Author: fantasyst95

Good morning everybody!

My first review request of the month and 2018 gives me the opportunity to look back at the type of books I would have been reading as a child.

Back in my day – so, so long ago (joking!) the most memorable series of books that springs to mind was The Magic Key series! Weren’t they fun?! Well, I thought they were, and being encouraged to read from such a young age, I wouldn’t be surprised if I read all of them. I think all children should be encouraged to read – not only is it an essential skill, but for us bookworms, it is a pleasure as well.

Goodreads – Snobbity Snowman

Snobbity Snowman has everything a snowman could possibly want: a shiny hat, freshly-picked noses and enough pride to last a lifetime. In fact, he is so selfish and shortsighted that he fails to see the instance his life starts falling apart.

What disasters must take place to open his charcoal eyes? To help him see that pride and possessions cannot bring true happiness? Will he defrost his ego and embrace the warmth of companionship?
Only Snobbity can tell.

Depicting winter in rich and whimsical tones, Snobbity Snowman’s quirky characters and unexpected twists promise to leave a lasting impression on all its snobbulous readers.

My Thoughts…

Snobbity Snowman really captures the essence of Christmas. It is easy to become caught up in the presents, the food and the inevitable cost. Who got the better present, and who had the most moey spent on them? It is a selfish side of Christmas, and sometimes it can feel like it has turned into a competition. How many small children have internet capable smartphones nowadays?! I think it’s ludicrous – I got my first Nokia brick (with everyone’s favourite game of snake on it) when I was about nine or ten, I think, but it was only for emergencies.

Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked. My point is, the focus of Christmas is no longer about giving, or more importantly appreciating what you have – family. The current social attitude is symbolised by Snobbity Snowman; he has anything he could “possibly ever want”, and anything less than satisfactory makes him angry.

Only when he is stripped of his possessions (and associated pride) does he open his eyes to such meagre items making the world of difference to the family that acquired them. In that, he finds happiness himself. To give is the best thing that you can do. Once he has learned this he is made new again and becomes part of the family.

The message behind Snobbity Snowman is an important one for children to learn, and this has been carefully portrayed. Also expected within books aimed at this audience are gradual introductions to new words – roiled and rancorous, for example. Alliteration is also a device used in the book to draw the reader to these words, to make them fun, yet prominent.

Bearing the target audience in mind, probably the most contributing factor to the book and the audience’s understanding of the story are the illustrations accompanying the text. Snobbity is portrayed perfectly; the vivid images help move the story along and throw in some humour along the way!

All in all, this is a lovely book to read with the kids, to introduce them to new words and ideas and more importantly, to convey the message that material possessions are not what is important, but family and happiness.

Thank you to Quiet Riley for approaching me with the request to read this book in an exchange for a review.

Hi everyone! Today I am very excited to be bringing you a review of Code Name Verity!

It was the last book that I read in 2017 – and if I hadn’t published my Top Ten Tuesday – Books of the Year post so early, this would have made the list for sure!

Goodreads – Code Name Verity

Oct. 11th, 1943 – A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun.

When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Harrowing and beautifully written, Elizabeth Wein creates a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. Code Name Verity is an outstanding novel that will stick with you long after the last page.

Verity is such a captivating character – from the first page, you are sucked into her narrative, intimate in such personal and genuine feeling. As “Verity” writes her confession and surrenders details of about the British, we learn how she became best friends with Maddie and got involved in the war effort. Whilst cooped up in her cell, subjected to watching the torture and execution of other resisting captives, she scrawls her tale on any form of paper available to her – music scores, recipe cards and Jewish prescription sheets to name but some examples. She grieves for her losses and for Maddie, whose plane crash-landed after delivering her safely for her mission.

Code Name Verity stirs a variety of emotions throughout the book – horror at the atrocities experienced at the hands of the Gestapo; fear for our protagonist’s life as she struggles on in her meagre existence; and humour… somehow, a small spark of resistance lies deep in her heart despite all her suffering. And a small spark can ignite a flame… The details of Verity’s mission unfold, and all may not be lost.

It is easy to consider the overall events of the war in hindsight, losing the personal touch – the men, women and children that died as a result of the war were mother’s, fathers, brothers and sisters. They were families. The narrative of Code Name Verity puts that right back into perspective.

Somehow I feel that anything I can say about how brilliant, beautiful and cleverly written the narrative is, I feel my comments can never do the book justice. Instead, let actions speak louder than words: Much as one may do with a classic or beloved favourite, this is a book I am going to pick up and read again. And again. I’ll probably get my hands on a physical copy to adorn my bookshelf too, because it has earned it’s place in my library. I hope it earns a place in yours too!