Boys Don't Cry, by Malorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman's new books tackles teenage pregnancy from an unusual perspective - that of the father.

Dante is a good boy, mostly. He studies hard, he's nice to his girlfriend. Ok, so he fooled around once at a party with his then-girlfriend Melanie, but that was almost two years ago and they were both drunk. It didn't mean anything, and she moved away afterwards anyway.

On the day his A level results are due, Dante answers the door to Melanie, holding a baby. She tells him that this is his child, conceived during that party. She asks him to babysit, just for a little while, just while she goes shopping.

And then she calls to tell him she can't cope any more, that she wants him to look after Emma for a while.

At first Dante completely fails to deal with it. But he gradually begins to step up and take responsibility, and the evolution of his feelings makes for fascinating reading. Emma impacts not only his life but that of his father and brother, and watching the effect she has on this family of near-strangers is the best part of the novel. Each member is battling his own demons, but Emma manages to bring them all together.

This is a lovely read.


I woke up to the sound of plaintive mewling, like next door's cat was upset or something. Eyes closed, I mentally swatted away the noise. Then I remembered. When I managed to will my eyes open, Emma was standing up, holding onto the sides of her cot, watching me. Throwing back my duvet, I stumbled out of bed. The closer I got to her, the more the smell hit me. And the smell was appalling. I mean really, really bad in a throat-catching, nose-blistering way. I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know I was about to be hip-deep in baby poo.

Damn it, I didn't sign up for this.

Of Thee I Sing, by Barack Obama

Barack Obama has chosen thirteen of America's most famous sons and daughters, from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln right up to Martin Luthor King Jr. and Cesar Chavez. Using simple language he shows how today's children can be inspired by these heroes, to do or to be anything that they want. The beautiful illustrations are a perfect complement to this fabolous tribute. As President Obama's two daughters walk through the pages, they are joined by other children representing these famous Americans. As they journey through the book they begin to share, so that by the end, Sitting Bull is holding Georgia O'Keeffe's paint palate and Neil Armstrong's toy rocket is in the hands of Helen Keller. It's a fabulous way of showing how connected we all are, even today.

Of Thee I Sing was originally written as a letter to Barack Obama's two daughters and was completed in 2008, before he was voted in as the forty fourth president.


Have I told you that you are smart?

That you braid great ideas with imagination?
A man named Albert Einstein turned pictures in his mind into giant advances in science, changing the world with energy and light.


Have I told you that you don't give up?

When violence erupted in our nation a man named Martin Luthor King Jr. taught us unyielding compassion. He gave us a dream that all races and all creeds would walk hand in hand. He marched and he prayed and, one at a time, opened hearts and saw the birth of his dream in us.

Review: Harry Potter Film Wizardry

The end of an era is upon us. The last Harry Potter film hits our screens this weekend. To celebrate, Bantam have released this beautiful book.

Starting with The Philosopher's Stone, now ten years old, this book traces the work that went into each movie. Talking to stars, producers, directors, and every department from location scouts right down to props and costumes, this book is a fascinating account of a piece of movie history. It's also very amusing to look back at the stars in the first movie and compare them to their current selves...

However, it's also more than that. Attached to certain pages are reproductions of certain props. Early in the discussion of Philosopher's Stone is a copy of Harry's acceptance letter to Hogwarts. On a page about Hogsmeade, there are tiny sweet boxes to push out and make. A description of Dolores Umbridge has copies of her Educational Decrees in a pocket, and hidden in a section about the Prisoner of Azkaban is an actual copy of the Marauder's Map. This is a fabulous work of art and the perfect present for the Harry Potter fan in your household.

Christmas Gift Ideas

Classic Poetry Selected by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Paul Howard, this collection showcases some of the best poetry of the last 450 years.






Illustrated Shakespeare Shakespeare's most popular plays, simplified for a young audience.





Fairy Tale Treasury This beautiful hardback treasury features all your favourite fairy tales, and some you've never heard of. A surefire winner.



By Sun and Candlelight Shirley Hughes' soft illustrations accompany poems and excerpts from famous novels. A great selection.



Illustrated Alice A simplified version of the classic series, complete with some of Lewis Carroll's famous nonsense poetry.




Illustrated Classics for Boys Moonfleet, Robin Hood and the Canterville Ghost are among the classic boy's stories rewritten for this collection.



Illustrated Classics for Girls classic tales such as Little Women, Heidi and the Secret Garden are beautifully rewritten in this collection.



Illustrated Stories for Boys A mix of stories for boys age 5 to 95.





Illustrated Stories for Girls A mix of stories for girls to share.

Some Christmas titles

Drawing, Doodling and Colouring for Christmas Spend your Christmas afternoon with this wonderful array of puzzles and game.



Christmas Baking for Children Leave Santa some perfect treats with this beautiful, sturdy children's cookbook.




Baby's First Christmas with music CD Teach Baby some classic carols while enjoying the festive scenes in this sturdy board book.



1000 Christmas Stickers Decorate the scenes or your presents with these pretty stickers.






Christmas Doodles 50 cards and a wipe clean pen. Practise your Christmas art over and over again.

Event: Author Visit

The Author a Month for November was Brian Gallagher. Brian is well known in Ireland's theatre community as well as in RTE where he worked as a writer on Fair City for twelve years.








Brian's newest book, Across the Divide, is set in Dublin in 1913 during the Lockout. Nora and Liam come from opposite sides of Dublin's social divide, but their love of Feis Ceoil brings them together. When Larkin's strikes start gaining power, their friendship is threatened...

Brian visited with two groups of children from a local school and explained a little about writing and about the historical background to the novel. We'd like to thank him for traveling to be with us today.