Hi everyone, I wasn't at the last book club meeting but Irene has been filling me in on every thing that I missed. Lots of different books to mention from last months meeting. Everyone picked a book from the Children's Books Ireland Recommended Reads book and then came back and told the group

what they thought. I've added all the books that were read below. Some people really loved their reads,  I've put five stars ***** beside these books!

The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.
It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

two people chose this book and favourite parts of the book were when the ship sank and the fairy but they felt there wasn't enough comedy in the story

Paws and Whiskers by Jacqueline Wilson *****

"It's about dogs and cats and the author's childhood when they had cats and dogs. My favourite story was shadow the sheep dog because I like the way that shadow really loves Jonny, when Jenny falls down a hill shadow saves him"

Fintan's Fifteen by Alan Nolan *****

Ray is tired of losing every match he plays with his team, the Ballybreen Terries. Before they become the laughing stock of the leadership, Ray persuades Fintan Heffernan, ex-star player of U10's to leave his early retirement and computer games to help bring his rival 'Dirty Den' down and lead the Ballybreen Terries to the victory they deserve

"It's about Fintan. He keeps on winning each match. When he stops playing they keep on loosing but then he comes back and they win." Best part of the book was "when they won the cup"


Over the Summer we were very lucky to have an exhibition of art work by Alan Nolan  from Fintan's 15. Here Alan is in a photo in our exhibition area !

Monkey Business by Debbie Thomas

Welcome to Remote Ken, an island with a mind of its own. A school trip to a rain-soaked island off the Irish coast is not Abbie Hartley's idea of fun ... until she hears rumors of treasure hidden by medieval monks. With her best friend Perdita she sets off to find the priceless Goblet of Dripping. But they're not alone. Hot on their heels are a vast villain, an ancient Inca emperor - and a curse that will turn their world upside down. With crazy characters, wonderful wordplay and awesome adventures, kids will love this story! With black and white illustrations.




about "a class who are going on a trip to remote Ken. There are two stories Abbey and Perdita look for treasure"

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't, really.)
     But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident -- but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls know a murder must have taken place... and there's more than one person at Deepdean with a motive.


"It is about two girls who try to solve a murder in the school they are in" Hazel is their favourite character because she is clever and the best part of the book was " when they figured out who was the murderer"

Beyond the Stars by Sarah Webb

A collection of short stories from a stellar line-up of Irish authors and illustrators, edited by bestselling author Sarah Webb. The anthology is completed by a final winter-themed tale from the winner of HarperCollins’ competition for young writers, which will be illustrated by Irish Children’s Laureate, Niamh Sharkey.
12 wintry tales of wonder, from the funny to the ghostly, from the heartfelt to the action-packed – there is something here for everyone to love…

"This book has a lot of different stories from a lot of famous Irish authors in it. It has a lot of different varieties of stories in it " The best bit of the book was "When Raka saw that the wolf she found was her long lost brother. Then he had to go and Raka was very sad. "

The Tin Snail  by Cameron Mc Alister  *****

This is the story of a brave little car that helped to win a war.
In the 1940s world of elegant, luxury automobiles, the Tin Snail is no beauty. But it’s facing a tough challenge:
to carry a farmer and his wife,
a flagon of wine
and a tray of eggs
across a bumpy field in a sleepy French village
– without spilling a drop or cracking a shell.
And then an even bigger challenge comes along – staying hidden from an officer of the occupying Nazi army, who is bent on stealing the design for the enemy!

"This is about a car that wants to beat the Germans in the war. The best part of the book is when they fall off the bridge, because it's funny"

Alfie Green and the Magical Gift by Joe O'Brien  *****

"This is when Alfie's birthday arrives and he goes into his granddad's shed and takes him on a magical adventure, you really enjoy Alfie, the wise old plants and the garden tools"

A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson

Grace's fun loving Mum has found a lump. Her north London world of sleepovers, tap dancing and playing the clarinet fall apart when she is sent to live with her grumpy old granddad on his farm in Yorkshire while her mother goes into hospital to get better.


the best character in this book is " Megan, because she has a pot bellied pig"
Check out author  Jan Elson's website for more about her book and writing




Fantastic selection of books, hope this will give you lots of ideas if you are not sure what to read next. Looking forward  to our next book club meeting on Thursday the 18th of December!  see you all there