My Friend's a Gris-Kwok

Barrington Stoke has released four new titles in the 'Little Gems' series. The already published stories are presented in a mature 'chunky book' format designed to support the transition to independent reading. As a child's first independent read, these books would instantly be loved. Their intended audience is children aged between five and eight years with a reading ability of six years. The jacketed covers include quizzes, mazes and even tips for star-gazers! The books all have a contents page, chapters and are between 76 and 100 pages long. The excellent illustrations in all four of the books appear throughout and would support readers in understanding the stories as they step away from book bands. The stories are engaging and perfect for this age range, making an ideal addition to a primary school library's early independent readers section. Morpurgo's Snug would appeal to animal lovers, they will fall in love with Snug the cat! The First Third Wish is a feel-good adventure story about Cobweb, a young fairy, trying to carry out her first fairy task delivering three wishes. The Castle in the Field is a story about a brother and sister and their friend Tom. Their curiosity leads them to a new hide-out, but can they keep it a secret? My personal favourite was Blackman's; My Friend's a Gris-Kwok. Mike visits his friend Alex for what he thinks will be a normal afternoon, little does he know they will end up chasing Alex's younger sister Polly as she experiments with the delights of her new-found talent, being a Gris-Kwok. Children will love this fun story as the boys are pitted against an elephant, mouse and a robin trying to 'look after&' Polly before Mike's parents get home. Four fantastic reads that would also be appropriate for older, less able, readers. I can't wait to share and review the books with my book club, as a way of introducing the stories to the school library. Ages 5-8 years / Reviewed by Elizabeth Harris, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+