Tomorrow night, we will be taken on a journey of European cities as the scores are given from the judging panels for the Eurovision Song Contest, so I’m delighted that this week, Year one have chosen stories on the theme of “Cities”. It’s been a really tough job narrowing down the books.
My first choice is Small In The City by Sydney Smith, who is one of my favourite picture book creators.
Being small can be overwhelming in a city. People don’t see you. The loud sounds of the sirens and cyclists can be scary. And the streets are so busy it can make your brain feel like there’s too much stuff in it. But if you know where to find good hiding places, warm dryer vents that blow out hot steam that smells like summer, music to listen to or friends to say hi to, there can be comfort in the city, too.
We follow our little protagonist, who knows all about what its like to be small in the city, as he gives his best advice for surviving there. As we turn the pages, Sydney Smith’s masterful storytelling allows us to glimpse exactly who this advice is for, leading us to a powerful, heart-rending realization…
The Travelling School Mysteries by Jo Clarke are a fantastic series of books where each new term is in a new city, starting with Libby And The Parisian Puzzle, then Edinburgh and in the third book, New York in Libby And The Manhattan Mystery.
In the firs book of the series, mystery-lover Libby is excited but nervous when she’s sent to live with her aunt while her mother is working abroad. Aunt Agatha is the headmistress of an extraordinary travelling school that moves from country to country… Libby joins the school in Paris, where she is just starting to find her feet when Agatha is arrested, accused of a daring jewel robbery! Can Libby and her new best friend Connie find the real thief and save her aunt?
Every trip out immerses you further into the Parisian setting, brought beautifully to life by Jo’s writing, and Libby’s keen eye for detail. Becka Moor’s illustrations, scattered liberally throughout, capture the joyful nature of the story, and it’s characters and setting perfectly. There is something truly wonderful about a school that changes destination for each term, and you’ll be left craving hot chocolate and macarons
Finally, for our older children, I’ve chosen a story that brings Honk Kong to life; The Black Dragon by Julian Sedgewick.
Danny Woo’s life was turned upside down the night of the fire that took his parents life. Since then, he’s been frozen, trying to adjust to life at Ballstone boarding school. When an explosion rips through the corridors, Aunty Laura suggests Danny goes with her to Hong Kong – the place where his mother was born – and spend some time with Major Zamora, his trusted friend from The Mysterium.
No sooner do they walk through arrivals that Danny realises this might not be as straightforward a trip as he’s been led to believe. First, there’s the man in the white suit; is he following them? Then, while at dinner, armed men kidnap his Aunty. For the first time in over a year, Danny feels himself begin to unfreeze, and tries to unlock the memories of that last fateful week at the circus with his parents. Could the events unfolding around him have any links to that past?
Packed with action and intrigue, Julian Sedgwick has created an action packed thriller that moves at breakneck speed to the mind blowing conclusion. He conjures up complex characters and brings Hong Kong vividly to life, while mixing deadly gangs, magic and mystery with a slight of hand that Danny’s Dad would be proud of. A hypnotising start to a gripping series.
Happy reading – enjoy your travels this week!
