His group is evacuated to a village where the stones from the first scene are and here Alfie starts to find what he could feel is a home with Auntie Bell and the animals of the farm he is staying at. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12... minds and hearts and souls, uniting people when they found a victim. Someone different. Someone who didn't quite fit in. Someone to blame when things went wrong.’

Tanya Landman is the author of some utterly compelling and engrossing stories and Midwinter Burning is no exception. The story weaves between the outbreak of World War II and ancient times, mingling the lives of two 'lonely little lads', whose friendship brings courage and comfort. As an adult, it is hard to read the cold indifference of Alfie's mother to her 'little accident' and this stands in stark contrast to the warmth and affection he receives at Coombe Farm as he becomes 'my birdie' to Auntie Bell, praised and encouraged as he helps out, flourishing under the positive attention. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... Honestly, I think the amount of heavy topics this book covers, e.g. grief, bullying, realities of war and loss, the sacrifice of life, psychological abuse, being unwanted by a parent, it all makes this book pretty dark for a young reader. At the same time, the author of ‘Midwinter burning’ manages to deliver all these lessons in a way that doesn’t feel too overwhelming and I believe it’s perfectly suitable for a bit older kids. However, I also think the the writing style and all the previously mentioned stuff may not be as accessible for the youngest readers and may stop them from fully enjoying this book. Born and brought up in Kent, Tanya had no intention of becoming a writer until the idea for Waking Merlin popped into her head. "It came from nowhere. It was completely out of the blue."

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He even eventually makes a friend called Snidge, but his friend is a mystery with a different language and different clothing, Alfie doesn’t want to mention him to others just in case the paranoia of an upcoming war affects this friendship. A historical time-slip adventure for middle grade readers, from the Carnegie Medal-winning author of Apache and Buffalo Soldier. Evacuated away from London and his indifferent mother, Alfie Wright thrives in his new life with 'Auntie' Bell and her son, Ted, at Coombe Farm in Devon. A sensitive, different boy, he is no longer 'Alfie Wrong', but is cared for, managing to make friends with Smidge, a mysterious lad Alfie meets when exploring his new surroundings. However, as war is declared, talk in the village turns to the need for the village tradition of the Midwinter Burning at the ancient clifftop stones to continue to prevent the Darkness from returning. Eyes once again turn to Alfie, the outsider, and then Smidge goes missing. Can Alfie find the truth behind village legend and help his new friend before it is too late? I loved Tanya’s previous books, especially Horse Boy, so was really pleased to get a chance to read her new one.

We then go to London on the eve of the Second World War and Operation Pied Piper, a voluntary evacuation of children three days before the declaration of war with Germany. Here we meet Alfie, another outsider with a life of rejection and bullying behind him.I really enjoyed how the story drifts between Alfie and Smidge's different historical worlds and the special friendship they build. The ending of the story is tense and dramatic as their two worlds collide and the mysterious legend of the Midwinter Burning takes place. The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children... Alfie realized that this was it. The Darkness wasn't coming. It was here. It wasn't a force that came from outside. It came from within. Hate that poisoned Thank you, Tanya. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and know the children will love this unique historical, adventure story. I can't wait to read the next story by Tanya Landman!

Who would have thought that a children’s book will turn out to be one of the best books I’ve read in 2022?! Not me! But it happened! Lastly, I just want to mention this abso-freaking-lutely perfect cover! Even if I haven’t read the book I would still buy it just for this cover! Just… wow🥺 Midwinter burning’ absolutely stole my heart with it’s incredible storytelling, heartbreaking plot surprising metaphors with life lessons for readers of all ages, beautiful quotes and well-written characters. The book was gripping from start to finish and although the story was simple enough to be understood by children, it was deep enough to give adults something to think about. I would recommend this book for children aged 9+ (Year 5 and 6). I can see how this book would fit perfectly into the curriculum in many ways. Firstly, as a whole class guided reading text as the pacey story with short chapters would work well. I would also use this text as a model text for writing units on historical settings, mystery and adventure story writing and obviously as part of a World War Two unit. I loved how Alfie and Snidge learned about each others worlds, and how they could inhabit each others worlds was so well done, especially toward the end of the story which is so exciting and tense.

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Tanya now lives and works in Bideford and the nearby coastline was the inspiration for her Flotsam & Jetsam series.

Alfie and Bell’s relationship is one of the most poignant in the book. From Bell, he learns how to milk a cow, and he is given more freedom than he has ever experienced before. Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood.