Thursday, December 29, 2011

Book Review: Kirstie Allsopp CRAFT


Get crafty in the New Year and take inspiration from Kristie Allsopp's new book CRAFT.  The great thing about this book is that it draws a wide range of crafts together and presents it all in the one book.  There's needle craft, paper crafts, textiles, food crafts, garden crafts, flower crafts & gift crafts; all these chapters are stuffed with interesting projects.

This book is perfect for anyone who doesn't quite know their specialty yet, or even as a great starting point for those experienced in one craft but want to dip their toe into other crafts.  It's a bit of a taster session!

This is a lovely book bursting with great ideas for an inspiring New Year! 


Available to buy in Village Books for €24.40



Saturday, December 17, 2011

Monday, December 12, 2011

JUNIOR BOOK CLUBS

We've had a great year with our Junior Book Clubs. They couldn't wait to give their opinions about books good and bad!

We were surprised at the books that received poor reviews. John Boyne (author of 'The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas') released 'Noah Barleywater Runs Away' earlier this year. The book club couldn't wait to get stuck into it, having loved his previous children's novel. However, they found 'Noah Barleywater' to be very disappointing. The general consensus was that it was an okay story but rambled on too much. It wasn't gripping and moved too slowly.

Other books that did not impress were 'The Crowfield Curse' by Pat Walsh and 'Tom's Midnight Garden' by Phillipa Pearce.



One of the hits was Michael Morpurgos 'An Elephant In The Garden'. This is a captivating story of an extraordinary animal caught up in a very human war. The book club found it to be a fantastic and moving read. James (age 10) said,'It was fascinating! I couldn't put it down. 9 out of 10!' Another book that greatly appealed to the girls was 'Ingo' by Helen Dunmore, first part of a series telling tales of the dark underworld beneath the sea.

Over the Christmas break the three Junior Book Clubs will be relaxing with 'Northern Lights' by Philip Pullman, 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman, 'Hoot' by Carl Hiaasen and 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' by Roald Dahl.