I Heart School - Martha and the Bunny Brothers by Clara Vulliamy

Starting school has never been so fun! The first in an exuberant, feel-good new series from Clara Vulliamy. I Heart School is pure sunshine in picture book format, every page will make you smile! The Big News in the launch title of this joy-filled new series is that it's Martha's first day of school! It's all so exciting! She needs to choose the perfect first-day-at-school outfit and decide what to pack in her new school bag, which is proving quite tricky! Trouble is, she may be able to take her snowdome and her fairy wings and her scooter, but she has to leave behind her two not-so-happy little bunny brothers! But Martha finds room in her school bag for a very special picture that the Happy Bunny Club has made especially for her, and it's not long before she's back from school and Martha and her bunny brothers are reunited (in their secret den)! Hooray! Young readers will adore helping Martha to choose what to wear and what to take to school in these sunshine-filled pages that weave together all the little details of Martha's life, with a charming story about sibling relationships and starting school.

This is a great book for any children starting nursery or school in September. I would say that it is a book aimed more at girls but boys may enjoy it too. 

The book has a scrapbook feel to it - the pages are brightly coloured with lots of pictures in amongst a bigger picture, with text added over the pictures and of all different fonts. The pages will draw any child to them, with something on every page that they will like. 

The book includes everything a child wants to know or think about before starting school - what shall I wear, what bag shall I choose, what do I put in my bag, will I see my friends and how will I feel, to name a few of the topics covered in this story.

It is a lovely book to share with a child and as soon as I opened the cover I was grabbed by the colours, fonts and pictures and I am sure that any child will pick this book again and again to read with others. It would make a great gift for any child starting nursery or school this September!

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Collins Children's Books for sending me the book to review.

The Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Today Philippa Gregory releases her latest book, her first for Young Adults, The Changeling, the first of four books.

Philippa has kindly included a Question and Answer session to celebrate the release of The Changeling:

1.       How was writing a book for teens different from writing a book for adults? I don't think there is any difference for me in terms of the craft of writing. I think that the quality and enjoyment of the novel should be at least equal to a book for adults. 

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3.       Do you have a favourite character in your new teen series? I created the two principal characters of Luca and Isolde and liked them so much, but then I was amazed to find that the servant character of Frieze just jumped off the page. He is funny and full of common sense, wonderful with animals and has a great loving nature. His role just grew through the story as I came to like writing about him more and more. He is very important in book 2, and I think I will end up with a cast of 4 principal characters rather than 2.

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3.       When you are writing a multi-book series, do you work from an outline (know all the beats) or do you work toward an ending (know how it all ends)? This has been the first series that I have written that is not anchored completely by the historical record, so I have revelled in the freedom of it and have worked on each novel quite independently. I know where the whole series ultimately ends, but I don't know yet how I will get there. It's a truly creative process, I feel as if I am making it up as I go along and loving this.

5.       Why did you set your new teen series in the 15^th century? The date of 1453 is such a key one - people really believed that it was the end of the world. It is this belief that means that Luca has his job in exploring the "end of days" and also means that there are so many manifestations of the supernatural that people report.

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5.       How is it working with fictional characters rather than real historical figures It has been a real holiday from the demands of accuracy and research. It has set the novelist in me free for the first time in a long time. I love discovering and researching the historical characters, but to be able to create characters from imagination has been a real treat.

Horrid Henry meets the Queen by Francesca Simon (Early Reader)

The Queen is coming to visit Horrid Henry's school. The real live Queen! Henry can't believe it. But when Miss Battle-Axe puts him in the back row, Henry is furious. Now how is he meant to find out how many TVs she has? Somehow Henry has to get himself noticed - and show the Queen just how horrid he can be ...

As a family who loves Horrid Henry, this is a great book to get into Jubilee fever! 

This story was originally released in the general Horrid Henry series and has now had the Early Reader treatment. It tells the story of when the Queen visits the school and Perfect Peter is selected to welcome the Queen and present a bouquet, however Henry thought he should of been the one! Of course nothing goes smoothly where Henry is involved.

I really think Orion have got the Early Reader range just right. The stories included are a good read which will keep early readers interested in the story to the very end. The story is intermingled with great illustrations drawn by Tony Ross, who captures the story in his own unique way, full of emotion and humour.

I recommend this to younger fans of Horrid Henry who want to read the stories independently and especially if they want to get into the Jubilee spirit.

Thank you to Orion Children's Books for sending me the book to review.

Sage One For Dummies by Jane Kelly

Sage One For Dummies explains every aspect of setting up and navigating Sage One, the newest accounting solution for small businesses and sole traders. It includes clear instructions for using Sage One Accounts including setting up customer and supplier records, creating invoices, paying customers and suppliers, bank reconciliation, VAT returns and reporting. It also explains how to use the Cashbook function (if your business is more cash-based) and how to work with your accountant using the Accountant Edition. Packed with step-by-step instructions and fully illustrated with screenshots, this book is the easiest way to get the most from Sage One and take control of your business finances.

Shows readers how to set up, install and navigate using dummy data

Features setting up customer & supplier records

Details how to create invoices for customers and suppliers

Enables the reader to produce their own reports

This is a new title from the fantastic collection of books - for dummies. It is clearly laid out and easy to navigate through with a very clear index and contents pages.

The book starts from the very first step, deciding which version of the package to go with and how to register it before installing and creating your own accounting records. The book takes the user through setting it up correctly and setting up records. It shows you how to enter invoices, record payments, banking and reconcilling, vat returns and reconcilling ledgers.

In all it is a very good book to have beside you when using Sage - however as a former accountant I would add a note of caution. To get the most use out of a Sage accounting package, it needs to be set up correctly and data entered precisely. It is easy to get into difficulty using Sage and it can be a lengthy process (and expensive if you need to get an accountant in) to correct it. Therefore I would recommend getting someone qualified to help you do the initial set up of the accounting records and to show you how to correctly input invoices and payments and to reconcile the bank for the first time.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Babies and Toddlers for Men: From Newborn to Nursery by Mark Wood

Becoming a father is a moment in a man's life like no other. The love, the pride, the joy and occasionally the fear stirred up inside us by the complex little being that moves into our home and our relationship takes some serious getting used to. And then there's the really tough stuff like putting up a travel cot and installing a car seat. Despite all this though we are often given more advice when we buy a phone than when we become a Dad...until now. This is the indispensable manual every new dad needs from newborn to nursery, this is Babies and Toddlers for Men. Written by Mark Woods, author of the best selling Pregnancy for Men and proud father of two, this utterly readable guide tells you how it is in a frank and funny way that will leave you educated and energised to take on the next amazing stage of being a Dad.

There are many books on the market about pregnancy and looking after a baby and/or toddler, however alot of them are written from the woman's point of view, however this book does what it says on the tin - it's written by a man for other men.

Starting from the cover, it shouts out for men. The purple cover with silhouetted images of babies and toddlers is great for men. Most books have cute babies or pregnant mums, not what men want to be seen reading.

The book starts right from day one - what happens after the baby is born, one criticism of the book is that it doesn't cover pregnancy, however there are plenty of books about this subject, written for men, on the market already. I am not sure that I have seen any books for a child's first year of life written for men, there may be some out there but I can only remember books re pregnancy. As I said, the book starts from day one - what happens in the hospital, after delivery, when your partner/wife is exhausted and there is a new person needing attention.

The advice in the book is to the point and written in a easy to understand manner but there is lots of great information included. The book covers newborn babies and all the checks done in the first minutes, hours, days of a babies life, aswell as checks for the new mum. It covers what may happen in special care.

Each chapter ends with words from fellow fathers, giving recollections from other new fathers, showing that others have been through what has been written in the book.

The book covers the first three years of your child's life and it is full of great hints, advice and tips of the trade. It is great to dip into each month to see what to expect that month.

I would recommend that it would make a great gift for a prospective or new father, however I would also say that I suggest reading one of the more traditional style books What to expect in a babies first year etc to get all the information about their development - Although i do add a word of caution, remember babies all develop at different rates and in different orders, some may hit physical targets earlier than other, or they be more vocal. These books should be read as a guide but do not expect your child to do what they say, exactly when they say!




I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Fantastic competition re Carole Matthews Summer Daydreams

In my previous guest post Carole Matthews joined me to talk about her love of handbags and her latest release, Summer Daydreams. The publishers, Little Brown, are also hosting a fantastic competition giving readers the oppurtunity to design their own Helen Rochfort handbag. All details can be seen here: http://www.littlebrownbooks.net/handbagcompetition/

Good luck to all entrants and I will be looking forward to seeing the winning design.

Guest Post - Carole Matthews

Today I am lucky enough to have Carole Matthews join my blog. Tomorrow Carole publishes her latest fantastic book, Summer Daydreams, which is a great read and will be reviewed on my blog shortly. The main character, Nell McNamara, loves design and decides to set up a new business, designing and making handbags. Carole joins me now and talks about one of her passions ...........handbags!

What Came First: the Bag or the Book?

I knew something was amiss when I first moved in with my partner, Lovely Kev ,and his children, mouths gaping and wide-eyed with amazement, they stared at my three packing cases crammed with handbags and declared in the manner of discovering dinosaurs eggs in the living room, ‘Have you seen how many handbags, Carole’s got?’

                Er, yes. I do have a few. If there is such a thing, I’m a handbagaholic . Whilst in a rush to go out a few weeks ago, I asked Lovely Kev to bring my black clutch bag for me. He came in with a selection of five - all pretty much identical - and a raised disapproving eyebrow.

                It’s such a girl thing, but I do love handbags. A few years ago, there was a solitary present nestling under the Christmas tree with my name on it. It looked like a pairs of slippers. ‘Slippers are good,’ I muttered to myself through gritted teeth. On Christmas day I opened the present to find the most beautiful Lulu Guinness handbag. It’s slim and black and has a big, red bus on it filled with women wearing Jackie O suits. And this from a man who, like most men, just doesn’t get handbags.  Every time I use it, I get fabulous comments. It still ranks up there on my list of Best Presents Ever.

                When we first started going out I went to a friend’s handbag party. It was Lovely Kev’s Mum’s birthday. I called him. ‘Would your mum like a handbag for her birthday?’

                ‘Um...,’ he said. ‘I think she’s already got one.’

                Just doesn’t get it.

                But I do.

                So, imagine my delight when a few years ago now, Barbara Cartland’s resplendent face complete with blue eye shadow and false eyelashes popped up on my Facebook page and I found that the owner of the status photo wasn’t, in fact, a romance writer but a designer of the most gorgeous pop art handbags. I sent a glowing message of admiration and, Helen Rochfort, designer of the handbags of loveliness, sent me a note back. For some time we chatted back and forth, then my publisher thought it would be a brilliant idea to create a promotional handbag for The Chocolate Lovers’ Club and Helen was duly called on. Our friendship flourished.

                It was a few years later and, over an increasingly regular lunch, that Helen told me the story of how she’d become a handbag designer. It certainly wasn’t an easy ride for her! And, by the time, my second class of Chardonnay had been downed, I realised that I had a great book just staring me in the face.  She’s quite an amazing lady who juggles a successful business in a  highly competitive area with the demands of a home and family. I felt it was a story that a lot of women would find familiar these days.

                So we worked together on an outline for the book and the result is Summer Daydreams which is loosely based on Helen’s life and experiences. It features Nell McNamara and I think it’s a lovely, warm story of someone who’s prepared to step out of their comfort zone and really go for what they want. And what Nell wants is a better life for herself and her family. She throws caution to the wind and gives up her job in a chip shop and sets out to follow her dream. It was a fun story to write and I got to talk a lot about handbags too!

                Even better, Helen has been inspired by the lovely, sparkly cover of the book and there’ll be a Summer Daydreams handbag coming along soon! How many authors can say that they’ve had not one, but two handbags inspired by their books! 

Thank you Carole for joining me today. I too am a handbag fan and I would love to own my own Nell McNamara creation in my collection. 

Come back to my blog soon for my review of Summer Daydreams.