Hi! Before we begin - A regular reader of this blog noted that a few of my recent posts had gone straight to his junk mail - I was shocked. Since the blog went to fortnightly, it's probably less easy to notice when it doesn't turn up,...
Please read the PS, but in the meantime: Some of you may remember that my favourite Diana Wynne Jones quote is: "All power corrupts, but we need electricity." It's very true. Some months ago, I wrote the following, intending to use it in a blog: Recently our central...
A little while ago I was intrigued to connect two fictional dates. 1st October 570 is the date of Dorac Kingsbrother’s trial, the beginning of the story of “We Do Not Kill Children.” 14th October is the date set aside by the New Governance as a day...
My Scripture Union Bible reading notes have recently been taking me through the life of the patriarch Jacob. If you don’t know this fascinating story, read Genesis chapters 25-35… or just look him up on Wikipedia. (Previous readers of the blog will know about my...
My friend Judith Leader has been a guest on this blog before. Here she widens the debate on children’s literature. I have read with interest the posts by people about the books they read as children. I have been impressed by their knowledgeable writing, the books...
Gormad fell in like with Yairil as he watched her swordpractice: by turns fierce and cheerfully rueful. A few days later, he noticed the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed at his jokes, and “like” burst into “love.” Three weeks on, he was standing under...