No.90 - The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

So, I've reached number 90, meaning I have officially completed a 10th of my challenge!!! Huzzah!! 

I think my favourite book from the first 10 has got to be Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and I urge everyone who hasn't read it to go out and find a copy ASAP! You'll enjoy it! I'd also like to say how much I loved Michael Foreman's beautifully illustrated memoir War Boy, and again I urge you all to have a look at it! 

This post's book is The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon. Now, so far on this journey the books I've read haven't particularly felt like children's books. Thomas the Tank Engine has probably been the most childlike book so far, but even that felt quite grown up due to its old fashioned writing style. In a stark contrast to this Liz Pichon's book screams 'I AM FOR CHILDREN!!'. The cover itself exudes mischief, fun and childhood, to the point where it would seem that this book has actually been written and illustrated by the main protagonist Tom. And this is exactly Pichon's intention! The cover is as symbolic as the 'Keep Out' sign you might find on a teenagers door or diary, and as an adult reader I almost felt like I was prying! Tom, whom I would place at about 10 years old, is the heart and soul of this book and to all intents and purposes the book is written by him. When you open this book it's not your traditional print book, but instead it is more of a journal or notebook in which 'Tom' has doodled and recorded his life. Just take a look! 

Pichon absolutely succeeds in making you believe that this is the genuine article rather than a work of fiction, and I can imagine that this is very appealing for a pre-teen reader! I think some children, and in particular boys, as many studies have proven, struggle with a traditional print book. This is not to say that their reading skills are below average, but I just think that for some children the idea of a block of text can be quite daunting. What Pichon has achieved here, and in the rest of the Tom Gates series, is a book that is totally accessible. It's numerous amusing doodles, annecdotes and stream of conciousness style of writing keeps the readers attention in a way that a print book just can't. Children can't get bored of Tom Gates's world because the story changes and develops at such a fast pace! For an adult reader this was hard to keep up with and I struggled a little trying to put myself in the place of a 10 year old boy who liked nothing more than annoying his older sister and was obsessed with a rock band called Dude 3!! However, for many 10 year olds this will no doubt strike a chord, and I'll admit that some of Tom's world seemed familiar even to me! (In particular the trial of bumping into a teacher outside of school! Who doesn't remember how weird that was!? And Tom's teacher was wearing leather trousers!! Awkward!) 

I take my hat off to Liz Pichon for creating a book that so wonderfully (and amusingly, may I add) gets into the headspace and world of Tom. She makes it seems so effortless, and this is the beauty of this book. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is struggling to get a child into reading, in particular boys. It's a quick read, full of wit, mischief and in some ways the reality of school life when you're 10! The embarrassment of parents, the importance of seeing your favourite band, and the horror of school photos and parents evening! The doodles make it endearingly fun and there is even an interactive element, with a lesson on how to draw Tom's older sister Delia at the back! 

Although I was extremely conscious that this book was aimed at a child audience and felt like I was in forbidden territory, for the intended readership I think The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is a very original, enjoyable book that shouldn't be missed! 

Thanks for reading! L X

In other news I'm going to be taking a little break from the blog in September while I make preparations and get started on my MA in Children's Literature! It's all very exciting, but there is so much reading to do that I am going to have to focus on that for a bit. I'm hoping though that what I learn will inform my reading of the books on this list, and in turn produce more interesting posts for you to read, so it's a win win situation! Don't worry though, it won't be long before I'm back here telling you all about the course and the next book on the list, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers! L x

No. 91 - Saffy's Angel

In the last week or so i've had so many ideas for this blog that I think my head might explode!! I've made lists of things that i'd like to try out, so hopefully there'll be a lot more than just book reviews happening in this space soon! If you read my last post about books vs films then you'll have got a little flavour of things to come, including more engagement with children, and topics other than the books that i'm reading. I'm really hoping to expand what Little Bookworm is about! 

Anyway, today is another review. This time its number 92 on my list, Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay.

The title seemed familiar and when I read the synopsis I realised that i'd read this book when I was younger, so I was quite interested to see how I would feel coming back to it as an adult. The story is about Saffy, a 13 year old girl who goes to Italy in search of a stone angel left to her in her Grandfather's will. I can't remember my exact opinion of this book from when I was small, but i'm afraid to say that as an adult reader I found the story a little thin, which is a shame. However, what I absolutely love about this story is Hilary McKay's characterisation!

The story centres around the Casson family, a loveable, but truly chaotic family of six. Bill and Eve Casson are artists, and their three children, Cadmium (Caddy), Indigo and Rose are all named after paint colours, which is a really lovely touch. Saffron (Saffy) is adopted, she is the daughter of Eve's sister, who died in a car accident whilst living in Italy. Her name does not appear on the paint chart in their kitchen, and this was how she discovered that Bill and Eve were not really her parents. McKay deals with the concept of adoption in a gentle and sensitive way by placing great emphasis on the closeness of the Casson family children, including Saffy. She refers them as a pack. They all stick up for each other, each offering their own individual strength to family life, and this is how they muddle along together.

Each character has their own individual quirky nature, making them wonderfully endearing, and this is what I love about this book! Caddy, the eldest, is scatty, away with the fairies a lot of time, and breeds Guinea Pigs in the front garden! She dreams of studying Zoology at university and going to work in Africa, just as soon as she manages to pass her A Levels. Then there is Indigo, the only boy of the pack, he has dreams of becoming an Arctic explorer once he's faced his fears and feels brave enough to leave his sisters. He spends a lot of time sitting on the outside edge of his window sill confronting his fear of heights! The smallest Casson child is Rose, known to her siblings as Permanent Rose, because she was very poorly as a baby but now she's not going anywhere (coincidently, it's also a paint colour). She loves art, and is always painting something, somewhere in the house; she also eats paint which her mum believes made her a stronger baby! Mum Eve, spends all her time painting in her shed and unfortunately sometimes forgets she has children to look after, hence the need for the Casson kids to stick together. Their long-suffering dad Bill spends most his time in his London studio, escaping the chaos that is his family! And finally there is Saffy, not a true Casson, but loved by them all the same. She is much calmer than the others and has a bit more of a grasp on reality. As you can see McKay has excelled in creating characters that really grasp the readers attention. By giving so much background and character information within the story readers can identify with the characters in the best way possible; as if they were their family or friends, or even themselves. Even I found myself wishing that I had a sister like Caddy, and thinking wouldn't it be nice to live in a house like theirs. However, realistically I don't think my nerves could take it!! I'm more like Bill Casson than i'd care to admit!

Despite being a fairly ordinary story of a teenager on a journey of personal discovery, McKay manages to create a whole extraordinary domestic world in which it can happen. From the house itself, to what's for dinner, the Casson's slightly dysfunctional home life is a joy! I am pleased to say that there are three more books in the Casson family series, and despite not loving this story, I feel compelled to read the next books to find out what happens to these wonderful characters as they grow up! The Casson family is not a family you can forget about quickly!

Thanks for reading! L x

Next up is The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.

Books vs Films

Is it better to read the book or see the film? Or is there merit in both? For years now I've always slightly considered film adaptations of books inferior to the books themselves, in particular films of children's books! It upsets me greatly that a child might only know who The Cat in the Hat or The Grinch is because they've seen the films! I can't bear the thought of children not exploring the books I loved when I was little, or worst still, not even knowing they exist! Children these days seem to watch a lot more films, and they seem even more readily available with on demand viewing and digital downloads common in most houses (don't even get me started!). I suppose i'm just really scared that the book will go extinct and the children of today will grew up not knowing the pleasure of getting lost in a book, instead of screen.

The only film adaptation of children's stories that I can remember when I was a child were the Disney films, and as I now know, these were grossly different to the texts from which they took their names! You only have to watch the film Saving Mr Banks to see what liberties Walt Disney took with author's original works! If you haven't seen this film, its about P.L Travers, creator of the wonderful Mary Poppins, and the struggle she went through when Walt Disney 'Disney-fied' her beloved books. Its well worth a watch! Anyway, if adaptations were around they were more than likely to be on the tele, but I don't seem to remember there being that many, which I suppose is why I'm biased towards the book! I read, A LOT, and so books were a huge part of my childhood. 

Anyway, recently i've come to realise that the adaptation may not be so bad after all, and frankly I shouldn't be such a book snob! The more I thought about the film/TV adaptation vs the book I realised that I too was guilty of enjoying film or TV before book. I actually don't think I would have read a lot of the novels i've read if it wasn't for the BBC! I read Tess of the D'Urbevilles after watching the tele adaptation, and the same can be said for Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), The Ladies Paradise (Emile Zola), and Cider with Rosie (Laurie Lee). And of course i'd be lying if I said i'd read all the Harry Potter books before i'd seen the films! The films actually inspired me to read the books! Often i've enjoyed an adaptation on the tele or seen a really good film version of a book, my first thought is 'I need to read this!', so this left me wondering whether seeing a film could also inspire a child to read a book? I could deal with that! Maybe film adaptations might not be the route of all evil after all.....

If you know me you'll know I have a Lilia (7) and an Archie (4), my little second cousins. When I went to see them the other day they were buzzing about having just seen the brand new film adaptation of The BFG. It is the must-see film of the summer holidays and they told me it was great! I was very pleased to hear that having seen the film Lilia was now keen to read the story, so we grabbed the book and started reading, taking it in turns. It was really lovely to see her engaging with the story and the characters. I think having seen the film, and therefore now knowing the story, she was able to enjoy the book more and have a greater understanding of Dahl's tale. Below is a drawing she did of the BFG himself, after we read his description in the book. I love it!

So could seeing the film of a book actually encourage children to read and enhance their understanding and enjoyment of a story? Absolutely! I've certainly got a more open mind on this subject now. I think children will always eventually find these books, even if they've seen a film adaptation. In fact seeing the film may even make them seek out the book! As much as on demand tele allows for films to become a regular event, I think reading will still play a huge role in the lives of children. So, to answer my original question, there's certainly merit in both film and book and whatever sparks a child's imagination and gets them reading, i'm for it!! 

Thanks for reading, L x