#MGTakesOnThursday

This is a weekly event started by Mary Simms on her super  Book Craic blog.

Every Thursday, the aim is to promote the brilliant middle grade books we all love so much! There are a few steps needed to participate…

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence from that page. Choose three words to describe the book. Share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

In the three weeks this event has been running I have recommended

Demelza and the Spectre Detectors, Holly Rivers, Alex T Smith, Chicken House

The House on Hoarder Hill, Mikki Lish and Kelly Ngai, Chicken House

The Light Hunters, Dan Walker, George Ermos, Uclan Publishing

This week I am breaking the rules slightly as I don’t know that you would want one without the other…..especially with the promise of more to come!

Willow Moss and the Lost Day in three words; magical, adventure, friendship.

Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale in three words; journey, courage, trust

To be honest, all six words could be used to describe both books as the same sense of magical adventures leads Willow on a journey, where she needs to be brave and learn to trust new faces. Throughout both these adventures she makes wonderful friends who come to her aid at any time and by any means- flying dragon, troll whistle, horn to summon a bathtub boat.

Page 11 sentence:

Willow Moss and the Lost Day: “It was at age six, when Willow’s power had finally surfaced, that her father had explained to her that the world was made of different types of people.”

Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale: “Willow had answered a knock on the attic window only to find herself confronted by a rather grumpy oak tree with a face carved deep within its trunk.” (As this is a proof, the page number may not match the published copy).

I spent many happy evenings reading these books with my daughter. Filled with magic, love and a deep desire to be accepted by her family, Willow Moss is an adorable character. More powerful than she believes, in both stories, the magical world comes to rely on her powers and friendship.

I eagerly await book three as I am sure it will be as wonderful as the first two.