Some of the independent shops in Kenilworth, including Kenilworth Books, have
recently got together to organise trails for children to follow during the
holidays.  For Christmas we are organising an Advent trail. The details are yet to
be confirmed but it will involve The Little Clothes Horse, Beading Crafty, Crazy
Kiln, Sally Evans Photography and Sunflower PA as well as Kenilworth Books,
with prizes and special offers.  Watch this space...

WE HAVE A SUPER ‘BUY ONE GET ONE FREE’

OFFER ON USBORNE’S BRILLIANT NEW SERIES………….

Usborne Very First Reading is an inspired series of fifteen books for children who are just starting to learn to read. It offers:

The fifteen books in the Very First Reading series were designed to be read in order, and support the first two years of learning to read at school. Even if you think your child is too advanced for the first few books, it can be very helpful to read them for practice and to build confidence.

You can find more detail about the structure of the series below, but broadly speaking:

• Books 1-4 introduce all the letters of the alphabet, in their simplest and most common forms of pronunciation (c as in cat, a as in ant, y as in yell, etc.) in simple one-syllable words. This represents about one term’s work in Reception or Primary 1 at school.
• Books 5-8 introduce those sounds in English that are commonly written with two or more letters (ch as in chip, ai as in aim, etc.) This represents about another term’s work in Reception or P1.
• Books 9-13 focus on different patterns of spelling and pronunciation.
• Books 14-15 focus on particularly tricky spelling patterns and longer words. These two stages would normally be covered during Year 1 or P2, with plenty of reading and writing practice to develop confidence and stamina.

THE HUNGER GAMES (MOCKINGJAY) By Suzanne Collins

We were all looking forward to reading this, the 3^rd in the Hunger Games trilogy, having found the first two books electrifying, although with rather unsatisfying, rushed endings.

And the same could be said of “Mockingjay.”  Compelling in its narrative of horrific events, it delivered several shocks with the deaths and betrayals of characters we liked, and also included some ingenious turning points near the end.  The criticism of the adult readers was that these deaths, graphically portrayed, did not meet with a convincing emotional reaction from those who loved and cared for the victims. Nevertheless the teenagers who read the book didn’t seem to find this a problem – perhaps a serious matter for YA fiction writers to ponder!

 The teen readers in the group thought the book good, and gave it 8 out of 10.  In fact 8 out of 10 was the consensus.  One adult comment was that the outcome of the novel could have been more redemptive / uplifting, especially in view of the epic forces of good and evil this story deals with.

 Nevertheless, The Hunger Games trilogy provides a very exciting, stirring read, and does engage young adults with major issues in today’s world. 

The next meeting will be at Warwick Books on Wed 10th Nov at 4.15pm. All welcome!

The living embodiment of The Beatles, a musical juggernaut without parallel, Paul McCartney is undoubtedly the senior figure in pop music today. In this authoritative biography, journalist and acclaimed author Howard Sounes leaves no stone unturned in building the most accurate and extensive profile yet of music’s greatest living legend. He is one of the biggest stars that has ever existed, the only key member left from the unquestioned ‘biggest band of all time’.

But despite the almost unprecedented press coverage he has received throughout his lifetime, the private personality of Paul McCartney remains a source of intrigue and relative mystery to the public. Spanning the entirety of McCartney’s life from early childhood right up to the present day, Fab delves deep into the life of this remarkable and often surprising man, revealing the often dark reality behind his consistently positive, relaxed public image. For the first time, Sounes will examine in detail the lifestyle of one of the richest men on the planet, the truth behind his much publicized divorce from Heather Mills, as well as his tempestuous relationship with the other Beatles, with startling revelations.

Drawing on countless interviews, legal records and public documents, Howard Sounes’ meticulous approach and brilliant powers of research reveal the real Paul McCartney, like you’ve never known him before.

The village of Kibworth in Leicestershire lies at the very centre of England. It has a church, some pubs, the Grand Union Canal, a First World War Memorial – and many centuries of recorded history. In the thirteenth century the village was bought by William de Merton, who later founded Merton College, Oxford, with the result that documents covering 750 years of village history are lodged at the college.

Building on this unique archive, and enlisting the help of the current inhabitants of Kibworth, with a village-wide archaeological dig, with the first complete DNA profile of an English village and with use of local materials like family memorabilia, Michael Wood tells the extraordinary story of one English community over fifteen centuries, from the moment that the Roman Emperor Honorius sent his famous letter in 410 advising the English to look to their own defences to the village as it is today. The story of Kibworth is the story of England itself, a ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ for the entire nation. It is the subject of a six-part BBC tv series  shown in autumn 2010.