What’s the show about? Stickman is a Julia Donaldson book about a stick who living in a family tree with his wife and 3 children. One day he goes for a jog and gets bitten by a dog. Then a girl spotted him and used him for a Pooh Stick race. After that a swan catches him in her beak and uses him to make her nest. Lots of other things happen to him and he gets further away from the family tree. In the end he was lucky to get rescued by Santa and taken home.
What’s really good about it? It’s a really funny show. I liked how only 3 people performed all of the roles. It must be such hard work. I loved how the tree stump was used in every scene and made into different places including the sea, the snow, a sandcastle, a swan’s nest and a fireplace as well as being the family tree. Stickman was my favourite character because it must have been really hard for him to go through all of those challenges and persevere like that. The mince pies I had before the show were really good and so was lunch at The Bell Inn afterwards.
What could be better? I think it could have been a bit longer but it was for little children so that was ok. I liked the music so it would have been good if there were more songs. We didn’t have an ice cream again – hopefully next time.
What my dad thinks?“The kids loved it and there were more than a few laughs for the adults as well. I chuckled more than I probably should at the fish saying ‘bubbly’. Also, the live music was a good touch and shows the versatility and skill of the cast.”
FANTASTICALLY GREAT WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD – January 2022
Who? Kenny Wax Family Entertainment & MAST Mayflower Studios co-production
What? Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World
Where? Chichester Festival Theatre
When? 12th – 16th January 2022
What’s the show about? It was all about a girl called Jade who is in a museum on a school trip. She leaves her group and goes to a closed area where she learns all about some fantastic women who changed the world when she meets them and they tell her about what their lives have been like. Jade wants to go on an adventure like they have been and they help her decide what she might want to do. In the end she is inspired to go on her own journey and be herself.
What’s really good about it? All of the songs were really fun. I especially liked Deeds Not Words and You Will Be Fantastically Great. I really liked that we learnt a lot as well as it being a good show. In other shows I have known the story before, but I didn’t know about all of these people and they were really interesting to hear about.
What could be better? No interval means no ice cream. Again. Other than that, it was really good.
What my dad thinks?“This one is ideal for children aged 6-12 years of age. Some of the songs were great and the empowering and uplifting message was wonderful for both of my children to hear. It was kind of a cross between Disney Descendants and Horrible Histories (but without the horrible bits). Parking was nightmare, but I won’t hold that against the show, and they did hold the curtain for 10 minutes, so fair play.”
What’s the show about? This is a show based on a book by Eoin McLaughlin. Two animals, a hedgehog and a tortoise, are both wanting hugs but getting neglected because the tortoise is a hard animal and the hedgehog is a spiky animal. At the end the Wise Old Owl gives some good advice and introduces the hedgehog and tortoise to each other and they finally both get a hug.
What’s really good about it? At the end the magpie from the show was handing out little books, I thought that is quite clever as he wanted money. I also liked how much music there was in the show, the friendship theme was good as well. My favourite character was the Wise Old Owl because of his helpfulness and advice.
Before the show, we went to a Creation Station, we made frogs, bears and were aloud to make anything we wanted to out of clay. I decided to make a baby bunny tucked into a ball.
What could be better? I think the show could have been better if I did not get pins and needles, it was uncomfortable sitting on the floor but the floor had huge beanbags so it was OK. There were a couple of funny things near the start of the show but not many, so it could have been funnier. Lastly, there was no interval again, so no ice cream again – but it was OK as I had a cookie this time at the Creation Station.
What my dad thinks?“I didn’t know that a peanut isn’t a nut – they are considered legumes like soybeans, lentils and chickpeas. Also, cashew nuts aren’t nut, they are fruit. Well actually they are drupe seeds pulled from soft fruit packages. So, you know, I learnt something new.”
We really missed our Singing Assemblies while they were restricted by COVID-19, but now they are back and it’s glorious. Some schools like to go down the traditional route of songs that I have been sung for decades in British schools. Personally, I prefer to pick modern songs that the have a positive message and might be more familiar to our children. The children respond by absolutely singing their hearts out.
Many of the songs included on the list come from recommendations from other teachers on Twitter. As we’re not a church school I’ve not included any of the many songs suggested to me with religious meaning. I hope the songs included can be used by schools whether they are faith schools or not. It’s just a list of songs that children love to sing.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom during lockdown, we kept going with Virtual Singing Assemblies for people to join in with whether they were at home or in school. You can find them here in all their random glory.
I use this PowerPoint as part of our Cultural Assemblies every week. It’s a great way of sharing high quality recording artists from all over the world with the children. The music is from different time periods and genres and is played while the children are arriving, I then give them a little history about the artists.
Before the game I was lucky to meet Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires, two of Arsenal’s legendary ‘Invincibles’.
The Line-Up`
Smith Rowe had been out with Covid last week and was back on the bench, so Martinelli kept his place on the left. Tomiyasu still isn’t fit so Cedric Soares started at right back.
Ramsdale
Soares White Gabriel Tierney
Ødegaard Thomas Xhaka
Saka LacazetteMartinelli
First Half
Arsenal started very brightly, Martinelli looking lively down the left wing and Cedric Soares putting crosses in the box from the right hand side of the pitch. Arsenal had some penalty shouts turned down by the referee and some great chances to score a goal. After Arsenal won a corner from a deflected Tierney cross, Thomas Partey scored a bullet header from a brilliant Martinelli corner. Partey had another chance to score but the ball hit the post.
Leicester built pressure over the rest of the first half but Arsenal stayed on top helped by Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey all playing a part. Aaron Ramsdale also made incredible saves in the Arsenal goal.
Second Half
In the second half, Arsenal continued to be the better team having a few more chances to score a goal. Arsenal then had a brilliant chance to score from a swung in Ødegaard freekick with Ben White heading the ball onto the grass and Partey then using his head to direct the ball onto the goal line. During the freekick, the ball hit Söyüncü’s hand in the penalty area. After a five minute VAR check, referee Anthony Taylor was called to the monitor to check if it was a penalty. Eventually, he gave it and Alexandre Lacazette scored. Lacazette scores the penalty to make it 2 – 0. Arsenal controlled the rest of the match well and Arteta used all of the three substitutes bringing on Smith Rowe, Nketiah and Pepe.
Arsenal are now in fourth place in the Premier League table on fifty-one points with three games in hand over fifth placed Manchester United, on fifty points. Hopefully, Arsenal get to play in the Champions League next season!
Player Ratings
My Man of the Match was Thomas Partey because he was all over the pitch and scored a great goal. Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli were all really good as well.
Ramsdale – 7
Soares – 7 White – 7 Gabriel – 7 Tierney – 7
Ødegaard – 8Thomas – 9 Xhaka – 8
Saka – 8 Lacazette – 7 Martinelli – 8
Right at the end I got to meet Alan Smith. He is a Sky Sports commentator and used to play for Arsenal.
Jenny Pearson books are properly funny but also manage to tackle some serious issues in a child-friendly and relatable way. Issues like bereavement, depression and Alzheimer’s (amongst others) all crop up and are handled with compassion and just the right balance of good humour. It’s almost like Jenny Pearson is a primary school teacher or something. Her books are a great way to introduce discussions around these serious subjects with children, or you can completely ignore them and just have a good laugh at the brilliant stories.
The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates – Jenny Pearson
This book has more twists and turns than a Super G event. It came highly recommended and it did not disappoint one bit. Jenny Pearson’s writing is very funny, that much is clear, but I also loved the fact that serious issues were covered in a very relatable and empathetic way. Although the main character in the book (Freddie) is dealing with loss and trying to understand it, it’s never dark or particularly sad, it’s more comically poignant.
The story centres around the journey Freddie and his two best friends make at the start of their Summer holiday. It takes them along the south coast of Wales. As they meet an interesting range of diverse Welsh characters, it gives those of use who enjoy ‘doing the voices’ while reading aloud, the perfect opportunity to experiment with a glorious range of hearty Welsh accents.
The Miraculous Journey that the boys go on is absolutely brilliant. It gets better and better with many a jaw-dropping laugh along the way. I can’t recommend this book enough and it will doubtlessly a birthday or Christmas present for years to come.
An added bonus is that the illustrator is, lockdown hero, Rob Biddulph. If you’ve not yet spent time with your children, at home or in school, following a #DrawWithRob video, then you really must.
If you and your children enjoy the books of Jo Simmons, then this one should be next on your list.
Tom, age 7, says: “I really like it because it’s really funny and you can learn facts from it as well. My favourite fact was that pigs can’t look up, so they’ve probably never seen the stars.”
The Incredible Record Smashers – Jenny Pearson
Having enjoyed Jenny Pearson’s first book (Freddie Yates – see below) so much, we’ve had The Incredible Record Smashers on pre-order for months. In both books Pearson manages to take the central character on epic adventures with hilarious consequences while also addressing some very sensitive issues in a child appropriate way. In Record Smashers, the main character (Lucy) has a mother who suffers with depression and the child’s perspective of this is handled brilliantly.
The central premise is that Lucy desperately wants to make her mum happy again and she believes that she can do this by reconnecting her with an old friend. Along the way she attempts a range of world records, with varying degrees of success, gets embroiled with a criminal family, befriends a watermelon and learns an awful lot about herself.
Record Smashers is a heart-warming story of friendship and family and would make an excellent class read across KS2. It’s capable of making you laugh and cry and may even inspire you to break a world record of your own.
Tom, age 8, says: “It was really funny, especially when Lucy made Sandesh wear the gold costume. I really enjoyed the bit where Sandesh played the piano with all of his body parts, it was really fun. My favourite character was Lucy because she kept persevering when she was trying to make her mum happy.”
Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List – Jenny Pearson
Frank Davenport’s son, Frank, finds out that he has a Grandpa (Frank) that he knew nothing about, as well as a sizable inheritance that he is meant to use to look after him. Grandpa Frank isn’t keen on his Grandson’s ideas about looking after him to begin with, but they end up having a wonderful time filled with remarkable experiences.
Frank Junior’s parents aren’t so keen on the adventures, though, and don’t think he should be the one who is entrusted with the money at all. They rather need the money for themselves to help solve their own problems.
The lovely thing about enjoying Jenny Pearson books with my son is that we both chuckle along throughout. There are many laugh out loud moments and some ridiculous situations they find themselves in. Ridiculous, but not beyond the realms of possibility – and it’s this plausibility that helps to keep the story relatable.
As with her other stories, Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List touches upon some serious themes amongst all the hilarity. Pearson sensitively opens the door for conversations with children who maybe experiencing these things in their own lives. Grandpa Frank’s memory is declining and he has a tricky relationship with his son. Children experiencing these things at home will relate to the story but it’s also great for developing empathy in others.
Davenport men might not cry, but I’m not ashamed to admit there was a tear in my eye as we read the last couple of pages. It was poignant and written with real care. I do so love Jenny Pearson books and heartily recommend them to you.
Tom, age 8, says: “It’s really fun to hear about all of the adventures that they go on to spend all of the money. It was really funny when they went swimming with ‘dolphins’. If I had loads of money I’d like to take my Grandad to see Arsenal play because we both love them. My favourite character is Frank (the boy) because he really wants his Grandad to have a good time and he always tries to do the right thing, even when his parents try to stop him.”
Operation Nativity – Jenny Pearson
We are already Jenny Pearson fans as this is the 4th book of hers that we’ve read. We’ve enjoyed them all because they all centre around children going on ridiculously exciting adventures. Operation Nativity is no different.
Oscar and Molly are visiting their family in Hampshire this Christmas, which means they must be part of the famous family nativity play that Grandma puts on at the church every year. It’s a big deal, especially for Grandma, but one night, the children discover a rather lost Angel Gabriel outside the house who they agree to help to save Christmas.
Gabriel has accidently transported Mary, Joseph, a Wise-Man, a shepherd and Donald THE Donkey from Bethlehem 2000 years ago to the modern day village of Chipping Bottom, Hampshire, England. The mission is to round them all up, keep them hidden from the rest of the family and then help to get them back to where they are meant to be all in time for the 25th of December.
Much hilarity ensues as the children and their growing team of helpers set about their task while trying to keep the whole thing a secret from the rest of the family. All of this happens while rehearsing a play which includes a heavily pregnant aunty playing Mary. What could possibly go wrong?
Pearson has a wonderful knack of intertwining very funny stories with poignancy, covering delicate issues in a really sensitive, child-friendly way. I got a little misty-eyed towards the end when the family return to Chipping Bottom a year after their fateful Christmas, just in time to say goodbye to a loved one. This chapter led to a lovely conversation with my daughter about remembering all the things that we love about people when they are gone.
One quirk of the book that we particularly enjoyed was the fact that each chapter title takes the lyrics from a famous Christmas carol or song and adapts them comically to loosely describe what is about to happen. We found ourselves really looking forward to discovering what the next chapter would be and singing the title out. It was great fun.
At the end of the book Jenny Pearson has added a great range of additional resources – a quiz, some crafts, some jokes, some nativity facts and interesting information from Christmas around the world. It’s like she’s planned the last day of term before the Christmas holiday for a KS2 teacher.
This book would make an excellent Christmas movie and it’s perfect for children aged 8-12.
Bella, age 7, says: “I like the book because it’s funny and it’s a clever twist on the nativity story. My favourite characters are Grandma the Turkey, Steve the shepherd and Molly because they are all funny. Molly is funny because she tells people what’s really going on but no one believes her because she’s just a little girl. She also always dresses in fancy dress and sometimes it’s different parts of different costumes. My favourite part of the story is when Grandma Turkey goes running around the house and attacks Hugo and Fenella.”
As part of our commitment to increase the cultural capital we offer to the children at our school we hold weekly cultural assemblies. These assemblies follow the same format where I share interesting and inspiring people from all walks of life and we also look at significant events from history that happened in that week.
As the children come in they listen to music by the Musician of the Week. Different songs from the artist are played at the beginning and end of assemblies during the week.
We also look at art work from a great range of Artist from all over the world. The work is from a mixture of modern and classic artists. It’s great for starting discussions about art and the slides we use come from c_liddiard on tes. We’ve made a couple of tweaks, but it’s basically these slides.
With the weekly Sports Legend we look at sporting personalities from a range of different sports. Some are extremely well known, others are less familiar but interesting nonetheless and all are greats in their chosen sports.
We also share stories of Awesome Children using some brilliant slides that I saw on Twitter. Unfortunately I can’t find the source at the moment, but I’ll add a link when I do. The common thread with all of these children is that, although they are young they were able to make a difference in their communities and the wider world. This is a great message for our children to hear every week.
Finally, we share key events from history that happened during any given week. I use two websites to find out the information. This one and this one.
The assemblies themselves are a whistle stop tour of all of the above, but different classes do a more in-depth look at the different areas over the week so the children get a better understanding of the inspiring people and historical events.
In addition to our Cultural Assemblies, we also develop our children’s cultural capital through The Sidlesham 101. It’s a list of 101 things a child should experience before they leave primary school put together by children, parents and staff from our school.
Being the parents to a boy with cerebral palsy, we are well versed in making arrangements ahead of visiting any establishment that we’ve not been to before. We try and give our son a rich and varied range of experiences, but we’d not been anywhere with a crowd of 60,000 people with him before, so out first trip to the Emirates Stadium was always going to pose a challenge. On Saturday 19th February, for the game against Brentford, we made the dream of seeing Arsenal play live at the Emirates Stadium a reality.
Tom is 8 years old and uses a Kaye Walker to assist his mobility. He’s been an Arsenal fan all of his life as he comes from a line of Gooners and is a passionate and knowledgeable football supporter in general. For one reason or another we’d previously watched matches together at the homes of Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth and Havant and Waterlooville, but this trip was on a whole other level.
Booking the tickets
In order to get tickets to watch Arsenal you need to be a member. Adults need to be at least Red Members and children need to be Junior Gunners. We signed him up as a JG and when his membership card finally arrived we called to book some tickets. I spent a lot of time on hold and spoke to a few different people. Everyone I spoke to in the hour long (lots of time on hold/waiting) phone call was very friendly and wanted to help. The trouble was, they all told me slightly different things. The (very) long and the short of it was that he had the wrong kind of Junior Gunners membership. He was meant to have a Purple one. Purple membership is for disabled supporters. It couldn’t just be transferred though, we had to fill in some forms and provide evidence. No problem, just a little time consuming. Sadly though, these took another month+ to be verified, so more games missed. It was only when I chased it up that they then asked me for the information that I’d sent the previous month, so I forwarded them the same email, to the same address. They apologised and everything was approved pretty quickly.
It was at this point that Jacqueline from the disability team got involved. She emailed a few times and asked and answered a whole load of questions. Finally, she called me to book the tickets to make sure everything was exactly how we needed. She was/is great and a real asset to Arsenal Football Club.
Parking
One of the really important things that are offered to disabled members that need it, is the opportunity to park at the stadium. This was crucial in making this whole experience possible because if we had to go on the Tube it would have been considerably more challenging.
I’d read that I had to arrive before 2pm (3pm kick off) because of road closures and the like. As it was the boy’s first game, we wanted to get there early to have a look around and get some food. So we arrived at midday. It turns out we weren’t allowed in until 12:30pm because we’re not diamond members. So we waited. In the car. Looking at the crowd building.
We were waved through at 12:30pm and the man outside the entrance asked to see our tickets, he asked if we were going straight up or leaving the stadium. I explained that we wanted to visit the shop and see the statues so he said he wouldn’t scan the tickets or we wouldn’t be able to get back in. Helpful.
We drove though and found the area we were meant to park. Once we’d sorted ourselves out, we found the nearest member of staff and asked how we get out. He searched our bag, put a tag on it and told us to take a lift upstairs. He was a kind and friendly man, but his advice turned out to not be the most helpful.
Taking the lift up to the ground floor, we found ourselves in a stadium that was not yet open to the public and no way of getting out. I asked how we get out and was repeatedly told that, ‘once you’re in, you’re in.’ Not ideal as that meant we wouldn’t see the stadium from the outside. Wouldn’t see the statues. Wouldn’t see the Armoury. Wouldn’t drink in the pre-game atmosphere.
One member of staff took pity on us and tried to help. He spent a few minutes on a red phone talking to someone (security HQ maybe or possibly Batman) and eventually he came up with a plan. I asked why we couldn’t just go out of the the fire exit, he said, ‘you just can’t, don’t ask why’. We both laughed. Then he found someone with a special pass/key/clearance who opened an airlock for us, which released us outside. It was absolutely pissing it down. I suspect security protocols were broken for our benefit, so that was nice, but it would have been better if there was just a simple way to leave the carpark and the staff in the carpark knew what it was.
The Armoury
We ate a phenomenal pizza at Mamma Mia’s Pizzeria on Hornsey road and then headed to the shop. Busy, tight spaces are always a challenge for us, but once people clock Tom’s walker, they generally give him space. The club shop (the Armoury) an hour before kick off is always going to be busy and challenging, but it’s an important part of part of the match day experience for anyone, let alone an 8 year old at his first game, so it had to be done.
We had two objectives. Tom needed a scarf and some dry socks – it really was very wet outside. The scarf bit was easy, they are all over the shop. Socks were a bit more tricky. We asked a member of staff, he said, ‘they are down that way I think’. The next member of staff said, ‘I don’t think we do them.’ The third guy said, ‘I think they are this way, follow me.’ We found some socks. Guy number 3 rocks – when you need socks.
There was a massive queue, which was well managed. We joined the back of the queue and within a few seconds we were approached by a member of staff who invited us to follow her as, she explained that, we had ‘priority’. She led us a little way up the queue, but we were actually keen to see the merchandise that was on offer through the rest of the shop that you pass in the queue. Consequently, to her surprise, we declined the queue-jump option and lined up with everyone else. She said, ‘ok, but I’m around, so if you need me, let me know.’ A lovely and extremely helpful lady. We eventually got to the till and paid and were given a free copy of Ray Parlour’s book. Happy days.
Entering the ground
This bit was pretty simple. We went to join the line but one of the stewards spotted us quickly and ushered us to the airlock entrance. My printed ticket and iPhone wallet ticket didn’t scan properly on the door scanner, so they checked out our tickets and then just opened the airlock and let us in. Helpful people who looked after us quickly.
Finding our seats
Pretty straightforward. The entrance to Block 7 is just opposite where we get into the stadium. That’s probably why we went in that way. The steward at the top of the steps helped us to locate our seats. The disabled viewing area is up 3 short steps, not ideal, but not a massive problem. I helped Tom up and then went back for his walker. We took a seat and changed Tom’s socks for the new dry ones. The area we were located in was pretty good. Great view of the pitch, a few additional screens because we can’t see the big screens higher up in the stadium and a really good atmosphere because it was at the back of the North Bank lower tier.
Other members that were on the viewing platform with us were in wheelchairs, and it was clear they hadn’t come up the 3 steps that we had navigated. They had clearly come in through Block 8, where the ramp to the platform is located. It would probably make sense for all members that are using the platform (aka Row 29) to come in through Block 8. Not a massive problem, but it would have been just that little bit easier for us. We’ll know for next time.
The game
Brilliant. We were absolutely part of the amazing atmosphere within the North Bank and we loved every minute of it – apart from some dubious refereeing decisions. Tom’s Match Report can be found here. We chose to stay in our seats during half time because neither of us needed the toilet and I wasn’t keen to leave Tom on his own while I queued for the refreshments, so we didn’t get any. No biggy, we came prepared, but maybe we’ll try it next time to get the full experience and see how it goes.
Leaving
We stayed in our seats and waited for the stadium to empty a bit. We knew there was no rush because the cars weren’t going to be released until around 45 minutes after the game finished. After we’d sung that song about Saka and Emile Smith Rowe a bunch of times, we headed downstairs.
As promised, when the roads outside began to clear, the carpark was opened and we were free to join the traffic jam of North London and begin to make our way home.
Overall
Consistently, the numerous staff members that we encountered before and during our time at Arsenal professional, friendly and keen to help. The tricky part was that, while they wanted to help, they didn’t all know the procedures they and us were meant to follow. This led to a few complications and some frustrations, but nothing that took away the magic of standing on the North Bank with my son when Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka scored their goals. The fact that they all wanted to help and do what they thought was best, is certainly all I can really ask. I know our requirements are pretty unique and I don’t expect every member of staff to be fully versed on every possible eventuality. When we found the right people, we were brilliantly looked after.
My hope in writing this blog is that someone at Arsenal sees it and gets an understanding of the match day experience of one of their disabled members. I’d also like it if those in senior management got to hear how wonderful their teams are across many departments are, but particularly Jacqueline the Disability Liaison Officer. She liaised brilliantly.
It’s safe to say Tom had what he described as, ‘the best day of my life’. You can read his Match Report here and see how he got on in this TikTok video.
My dad’s first Arsenal match was on the 27th October 1990 versus Sunderland and 31 and a half years later, it was my turn. I’ve supported Arsenal all of my life but on 19th February 2022 I got to see them live at the Emirates for the first time, versus Brentford.
The Line-Up
I was happy with formation but it would have been good to have Takehiro Tomiyasu at right back instead of Cedric Soares. Soares did well in the end though.
Ramsdale
Soares White Gabriel Tierney
Thomas Xhaka
Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe
Lacazette
First Half
Arsenal had some good chances and scored an early goal, but sadly VAR said it was offside. This was annoying. We also had a few penalty shouts turned down by the referee and we still don’t know why. 🤷♂️
Overall, Arsenal were definitely the better team in the first half and unlucky not to score at least two goals before half time.
Second Half
In the second half, Arsenal scored two goals and had chances to score more. The first goal was scored by Emile Smith Rowe as he cut in from the wing using incredible control. Despite David Raya getting his fingertips to the ball, it nestled into the bottom right hand corner.
The second goal was scored by Bukayo Saka, who started the move off in his own half, feeding the ball forward to Lacazette who then passed to Thomas Partey as Saka carried on his quick sprint down the pitch. After striding forward into the Brentford half, Partey released the ball forward towards Saka who finished off the move with gentle control and ended the run of passes with a fantastic finish in-off the far post.
Arsenal players and fans celebrate Bukayo Saka’s goal to make it 2-0
Another highlight of the exciting second half was Odegaard’s outrageous dummy. Soares played the ball to him on the right side of the field and he pretended to smash it. Instead, he let the ball go underneath his foot and let it roll through to Saka so he started another attack.
In extra time in the second half, Brentford scored within the final few seconds with Christian Norgaard basically passing into the net.
The final score was 2-1 to Arsenal and we’ll be back at the Emirates for the game against Leicester in a few weeks.
Player Ratings
My Man of the Match was Emile Smith Rowe because he was great on the wing and his goal was really good. Although, the ‘keeper should really have saved it.
The Iron Forest is the first in a series of Harley Hitch books by Vashti Hardy. Hardy’s previous books include Brightstorm and Wildspark and I would say that the Harley Hitch series are aimed at slightly younger readers – maybe around 7-9 year olds.
Harley lives with her two Grandads and is a keen problem solving inventor who goes to Cogworks School in Forgetown. When a mysterious fungus is discovered in the Iron Forest, Harley is keen to help find a solution to the destruction of this important eco-system, almost too keen. She is desperate to solve the mystery in order to win Pupil of the Term and beat her nemesis, Fenelda Spiggot.
Harley is a likeable central character, but she does have a tendency to rush into things and not take advice from those around her. By the end, she does learn this lesson and, with the support of her friends and family, is able to make everything right.
My boy really enjoyed this one and he’s keen to read the next in the series. As it’s well within his ready capability, I’ll leave it for him to enjoy on his own though. It’s great for an 8 year old, but it doesn’t have enough depth for his 40 year old dad to be desperate to find out what happens next.
Tom, age 8, says: “I liked it because you don’t get many books about inventing and I’m interested in inventing. I really liked the fish that helped Harley understand how to solve the problem in the Iron Forest. I liked Cosmo because he was good at coming up with ideas after going to the library. I also liked the Grampas because they were good at supporting Harley even when she made mistakes.”
