Pages & Co - Anna James
'Be brave, be kind, be curious.'
Matilda (Tilly) lives with her grandparents, Elizabeth and Archie, in the family bookstore, Pages & Co, where she finds comfort in books. With her mother's disappearance several years earlier, having never known her father and with friendship issues at school, Tilly decides to spend her half-term holiday with friends she can count on: books. In particular, her favourite books, Alice in Wonderland and Anne of Green Gables. However, Tilly soon discovers that Alice and Anne are able to wander from their stories to visit her and, what's more, they can help her to wonder into their books.
Once she discovers that she can wander into any book she pleases, she and her real-life friend Oskar head off on their own adventures. But who is Chalk? And can Tilly and Oskar discover the truth about her mother's disappearance?
K's opinion
A book about living in a bookshop, being surrounded by books, reading, meeting favourite characters and being able to wander into any book ... I think Anna James has tapped into my idea of a dream world! This book is simply wonderful! Beautifully written with great characters, this book grabs you from the first page and allows you to immerse yourself completely in the world of books. With just the right amount of mystery and adventure, this book seems to have it all!
I love Tilly's stubbornness and Oskar's loyalty but also rather like Elizabeth and Archie (I think we all look at our grandparents in a certain way and forget that they had lives before we were around!).
With some great lines ('Be brave, be kind, be curious' is now proudly displayed on my classroom wall as a reminder to the children and myself!) and mouthwatering descriptions of bookshops and reading, this is a book you need to enjoy whilst curled up in front of the fire with a large mug of thick hot chocolate. It's a book that will wrap its arm around you and give you an enormous hug ... and will definitely make you want to move in to your local bookshop!
O's opinion
From the start, I loved the idea of the story being set in a bookshop; that was a perfect setting and I found the story equally brilliant. At the end of every chapter, I was hooked and read on, much to my mum's annoyance as I also needed to tidy up my room!
I found Tilly an amazing character with an abundance of curiosity and determination. I loved how sometimes she sat somewhere quiet, opened a book and began to read. I also loved the fact that she could travel to books and have characters visit her: something I am sure we will all want to accomplish very soon after reading the book!
This is an amazing book and I loved it! Thank you Anna James!!!
We're both looking forward to the next adventure!
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