Summer book recommendations for kids
Andreas Steinhöfel: The Pasta Detectives (Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten, originally published by Carlsen Verlag GmbH 2008) The author has already published about twenty middle grade and young adult books, several of which have become recommended readings in the schools in his home country, Germany. His works have already been translated into several languages, and he presents himself with this story in Hungarian, with which he won the German Children’s Literature Prize in 2008 in addition to several honorable recognitions. Rico is a nice boy, there’s nothing wrong with him, only sometimes things get a little tangled in his head so he can think much more slowly than the others. Oscar, on the other hand, is a gifted kid, but has no friends and wears a helmet on his head. The two children make friends, but Oscar is kidnapped, and Rico decides to free him. Very, very good book! I…
Nándor Gion’s middle grade and young adult books
Nándor Gion: Engem nem úgy hívnak (That is not my name*) (Napkút Kiadó 2021) Nándor Gion: Postarablók (Post robbers*) (Napkút Kiadó 2021) *My translations. Many thanks to Napkút Kiadó for sending me these e-books! Nándor Gion, one of the most prominent Hungarian prose writers of the end of the 20th century, was born in Srbobran, Serbia. In addition to his adult novels, the author has written several books specifically for young people. His middle grade novels take place in his hometown and its immediate surroundings. The writer tells about real life in these stories, so the novels are much more serious, not classic light and adventurous works. The ‘Engem nem úgy hívnak’ was the winner of the tender for the enrichment of children’s literature in 1969. Summer can be felt from every line. Three young boys try to endure the heat and boredom by jumping into the water from the…
OwlCrate Jr. – Monthly book subscription box for kids
Kaela Rivera: Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls (HarperCollins Publishers 2021) Tehlor Kay Meija: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (Rick Riordan Presents in Disney Book Publishing 2020) The first OwlCrate was made in February 2015 in Vancouver, Canada. The first box of the children’s version was available from December 2016. Each box contains a new release in a signed hardcover edition with an author’s letter, an activity or a second book in paperback, various bookish goodies on the theme of the month, a sticker, and a magazine that always has an interview with the author. The theme of the month of April is Legendary Courage and we can read two middle grade novels that are based on the Mesoamerican myths and culture. Cece Rios’ older sister, Juana is kidnapped by an evil spirit, El Sombreron, so it is Cece’s job to go to the Devil’s Valley with…
Classics – Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea (first published by Charles Scribner’s & Sons 1952) Many thanks to 21. Század Kiadó for sending me the book! Ernest Hemingway – one of my favorite writers – was born July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, the city of “wide lawns and narrow minds”. During his adventurous life, he participated as a war correspondent in both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and lived in Paris, Spain, Florida, and Cuba. He hunted German submarines in the Caribbean, and for everything in Africa. In 1950, he began writing The Old Man and the Sea, which was finally published in 1952. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in 1954. Santiago, the fisherman had not caught anything for eighty-four days. But today, he finally gets a marlin on his hook. He has no idea how…
Airships
Alex English: Sky Pirates – Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond (Simon & Schuster Ltd. 2020) Vashti Hardy: Brightstorm (Scholastic 2018) I read these two books in a row because I wanted to compare them. The common things are that both novels have a lot of steam-punk elements and the characters don’t have magical abilities (as they usually do in fantasies), they can only count on their ingenuity. Sky Pirates is the first middle grade novel of Alex English. Its protagonist is Echo, a found child who grows up in Lockfort’s kingdom. All she wants is to meet people who look like her: dark skin and curly hair, because everyone is blonde in Lockfort except her. But dreaming of an adventurous journey is useless, as there is nothing beyond the walls of the city. Or is it? One night, a mysterious airship arrives from beyond the wall… The next volume…
Chile – A long petal of the sea
Isabel Allende: A Long Petal of the Sea (Largo pétalo de mar) (PLAZA & JANÉS 2019) Many thanks to Geopen Könyvkadó for sending me the book! Isabel Allende is a relative of the late Chilean president, Salvador Allende, and the most read Spanish-language author. The family exiled to Venezuela after a military coup against President Allende. She wrote her first novel, The House of the Spirits (1982), from letters sent to her grandfather in exile, with which she gained world fame. She has received prestigious literary awards for her books, but she also takes on a political role and assists the work of the United Nations. A Long Petal of the Sea is her latest novel. In this story, we follow the life of Víctor Dalmau and his family from 1938 to 1994. After escaping the horrors of the Spanish Civil War to Chile with the help of the poet…
World Book Day
The main goal of the event, created by UNESCO, is to promote reading. It was first held on 23 April 1995 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Since then, it is organized annually in more than 100 countries around the world. It was held on March 4 this year and the next will be on March 3, 2022. Each year, National Book Tokens, in partnership with UK schools, distributes £15 million 1 £ tokens to children and young people (this includes almost every person under the age of 18 in the UK and Ireland). The 1 £ tokens can then be exchanged for one of the books published exclusively for that day. Books can also be purchased online. I would like to write briefly about the 1 £ books I bought: Abi Elphinstone: Everdark The book is a prequel of The Unmapped Chronicles series, and it was later published in…