#MGTakesonThursday

How to Join in…

• Choose an MG book that you have read recently and enjoyed. Take a photo of the cover and share the publishing information.
• Turn to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.
• Choose 3 words to describe the book.
• Link to your review or share a review.

Harklights by Tim Tilley

Favourite Sentence from page 11: “For pudding, there’s new Penny buns, apple pie with custard, sponge cake, plum cake, treacle tart and jam tart, and bread-and-butter pudding.”

Three words to describe the book: Environmental, Magical and Hopeful

My Mini Review: I love books that begin with an epic first sentence that rather sets the tone for the first chapter. Tim Tilley does not disappoint with his opener, “Old Ma Bogey is coming.” We can imagine that she is the villain in this story and can start to picture what she looks and acts like. We quickly learn more about her and Harklights!

Wick, the main character has an adventure to go on but he won’t be alone….he will meet some incredible new friends who become like family to him. Being an orphan, Wick is on the ultimate search for home, and having met the Hobs he feels, “For the first time ever, I’m not scared…It’s how I imagine a home might feel.”

Uncertain of his future with the Hobs and worrying about the orphans left behind, Papa Herne shares some wisdom with Wick, “Stories are a way of remembering who we are, but also a way of finding out who we want to be.” Wick must figure this out as he learns more about who he is outside of Harklights.

The longer he stays with the Hobs, the greater the lessons become and the environmental messages strengthen, ensuring that we all become more aware of our impact on nature and the world around us. “I think of all the small things the Hobs have done for me, how much they have added up. Kindness, gentleness, encouragement, love.”

Those 4 words are exactly the reason I turn to children’s books…they provide a daily dose of awesome! I loved this story and cannot wait to see the exceptional artwork that will appear on the pages! I can see why this won the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize! May cannot come quick enough…get your pre-orders in!