I was recommended this book by a friend.

I absolutely loved it! The concept, the characters, the writing, the morals, everything that makes an amazing story was in these pages.

At first, I was a little slow to get into it. And even as I finished it I have to admit, it hasn't given me that same spark that my lifelong favourite stories did.

However, I don't have a single negative of any real importance, so I really can't say that the lack of some weird feeling I get from my most treasured books makes this any less than a 5 star.

Wow. Just wow!
It's very rare that I /really/ want to read the next book in a series, but I'm definitely going to be picking up the next of this one!

When I first started reading, I wasn't convinced. You can tell that the author has been heavily influenced by a selection of children and YA novels from the past (I would say I found a lot of connections to Northern Lights, and Mortal Engines, but that might just be because I read them this year. It even had a slight Myst -the video game- feeling to it). As I read on however, I came to realise that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing! Brightstorm itself is its own story; it may have similar strands of plot, setting or imagery, but at no point did I find myself thinking that one or the other was any better. And from a teaching perspective, those links will only help children in branching out to find other books that they may enjoy, and begin teaching them to find inter-textual links.

The characters were wonderfully developed. The morals and messages of the storyline were beautifully placed, and having worked with a lot of children with upper limb differences, I was so happy to see this representation in a main character of an action and adventure story.

The final star for me, was the ending.
I felt that it was perfectly balanced. Loose ends were tied, a happy, yet realistic resolution was found, and the set up for the next book didn't take up a significant amount of time (only really the last 2 pages, yet still enough to make me want to carry on as small hints were left throughout the plot line).

This is a great book for a class reading - it would match well with a selection of cross curricular links and especially a number of science topics (exploration, Darwin, differentiation, engineering, habitats, weather, climate... the list goes on).

And on top of that, the story requires any reader to invest a great deal of emotion, empathy, mystery solving, and imagination.

Definitely a classic favourite now.

I vaguely remember going to see the film with my mother when I was about 12 whilst on a family holiday somewhere. I don’t remember where and I know I’ve never been back to that cinema. I can barely remember what the place looked like through the tears!

It was the first film I’d ever cried at. And the first film I’d ever seen my mother cry at too.

So honestly, I’m not sure why I put off reading the book for so long, but I’m glad it found me when it did. I haven’t cried at a book for a few years now, but this was the most beautiful and therapeutic moments I’ve ever had reading. Knowing what was going to happen, but not exactly when, had me on edge the entire time. And the tears and love for this book where definitely worth it.

For Uni Course -
Having finished my first read through:

Considering I'm not a big fan of Historical Fiction, and and even lesser fan of Wartime novels, I genuinely enjoyed this little book.

The characters where well rounded, not irritating or boring, and not perfect or cliché caricatured (although I think it's hard for characters in children's novels not to be at least a little bit cliché). And of course, the addition of a dog always makes everything better!

I can definitely see this book being an great project piece for school work: the book manages to stay away from the battlefield itself (which is of course a difficult balance in children's novels and often can become quite gruesome or hard hitting), focusing on the idea of community, family, refugees and spies. Accompanied by a simple protagonist's moral narrative, the book promotes equality and understanding in an easy read for children that leads the reader down a puzzling plot that can either be entertaining to figure out, or just as interesting to let unfold as you go on.

The setting gives plenty of room for classroom ideas also. I find that wartime books are always set in one of either battlefield/trenches or seaside/countryside but this novel strikes a nice balance by beginning in busy London, and moving the reader to the seaside town with the characters.

I'm quite looking forward to a re-read now where I can pick it apart a little better.

I sad but inspiring tale about the famous archaeologist, ‘Lighting’ Mary Anning.

I enjoyed the book as a whole. It was very slow to begging and I think the writing style itself was a little overly descriptive and dragged, but then again I also didn’t quite get on with Mary’s character so it may have simply been that which made it seem to drag.

I did enjoy once the action picked up however and I’m content and fulfilled with the ending. Learning about Mary’s life and passion was definitely worth the read.

The book is a good one for introducing the idea of prejudice and injustice towards the poor and women historically, and touches on a few important historical points that may be useful in a teaching setting.

The book also has a small section at the back which has illustrations and explanations of the fossils mentioned throughout the book which I enjoyed.

This one was so closed to making me cry!

A beautiful story, full of emotion, empathy, and kindness.

Of course, the general story of this book is quite clear from the title. I'm sure you can guess the relatively simple plot, the issues raised, and the dark topics it handles.

I think, instead of describing the plot or characters as a way to entice you in, I'd like to highlight a few of my favourite elements of the book that really make it a 5 star read in my mind.

As a teaching student, I have to acknowledge that this book is written by an English teacher, based in my home county, and educated in the same city I am now studying in (all of which I found out after reading and relating to the setting descriptions a little too much). I could clearly see that this was written by someone who has experienced children, and truly understands the ways they learn, think, and survive.
The characterisation of the children and their struggles was perfectly relatable for young readers, the parents and community characters were realistic, and the ways that the book tackled, unravelled and explained difficult and emotional subjects was well balanced and enlightening.

I also need to mention the beautiful parallels that this book placed centre stage: the intense similarities of refugees throughout time- in this example, modern day Syrian refugees vs the Kindertransport of WW2.
It reminded me of a video I was shown in a lecture this year, where a young Syrian boy, talked with an elderly gentleman who survived the Second World War, sharing their experiences and the ways in which history continuous to repeat itself.
Until recently I had never thought to use these comparisons as a way to help children understand, but if we can teach them about WW2 as we do on the curriculum, helping them learn empathy for children who were evacuated or forced out of their homes, I see no reason why we cannot also teach them our current world issues through that same understanding.

It takes book like this to truly help children, and adults alike, to see the damage our apathy can cause to the people around us, and how we can help those both close to us, and across the world, in need of it.

Wow... well then.

I really enjoyed this considering its topic and plot line. I’m not one for War stories but this is much more a person-driven story that happens to be in a war setting. Definitely a good way to present the idea to children.

Disappointed in the ending. I hoped for much more and the climax really didn’t do much for me.

It was emotional and gripped me well though. So not all bad.

Will definitely be good to use in a teaching environment when considering historical, religious, creative, or pshe studies.

Another emotional read by S.E Durrant!
You'd think I learnt my lesson having read Lite Bits of Sky, but no. Once again I was unprepared.

This story is a beautiful one, focusing on friendships, both young and old, family, and the struggles, worries and joy that come from caring for someone with Dementia.

A wonderful book for older primary age children upwards, that will get them thinking about the past, and considering the metaphors and mystery of life. All following the plot of a family mystery waiting to be solved by 11 year old Iris and her next door neighbour 'not-friend' Mason.

The plot is very well paced, with a good balance of emotion, mystery, action and real world problems to really engross and involve children in its reading.

- This book would be a great class read for a History/English/Art cross-curricular topic, focusing on the black and white photography and historical mystery elements it follows -