reviewed by Frances Churchward. This book tells the story of the Greenwood family who have just won £17.8 million on the lottery. Initially, long standing friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes, claim shares in the win as they assert that they have always been part of a syndicate. However,...
Books
Book review: The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby
reviewed by Frances Churchward. This book is the story of a young girl, Romilly, who lives in a ramshackle house with her father. Before moving to this house Romilly, from the age of four, and her father led a nomadic life, at one point as part of a travelling...
Book Review: Beneath a Polish Sky by Lucy Rose
reviewed by Chris Richards. In Beneath a Polish Sky we see three lives change in one night. It is a story with emotional intelligence, compassion, and a strong moral compass. The three main characters come together in a hotel in Poland each from a distinct background. Harry Graves is...
Book Review: Who To Trust by Carolyn Ruffles
reviewed by Chris Richards. Abductions, stalkers, and lies, Oh My! This story has what it takes to keep you interested until the very last word. It’s a flawless balance of mystery and romance, flanked by tense frustration and charming wit. I found myself rolling my eyes occasionally at the...
Book Review: Ben and the Bug by Natalie Reeves-Billing
reviewed by Chris Richards. Ben and the Bug is the second book in the Split Perspectivz series by Natalie Reeves-Billing with illustrations by Lisa Williams. This story artfully describes the circumstances of COVID-19 to young children without fudging the facts. There have been many child-friendly approaches doing the rounds...
Book Review: My Mummy is a Monster/My Children are Monsters by Natalie Reeves-Billing
reviewed by Chris Richards. This is the first of a new, incredibly special series of children books called the Monstrous Me Collection written by Liverpool based author Natalie Reeves-Billing and illustrated by Lisa Williams. I read this with my children (5 & 8) in week 5 of the Lockdown....
Book Review: Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the Surveillance State by Barton Gellman
reviewed by Charlie Hislop. It was one of those moments, not unlike Wikileaks and Chelsea Manning, or the Panama Papers, when the sordid workings of the powerful are laid bare for everyone to see. In the case of Edward Snowden and the US National Security Agency, it was the...
The Children’s Isolation Book Project
EDITED: New deadline, updated to state 1st June 2020. by Chris Richards. May Day! May Day! Juliette Jones: Editorial Services are compiling a book of stories written by our children and the closing date is approaching fast! Juliette Jones is a wonderful woman with a name reminiscent of a...
Book review: Love after Love, by Ingrid Persuad
reviewed by Frances Churchward. This novel is set in Trinidad and has three protagonists; Betty, a single mother, Solo, her teenage son who grows into a young man over the course of the story, and Mr Chetan who is Betty’s long term lodger. Each character tells their story from...
Book review: The Mayflower Missing by Ed Harris
reviewed by Richard Jones. For a man who loves maritime history, I didn’t know much about the Mayflower until recently save for the basic facts. I was delighted to finally get a chance to read about this important period of history that is arguably, a household name. Picking up...