Fallen Star Stories

As you may know, I've been working as a childrens bookseller and reviewer for over 10 years. It is a job I love, not the least for the huge number of new and exciting books I get to see published every year. Sometimes, I feel that some of the very best books get lost in the sea of new, exceptional books placed before the world in a constant parade. So, as time passes, we 'forget'...or rather don't point them out as effectively as we could, simply because there are so many really fantastic reads appearing. (Don't get me wrong....that is a very, very good thing.) However, I thought that, as August is half way through now and shortly will come the onslaught of fabulous, brand new kids and YA titles ('tis the season and all that), I'd take a minute to remind myself...and you, dear readers...of a few of the books I've come across in the last decade that I still love, that are still incredible reads, and that the young and young at heart still deserve our undi

I wanted to take just a moment to remember the incredible Tove Jansson. Jansson was born today, 9th August in 1914 in Finland.  Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, artist and comic strip author. She went on to give the world some of the most beloved characters of all time, the Moomins. With nearly 30 adult and childrens books to her repertoire, she won over a dozen awards for her work, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1966 for her contribution to childrens literature. The Moomins are some of my favourite books. Magical, gentle, funny and philosophical, each one is an absolute delight. Tove Jansson died on 27 June, 2001 at the age of 86. Thank you, Tove Jansson....and Happy Birthday.