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Reading Club

Book of the Month #6: The Last Boy by Eve McDonnell
Set in 1866 in Birr, Co. Offaly, The Last Boy is the story of 12-year-old Brewster, sold by his brother to a tyrannical master sweep when he was only six years old to become a ‘climbing boy’ – a child chimney sweep. Brewster’s life as a chimney sweep is one of misery, danger and cruelty. However, Brewster has a magical power – he is a genius with numbers, using them to predict a storm of stars. When he is giventhe …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Eve McDonnell
This month we got to chat to the fantastic Irish children’s author, Eve McDonnell. TPP: Why did you want to tell Brewster’s story? EM: I found a teeny paragraph about a young chimney sweep who made a HUGE difference to the lives of all children – and I had to share his forgotten story! TPP: What made you decide to move the setting from Cambridge in England to Birr Castle in Co. Offaly? EM: Brewster is a genius at mathematics, and I …
Reading

Does Reading = Happiness?
The UK children’s laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, certainly thinks so. He believes that a decline in children’s happiness in the UK is linked to a decline in reading for pleasure. He also believes screen time plays a part in this decline, with some children not encountering a book before they start school and then trying to swipe a book to turn the page in the same way that they would use a screen.  Today, at The Reading Rights Summit in Liverpool, …
Reading

Children’s Historical Fiction – Bringing History to Life
Reading can do many things – introduce us to new people, places, experiences, ideas and possibilities that we may never have known but for a book. It can also project us forward into the future and back into the past. And although dwelling on the past is not seen to be a good idea, knowing and understanding it does help to know and understand the present and the future.  However, engaging in the past can sometimes be difficult, as it …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #5: Sally and the Lost Photograph by Judi Curtin
Set in New York in the early 1900s, the second book of the ‘Sally’ series, Sally and the Lost Photograph sees Sally and her sister Bridget more settled in their new life in America. They still live with their mean cousin Catherine (a situation they can’t afford to get themselves out of), but they both enjoy their jobs and spend their free time exploring New York with their friends, Julia and Betty. When Bridget finds an old photograph of her …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Judi Curtin
This month we got to chat to the established Irish children’s author, Judi Curtin. TPP: What was the inspiration behind Sally and Bridget’s story? JC: I was inspired by my grandmother and her sister who made a similar journey to New York in 1911. TPP: Do you think the reality of New York in the early 1900s matched up with the dreams of the Irish people who emigrated there? JC: Judging by my granny’s letters, it may not have been perfect, but …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #4: The Riddle of the Disappearing Dickens by Alan Nolan
Set in 1859, The Riddle of the Disappearing Dickens is the third book in the ‘Molly and Bram’ series by award-winning author Alan Nolan. This latest instalment sees Molly and Bram travel to London with Bram’s parents to collect his brother, Thornley, from boarding school to bring him back to Dublin for the school holidays.  However, Molly and Bram are not long in London before they find themselves involved in solving the mysterious disappearance of the famous writer – and …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Alan Nolan
This month we got to chat to the wonderful Irish children’s author, Alan Nolan. TPP: What was the inspiration behind the Molly and Bram series? AN: My granny, Nanny Gigg, gave me a copy of Bram Stoker’s terrifying horror book Dracula when I was ten. I loved it, and always wanted to write a story about Bram! TPP: Why did you decide to use a well-known non-fictional historical figure in a fictional story? AN: Bram is an Irish legend and Dublin icon, and a lot is …
Education

The #ReadingRevolution
Reading for pleasure is a vital life skill that has to be nurtured. Unfortunately, as with many things in life, not every child has an equal opportunity in this area. Some children come from homes where they are taken to the library on a regular basis, are frequently read to and encouraged to enjoy books, have lots of books within the home, see their parents/siblings/significant people in their life reading. All these things are great ingredients to instil a love …
Reading

Rereading to children – is it beneficial?
If you have children in your life, you’re probably familiar with them enjoying their favourite book over and over again, whether that’s having it read to them, or reading it to themselves. There can be the thinking that it may be of more benefit to them to widen their reading experience and to try out new reading material. But, did you know, there is much more value in rereading books than might first be apparent. Let’s look at five benefits …
Reading Club

Book of the Month #3: The Tree That Sang to Me by Serena Molloy
Kai’s family is in crisis. His big sister Jen no longer lives with them and Kai thinks it is all his fault. Things aren’t great at school either. Kai’s so-called ‘friends’ are bullies, but despite this, Kai does his best to fit in with them, even keeping guiltily quiet when they bully another boy. The only place he feels safe is in a big sycamore tree he climbs to escape his worries. It’s a space just for him, until one …
Author interview

TPP Talks to Serena Molloy
This month we were delighted to chat with another of Ireland’s brilliant children’s authors, Serena Molloy. TPP: What was the inspiration behind ‘The Tree That Sang to Me’? Serena: I loved climbing trees when I was a child. Trees can communicate with each other in very complicated ways. That inspired the setting for the story. So many children I know struggle with anxiety so I wanted to write a story that touched on that, to show them that they are not …