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The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Five – the Dressmaker and the Mayor’s Wish

A Yellow Star against the blue background, with other smaller blue stars in the sky. The text reads: "The Wish Star and the Five Wishes: Part 5 - The Dressmaker and the Mayor's Wish"

The Dressmaker The Mayor thought that no-one had seen him wishing, but one person had. In the town hall there was a lady who worked as a cleaner. Her name was Mrs Porfit and she had worked for the mayor for thirty years. She liked his kindly ways and he liked her quick wit andContinue reading “The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Five – the Dressmaker and the Mayor’s Wish”

The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Four – The Mayor

A Yellow Star against the blue background, with other smaller blue stars in the sky. The text reads: "The Wish Star and the Five Wishes: Part 4 - The Mayor"

The Mayor The grand Mayor of the town stood in the middle of the town hall looking at tables spread with every type of lovely food you could imagine. He was a kind man and was looking forward to later in the evening when the carol service was finished and the town gathered in theContinue reading “The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Four – The Mayor”

The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Three – The Girl

A Yellow Star against the blue background, with other smaller blue stars in the sky. The text reads: "The Wish Star and the Five Wishes: Part 3 - The Girl"

I hope you’re enjoying the story so far. Today the wish star receives another wish. The Girl At the other end of the street, near the house where the small boy lived, there was a girl. She was also wrapping a present, but hers was for her mother. It was very small but it wasContinue reading “The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Three – The Girl”

The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Two – The Dog and the Shopkeeper

A Yellow Star against the blue background, with other smaller blue stars in the sky. The text reads: "The Wish Star and the Five Wishes: Part 2 - The Dog and the Shopkeeper"

I hope you all enjoyed yesterday’s first part of The Wish Star and the Five Wishes. Today the little star hears two more wishes. Will she grant any of them? The Dog She did not need to wait long. Outside in the cold a few streets away from where the boy wished for a pet,Continue reading “The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part Two – The Dog and the Shopkeeper”

The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part One – The Star and the Boy

A Yellow Star against the blue background, with other smaller blue stars in the sky. The text reads: "The Wish Star and the Five Wishes: Part 1 - The Star and the Boy"

A few years ago on this blog I shared a Christmas Story over a the nights leading up to Christmas, and I’ve decided to share it again this year, as a late advent calendar. It’s a story about a little star who has only one wish to bestow on Christmas night and finds herself inContinue reading “The Wish Star and the Five Wishes, Part One – The Star and the Boy”

Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire : A Spoonful of Spying lands stateside!!!!!

Alice and Casper in a plan flying over Paris

Hello all of Alice’s American friends! Thank you for all the support you have given her so far! It has been THRILLING to see her first adventure being welcomed with such enthusiasm in the United States! This week, Alice’s second adventure lands in America, and lands is the right word, as you’ll see from theContinue reading “Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire : A Spoonful of Spying lands stateside!!!!!”

And Then There Were Four

What a wonderful time we had at Alice’s launch party for A Dash of Daring, her fourth adventure, at Waterstones Aberystwyth! ‘Waterstones Aber, as those of us who live here call its, is one of my favourite bookshops and Chloe and her amazing staff are always so welcoming. For my book launches I have aContinue reading “And Then There Were Four”

Pigeon Spies not Pigeon Pies!

Pigeon Spies What do you think of when you hear the words ‘spy’ and ‘secret service? I bet the picture below doesn’t spring to mind. But some of the UK’s most important spies in World War 2 were pigeons – the Confidential Pigeon Service! Homing pigeons would be air dropped into German-occupied France so thatContinue reading “Pigeon Spies not Pigeon Pies!”

UKYAC MG Blog Tour Day 2 – An Interview with Jane Elson

After reading the astounding ‘How to Fly with Broken Wings’ I was delighted to be asked to interview the author, Jane Elson. How to Fly with Broken Wings tells the story of twelve-year-old Willem, who has Aspergers Syndrome and a piece of homework – to make two friends of his own age. All Willem reallyContinue reading “UKYAC MG Blog Tour Day 2 – An Interview with Jane Elson”

Girl With a White Dog

In my third book recommendation for anti-bullying week, I’m turning to Anne Booth’s stunning debut novel, Girl With a White Dog. Booth manages to cover so many aspects of bullying and compassion in her book that I don’t know how they all fit in there. Jessie is excited when her gran, who suffers from Alzheimers’Continue reading “Girl With a White Dog”