Having previously been a primary teacher for 18 years, I now work for the North Tyneside school improvement service as the literacy adviser. I am also the leader of the North Tyneside OU/UKLA Teacher Reading Group. I enjoy running small scale research projects with our schools to explore and promote all things reading. One of the favourite parts of my role is to share passion for children’s texts and encourage teachers to become readers themselves.
Top Texts for May 2022
Eve Morton has selected her own choice of fascinating top texts for May
Another Twist in the Tale
by Catherine Bruton
I love historical fiction so was drawn to this one after reading the blurb. This is a brilliantly-imagined tale which assumes that Oliver Twist had a twin sister, called Twill. The story follows her life through gambling dens and workhouses until she is drawn into a daring adventure.
The narrator voice in this story is entertaining and is woven well with wonderful description of Victorian London. This became a real pager-turner as I was so keen to find out whether Twill would indeed ever meet her long lost brother.
The Ash House
by Angharad Walker
I decided to give this title a go after seeing it recommended by someone on Twitter. They say don’t judge a book by its cover but this one is intriguing!
‘A new boy arrives at the Ash House. He can’t remember his name – or why he’s been sent there…’
The atmosphere and plot had me gripped from the outset with lots of questions that made me want to read on. Where is this place? Is it real? Where have the children come from? I found myself trying to solve the mystery as I read, and the ending really did make me gasp!
This could be described as ‘other-worldly’ which is not my usual choice of genre but I’m so glad that I dived into this one!
A History of the World in 25 Cities
by Tracey Turner and Andrew Donkin and illustrated by Libby VanderPloeg
I bought this for my 10-year-old son who loves history and geography and this book proved to be a great combination for him. From Jericho to Venice, Cuzco to San Francisco, the reader is transported through time with amazing illustrations, names, dates, facts, and stories about these wonderful cities around the world.
We’ve had good fun devouring pages of this book, especially the maps which have been created in consultation with expert curators at the British Museum.
