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Book of the Month #14: The Waters and the Wild by Eilish Fisher and illustrated by David Rooney

After the death of her dad, Rowan and her mom move from Arizona in the US to her dad’s homeplace in Ireland. Rowan’s mom won’t tell her why they’ve moved to Ireland, a place Rowan has never even visited. A place where they are strangers. Rowan and her dad had a special bond. They loved hiking, they loved horses and Rowan loved to listen to her dad’s stories. When he died she burned the notebook of his stories, but in …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Eilish Fisher

This month we talk to Eilish Fisher about her fantastic new novel, The Waters and the Wild. TPP: Who or what inspired the character of Rowan? EF: Rowan is a combination of myself as a child and every child I’ve met who has come to Ireland from a different place and has had to recreate both their sense of self and of home in a country that feels completely strange and different. TPP: What made you decide to start the …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #13: Giant by Judith McQuoid

Set in Belfast in the early years of the twentieth century, Giant tells the imaginary story of 12-year-old Davy and his friendship with 10-year-old Jacks (the young C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia). Davy’s mum is a servant for the well-off Lewis family, and one day brings Davy to work with her in the hope of finding him a job. There he meets Mrs Lewis who asks him if, alongside his work, he will also play with her …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Judith McQuoid

To celebrate the amazing Giant, we caught up with its author, Judith McQuoid. TPP: What inspired you to base a story on the childhood of the author C.S. Lewis (famous for writing the Narnia series)? JM: My dad read the Narnia stories to me when I was about seven. We were living in America at the time, and I think they reminded us of home back in Ireland. Later on in life, when I was researching my dad’s family, I …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #12: Conn of the Dead by Dave Rudden

11-year-old Conn is always in trouble. His enthusiasm, overactive imagination and boundless energy seem to land him on the wrong side of his mum – and his school principal, Mr Cross. When Conn is banned from performing in the school talent show, he decides to take part anyway. However, his daring and dangerous performance doesn’t quite go to plan, almost causing serious injuries and definitely causing pandemonium. Immediately sent home, Conn spends the afternoon at UCD’s National Folklore Collection, where …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Dave Rudden

 To celebrate the release of Conn of the Dead, we caught up with its author, Dave Rudden. TPP: What inspired you to write a story combining everyday life and Irish folklore? DR: A trip to the National Folklore Collection – this incredible trove of stories in UCD – made me realise just how many cool stories are hidden around us. TPP: Which character did you find the most challenging to write? DR: Myself and Conn are very similar, with our …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #11: Arabella Pepper: The Wild Detective by E.R. Murray (illustrated by Monika Pollak)

When Wild Detective, Arabella Pepper, moves away with her family and her pet crow, Blue, from the island of Little Rock to Greytown (a place perfectly suited to its name), she is torn away from the life she loved. A million miles from the hedgerows, green fields and wildlife of the island, Greytown seems an unlikely place for a Wild Detective, but a spate of missing pets immediately captures Arabella’s attention. Despite her mum’s warnings, Arabella sets about solving the …
Author interview

TPP Talks to E.R. Murray

 To kickstart this season’s TPP Book Club, we were delighted to meet with Arabella Pepper’s creator, E.R. Murray. TPP: Who or what inspired the character Arabella Pepper? E.R.M: My characters are always a mixture: a sprinkle of me (an inquisitive child who loved nature), a splash of people I know (friends, family, and readers I meet during events), with a dash of extra bravery. TPP: How did you set about creating Arabella’s world, specifically Greytown? E.R.M: Nature is always around …
Books

Celebrating One Year of the TPP Reading Club!

The summer holidays are finally here! And with that hopefully there will be some time to relax, chill out  – and maybe catch up on some reading . . . If you’re not sure what to start with, why not check out our recommendations from the first year of our TPP Reading Club? We’ve had a brilliant first season, with a wide range of middle-grade fiction from a host of excellent Irish children’s authors, who really demonstrate just why Irish children’s …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #10: The Doomsday Club by Kevin Moran

Classmates – and definitely not friends – Conan, Jack, Yash and Jerry are in detention. For fighting. And for the little matter of a fire in the boys’ bathroom … However, when a supernatural monster emerges from a swirling vortex outside their classroom window, it isn’t long before the detention takes a sinister turn.  Watching the monster vanish into the garden of the eerie Mr Kilroe, an old man who lives opposite the school, the boys decide they need to …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Kevin Moran

This month we got to chat to debut Irish children’s author, Kevin Moran. TPP: What inspired you to create The Doomsday Club?  KM: I love mysteries, adventure and horror, so I wanted to create something like Stranger Things – with an Irish twist and relatable characters you’d see in any Irish primary school.  TPP: The book explores male friendships – was it a conscious choice to explore this dynamic?  KM: Definitely. I’m a primary school teacher and was teaching 6th class in an all-boys school …
Reading

The Enjoyment of Reading . . . for Parents

Do you enjoy reading to your child? Or is it something you dread or try to avoid when you can? A recent survey conducted by book data company Nielson and publisher HarperCollins has found that only 40% of parents of children aged 0 – 13 enjoy reading to them.  We all know the benefits of reading for children and adults, and this starts in childhood, usually with parents reading to babies and young children. For children to see reading as …