Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo For a long time I would be recommended Michael Morpurgo books whenever I asked a friend or teacher for a suggestion. Although I never particularly disliked them, he would never have been my first choice of author when choosing a new book. After reading 'The Wreck of the Zanzibar' as a class read in Year 5, I decided to read 'Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea.  Inspired by the English orphans transported to Australia after WWII, Michael Morpurgo tells the story of Arthur Hobhouse. Forced to leave his sister Kitty and the orphanage he grew up in, he ..read more

My Chocolate Brownie Recipe  I often bring spare baking to school with me, as there is simply no way for my household to eat it as quickly as I bake it. This means I sometimes receive requests from my friends, whether for something I haven't previously brought to school, or a favourite. More often than not, the request will be for my chocolate brownies, and although I am commonly asked for the recipe, it can be difficult to explain exactly how I make them, as my recipe has developed slightly from the original one I used over time.  I sat down this week and thought about what re ..read more

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson Growing up, Eva Ibbotson was one of my favourite authors. She has written so many books, and I read and enjoyed them all. However, my favourite by a long stretch has always been Journey to the River Sea. Maybe because it was the first Eva Ibbotson book I read, or maybe it was simply the best - but either way it was unlike anything I had read previously, and that really excited me. Set in 1910, English orphan Maia is sent to live with her distant relatives, on a rubber plant in Manus, Brazil. Maia cannot wait, dreaming of the bright colours, and all ..read more

 Wonder by R.J. Palacio Published in 2012, when Wonder was first released it was very popular through all age groups. Since then it has been made into a film, which portrays the book perfectly, a rare occurrence in my opinion. Although I haven't seen Wonder on a reading list for a while, I think it is a really great book, that provides a more unusual take on the world, through the eyes of a young boy names Auggie Pullman. Auggie has a serious medical condition, resulting in a disfigured face, and has therefore been homeschooled by his mother due to various hospital visits. The book b ..read more

 They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera They Both Die at the End has to be one of my favourite books. You don't have to read any further than the title to know exactly how it ends (SPOILER ALERT - THEY BOTH DIE!!), which is possibly what makes the book so enthralling. It is set in a alternate contemporary universe, which is almost the same as our world, except for a major technological advancement, known as 'Death-Cast'.  'Death Cast' is a globally available service which alerts you with a phone call if you are going to die that day. The phone calls (identifiable by a famous ..read more

 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead When You Reach Me tells the story of a young girl called Miranda, living in the Upper West Side of New York City, with her mum. When her best friend Sal is punched by a boy he doesn't know for no apparent reason, he starts to shut Miranda out of his life. Things start disappearing and all of a sudden Miranda starts receiving strange notes, that know things no person knows, and about things that have not happened yet, causing Miranda to believe that only she can prevent a tragic death. The varying storyline of this book makes it so enjoyable to rea ..read more

The World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!! Every baker will tell you that they have their own top secret recipe for producing perfect cookies every time. This is mine. The hardest thing when baking cookies of any kind, is knowing to STOP MIXING! Many people over mix their cookie dough, resulting in their cookies flattening too much. You should also remember, that this was not the first chocolate chip cookie recipe I tried. For years I have used several other recipes, however in September I discovered this one, and I love it!  One really great thing about this recipe is that it ..read more

 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Let's start with a book review - of one of my favourite series - The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games was originally written as a trilogy, but a fourth book centering around the antagonist from the trilogy (President Snow) has recently come out. I haven't yet had a chance to read it, but I can't wait! Set in a futuristic North America known as Panem, the annual Hunger Games are a televised fight to the death of twelve boys and twelve girls, one of each randomly selected from each of twelve districts. When 12 year-old Prim is selected from District ..read more

 Hi everyone, It's been a while, and our lives have all been turned upside down since I last posted a book review, but I recently looked back at this account, and discovered that my blog has had nearly 10,000 views!  In the spirit of trying new things over lockdown, I am going to be continuing this blog, but with a slight twist. Rather than just posting book reviews, I will also be posting some of my favourite recipes. If you know me personally then you will know just how much I love to cook and bake, so hopefully I can inspire someone out there to try something new!  To give yo ..read more