The first title in a brand new magical, fantasy adventure series for six-to nine year-olds. Written by award-winning writer and journalist David C Flanagan featuring line drawings and illustrations by Will Hughes with his quirky, Quentin Blake-like style.
SYNOPSIS:
Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn't Sleep tells the story of Harry, a young boy who has never slept his entire life, no matter how hard his parents try.
With all the bedtime stories, songs and milky drinks in his town exhausted - along with all the people - it's Harry's eccentric explorer uncle, Pete, who ultimately comes to his aid with the help of a map, a rickety old biplane, a tiny mouse companion called TM, and one very special sheep.
The story is a magical and hilarious adventure of the imagination involving the remarkable journey undertaken by Uncle Pete and his fearless female sidekick, with themes of determination, collaboration, ingenuity, kindness and acceptance.
MY THOUGHTS:
This dinky sized chapter book is such a delight for small hands to hold and explore. The text is large and robust, the chapters are the perfect length for children who are new to reading chapter books and the quirky illustrations are spread evenly throughout the book.
The intriguing story of the boy who couldn't sleep added much fascination and questions from the children who were reading the story and prompted lots of discussions about the importance of sleep. The adventure that Uncle Pete goes on in order to help solve Harry's problems was exciting and mysterious. His little sidekick TM (tiny mouse) was a favourite character with the children adding humour and a touch of 'cuteness' to the story.
The story is packed full of action from magical stardust, icy mountains, a cloud garden, a black cat wearing glasses and a journey that will ignite the imagination of its reader. The beautiful descriptions in the book allow for vivid images to be painted in one's head as well as providing vocabulary that is rich but easily accessible to young readers.
Many thanks to Little Door Books for inviting me to join the blog tour, what an exciting start to a new series of books for early readers. The children and I cannot wait for the next instalment of Uncle Pete and his tiny sidekick TM. Where will the adventure take us next?
AUTHOR:
David C. Flanagan is a writer and award-winning journalist based in the Orkney Islands. Born, raised and educated in Edinburgh, he studied journalism in the city before returning to his ancestral home in the islands where he worked as a reporter on the local weekly newspaper, The Orcadian. He’s been freelance since 2002, providing news, features and content for a variety of publications and websites. David also acts as location manager for film and television crews operating in Orkney. His first book, Board, was published by Fledgling Press in 2015 and recounted his hapless attempts to learn to surf in middle age, on the wild Atlantic coast of Orkney. He still surfs, badly, and also loves skateboarding, fitness training and walking in the Scottish mountains. Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep is David’s first story for children, reflecting his passion for adventure stories, his love of animals, and his slightly whacky sense of humour.
ILLUSTRATOR:
Will Hughes is a young illustrator and cartoonist, recently graduated from Edinburgh College of Art. Whatever he makes, whether it is stories, cartoons or prints, he likes his work to be comic and humorous, and to tell the stories of all sorts of ridiculous things. From a old woman with a hoard of very helpful cats to burglars who have to stand on each others shoulders to rob a house. He usually draws these with a dipping ink pen and watercolour paints to create energetic, lively and fluid lines and colours.