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Welcome to Young Writers - Young Writer's Recommended Reads

Each month we’ll bring you our recommendations of books that we hope will be of interest to you. If you would like to provide a review, as a reader, for any of these titles please email us at youngwriters@forwardpress.co.uk with 'Reader's Book Review' in the subject line.


December 2009

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T S Eliot (Author) and Alex Scheffler (Illustrator) Published by Faber and Faber Available from October 2009 RRP £14.99 hardcover ISBN 978-057124-061-6 Cats! Some are sane, some are mad and some are good and some are bad. Meet magical Mr Mistoffelees, sleepy Old Deuteronomy and curious Rum Tum Tugger. But you'll be lucky to meet Macavity because Macavity's not there! In 1925 T.S. Eliot became co-director of Faber and Faber, who remain his publishers to this day. Throughout the 1930s he composed the now famous poems about Macavity, Old Deuteronomy, Mr Mistoffelees and many other cats, under the name of 'Old Possum'. In 1981 Eliot's poems were set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber as "Cats" which went on to become the longest-running Broadway musical in history. This new edition, published on the 70th anniversary of the book and on the 80th anniversary of Faber and Faber, contains original colour illustrations by the award-winning illustrator of "The Gruffalo", Axel Scheffler. Recommended for readers 5+

The Kites Are Flying by Michael Morpurgo Published by Walker Books Available from 2nd November 2009 RRP £7.99 ISBN 978-140631-798-5 A television reporter’s extraordinary experience in the West Bank reveals how children’s hopes and dreams for peace and unity can fly higher than any wall built to divide communities and religions. This is a thought-provoking story that shows how friendship knows no barriers. Recommended for readers aged 7+

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart Published by Chicken House Available from June 2009 RRP £6.99 ISBN 978-190642-702-3 When a peculiar advertisement appears in the newspaper for children to take part in a secret mission, children everywhere sit a series of mysterious tests. In the end, just four children succeed:Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance. They have three things in common: they are all honest, all remarkably talented and all orphans. They must go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where the only rule is that there are no rules. There they must work as a team to save not only themselves, but also the world outside the walls. Recommended for readers 9+

Larklight by Philip Reeve Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Available from July 2009 RRP £6.99 ISBN 978-140880-060-7 Arthur (Art) Mumby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father in the huge and rambling house, Larklight, travelling through space on a remote orbit far beyond the Moon. One ordinary sort of morning they receive a correspondence informing them that a gentleman is on his way to visit, a Mr Webster. Visitors to Larklight are rare if not unique, and a frenzy of preparation ensues. But it is entirely the wrong sort of preparation, as they discover when their guest arrives, and a Dreadful and Terrifying (and Marvellous) adventure begins. It takes them to the furthest reaches of Known Space, where they must battle the evil First Ones in a desperate attempt to save each other - and the Universe. Recounted through the eyes of Art himself, Larklight is sumptuously designed and illustrated throughout. Recommended for readers 12+

Children’s Classic

Five Children & It by Edith Nesbitt, first published in 1902 Published by many different publishers as is widely available online and in the high street. The story begins when a group of children move from London to the countryside of Kent. While playing in a gravel pit soon after the move, they uncover a rather grumpy, ugly and occasionally malevolent sand-fairy known as the Psammead (pronounced Sammy-ad) who is compelled to grant one of their wishes every day (and their wish ends at sundown). Join the children in their many adventures, which include flying, encountering Red Indians and being under siege by fierce knights to mention but a few. In 1991 the story was adapted into a 6-part children’s TV series by the BBC and is available on DVD.

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