This is not as good as the author’s other books, for me. Turning the environment into a sentient being isn’t a particular original concept—plenty of science fiction television shows, as well as other books, have done it before and much better. I could call the conclusion from a mile away. Twelve-year-old twins Maudie and Arthur’s world comes crashing in when their explorer dad is reported dead in his mission to get to South Polaris, and they race to restore the family name.A real edge-of-your-seat Victoriana romp. adventure Alternate History Celebration Posts Elements of Story Fantasy heist Historical Fiction Horror Humor mystery Non-Fiction Reading Realistic Fiction Science Fiction Self Publishing thriller Uncategorized Writing writing advice Writing Journey Genre Genre Reader Favorites We spoke to some of your favourite authors and illustrators to find out what books they’d recommend for children starting school in September. Whether your child is nervous about making friends or struggling to build…

Space explorers, whether on the ground as scientists or the astronauts themselves, are a hive of amazing inspirational stories.This book tells the stories of 50 women who have contributed to space exploration from the past to modern day. Amelia Earhart was an inspiration for the character Harriet Culpepper in Brightstorm, and this book makes Earhart's story accessible to the young reader. The tale of this intrepid aviator is simply told alongside vivid illustration, and travels from her childhood dreams to her achievements and eventual disappearance. I did a spoiler-free interview with author Vashti Hardy on my YouTube channel, which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/GFD21aGDSVEWhat gorgeous writing which perfectly conjures up in vivid detail this other world where Ironhold exists! I loved the symbolism and the messages of this story regarding the environment and I think they are particularly timely. Tropes. Orphan twins are very tropey. Due to societal norms, most of the time the boy is the intellectual, engineer one and the girl is the more dreamy, book nerd. This one flips that around, which I like. I would have liked to see more of that in the story with the plot. Takeaways

He goes through many difficulties as he grieves his father and his emotional narrative plays a significant role in the story while he grows as a character. Vashti’s world-building poses questions about our own world. Can we invent power sources that do not harm the environment? Are the animals around us more intelligent than we think? Vashti Hardy’s narrative is narrated with confidence that allows her imaginative ideas to soar high. Thus began my reading of Brightstorm. Perhaps that is why I was not thrilled with the beginning of this book. I didn’t get swept up in the steampunk craze that began a number of years ago. I admire the creativity in all the costumes and the art, but not many of the stories enticed me to read them. But the cover on this one…Did you see the cover on this book?? It is simply beautiful!

Lontown for London (I don’t know if this is what was meant, but I couldn’t unmake this connection in my mind.) Education Shed Ltd, Severn House, Severn Bridge, Riverside North, Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK, DY12 1AB