the dads. I bet they have some MAD stories to tell. 

Can we take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous cover? I love how bright it is! It looks gorgeous on my shelf! It’s so science-y, just like Caro!

This book is a wonderful story of love. Love in all its guises. Caro goes through an awful lot through this story, but it all comes down to love. Self love; love for your friends; love for your family; unrequited love; parental love. There were many moments where I was punched in the face because I had been there. Caro’s feelings about herself were especially poignant for me because she learns that she has to love herself just as much as she would love others. 

There’s some wonderful chats in this book about consent. Consent between people in a relationship and consent between friends. You don’t see the latter talked about often, but I think it’s so important that books talk about these things. 

Yes. There’s a ship. It’s a ship that I SHIPPED SO HARD. 

My Goodreads review:

This is proper triumph: funny, meaningful, clever. I’ve proper cackled, cried and learned things. I wanna hug this book and it’s characters: they’re just incredible. A massive shout out to the dads – they’re the best. There is SO MUCH OF ME in Caro that this hit close to home at times. Reading some of this was like reading my own thoughts. This books just brilliant. It’s funny, it’s full of love in all its guises.

My moodboard for this book because I couldn’t NOT show my love and appreciation for this book in more than just words!

LOVEHYPOTHESIS moodboard

A massive massive thank you to the publishers, Egmont, for sending me an early copy of the book for review. I just adored it. 

Have you read Love Hypothesis?
If you could take a pill and make everyone fall in love with you, would you?
IS THIS BOOK ON YOUR TO BUY LIST? 

Speak to you all soon! 

S x 

Books and my classroom…

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Why do you love books so much?

Well that’s a loaded question and a half. It’s a question my children (despite the fact I’ve taught them for 2 years now) have asked me. It’s a question my colleagues have asked me. I don’t have ONE answer for them. I don’t have one blanket answer. I probably give a different answer every single time I answer that question and that’s OK. The reason I love reading and books is deeper than just one reason.

Reading and in particular encouraging children to read for pleasure is a BIG part of my motivation and identity as a teacher. I know a lot of teachers in my twitter bubble would also say this, but I also know there are teachers who wouldn’t say this. I definitely identify as a reading teacher. A teacher who reads. My Year 5 classroom had a dedicated reading area because I think it’s important that children see that I am a reader just as much as they are. However, when I moved into my Year 6 classroom, there wasn’t a reading area as such (because for all it’s a wonderfully big classroom and I’m VERY blessed to have it there isn’t really space for book shelves), so I made one. And I very much loved it.

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Every week, there’s a new ‘Miss Elliott’s Recommended Read’ and one of my boys in particular is always the first one to take this book then return it! Yes, there are a multitude of different coloured stars to match whatever colour the covers of the books are… don’t judge me! I like things to look aesthetically pleasing haha. So far, my recommended reads have been:

  • Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick
  • Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray
  • There May Be A Castle by Piers Torday
  • The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll 
  • Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

I love leaving a book out on the recommended read spot because it gives children a starting point if they’re a bit intimidated by the selection!

READING AREA

Also in my reading corner are these two books. The brown one says ‘Miss Elliott’s Recommended Reads’ on the outside and the ‘Reading Journal’ is for them. Inside my recommended reading book is just that: my reviews of some of the books I’ve read lately. It was something I saw on twitter and then I decided to magpie. It’s great for the kids who are undecided, but trust my reading tastes! The ‘Reading Journal’ is their chance to shine and do just that: recommend books to their friends. The Reading Journal has just recently taken off as it took one or two children writing in it before they weren’t afraid to! I think it’s so important to get children talking about the books they recommend. (Letters from the Lighthouse was our whole class read last half term and I was super lucky to have 15 copies! The kids ADORED it!)

I also have these baskets which are jam packed FULL of high quality and wonderful stories. Any of the books I get sent normally end up in my classroom first and then they go into the school library for the rest of school to enjoy them – that’s adults and children alike! There’s a lot of books in these baskets that will stay in Year 6 because I either bought them or I know my kids will love them! A lot of these books have been read by multiple children and some of them are falling apart already! But that’s the sign of a well-loved book in my classroom! Some of the firm faves from these baskets include:

  • Wildspark by Vashti Hardy
  • Patina/Sunny/Ghost (not pictured because someone’s reading it) by Jason Reynolds
  • Pages and Co by Anna James
  • The Storm Keeper’s Island/The Lost Tide WQarriors by Catherine Doyle
  • High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson
  • Who Let The Gods Out series by Maz Evans

I decided to subscribe to First News this year just to give a bit of variety in my reading area and I have to say, my Year 6s are very taken by the newspaper! My Year 5s also loved them, but my Y6s are very partial to a bit of newspaper reading in our reading time! There’s never many left on the table when we are reading. There’s also this little box of postcards/bookmarks for my kids – if publishers ever send me postcards or bookmarks, they go in here for my kids to have a look at/use! We’re keen users of bookmarks and postcards as bookmarks!

And that’s it! A whistlestop tour of my reading area as it is at the minute. I’m a massive lover of books (if you hadn’t guessed) and getting my children access to new, high-quality books is so important to me. I love that being a blogger helps me to do this, but I’d do it even if I weren’t a blogger… I daren’t tell you all how much money I spend monthly on books!

Have you got a reading area in your classroom?
Is there anything else you’d like to see from my classroom?

Speak to you all soon!

S x

Half term is…

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Half term is…

A time for me to switch off for a minute.
For me to see friends that I’ve not seen for a while.
A time for me to breathe.
Time to get creative.
An opportunity for me to read all of the books.
The time I spend with my family.
A time to reflect. 
Breakfasts and lie ins.
Laughter and relaxation.
Time off from being Miss Elliott, and being Steph again.
Doing what I want to do, when I want to.
Late nights (mainly because books).
Starbucks and cake.
Time for my brain to rearrange itself and process what’s just been happening.
A time I miss my kids.
Getting through that TBR pile.
Posting pictures from whatever I’m up to.
Seeing my goddaughters. 
Sitting in Waterstones doing a bit of planning.
Sundays where I only blog. 
Getting round to doing things I’ve been putting off.
Seaside walks and cups of tea.
Time for me to be by myself.
Realising there’s more to me than my job.
Knowing that my job is an important part of my identity, but not the only part.

What half term looks like is different for everyone, but I love a half term holiday. I love my job with all that I am, but I can enjoy being off too. 

What does half term mean to you?
What does half term look like in your life?

Happy half term everyone! 

S x