Beautiful Creatures

Gosh, I spent some of this afternoon looking at some of the Kiwi Mum Bloggers and I have to say there are some incredibly talented people on our fair shores! I wish I had been blessed with some of the creative abilities that so many of you have been.

I've also decided to start saving for one of A Little Vintage's custom made dolls. I love the image of having something made out of the kidlets old clothes. What a fabulous idea, an heirloom that can be kept for many years to come. I'm afraid all I have to offer are my opinions on books and hope that somehow, somewhere it will help somebody out : ).

This latest blog may alienate a whole lot of people, but I have never been one to shy away from my beliefs. I love great books, books that beckon you in with the possibility of a great story and then wraps it's pages around you, building up great characters and an interesting plot. That's why I never really got in to the Twilight series. It had the beckoning part down, but the characters were awful, I couldn't stand whiny Bella with her "me me me" attitude and the fact she was nothing without Edward, and Edward was such an enabler. I felt for poor Jacob, mind you he was a sucker (no pun intended) for punishment. I felt nothing for the rest of the characters, if Bella had been savaged by a rogue werewolf I probably would have felt some form of relief that her sad little life was over.

Character development is in fact a really hard thing to do well. In fact, for the last month or so I have been longing for a good book where I felt a connection with the characters and finally I have found one. Beautiful Creatures is a wonderfully written debut novel. The two authors have obviously studied the craft of writing and the story carries me along with them on their story telling journey. I care about these characters and what is going to happen to them, they have strength, determination and hope. All qualities I would like to foster in my children, yes they hit rocky patches but the message is that if you support each other you CAN get through. It is a story of true friendship and love, with a fair bit of kissing for good measure.


Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate always knew that he was going to get out of Gatlin, a small Southern town in the U.S. , even if nobody else ever had. He had a map pinned to his bedroom wall with all the different places he had read about in his sixteen years and planned to visit once he graduated. Little did he know that his future is tied to his families past.

When Lena Duchannes, the town recluse's niece comes to stay Ethan discovers a Gatlin he never knew existed. One full of curses, magic and the answer to the accidental death of his mother one year before.

Where I found the character of Bella whiny, wishy washy and down right painful, I find Lena strong and thoughtful. Yes, she bears the weight of the world on her shoulders, just like Bella, but she handles it in a more believable manner. She wants to take charge of her destiny and takes steps towards doing so, rather than whining about the fact that she isn't getting her own way and stamping her foot like a three year old.

The narrator is Ethan (surprise!) and he too has a lot of issues that he needs to deal with such as his father withdrawing from the real world after the death of Ethan's mother, instead choosing to lock himself in the downstairs study supposedly working on the next big American novel.

Once again I admit to some bias towards this book as they do use "To Kill a Mockingbird" one of my favourite books ever, as a spring board, comparing the Gaitlin town recluse to Boo Radley. So this clever choice had me hooked almost from the get go.

If you have often fantasized about living a life full of mystery and witch craft then this book is for you. I love the Southern flavour, the plot is well developed and relatively fast paced and the characters are 3 dimensional.

A few questions the reader has may remain unanswered such as "why was Ethan's mother killed?" But at least we discover who was responsible.

Although the two main characters in this book do become a couple and they are very physical, it is still quite innocent, with as noted earlier, a great deal of kissing. I would happily let my child read this at around about the age of 11 years, but as it is 563 pages long, they would have to be quite the avid or advanced reader.

So, for the average reader I would lean closer to 14 years plus.

It's also in the process of being made into a movie, so if your teenager hasn't read it already, let them know how with it you are and introduce it!


If you've already read the book, then you'll know the song "Sixteen Moons". I found someones version of it on Youtube (what can't you find on youtube these days?). Have a listen and tell me what you think.

Sixteen Moons

Gifted Gaiman

I am aware  that Neil Gaiman's following is such, that if I tried to claim I was his biggest fan then about 10,000 other people would protest that in actual fact they were. Neil Gaiman has penned many a story, from his "Sandman" graphic novels to picture books, young adult fiction to old adult fiction and the odd screen play thrown in for good measure. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of his stories but one of my favourites at present is Blueberry Girl, a picture book I will review here shortly, that is if you can call it reviewing.

Before I do this however, I would like to take a small amount of time to boast about how I got to meet him when he came to New Zealand for the Wellington Readers and Writers Festival. My fabulous husband booked tickets for us and we flew down to Wellington to hear him speak. I was so excited I could have spontaneously combusted. 

I discovered the joy of Gaiman's work in the school library many years ago while teaching. I stumbled across Coraline on the shelf and that was it, my Gaiman addiction was born.

My husband and I were only going down to Wellywood for the night and so packed lightly, pretty much a fresh pair of undies each, toothbrushes and a small bag crammed full of Neil Gaiman's classics that I was hoping to get signed. In the bag was Stardust (for me), Coraline (for my son, thinking about when he is older), and Blueberry Girl (for my daughter). The children were staying with Nana and so it also meant some couple time.

 The "interview" he gave with Kate de Goldi was enjoyable and entertaining, although I would have liked more opportunity for the audience to ask questions of him, not that I had one, I just thought it would have been more intriguing.

Then it was time for the book signing, the rush was MAD, it was almost as if someone had announced there was 90% off all books at Dymocks. Surprisingly, and I'm not even sure how, hubby and I managed to find ourselves near the front of the queue. We were told that he was

only signing one book per person, which was understandable considering the masses of people, so the decision was made that my son and daughter would get theirs signed.

He was a very charming man and I feel very honoured to have met such a creative talent. So with all of the showing off out of the way, let the review of Blueberry Girl begin.

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman. 

Illustrated by Charles Vess

The reason I have said this isn't really a review is because I will be posting a clip of Gaiman reading the story and so you can make up your own mind about whether or not it appeals to you. To view it, click here.

Neil Gaiman wrote this poem for his friend, songwriter and singer Tori Amos when she discovered she was having a little girl. The sentiment behind the words is beautiful. The choice of words are powerful and there is wisdom in the advice offered. It resonated strongly with me being a grown woman and what he has written are things that I would like my baby girl to know and be aware of as she makes her own way in the world. I like the fact that it supports the views that she will hear coming out of the mouths of her parents.

Let me know if it effects you in the same way it did me. Enjoy : ).

The Grumble Rumble Mumbler

As a child, I was never particularly proud of the country I was born in. I always wished I had been born in England and sent to an English boarding school like the characters in my favourite books, so I could have midnight feasts with my dorm mates. Upon reflection maybe I was a bit too obsessed with food as a child.

I was also in love with the idea of finding fairies in the woods and mermaids in the lake beside the boarding school. Even as a child I associated the "fey" with England, it was a magical, exciting country. New Zealand had rugby, not something I have ever felt that passionate about to be 100% honest.

As an adult however, I have developed a strong connection with New Zealand. I am proud of the fact that we are nuclear free and that we are developing, however slowly, a cultural heritage and most of all we are unique in so many ways. Perhaps this is why I enjoyed the book I am about to review so much. It has a very distinctive New Zealand feel and is published by Huia Publishers "an award-winning independent New Zealand book publisher producing wonderful and provocative books with a uniquely New Zealand or Pacific perspective" (www.huia.co.nz). If books such as this one were around when I was a little girl, maybe I would have found the beautiful surrounds of Aotearoa that much more exciting. So without further ado here is my review for:

The Grumble Rumble Mumbler by Melanie Drewery.

Most small children hear strange noises in the night and immediately conjure up visions of monsters under the bed. This little girl brings a distinctly Kiwi flavour to the mix. When she hears a grumble, rumble, mumbling noise she believes it is a maero (wild person). When splurgle, gurgle, urgling noises disturb her sleep she automatically thinks it's a taniwha (a water monster). Her poor sleep deprived mother helps calm her down, but what is making all of that racket?

This book has flaps to lift which conceal the different creatures and help keep the kids transfixed. I have read it to both my 4 year old and 2 year old before bed and Poppy has been known to chuckle away at the creatures revealed. It is entertaining for children and adults alike and the illustrations are fabulous. If you are an ex-pat but are wanting to keep the bond with New Zealand alive for your kids, then I would strongly recommend this book. What makes it even better is that there is an explanation of what each creature is at the end. To end this review I lay down a challenge, can you figure out what is making all of the ruckus before you reach the end of the story? Let me know.

Trying to calm my nerves

Hi and welcome to my brand new blog. I'm a bit of a novice to all of this so please bear with me as I find my way. I thought I would start this blogging journey by telling you a bit about myself and how this blog was born.

My name is Kat and I am the mother to two wonderful children, a handsome and cheeky young man whose pet name is Va and is almost 4 years old and a gorgeous and equally as cheeky 2 year old girl whose pet name is Poppy.

I am a NZ trained primary school teacher who has a passion for books, especially children's literature. I have always loved a range of children's books from picture to young adult and you can often find me lurking in the children's book section in various book shops scoping out the latest additions. I often over hear parents asking the retail assistants for their advice about what bo

oks their children would enjoy reading and I need to restrain myself from offering my 10 cents worth. So to fulfil that need, this blog has been born! 

I will be reviewing a broad range of children's literature from basic picture books to graphic novels, sophisticated picture books to young adult fiction and everything in between.

My thesis was inspired by the amount of reluctant readers I have come across in my teaching and the belief that there is a book out there for everyone. Sometimes you just need a hand to find it. So whether or not you are trying to help a reluctant reader build up their reading mileage, are trying to find a book for a birthday present, or are just wanting some cool books to read aloud to your children before bedtime, this is the right place to come.

To kick start this blog I thought I would review a current picture book favourite of my sons. It's called:

When Dinosaurs came with everything by Elise Broach 

A little boy with a dislike for Fridays because they are his mothers "errand days" quickly changes his mind when one Friday "dinosaurs come with everything". He gets a triceratops with doughnuts from the bakery, a stegosaurus when he goes to the doctors for a check up and a pterosaur with a haircut. The problem now is what are they going to do with them?

I'll be the first to admit that dinosaurs have never been a huge interest of mine, but I found this book a joy to read with the kids. I will warn you however that all of a sudden my son has a fixation with dinosaurs, stamping around the house and roaring like a T-Rex, so you may wish to purchase a set of earplugs at the same time. The illustrations are gorgeous and it is a pleasure to read aloud. If your child enjoys Harry and his Bucketful of Dinosaurs or is going through a dinosaur stage then this book would be perfect.

As a read aloud I would say this book would be great for 3 years +.