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One of the World Book Day 2014 Authors Sarah Lean grew up in Wells, Somerset but now lives in Dorset with her husband, son and dog. She has worked as a pageplanner for a newspaper, a stencil-maker and a gardener, amongst various other things. She gained a first class English degree and became a primary school teacher before returning to complete an MA in Creative and Critical Writing with University of Winchester.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2020 | Thea’s Christmas visit to Norway to try and connect with her absent father, Henry, looks set to be a disaster. Despite her hopes that her father will understand her yearning to be a writer and her need for a typewriter, Henry seems only interested in his new family and his woodwork. All Thea’s hopes are dashed. How she longs to go home to her mum and all their family Christmas traditions. But when Thea befriends a sleeping bear whom she has disturbed she unleashes a wonderful, wintery adventure. Finding friends who understand her love for the bear and her belief that it is harmless, Thea works out an ambitious plan to confuse the hunters and save the bear. The result is a many layered adventure story of courage, love and imagination. You can find more wintry & festive stories in our Best Books for Kids this Christmas collection.
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A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month May 2018 | Full of hope and wonder but also shot through with deep feelings of sadness this is a beautiful story about the importance of belonging. Azi’s home is with his grandfather on a Mediterranean island but he has always known that it isn’t where he was born. When Grandfather goes missing Azi, together with the dog who has befriended him and a young girl who is visiting the island, sets out to find him and to discover the truth about where he really comes from. Sarah Lean has created an original and touching story based on true stories about migration. Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for May 2018 Square by Mac Barnett A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge A Perfect Day by Lane Smith Gaspard the Fox by Zeb Soanes & James Mayhew Wonder Goal! by Michael Foreman The Sand Dog by Sarah Lean The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell Plantopedia by Adrienne Barman
In a nutshell: family and friends and a secret garden | Tiger Days loves her holidays with her grandma. They sleep in a big tent in the garden because the house is being done up, and Tiger has lots of special friends there including Holly the white cat and Tom, the boy next door. Each holiday spent at Willowgate House teaches her more about the world around her, and boosts her independence too. There are echoes of children’s classics in this charming story particularly in the sense that childhood is best and most rewarding when spent outdoors. Readers will love exploring with Tiger and Tom and this is a story that effortlessly combines an atmosphere of carefree joy with satisfying, reassuring adventure. Lovely black and white illustrations by Anna Currey match the mood perfectly. Readers could move on to The Secret Garden, and would enjoy Gill Lewis's animal stories too. ~ Andrea Reece
May 2016 Book of the Month This lovely story is about a little girl who finds the courage to go on an adventure and learns about animals, making friends and being brave. Tiger Days is nervous when her mum and dad tell her that her grandmother May Days has invited her to stay in her new house. May Days has been living in Africa since Tiger was a baby and they’ve never met. Her house is unusual too, May has lots of work to do on it and when Tiger arrives she discovers they’ll be sleeping in a tent in the garden. There are more surprises, including a baby warthog who needs looking after, and a cheeky white cat too. There’s lots to learn from animals and Tiger gets braver and happier as the days go by. The start of a new series this is gentle, touching, funny, just right for young animal fans. ~ Andrea Reece
One of our Books of the Year 2015 Any new book by Sarah Lean is a treat, and this is very special indeed. Hope lives in the Pyrenees with her mother, who is an artist, and her mother’s boyfriend, Frank. Frank gives Hope the space to think and be herself, and they are very close. When he suddenly leaves she is heartbroken. But Frank has left Harry too, the donkey he rescued from a building site in India years before. Like Hope, Harry can’t seem to be happy without Frank but together the little girl and the donkey grow strong again. And Frank returns too, with an extra surprise for them both. Young readers will love this touching adventure story, which has so much to say about life and growing up. ~ Andrea Reece
Lonely Leo dreams of being a hero with the crowds cheering him on – like a Roman gladiator. Secretly, what he really wants is to be a hero in real life. But Leo is always seen as an outsider by the other boys in his class. When they surprise him by asking him to join their gang he accepts eagerly only to find that he can’t be a member until he does something to show that he is brave. Leo knows that the job he is asked to do is wrong. What choice should he make? Leo makes a bad choice but when the little dog Jack Pepper goes missing Leo has a second chance to show that he can be a true hero. A touching story which captures the pain of being an outsider.
One of our Books of the Year 2013 & July 2013 Book of the Month Full of tenderness, this is a touching story of the bond between Hannah and her Grandfather as he becomes increasing confused. The two share a love of nature and this develops a strong link between them. Hannah knows that the date her Grandfather made her remember will bring something special…but will Grandfather be able to remember?
February 2013 Book of the Month When lonely Nell is sent to stay with her relatives on a farm she takes with her an extra suitcase packed with a secret. Even before she has unpacked it, the suitcase is stolen by the mysterious Angel, a little girl who is also holding a secret close to her heart. Initially wary of each other, the two girls are brought to trust each other by their twinned desire to save one hundred horses. Touched with magic, this is a tender story of friendship and a joint sense of believing.
May 2012 Debut of the Month. How a young girl finds hope and a way forward after the death of her mother and the collapse of her familiar life is a deeply touching story. Cally stops talking when no one believes her that she can see her mother even though she’s dead. No one seems able to get through to Cally until she meets Sam who is blind and almost deaf. Becoming friends, Cally and Sam meet Homeless, a dog who follows them everywhere. How can Cally get to keep Homeless and how can he help her get her life back on track? The Lovereading comment: This is an outstandingly assured debut novel from a sparkling new talent. When Cally Fisher sees her dead mother, real as anything, no one believes her. So Cally stops talking - what's the point if no one is listening? The only other living soul who sees Cally's mum is a mysterious wolfhound who always seems to be there when her mum appears. But without a voice, how will Cally convince anyone that her mum is still with them, and how will she ever persuade her Dad that the huge silver-grey dog is their last link with her ? This tender and at times heart-rending story is very special and is by an author with a bright future.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2020 | Thea’s Christmas visit to Norway to try and connect with her absent father, Henry, looks set to be a disaster. Despite her hopes that her father will understand her yearning to be a writer and her need for a typewriter, Henry seems only interested in his new family and his woodwork. All Thea’s hopes are dashed. How she longs to go home to her mum and all their family Christmas traditions. But when Thea befriends a sleeping bear whom she has disturbed she unleashes a wonderful, wintery adventure. Finding friends who understand her love for the bear and her belief that it is harmless, Thea works out an ambitious plan to confuse the hunters and save the bear. The result is a many layered adventure story of courage, love and imagination. You can find more wintry & festive stories in our Best Books for Kids this Christmas collection.
Grandfather had been gone for two years but I never thought it would be an ordinary day he'd come back, like a Monday or a Tuesday... I always knew he'd return across the water, triumphing over a few monsters on the way, I just didn't know when...When Azi's grandfather leaves their small Mediterranean island, Azi waits every day for him to return. The arrival of a nesting turtle and a tall sandy dog convinces Azi that it must mean that Grandfather is on his way. As Azi digs deeper into the past, he begins to unravel hidden secrets and starts to find out just how alike he and his grandfather really are. And without him, Azi knows he will never feel complete...
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month May 2018 | Full of hope and wonder but also shot through with deep feelings of sadness this is a beautiful story about the importance of belonging. Azi’s home is with his grandfather on a Mediterranean island but he has always known that it isn’t where he was born. When Grandfather goes missing Azi, together with the dog who has befriended him and a young girl who is visiting the island, sets out to find him and to discover the truth about where he really comes from. Sarah Lean has created an original and touching story based on true stories about migration. Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for May 2018 Square by Mac Barnett A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge A Perfect Day by Lane Smith Gaspard the Fox by Zeb Soanes & James Mayhew Wonder Goal! by Michael Foreman The Sand Dog by Sarah Lean The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell Plantopedia by Adrienne Barman
Meet animal lover, Tiger Days! A heart-warming series about animals, friendship and adventure, by bestselling author Sarah Lean. Beautiful black-and-white illustrations throughout. When nine-year-old Tiger Days stays with her grandmother at Willowgate House she never knows what might happen... new friends to meet, animals to rescue and problems to solve! Tiger returns to Willowgate and discovers that a mysterious tunnel has appeared under the shed and someone - or something - has been burying eggs in the garden... Tiger and her friend Tom decides to become detectives - determined to crack the case! . At Willowgate House, no day is ever dull for Tiger!
Meet animal lover, Tiger Days! A brand-new young fiction series about animals, friendship and adventure by bestselling author Sarah Lean. Beautiful black-and-white illustrations throughout. When Tiger Days visits her grandmother at Willowgate House, she never knows what to expect... Tiger meets Lucky - an injured otter who can't survive by himself. Tiger has an important job to do - feeding and caring for Lucky, and also exploring the riverbank in search of the perfect place for him to live. She desperately wants Lucky to get better, but saying goodbye to her new friend won't be easy... No day is ever dull for Tiger!
Meet animal lover Tiger Days! A brand-new young fiction series about animals, friendship and adventure by best-selling author Sarah Lean. When Tiger Days visits her grandmother at Willowgate House, she never knows what to expect... Tiger meets Lucky, an injured otter who can't survive by himself. Tiger has an important job to do - feeding and caring for Lucky and also exploring the riverbank in search of the perfect place for him to live. She desperately wants Lucky to get better, but saying good-bye to her new friend won't be easy... No day is ever dull for Tiger!
Meet animal lover, Tiger Days! A heart-warming series about animals, friendship and adventure, by bestselling author Sarah Lean.When nine-year-old Tiger Days visits her grandmother at Willowgate House she never knows what might happen... new friends to meet, animals to rescue and problems to solve. No day is ever dull for Tiger!
In a nutshell: family and friends and a secret garden | Tiger Days loves her holidays with her grandma. They sleep in a big tent in the garden because the house is being done up, and Tiger has lots of special friends there including Holly the white cat and Tom, the boy next door. Each holiday spent at Willowgate House teaches her more about the world around her, and boosts her independence too. There are echoes of children’s classics in this charming story particularly in the sense that childhood is best and most rewarding when spent outdoors. Readers will love exploring with Tiger and Tom and this is a story that effortlessly combines an atmosphere of carefree joy with satisfying, reassuring adventure. Lovely black and white illustrations by Anna Currey match the mood perfectly. Readers could move on to The Secret Garden, and would enjoy Gill Lewis's animal stories too. ~ Andrea Reece
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