Fallen Star Stories

Hello! I'm popping in once again with a few more of my favourite links for online storytimes and author readings. These are doing so much to spread joy, relaxation and to give us a different focus for our time and energy in this time of isolation. Even the most adult among us will dip into to these tales and gain a sense of relief from the constant onslaught of news and information about the pandemic. It allows time for your mind to rest and to regain a sense of wellness and peace. Stories take us away into different worlds. And who doesn't like to be read to? So let's go! Choose a story; choose another place to be! Cathy Cassidy has written so many wonderful books suitable for ages 9 to 99. Right now, Cathy is reading from the wonderful, heartfelt Love From Lexie . It is a lovely and comforting tale for these stressful times; addressing a lot of feelings we all have in common and bringing hope and beauty right into your home. Here's the YouTube link for chapter o

Who doesn't love having a book read to them? Now that many in the world are staying at home, reading to each other is an even greater joy. We should all be sharing books and stories, for even a few minutes every day. It helps soothe the nerves, calm the mind and brings us closer together at a time when we may be feeling far apart. Authors love to share their stories and there is nothing better than having a book read to you by the person who created it. But of course, going out to see your favourite author is not a possibility at the moment. Fear not! The authors will come to you.  As you may or may not know, many writers and illustrators have taken to the job of posting videos of themselves sharing their books. There is literally something there for everyone; every age group; every genre. And it is brilliant! I want to share the links of some of these wonderful people and their marvelous books. Let's give them all a big shout-out! Malachy Doyle is sharing many of his pi

We are living through an unprecedented moment in time...well, in our lifetimes, anyway. Many in the world are isolated at home due to the spread of Covid_19; as well we should. It seems this isolation is the only way to curtail its' spread and save lives. And we don't know how long this will go on; weeks, months? The uncertainty can make it all very stressful. Especially for the kids. (The stress of it all could be why they are bouncing off the walls.) Strange and scary times, indeed. But consider this, we are part of history. We don't know it as we live through it. We don't know whether it will end up the stuff of legends or simply a footnote. But whether we are young or old, children or adults, we do all have our stories; our own personal stories. And they deserve to be recorded. Yes! Your own little voice in the grand sea of information flailing around deserves to be heard, to be held, to be kept. May I suggest you journal or "scrapbook" your story? Cr

Hello! I hope all of you out there are safe and well as we navigate through these strange and uncertain days. We are now in that time of self-cocooning and doing our utmost to curtail the spread of a virus that is having unprecedented impact on our lives. The best thing you can do is (as I'm sure you've heard)...stay home. But what can you do when you're at home? How can you keep sane? Because, let's face it; isolation can make us all go a bit stir-crazy. Don't worry. The world is still out there; will still be out there when we emerge. But to help keep everyone occupied, I'm going to suggest a few books. (Again...of course.) I was contacted by a local school here in Galway when they shut down for the interim. They asked me for a reading list to put on their blog to keep all their "little bookworms" happy and reading while at home. So I thought I would share that list with you here. These and many other fantastic reads are scattered among the pag

Welcome to StarChild: The Healing Stone Blog Tour! This is the third book in the thrilling StarChild series by Australian author, Vacen Taylor.As some of you may remember, I reviewed both the first and second books in the series previously on Fallen Star Stories. I am thrilled to be asked to add my thoughts on the third book, The Healing Stone, and jump into the journey once again! I want to thank  Rachels' Random Resources for including me in this blog tour. And many thanks as well to Vacen Taylor, author of the StarChild series for providing me with the book to review.  You are both fabulous!  STARCHILD: BOOK THREE: THE HEALING STONE author: Vacen Taylor Odyssey Books (April 2015) ISBN: 9781922200204 As news of the Underworld King spreads far and wide and kingdoms everywhere are falling under his grip, fear and panic sweep the world and the children find themselves in more grave danger than before. Fleeing the attacking forces of the Underworld King as fi

Welcome to March (and thank goodness January and February are over!) And as I've said about a million times, the first week of March brings me the most wonderful time of year...World Book Day; the time when we celebrate the joy of reading for pleasure and encourage and try to instill this important lifelong habit in children. As part of its' mission, the brilliant World Book Day people have set up a Reading Revolution and want everyone to join in. The goal is simple...to share A MILLION STORIES! And would you believe, that goal has been met. At the time of my sitting here typing this, 1, 070, 515 stories have already been shared. That's only the first week! But that doesn't mean the work is done. There are so many more stories to share; so many more children (and their grown-ups) who need you to read to them and share your favourite stories...and get them to share their stories. It's urgently important...let's take a look at why. In an article published 7 M