I know that 'books for young readers' is a very vague title, but these aren't all chapter books, though the age-group for all the books on the list is similar. I also don't read as many chapter books as I do other children's books, but as I was making this list, I realised that I probably should read more because I've enjoyed each and every one of these!The Last Tiger (Mark Greenwood)A work of non-fiction, The Last Tiger is exactly the kind of book I would have loved to read age eight. Even as a child, I was fascinated by the wild world, and aghast at what humans were doing to it. The Last Tiger is the perfect mixture of seriousness and hope, bringing home to me that nature is in danger, but all is not lost yet.Read a more detailed review here.Tilly and the Time Machine (Adrian Edmondson)I would imagine that writing a fresh story about a time machine is incredibly … [Read more...]
The Not-a-Pig
I'm still chuckling over Mango and Bambang #1 - The Not-a-Pig. It was just such a crazy, sweet book! Another story about an unlikely friendship, The Not-a-Pig is about a girl called Mango and a tapir! And I don't know about you, but I've never read a book about a tapir before.There is a huge traffic jam because there's a hump on (or is it in?) the zebra crossing. What could the hump be? It is black and white, just like the rest of the crossing. What could it possibly be?Enterprising young Mango is the only one who dares to find out, and she discovers Bambang, a very jittery tapir who has somehow wandered far away from the Malaysian jungle to which he belongs.What follows is a blossoming friendship between a short-sighted tapir who loves trying on hats and a sensible young girl. What will she do about the Collector who wants to put Bambang in a glass case? And … [Read more...]