NEWS: Seasonal Greetings and a short break

Hail Mighty Readers,
Well Tatty's Treasure Chest will be taking a short festive break but will be back in Janauary with some of the newer YA Releases and with a special Cliff McNish Competition.

We hope you all have a happy and safe festive season and hope you'll join us again next year.

All the best,


Tatty.

3+: The Night Before Christmas - Clement C Moore and Eric Puybaret

Release Date: 03/09/11

BOOK BLURB:

The much-loved classic Christmas poem is brought beautifully to life in this gorgeous new picture book and CD set, sure to bring visions of sugarplums to everyone's head. With dreamy, magical artwork by Eric Puybaret and an audio CD recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, this is the perfect Christmas present for any child.

REVIEW:

When you come up to Christmas there are two stories that make it to the readers pile as a special treat. One is the Charles Dicken’s Christmas Carol, the other is Clement C Moore’s Night Before Christmas which is the young readers title of choice.

This version is wonderfully illustrated with bright colours and quirky illustrations by Eric Puybaret and when you add the vocal talent of Mary Travers (from Peter, Paul and Mary fame) on an accompanying audio CD it’s a title that will be read time and again for quite some time and hopefully become a household Christmas favourite. I really am looking forward to reading this to my nephews when they go to my parents this year.

3+: The Gruffalo: Touch and Feel - Julia Donaldson, Ill. Axel Scheffler

Release Date:

BOOK BLURB:

Touch the Gruffalo's terrible tusks, feel his knobbly knees and tickle his purple prickles in this bold, eye-catching book with touch-and-feel elements on every page. Part of the exciting new "My First Gruffalo" series, this title features all your favourite characters from the "Deep Dark Wood". The nation's favourite bedtime story made perfect for small paws.


REVIEW:

If like me you’re a fan of the Gruffalo then this title from Pan Macmillan will hit the spot as its updates it with a touch and feel option so that the young reader has things which they will love, from his sticky warty nost, to the smooth furry belly, from the rough teeth to the bubbly knobbly knees.

It’s fun, it will entertain and if you can find the animation on the BBC this year, it will be something that will be demanded more than one time. Finally add to this the wonderful artwork of Axel Scheffler with the cracking storytelling of Julia Donaldson and all in it’s a wonderful product.

12+: Runelight - Joanne Harris

Release Date: 03/11/11

BOOK BLURB:

The squabbling Norse gods and goddesses of Runemarks are back! And there's a feisty new heroine on the scene: Maggie, a girl the same age as Maddy but brought up a world apart - literally, in World's End, the focus of the Order in which Maddy was raised. Now the Order is destroyed, Chaos is filling the vacuum left behind...and is breaching the everyday world. A chilling prophecy from the Oracle. A conflict between two girls. And with just twelve days to stave off the Apocalypse, carnage is about to be unleashed ...


REVIEW:

OK, I read the original Runemarks a few years ago, yet even so, it’s a title I remember fairly well as I loved the complexities as well as plot intrigue that Joanne had woven within almost as if she were a Norn herself. Yet this book almost dwarves that with its huge plot, more twists than the roots of Yggdrasil and just as complex with the developments as well as emotional turmoil for the characters within.

It’s a beautiful piece of writing and whilst it took a little time to get back into the spirit of, it was well worth the time and effort and lets face it a book aimed at this market at 600 pages has to have something special woven within to keep the target audience happy. Add to this the introduction of a new character who’s just as tough as the original which when backed with cracking prose and wonderful pace alongside classically complex world building and it’s a title that was really hard to put down for sleep at the end of the night. Great stuff and definitely a title I’d recommend to others, provided you’re prepared to do a little slogging first to get to the good stuff.

8+: Boring, Botty and Spong - Russell Ash

Release Date: 03/11/11

BOOK BLURB:

Have you ever been to a place called Boring? Met Mr Botty? Used a piece of Spong equipment? These are just three of the real-life places, people and things from around the world that feature in best-selling non-fiction author Russell Ash's fabulous new book. Jam-packed full with lists of names plus fascinating facts, stories and anecdotes, "Boring, Botty and Spong" will keep you entertained for hours on end! You'll find names to make you wonder, think and certainly laugh out loud.


REVIEW:

I was really looking forward to this book as I love titles that are full of fun, factual pieces of trivia that very few seem to know. The problem with this book however is that it reads like a long list and as such I feel will miss its place with the audience as they’ll take one look and wonder where the interest is.

It is researched very well but for me the execution falls a little flat with just the facts and no other information at hand to help keep it in the memory. Its information overload and for me would have been better had it had the writing style of Mitchell Symons to help bring it to life. A great shame all in and heres hoping a future edition will fix this major problem.

8+: DreamWorks Puss in Boots: 3D Movie Guide - Tim Spotlight

Release Date: 10/11/11

BOOK BLURB:

Puss In Boots tells the swashbuckling tale of Puss's early days: his life in the orphanage, his friendship with Humpty Dumpty, how he meets the feisty feline Kitty (voiced by Salma Hayek), and their search for the Goose Who Laid the Golden Egg.

This purr-fect film 3D movie guide features 3-D images throughout plus a pair of 3-D glasses!





REVIEW:

I’m one of those people who whilst I love the ideas behind things as well as watching them come to life, cannot see 3d, it was the bane of my childhood and sadly it’s still the bane of my adult life as all I see is the image clearly through the coloured glasses. (That said, I’ve yet to try the new 3d experience at the cinema so it may have changed now.)

So this review is really based on what my nephews saw when I showed them this title. Not only were they delighted but they kept removing the glasses to see how it worked only to look puzzled. They looked from the left, they looked from the right and then they demanded that they be allowed to wear the glasses and wanted the book put on their walls so that they could enjoy the whole experience again. Its fun, it gives a great sense of wonder and for that alone, it’s well worth the price. Add to this of course that you get the DreamWorks magic thrown in and it’s a great product all round. Now my nephews are demanding to see the film and my name is mud in their parent’s houses.

8+: DreamWorks Puss in Boots Colouring and Activity Book

Release Date: 10/11/11

BOOK BLURB:

Get ready for the swashbuckling tale of Puss's early days: his life in the orphanage, his friendship with Humpty Dumpty, how he meets the feisty feline Kitty and their search for the Goose Who Laid the Golden Egg.


REVIEW:

OK, so you want something to distract your children or your nephews and nieces at Christmas but not sure what will do the job? Christmas coming on a little too fast? Is their noise and excitement getting to you? Well in that case you need an activity book to keep them occupied and what better way to do that than give them this one based on the Puss in Boots film that the odds are you’ve already taken them to see (or bribed someone else to do it for you. LOL)

It has a lot of puzzles, a lot of distractions and of course will allow the recipient the chance to think their way through things as well as have lot of fun with all those new coloured felt tips that someone bought them for Christmas.) All in a very nice book with enough to give you more than a few hours of peace and quiet at the most hectic time of the year. Magical.

5+: DreamWorks Puss in Boots: The Cat, The Boots, The Legend - Tina Gallo, Ill. Ovi Nediecu

span style="font-size:130%;">Release Date: 10/11/11

BOOK BLURB:

Way before Puss ever met Shrek, our suave and furry feline hero goes on a swashbuckling ride, as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

Young readers will love joining Puss on his swashbucking adventures, with this fully illustrated colour storybook of the film.


REVIEW:

The picture book of the script for younger readers and one that is fun although to be honest my main gripe is that the artwork isn’t directly from the film, it seems a little silly that they didn’t use stills to help bring the story over, but then again I do wonder if this might have been the case because if they had, perhaps the overall experience would be lost on the young reader with so much detail to take in.

It’s fun, it has all the elements to entertain and of the two story books I prefer the novel (which I read to my nephews to gage reaction) the younger reader will get a lot of fun from this as their attention span can often wonder.

8+: DreamWorks Puss in Boots: The Novel - Lara Bergen

Release Date: 10/11/11

BOOK BLURB:

Way before Puss ever met Shrek, our suave and furry feline hero goes on a swashbuckling ride, as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

Join in Puss on his swashbuckling adventure, in this purr-fect novel for young readers. Based on the film, it includes 8 pages of colour photos to help you re-live the fun!




REVIEW:

When you’re talking about a film to book translation, it’s often a fine line between giving the reader the experience that they want and getting the story over. Lara has done this not only extremely well but allowed the magic and fun of the Shrek Universe to creep through in the adaptation.

It has all the hallmarks that I look for as an adult, a fun script, cracking characters (in some cases more than others, yes I mean you Humpty), and a plot that moves at a steady pace to allow the whole experience to be enjoyed time and again by those who love a good story as well as a good film. Add to this a wonderful sense of pace alongside prose which makes this title a great adaptation and will allow the owner to have a lot of fun in the world of books. I really can’t wait to see it now.