Blog Tour Review: Gemma’s Not Sure

Hello everybody! Today, I’m incredibly excited to be sharing my review for Gemma’s Not Sure as part of the blog tour. Onto the post!

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The Cut Throat Cafe Blog Tour Guest Post: Three Reasons Why Children Love a Life of Crime by Nicki Thornton

Hello everybody! Today, I’m really excited to be part of the blog tour for the 3rd Seth Seppi mystery, the Cut Throat Cafe, with her guest post about why children love crime fiction. Onto the post!

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The Vanishing Trick Blog Tour: Author Interview with Jenni Spangler

Hello everybody! Today, I’m hugely excited to welcome debut author Jenni Spangler to the blog to discuss the Vanishing Trick (which releases this Thursday!) And also to share her post about how to photograph a ghost. Onto the post!

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Milton the Megastar Blog Tour: Book Review

Hello everybody! Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for Milton the Megastar, by reviewing the book. Onto the post!

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#FCBGCBA2020 Blog Tour: Becoming Dinah by Kit de Waal

Hello everybody! Today, I’m really excited to be part of the FCBGCBA blog tour for the third year in a row, this time with my post focusing on Becoming Dinah by Kit de Waal. Onto the post!

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About the book:

A YA coming-of-age road trip novel about obsession, self-discovery, female power, and the people we meet along the way – by Costa Award shortlisted author Kit de Waal. The perfect read for anyone who’s ever wondered where they came from and where they might be going next.

In her first YA novel, Costa-shortlisted Kit de Waal responds to classic Moby Dick by tearing the power away from obsessive Captain Ahab and giving it to a teenage girl.

Dinah’s whole world is upside down, dead things and angry men and cuts all over her head that are beginning to sting….

Seventeen-year-old Dinah needs to leave her home, the weird commune where she grew up. She needs a whole new identity, starting with how she looks, starting with shaving off her hair, her ‘crowning glory’. She has to do it quickly, because she has to go now.

Dinah was going to go alone and hitch a ride down south. Except, she ends up being persuaded to illegally drive a VW campervan for hundreds of miles, accompanied by a grumpy man with one leg. This wasn’t the plan.

But while she’s driving, Dinah will be forced to confront everything that led her here, everything that will finally show her which direction to turn…

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Discussion Questions about the Book:

• Kit de Waal wrote Becoming Dinah as a response to Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby Dick.
• If you’ve read Moby Dick, what would you say are the key similarities and differences between the two books?

• There are no female central characters in Moby Dick. What do you think is gained by switching the perspective to that of a young woman?

• What is the purpose of the opening scene? What impact did it have on you? • How do you feel about the character of Ahab?

• How much sympathy do you have for him?

• Why do you think Dinah chose to rename herself Ishmael? What is the effect of alternating the chapter titles between the two names?

• How do you think Dinah’s upbringing at the New Bedford Fellowship affects her choices throughout the story?

• How much of Dinah’s decision to run away do you think is linked to Queenie and how much to do with the breakdown of her family?

• What do you think your own response would be under a similar set of circumstances?

• What do you think comes next for Dinah?

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How Kit feels about her nomination:

“It’s such a privilege to be shortlisted for this award knowing that it’s voted for by real readers, by children who have fallen in love with the book.  It means a great deal to have your seal of approval.  And Dinah is overjoyed that you’ve taken her into your hearts.’

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Check out the website here so you can vote: http://fcbg.org.uk/childrens-book-award/

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Thank you so much for reading! Are you planning to read this? Which book are you planning to vote for, or which would you vote for? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

The House of Hidden Wonders Blog Tour: Writing About Real Historical Figures by Sharon Gosling

Hello everybody! Today, I’m really excited to be part of the blog tour for the new Sharon Gosling book, the House of Hidden Wonders; a brilliant historical adventure set in Victorian Edinburgh. Onto the post, which is by Sharon and about her experience writing the real historical figures who feature in the story!

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Blog Tour: Author Interview with Mikki Lish and Kelly Ngai

Hello everybody! Today, I’m really excited to be interviewing Mikki Lish and Kelly Ngai as part of the blog tour for their debut, The House on Hoarder Hill. Onto the post!