What Miss T Read

A ferocious storm is raging in Eerie-on-Sea. An ancient artefact filled with a wondrous light has washed up on the beach. And a mysterious hooded stranger has just checked into the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Herbie and Violet know that these events are connected - and that they must act fast to save the town. But their investigation may just lead them to the cold, dark bottom of the sea... Gargantis is Thomas Taylor's fantastic follow up to Malamander, where we were first introduced to our adventurous pair, Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma, and the mysterious seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea. Being a huge fan of Malamander it's an understatement to say I was excited to read Gargantis and it didn't disappoint. From the very start, just as in Malamander,  Herbert Lemon's quiet life as the Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious and sinister hooded man who entrusts him with a clockwork hermit crab. Add to that the arrival of a myster...

“One day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles, and seized one in each hand; then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth.” At the age of 22 Charles Darwin clambered up the steps of HMS Beagle, armed with enough notepads to last him for several years and set sail on a journey of exploration that would change his life and how we view the entire world forever. When Darwin Sailed the Sea is a brilliant biographical look at the life of Charles Darwin. Presented through chronological chapters combined with illustrations by Sam Kalda, this is the perfect introduction to a man who changed the beliefs of the world with his discoveries.  The book is written in biographical format and starts with Darwin as a young boy, telling of his failures at school and his own desire to study divinity, not science (something which I was completely unaware of!). Each chapter is short and comp...

When Charlie's longed-for brother is born with a serious heart condition, Charlie's world is turned upside down. Upset and afraid, Charlie flees the hospital and makes for the ancient forest on the edge of town. There Charlie finds a boy floating face-down in the stream, injured, but alive. But when Charlie sets off back to the hospital to fetch help, it seems the forest has changed. It's become a place as strange and wild as the boy dressed in deerskins. For Charlie has unwittingly fled into the Stone Age, with no way to help the boy or return to the present day. Or is there? When Charlie's baby brother Dara is born with a heart condition, his reaction isn't quite what he expected. He surprises even himself by running off into the forest, too scared to hold his brother for the first time. As Charlie tries to hide from his own problems, another one arises, in the form of a boy floating in the stream before him - alive, but injured. Desperately searching for help, Ch...

Yasmin Shah is a ten-year-old girl who is part of a big, noisy family and doesn’t ever speak. Levi is a rude, sassy toy llama, who talks A LOT and has come to wreak havoc in Yasmin’s life. Yasmin tries everything she can to escape Levi, but she can’t help being dragged along on his crazy antics – and every day brings a new surprise, whether that’s an erupting bin, a flying tuna fish, or a hat made from knickers. Life is never boring with Levi around – and could it be that he has a secret plan to help Yasmin find her voice? Llama Out Loud  is hilarious. And I say that as someone who doesn't often actually laugh out loud at children's books - I appreciate the humour but it just doesn't tickle me, y'know? But Llama Out Loud  tickled me, with Levi the Llama's constant quips and Yasmin's crazy family including her Ammi who JUSTCAN'THELPBUTSHOUTEVERYTHING. It's funny. Properly funny.  Llama out Loud follows Yasmin, a ten-year old girl who doesn't speak - t...

What makes a fish a fish? Why do giraffes have such long necks? Evolution holds the answers to these and many more questions about life on Earth.  Amazing Evolution is without a doubt one of the most valuable non-fiction books I have in my collection and one which I've used time and time again in the classroom. As a Year 6 teacher the topic of evolution is a huge part of our science curriculum and it's one that prompts so many questions from the children. This was partly the reason I first bought myself this book since I just didn't have the knowledge to answer them all!  Amazing Evolution 's pages are filled with facts presented in the most beautiful way by the illustrator, Wesley Robbins. It covers the basics of what evolution actually is, the different ages on Earth, how we evolved and are we still evolving, as well as introducing the key individuals involved in the science such as Dawin, Wallace and Mary Anning. Each fact is presented in a child (and adult!) friendl...

When Oleg and Emma invent a new classmate called Sebastian, they are amazed when he appears - very much real - in their secret den. Sebastian isn't like the rest of their classmates. He's never eaten pizza, he's not sure what goose bumps are, and he has a satchel that seems to hold an endless supply of hot ice cream. But as the trio begin their adventures, more impossible things keep happening, from a runaway goat appearing at school to a sighting of some snow-women walking down the road. Things soon take a turn for the dangerous when the three friends are pursued by the mysterious Institute of Unreality, who want to capture and erase Sebastian, restoring order to the world.    The Impossible Boy is the perfect fantasy adventure with just enough reality to make the reader question whether the actions that occur are actually impossible. The story centres around Oleg and Emma, best friends who delight in creating a new classmate - Sebastian - to fill the third friend void in ...

Madame Augustina Pinchbeck , travels the country conjuring the spirits of dearly departed loved ones... for a price. Whilst her ability to contact ghosts is a game of smoke and mirrors, there is real magic behind her tricks too - if you know where to look.   Through a magical trade, she persuades children to part with precious objects, promising to use her powers to help them. But Pinchbeck is a deceiver, instead turning their items into enchanted  Cabinets  that bind the children to her and into which she can vanish and summon them at will.   When Pinchbeck captures orphan  Leander , events are set into motion that see him and his new friends  Charlotte  and  Felix , in a race against time to break Pinchbeck’s spell, before one of them vanishes forever… The Vanishing Trick  is spooky, historical and magical in equal parts. I'd seen this recommended on Twitter by many other book bloggers and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Set ...

Today is Empathy Day and after seeing lots of tweets about various books and films that inspire and promote empathy I started thinking about what books I have read and shared with my children in class that have really provoked discussion and empathetic responses.  Here are my top three books to prompt empathy discussions in the classroom.   I use William's Doll every year as part of PSHE and our discussions around gender stereotypes. The book focuses on a young boy called William who is desperate to own a doll; however, those around him continually call him names and try to distract him with typical "boys" toys. Every time I get this book out it promotes such huge discussions on stereotyping and an outpouring of anecdotes from the children in class about their experiences around the topic. I often stop after each insult and together we make an emotions graph of how those words build and build and affect William's emotions. It's a very simple story and idea but the...

Aleja is a dreamer who longs for a life of magic and adventure. So when a mysterious ship arrives in her Spanish harbour city, crewed by a band of ruthless women, Aleja knows it's sailed right out of a legend. And it wants her.  But life aboard the Ship of Shadows is more than even she bargained for. It will take all of Aleja's strength and skill to gain the trust of her fellow pirates - and discover what they are risking everything to find ... A Ship of Shadows   is Maria Kuzniar's debut novel and it   is an action-packed adventure set on the sea, filled with pirates, fighting, close escapes and a multitude of enemies of all shapes and sizes. If you're looking for a book filled with strong females then this well and truly ticks all the boxes. Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean but with just Keira Knightley and you're about there. The females in this book do not stop for anything or anyone and it was truly delightful to read another example of children's...

At the edge of the woods, there is a great tree. Peep through the branches and you might just see some little people who stand as tall as your thumb and have heads the size of hazelnuts.  Sylvia prefers to be alone rather than play noisy games with the other Tree Keepers. But one day, she finds a baby bird in her favourite hiding place. As Sylvia and the bird become friends, can she learn that sometimes, things are better when you have someone to share them with?  The Tree Keepers: Flock,  is a beautiful debut picture book by Gemma Koomen. The premise of the book revolves around a civilisation called the Tree Keepers, a group of tiny people (whom I imagine are almost invisible to humans) who live in the trees, harvesting, cleaning and generally making the tree appear as appealing as possible. Think the borrowers, but living in trees. The idea of these tiny humans doing the work of nature is one which is easily imagined and the illustrations really help to add life to...

Everyone thinks that Sophie is an orphan. True, there were no other recorded female survivors from the shipwreck which left baby Sophie floating in the English Channel in a cello case, but Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help. Her guardian tells her it is almost impossible that her mother is still alive, but that means still possible. You should never ignore a possible.  You've probably already read this book and if you haven't then where have you been? That's the question I was asking myself when I picked this up after hearing Jane Considine sing its praises in her Writing Revolution CPD videos on Youtube. The examples of language that she was pulling from the book were magical and I knew instantly that this would be my kind of book.  Having already read Katherine Rundell's The Explorer , I was expecting some high-octane action but actually this story has a lovely slow pace to it; plenty of time to digest the characters and the beautiful surroundings of Par...