My Five Favourite MG
Books
By Jackie Marchant
Picking out five favourite books from my MG shelf at home is
an impossible task – my bookshelves are my treasure-trove and I love every
single one. Plus all the books I’ve ever borrowed from the
library – and I spend a lot of time there.
How do I pick five? No choice but to close my eyes, run my fingers
along my shelves and stop at five random moments. I can’t wait to see what they come up with . .
.
And here they are, in no particular order – and I can
honestly say each one is a favourite of mine:
Liar and Spy by
Rebecca Stead.
There’s something about Georges (with a silent S) that I
Iove. He’s an ordinary kid playing
ordinary kid spy games with a quirky kid from the flat upstairs. But the way Rebecca Stead writes her
characters brings them bouncing to life, allowing you to sink right into their
stories. Loved it.
Journey to the River
Sea by Eva Ibbotson
One of my go-back-to comfort reads. I love Eva Ibbotson’s style of writing, how
she manages to be page-turningly exciting yet gentle with the reader at the
same time. Her books are for curling up
with, for going on journeys with characters you grow to love. This
one takes orphan Maia from her familiar life in London and sends her to the
Amazon to live with relatives she’s never heard of. I love Maia’s optimism, even though you know
things will not turn out well – yet it is Maia’s unfailing cheerfulness that
not only keeps her going but saves the day.
Holes by Louis Sachar
This is the writing tutor’s dream. It has everything - superb plot, characters that bounce off the
page whether they are good or bad, writing so clean that not a word is wasted –
an opening line that people quote as soon as you mention the title, the whole
check-list of what makes a stand-out book.
The Diamond of Drury
Lane by Julia Golding
I love this book.
It’s late-eighteenths century setting is so well realised it’s like
going back in time to run the cobbled alleyways with its heroine, Cat
Royal. What’s no to like about an orphan
girl abandoned on the steps of the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden as a baby,
who as maid-cum-mascot enjoys a life of exploring every nook and cranny of her
unconventional home? And the adventure
she uncovers keeps those pages turning.
The Invention of Hugo
Cabret by Brian Selznick
This is what I call a book with a capital ‘B’. It’s what reading is all about, a pleasure
simply to hold – big, heavy, pages black-edged so that each one sits in its own
frame. Told in both gorgeous
illustrations and text, this is a book you don’t just read, but experience. It’s a book that has to be read in hardback,
for the sheer weight of it, the pleasure of turning each thick page. And on top of all that, there is the wonderful
story it holds between its lovely covers.
Summary:
I, Dougal Daley, am dead! Ok I’m not actually dead.
But if I’m not careful I soon will be.
In this first book, football-loving Dougal
Daley finds himself at risk from the mysterious creature living in the garden
shed. Nobody believes him but as a precaution, he sets upon writing his will -
rewarding those who help him and disinheriting those who get on his bad side.
Meanwhile, as limbs and windows alike are broken by rogue footballs and
unhinged canines, Dougal finds himself in all sorts of trouble. . .and NONE of
it is his fault!
Information
about the Book
Title: Dougal Daley:
It’s Not My Fault
Author: Jackie
Marchant
Illustrator: Loretta
Shauer
Release Date: 4th
April 2017
Genre: MG
Publisher: Wacky Bee
Books
Format: Paperback
Author
Information
Dougal Daley was inspired by a messy
bedroom and a random question from my son about writing a will. Dougal Daley
has been huge fun to write about – you wouldn’t believe the disasters that
happen around him (none of which are his fault of course)! When I’m not writing
I love doing school visits and creative writing workshops. I also take time
away from the writing world looking after guide dogs while their owners are
away.
Illustrator
Information
I originally studied performing arts and
have a degree in Dance Performance – well you never know when you need a quick
pirouette! I also worked in practical conservation for a long time, and spent
many years battling balsam, identifying lichen, and searching for creepy
crawlies before I picked up my pencils and paints and began exploring
illustrating and writing for children. In 2011 I won the Waterstone’s ‘Picture
This’ competition and I now illlustrate full time. However I am still happiest
noodling around for fossils and shells on the beach!
Tour Schedule
Monday 1st May
Tuesday 2nd May
Wednesday 3rd May
Thursday 4th May
Friday 5th May
Saturday 6th May
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Friday 12th May
Saturday 13th May
Sunday 14th May
