Thank you so much to everyone who sent in their GLTC Storage Photographs from home.  It’s been great for us to see how you’ve made the most of your space and hear your suggestions on how we can develop our range further.  As versatile as our Northcote Interlocking Storage is, we don’t suggest you store your children in it but we had to giggle when we saw little George in his toy box!  

We’ve picked 5 winners who will each receive 3 pieces of our Northcote Interlocking Storage: Honor Griffin, Abbey Bookham, Helen Fricker, Victoria Martini &  Sam Bale.

Well done everyone and keep up the great little storage look!

Thousands of children all over the UK are taking part in events to celebrate World Book Day, the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK and Ireland.

GLTC Testing Team Toby is one of many who are dressing up as their favourite literacy character for the day…No prizes for guessing who he  has chosen!

A main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. 

Thanks to the generosity of National Book Tokens Ltd and numerous participating booksellers, school children are entitled to receive a World Book Day £1 Book Token (or equivalent €1.50 Book Token in Ireland). The Book Token can be exchanged for one of the six specially published World Book Day £1 Books (where stocked and while stocks last), or is redeemable against any book or audiobook of their choice at a participating bookshop or book club.

For more information, visit the official World Book Day Website.

Here are the Blackwell’s recommendations for March, I hope you enjoy them. Happy World Book Day!

The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: 12+

‘The Carbon Diaries 2017′ picks up a year after the end of the first book: Carbon Diaries 2015. It charts another year in the life of Laura Brown, teenager, student, musician and reluctant activist. At first glance this is just another example of a very familiar formula – the story of a teenage girl, told through the medium of her diary. However, as well as discussions with her friends and parents, ponderings about boys, and hopeful ambitions regarding her band ‘The Dirty Angels’, there is something deeper here. The first book dealt with life in Great Britain under energy rationing, but now the whole world is dealing with the effects of climate change, and shortages of energy and water.

The story is intense, and seems frighteningly possible. Unrest and violence simmer beneath the surface of a rapidly changing society. In places the book is very dark, with descriptions of police attacking protesters, riots over water supplies, and refugee hospitals on Sicily. However there is a hopeful feel to the book as a whole.

It is unusual for a book aimed at teenagers to be so political, but this one manages it effortlessly. It doesn’t let a ‘message’ get in the way of the story because the issues dealt with are so firmly part of the plot. Nor does it assume a political interest in its audience. Laura herself has no desire to take part in protests or get involved with activism, but finds herself drawn in by the people and situations she is confronted with. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of the climate change debate, or who wishes to indulge their inner angry teen.

Knife by R. J. Anderson: Blackwell Price £5.99

Age: 12+

Knife is not a fairy tale. It happens to be a story about a fairy who is unlike any I’ve ever read about. She is a strong-willed heroine and at times even a little savage. Knife lives with a colony of fairies who each have roles to fulfil within their community. Knife dreams of being a Gatherer and going outside of the Oak which is home to the colony. Knife, unlike the other fairies, is not afraid of the outside world. She is insatiably curious, particularly when it comes to the humans. However, all the fairies are vulnerable as they’ve lost their magic from a fatal disease slowly killing members of the colony. Knife is told it has something to do with the humans. However, as Knife observes the humans, she begins to doubt this and she realises that they are not like the other animals outside.

Anderson has created an entirely believable world inside the Oak. The fairies have a society based on trading skills and knowledge. One of the most beautiful things about the book is the way we are able to see the human world from Knife’s fairy sized viewpoint. Anderson also deals with the issues of disability and low self-esteem sensitively and this gives the novel great depth.

 Ash by Malinda Lo: Blackwell Price £5.99

Age: 6-12 yrs

 Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, it’s a staple part of our childhood and with this debut novel, it is not simply a re-telling of a classic. It is so much more than that.

Consumed with grief for her parents, Ash finds solace in the book of fairy tales her mother used to read to her, and dreams of one day falling into the arms of a handsome fairy forevermore. So when she meets the dark and dangerous Sidhean, all her wishes seem to have come true.
But when she befriends the King’s Huntress, who teaches her the ways of the forest and other survival skills, she feels her heart beginning to change and discovers she is chasing fairy tales less and less… 

Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: 12+

In a post-apocalyptic future, the city of London has become a mobile predator, roaming the barren landscape, searching for smaller towns it can devour for fuel. But times are hard and resources are scarce. Tom, a lowly orphaned historian, is about to discover that all he has been brought up to believe about the virtues of carnivorous, mobile cities may not be true. Another orphan, the disfigured outcast Hester Shaw on a mission of revenge, will become his unlikely companion. While Katherine Valentine, the privileged daughter of a living legend, will discover that her father may not be what he seems.

Reeve’s vision of the future is at once unique and alien, whilst also contemplating a danger familiar to our own times, the human urge to conquer and expand whatever the cost may be.  A picture of the future that hints of science fiction classics ‘1984′ and ‘Brave New World’, Mortal Engines is the first book of a highly successful and imaginative series, creating a world that will capture the imagination.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: 9+

Percy Jackson’s just a normal kid, struggling to make it through the school year without getting expelled from another school. But strange things start happening, and no-one else seems to remember them. None of this makes sense until Percy makes his way to Camp Half-Blood. It’s a place where children like him, the offspring of a mortal and a god, can be safe.

Percy finds himself in a world where the Greek myths are true, and he is the son of one of the Olympian Gods. Unfortunately some very powerful immortals aren’t pleased that he even exists, and if he doesn’t complete a vital quest, there will be war between the gods. So he sets off with a satyr and the daughter of Athena on a journey that will lead them into battle with numerous monsters, and finally into the Underworld itself.

Rick Riordan has created an exciting hero in Percy Jackson, and found formidable dangers in Greek mythology. The tales are largely true to the spirit of the old myths, and there are some enjoyable references to the original tales.

Elephant Elements by Francisco Pittau & Bernadette Gervais: Blackwell Price £9.99

Age: 5+

Elephant Elements follows a simple format for children – each page has a word and a drawing of an elephant that illustrates the word. Facing pages have opposite words and drawings, e.g. big/small or closed/open. Within this basic framework Pittau and Gervais go in some very funny directions – alight/extinguished and fresh/rotten elephants are hilarious.
While it is technically a children’s book, Elephant Elements is a pleasure for adults too. The simple illustrations and the beautiful design of the book itself make this a real find.
 

Calling all parents! We’ve got a great storage competition going on and we want to shout about it. Please email any photos of any GLTC storage set up at home (doesn’t have to be interlocking!) to storage@gltc.co.uk. The best 5 pics win 3 pieces of our interlocking storage! Dust off the camera and get snapping!

For more information please click here

Here are the Blackwell’s recommendations for February, I hope you enjoy them.

Blacklands by Belinda Bauer: Blackwell Price £7.99

Age: 12+

The presentation of ideas and characterizations in Blacklands by Belinda Bauer is of a higher standard than many books I have seen written exclusively for adults, but without being so graphic as to make it unsuitable for younger readers. The book concerns a family living in the aftermath of a tragedy. Steven is a twelve year old boy on an obsessional quest; determined to reveal what happened to his uncle, believed to have been murdered years ago. Steven, his younger brother, mother and nan all live together in the house from which Steven’s uncle had been lost all those years previously. Steven’s nan has never come to terms with this traumatic event, spending much of her days staring out the living room window, and the emotional damage has been passed on through the household, leaving a stain on everyone like the mould which grows behind the toilet in their bathroom. The only way to bring unity to the family, as far as Steven can see, is to find his uncle’s body. So Steven sets about spending his evenings out on the moors near his house, digging holes to find his uncle and bring closure for his family.

When Steven begins a correspondence with Arnold Avery, the convicted child killer who never in fact admitted to his uncle’s killing, he propels the lives of himself, Avery, his family and the whole community towards a resolution to the grim events of his mother’s childhood. Whilst there were parts of this story which moved me by their sadness, I also found a great sense of humour working throughout this book and there were moments when I smiled in response to some wonderfully written phrases and was impressed and surprised by some very sophisticated concepts about human nature and existence, made all the more impressive by being written in a very accessible manner. As a work of young adult fiction, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. For any parent considering buying this book for a teenager, but concerned about the content, I say buy it and read it for yourself and then pass it on. This is a truly wonderful debut, poignant, intelligent and constantly engaging.

 Zero Moment by M G Harris: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: 10+

Zero Moment is the third in a series of books about the life of Joshua Garcia, a boy who has the power to save the world from the oncoming of a 2012 disaster. In the first book, Invisible City, Joshua lost his father in a tragic accident. In Zero Moment he has a device to bring him back, but it is broken, so he needs his friends help to fix it and they, with their mother have been kidnapped! Unfortunately the kidnappers don’t want money, they want Josh.

In the Joshua files you do not learn much about Josh’s appearance because the books are written in the first person. We may not know what Josh looks like but we do find out about his feelings. In Zero Moment, for the first time in the series we learn that Josh has feelings for Ixchel, to whom he is betrothed. He also develops jealousy towards his cousin Benicio who Ixchel likes more.

Zero Moment is an adventurous story with a bit of science – fiction mixed in. The author M G Harris was born in Mexico and then moved to England. She lives in Oxford and takes regular trips to Brazil and Mexico where she got her inspiration for the Joshua files. Josh also lives in Oxford which is great because I can actually picture the places he refers to.

Zero Moment is an exciting, gripping book and I would definitely recommend it. I can’t wait until the fourth book is released.

Reviewed by Max O’Byme – Magdalen College Junior School, Oxford.

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison: Blackwell Price £9.99 (Hardback)

Age: 12+

Madison Avery is dead, well more or less. She was targeted by a dark reaper who despatched her body, but when he came for her soul she managed to take his amulet instead. This amulet allows her to assume the appearance of a body. It should also allow her to develop skills that would be useful if she were attacked again, but she can’t make it work. This inability irritates Barnabus, her light reaper guardian. However, when they discover the identity of her would-be murderer, Barnabus and his boss start acting strangely.

Things continue to get stranger. Before long Madison is trying to battle dark reapers and time-keepers with only the help of an utterly defenceless human and a low-level cherub with a penchant for limericks!

This is the first book in a new young adult series, and it left me happily anticipating the second. Madison is a strong and sympathetic character, and the plot twists genuinely surprised me. The world of dark and light reapers is not black and white, but intriguingly grey, which should lead to some engaging moral dilemmas in later books. Once Dead, Twice Shy is an enjoyable start to a series that should be eagerly awaited. 

Library Lion by Michael Knudsen - Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes: Blackwell Price £5.99

Age: 5+

What happens when a lion walks into the library? “There are no rules about lions in the library?” But because there are no rules, they let him in. But as story time ends Lion decides to roar and roar, after some deliberation the head librarian Miss Merriweather decides Lion can come tomorrow for storytelling as long as he is quiet and well behaved. Not only is he allowed to come back but Miss Merriweather sets all sorts of task for him so he can be useful. And people get so used to him and are happy to have him around, except for Mr McBee. But something happens that makes Lion break the rules, and he needs to go. But Miss Merriweather says “sometimes there is good reason to break the rules!” What will it take to bring Lion back? Will they find him?

This picture book is an enchanting tale and we highly recommend this title for children of any age!

Are you on facebook? If so please become a fan of our new GLTC page and join our great little community! Share your views with the other members, show us your pictures, post messages and keep updated with the latest news at GLTC.

Facebook is a social networking website where users can join networks organised by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends, become a fan of brands, send messages, and share pictures and videos.

Find us at www.facebook.com/greatlittletradingco

Here are the Blackwell’s recommendations for January, I hope you enjoy them.

Fallen by Lauren Kate: Blackwell Price £9.99

Age: 12+

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where mobile phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce, and goes out of his way to make that very clear, she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret…even if it kills her.

Killing God by Kevin Brooks: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: 12+

Dawn Bundy is fifteen. She doesn’t fit in and she couldn’t care less. Dawn has other things on her mind. Her dad disappeared two years ago and it’s all God’s fault. When Dawn’s dad found God, it was the worst time ever. He thought he’d found the answer to everything. But that wasn’t the end of it…

A quick and easy read - in terms of general reading time, but so deep and cynical that at times you can’t help but laugh out loud. I laughed a lot. Dawn’s voice is so raw, honest and broken that your heart can’t help but go out to her.

The Church Mouse by Graham Oakley: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: 4+

Anyone who remembers this wonderful series of books, (first published in 1972) will be thrilled that the first one has been re-issued. It’s a heart-warming tale about Arthur, a mouse who lives in a church. Feeling lonely he invites mice from all over town to come and live there as well. It’s warm and spacious and best of all Samson, the church cat, having heard so many sermons about brotherly love, is completely harmless.

The human congregation is not so happy, until a burglar breaks into the church in the middle of the night, and it’s up to Samson and the mice to stop him making off with the candlesticks.

It’s a charming story filled with gentle humour and marvellous illustrations. They’re incredibly detailed, often depicting dozens of mice, all doing different things and with different expressions. The Church Mouse thoroughly deserves its reputation as a classic and will entertain children and adults alike.

Colours: Blackwell Price £4.99

Age: 0-5

Baby books keep getting bolder and more interactive. In 2009 DK published a series of Board books to teach babies and toddlers the concepts of colours and shapes. Colours is a fun book to read, it starts asking “What colour is a flower?” and the page opens downwards to reveal RED. It has amazingly bright and tactile colours as well as then giving in the layout other red objects.

Other colours include blue, yellow and orange, and all pages open up as a double page spread to reveal more photos of bright objects like butterflies, apples and sunflowers. The book is also sturdy enough to be used by very young children.

Peter Pan Sound Book by Libby Hamilton: Blackwell Price £14.99 (Hardback)

Age: 5+

This magnificent pop-up book will enchant children and adults alike. It’s a large format book with intricate details that fly off the page at the same time as it sounds. Every other page has a pop up scene with music in the background. Big Ben tolling, children laughing, a clock ticking and much more. Each page also includes the text telling the story and with good illustrations to carry you through the text. We love this book.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones: Blackwell Price:

Age: 11+

Before Hayao Miyazaki made Howl’s Moving Castle into a feature length animated film in 2006, it was a book written by Diana Wynne Jones in 1986. Due to the difficulties of creating an animated film, Miyazaki greatly edited and adjusted the plot of the novel for his movie. I happened to enjoy both film and novel but after reading the book I realised that the plot is extremely different in the novel – enough that the book and movie become completely separate viewing experiences.

In terms of fantasy novels, this is one of my favourites. The world Jones creates is fully realised without ever getting boring or limiting the reader’s imagination. Although this novel is largely timeless, the prose has a charmingly Victorian tone – taking its time to arrive at the action, the better to familiarise readers with the characters involved and show the readers just how fantastic they (and the story) really are.

Congratulations to Matthew McDonald from Edinburgh who has won our recent competition to celebrate the new release of the film Where The Wild things Are. Matthew has now got to round up 50 of his closest  family and friends for a private screening of the film over Christmas! Well done Matthew and enjoy the film! We love it!

We’ve also got 10 runners up who will receive goody bags.  

Karen Scott, Beckenham
Cathy Gordon, Southampton
Catriona Livingstone, London
Kirstie Blake, Knutsford
Mary Nicolaou, Enfield
Julie Penn, London
Tatiana Bazell, London
Nilima Begum, Birmingham
Bianca King, Liskeard
Kate Turner, Cheltenham

Thanks to everyone who entered, and better luck next time!

Here are the Blackwell’s recommendations for December, I hope you enjoy them.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld: Blackwell Price £12.99 (Hardback)

Age: 12-13

Nations hover on the brink of a World War, between the Clanker and the Darwinist powers. In this story Scott Westerfeld has created a convincing alternative world similar to Europe in 1914 but with unrecognisable and distinctive technology and weapons.

The story follows two characters from very different backgrounds, Aleksandar is fleeing from the might of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Travelling in a fearsome Cyklop Stormwalker (a giant armoured machine that moves on two legs) he is pursued by six and eight legged land frigates.

Deryn has disguised herself as a boy so she can join the British Air Service, and through an accident finds herself aboard the Leviathan, which is one of the most impressive creations of the Darwinists - an enormous living airship.

Alek and Deryn face problems and dangers until their stories collide and they find themselves unexpected allies. Full of fast paced adventures and written with imaginative detail this is a gripping story. The first in a trilogy - it has the reader eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Who’s Hiding by Satoru Onishi: Blackwell Price  £9.99 (Hardback)

Age: 2-5

When it comes to simple fun books for children, this is one of the best. Satoru Onishi has created a picture book that has the sweetest animal illustrations, but it is also a game book. Onishi starts the book by introducing 18 animals. In the rest of the book each double spread has the same set of animals, but one is hiding, or one is sad, or one is sleeping and the child can play by trying to find which of the animals is doing any of these. There is even one page in which the reader needs to figure out who is who by looking only at the eyes on a dark background. Lots of fun and amazing colours!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan: Blackwell Price  £9.99 (Hardback)

Age: Teenage/Young Adult

A mix between “The Village” and “Dawn of the Dead”, this young adults book is gripping and dark. In a world where people are confined to fenced villages to keep out the ‘unconsecrated’, one girl’s discovery will change her – and her villages – life forever.

A definite read for horror fans, as well as fans of “The Hunger Games”.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick: Blackwell Price £6.99

Age: Teenage/Young Adult

Nora Grey lives the life of any teenager - that is until she is paired with a new biology partner, Patch. He’s rude, antagonising, and overly flirty and Nora can’t stand him. What’s worse, he seems to show up wherever Nora goes, and knows more about her than anyone else. What bothers Nora most is the strange attraction she has to him that she can’t ignore – no matter how hard she tries.

But after several terrifying and unexplainable events take place which lead Nora to point the finger at Patch, she has to wonder if he’s dangerous as well as rude. Nora is determined to find out what’s going on, but the answers could be more than she bargained for, and could cost her her life.

Look out Edward – dark, dangerous and sexy has a new name – And that name is Patch.

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan: Blackwell Price £5.99

Age: 11+

Darren Shan is a normal kid – he loves football, finds school a bore and loves spiders. However when his friend Steve buys tickets to a mysterious freak show, things start to change. At the freak show, Steve recognises one of the performers, Mr Crepsley, as a vampire. But Darren is distracted by Mr Crepsley’s tarantula – Madame Octa, and after the show Darren steals it to keep as his pet.
Things go terribly wrong when the spider bites Steve, and Darren is given a choice – become a vampire or let Steve die.

Obviously the choice is clear and what follows are twelve tantalizing books that you can really sink your teeth into. The movie ‘Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant’ encompasses the first three books in the Saga of Darren Shan.

Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew: Blackwell Price £5.99

Age: 3+

When Grandma and Katie go to the art gallery on Grandma’s birthday, Katie struggles at first glance to see anything more than blobs of paint in the Impressionists paintings. But when she wanders off by herself, the subjects of the paintings quickly become so real and enticing that in her quest for some flowers for Grandma’s birthday present, Katie climbs over the frame and into The Luncheon by Claude Monet. There she meets the painter’s son, Jean, along with his mother and nanny who are dining outside in their beautiful garden, and begins her exciting adventure.

The story leads Katie through five Impressionist paintings: A Girl with a Watering Can and Her First Evening Out by Renoir, The Luncheon and The Field with Poppies by Monet and The Blue Dancers by Degas. It includes reproductions of the original paintings, blending into the lovely Impressionist-styled illustrations which bring the stories in the paintings to life.

This book forms part of Mayhew’s great creative ‘Katie’ series, an excellent imaginative tool for parents to emulate with their children in museums and galleries as well as helping to learn about famous works of art.

Congratulations to Judith Masser & family who won our fabulous competition to win a Christmas Ski Holiday 2010 with Ski Famille. As you can imagine, Judith was in shock when she found out about her prize worth over £4,500, so we wish them all a fantastic time both planning and holidaying next year!  Thanks to Chris and Shelia at Ski Famille for donating us a brilliant prize – to find out more information about their  special hassle free family ski breaks go to: www.skifamille.com.

A big thank you from GLTC to all you ski legs who entered and weren’t so lucky…but in the meantime, take a look at our new competition to celebrate WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE , the new film from acclaimed director Spike Jonze….You’d be wild to miss out! Enter here