by Tamsin Mori
Cover Illustration by David Dean
Cover Design by Becky Chilcott
Interior Illustrations by Hannah Blackman-Kurz
Published by UCLan Publishing
Who can resist this cover? It's fabulous! You just HAVE TO pick it up & take a look!
Then the mention of capturing a cloud & (for me) the fact that this adventure involves the Scottish archipelago that is Shetland, I just had to read it! Once you meet Stella you really want to join her on this adventure.
Stella has fond memories of her Gran reading *Shetland Myths & Magic* to her years ago. The book is on this trip too, but Gran's voice is a distant, sad memory. What will her summer be like now there's just grandpa?
Grief can change people - how will this affect Grandpa's life alone?
Gran was gone but so was Grandpa's smile & his love for life's adventures. It's going to be such a long, terrible summer for Stella if the first few days of grumpy, shouty Grandpa are anything to go by. She's still only 11 with some practical maturity but whilst her parents are away for work all summer, this becomes such an emotional exploration full of challenges for Stella.
The mainland of Shetland is such a wild & distant place but Grandpa's house is on an even more remote island - you need another, smaller boat to get there after the nauseating, overnight ferry!
Eventually allowed to investigate her apparently deserted surroundings, Stella meets a mysterious woman who has amazing magical skills. Shetland is known for its raw, unforgiving landscape, croft houses, peat fires, rough, dramatic weather but everyone is in for a shock.
Can you really catch a cloud ... in a BAG or stop the wind by pinching your fingers together? That's just the beginning of a world of magical wonders with Tamar who charms Stella & us through weather-fuelled, exciting layers of this enchanting story.
Thirsty towels & a huge mystical stone? Selkies? Puffins Egg hailstones or rainbows in a jar? Really? Yes & so many other jars of weather add another layer of imagination meets Shetland magic. How will Stella learn to control her newly discovered weather weaving talents? She even befriends her own cloud, Nimbus, who initially pushes boundaries like a younger child might.
Grandpa has an unexpected role in Stella's story but will their happy memories resurface to blend into their future? Such a vibrant, exciting debut & there's already children (& not-so-young adults) asking what is next!
Cross-curricular opportunities just jump from the pages of this one - geographical interest, ancient Scottish myths, art, traditional transgenerational story-telling & of course, weather studies. I hope this book can ride the wind & land in schools far & wide.
Grandpa has an unexpected role in Stella's story but will their happy memories resurface to blend into their future? Such a vibrant, exciting debut & there are already children (& not-so-young adults) asking what's next!
Make your own rainbows. Enjoy the Shetland magic... but remember, don't step on the ice!
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