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Find out moreIn this special category we have a selection of books that have been made into feature films - and very occasionally films like Big Game that have been made into books! There are old favourites - classics which have stood the test of time and remain family favourites for each new generation, as well as newly and shortly to be released movies. The films are often good....but there's nothing like reading the book first!
November 2018 Book of the Month | Wonder was a sensation when it was first published in 2012, and the story of Auggie and his fight to be accepted as a normal boy has now hit the big screen in a movie starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Daveed Diggs, and Mandy Patinkin. This is a special film tie-in edition. Frank, powerful, warm and often heart-breaking, Wonder is a book you'll read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page. This is a wonderful debut from a storyteller with a great future if this book is anything to go by and her characters are intensely likeable.
A gripping historical adventure by a much-loved and award winning author. Soon to be a major motion picture, starring Stranger Things' Noah Schnapp. It is World War II and Jo stumbles on a dangerous secret: Jewish children are being smuggled away from the Nazis, close to his mountain village in Spain. Now, German soldiers have been stationed at the border. Jo must get word to his friends that the children are trapped. The slightest mistake could cost them their lives.
Join Woody and the toys on their amazing new adventures! A book and toy all in one, this My Busy Books activity kit comes complete with a brightly illustrated book, well-crafted figurines, and a giant durable playmat. Children ages 36 months and up will enjoy spending time with Woody, Buzz, and an awesome assortment of toys old and new. Their imaginations are sure to be ignited as they learn about the characters, and then use the figurines and playmat to bring the book scenes to life or to create their own exciting new tales for these timeless characters! © Disney/Pixar Features: Sturdy board book Colourful images Lively story Plastic figurines Durable playmat Figurines and playmat stored in the book Portable 10 pages of fun!
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month September 2017 | The US classic picture book about a bull who would rather sit under the cork tree and smell the flowers than fight in the bullring makes a welcome re-appearance in this attractive edition. The story, and the original illustration by award-winning US illustrator Robert Lawson, offer a thoughtful commentary on expectations of how bulls – and boys – should behave. And, with the backdrop of the bullfight, it looks at how cruelly animals are treated.
In a nutshell: Immerse yourself in brilliantly described medieval adventure | In 100 short, beautifully written chapters Kevin Crossley-Holland tells the story of young page Arthur de Caldicott, interspersing descriptions of Arthur’s life in his father’s manor house, its domestic and family dramas, with stories from the saga of the legendary King Arthur. There are parallels between the lives of these two Arthurs, each has a friend in the mysterious Merlin, both are truly chivalrous, keen to do the right thing for those around them. The story-telling is superb, characters, landscape, history brought equally vividly to life, and this is spellbinding fiction. The first in a trilogy this is highly recommended for readers of all ages. King Arthur provides the inspiration for Philip Reeve’s book Here Lies Arthur, also full of action, adventure but much more than a ripping yarn, while Philip Womack’s Darkening Path series is likewise inspired by T H White’s classic The Sword in the Stone. ~ Andrea Reece **** Charlie Hunnam stars in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, directed by Guy Ritchie - in cinemas May 12, 2017.
A recommendation from our Guest Editor, Lauren Child MBE | One of the best loved stories in children’s literature, The Secret Garden brings nature alive in the story of how Mary Lennox, a lonely, unhappy and spoilt child is transformed by finding her way into a hidden garden. Brought to her Uncle’s house in Yorkshire after the death of her mother, Mary has no friends and no occupation. Used to being waited she is selfish and mean spirited. But when Mary unlocks the door to the garden she not only finds the wonders of nature as the flowers and trees grow and bear fruit but she also finds a friend in Dickon, the kindly gardener’s boy. How Mary, and her wheelchair bound cousin Colin are transformed by the garden remains as magical as when it was first written.
Mowgli, the little boy brought up in the jungle with the wolves, is one of the best-loved characters of fiction. His friends - and enemies – among the jungle animals include Baloo the sloth bear, Bagheera the panther, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the mongoose are all wonderful characters too and Rudyard Kipling’s imagining of the jungle provides a thoughtful insight into that very special habitat. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Special Film Tie-in Edition This is a delightful, funny and exciting story, about a special friendship between two people from different worlds – a giant and a child. As the story develops it shows how trust and love develops between them. It also shows that bullying must not be tolerated and Dahl is at his might best here by eventually ensuring the big bad giants get their comeuppance whilst the big friendly giant wins the day alongside the little girl Sophie. The text is perfectly complemented with colour illustrations by Quentin Blake. The BFG movie is released 22 July! Directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Disney and inspired by Roald Dahl, it stars Mark Rylance as The BFG himself and newcomer Ruby Barnhill as young orphan Sophie. Keep up with the movie news on The BFG Movie facebook page!
A Hunger Games Novel | As the tenth Hunger Games plays out, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explores the life, trials and roots of eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem when we reach the story of the original The Hunger Games trilogy. With the formally powerful house of Snow now teetering on poverty and ruin, Coriolanus is set on mentoring the winning tribute to escape “the endless dance with hunger that had defined his life”, go to university and then “embark on some lucrative profession”. But in a devasting blow, he’s assigned the task of mentoring Lucy Gray Baird, the lowliest tribute from District 12, and “everyone knew what happened if you went to the districts. You were written off. Forgotten. In the eyes of the Capitol, you were basically dead.” But with their fates now interlocked and their survival in his hands, Coriolanus vows to do his best to take care of Lucy. What a twisted, conflicted assignment this turns out to be, and all the more engrossing for being apparently doomed. Though more meandering and meditative than the original trilogy, fans will be fascinated to discover the complex causes of President’s Snow’s villainy, and it’s shot-through with core themes - friendship bonds, betrayal, power and oppression – that devoted readers will relish.
A film tie-in version of The 5th Wave, a novel that packs a punch on every page with hope and despair in equal measure alongside life and death. It will leave you gasping for breath and keep you hooked to the end and long after it'll be a book that makes you think. In a sentence it's The Passage meets The Hunger Games and it's now major film by Sony Pictures starring Chloe Grace Moretz (If I Stay). The sequel to The 5th Wave is equally gripping - download an extract of The Infinite Sea here!
Matt Dickinson, our Guest Editor for January 2013 - 'As far as I can remember this was the book that turned me into a reading addict! I absolutely loved it, and to this day can remember the excitement of going to a bookshop in Hemel Hempstead High Street with my mother (aged about eleven) to find the next book in the series. The story is pure escapism—sailing on remote Lake District waters, lighting open fires, fishing for trout, skirmishes with ‘pirate enemies’ and campsites beneath the stars on tiny beaches. I never had a summer like that but I often think my love of the wilderness might have come (at least in part) from this skilfully told tale and the books that followed. Sadly, I never learned to sail a little boat. Or light a fire by rubbing sticks. But perhaps there’s still time . . .' A favourite of Philip Pullman: "As clear and pure as Mozart."
Hooray for Charlie Brown! The original wimpy kid is back and on the big screen this Christmas in a brand new film that should open up the world of Snoopy and co to a new generation. All your favourite characters are back, Sally Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty et al, and devotees will be interested to hear that there’s a chance for Charlie to finally get together with long-time love object the Little Red-Haired Girl. The novelisation of course faithfully tells two stories, Charlie Brown’s, and Snoopy’s fantasy adventure of life as a World War One flying ace! ~ Andrea Reece The Peanuts gang bursts onto the big screen in 3D! Coming in December 2015, an all-new film from Twentieth Century Fox: Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie.
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Feed your kids' imagination by giving them the books behind the films.
Films are a wonderful way of piquing children's interest in stories, but sometimes it's good for them to read the book before they see the movie.
When you read you can imagine how landscapes, characters and adventures look - it's brilliant creative brain training.
In this category you'll find information about exciting upcoming films and the original books they're based on, which are often even better!
Check out the latest activities in our KidsZone.
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