eBook Review - The Snowman

• Title And Author: The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo (Inspired by the classic by Raymond Briggs
• Publisher: Puffin
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an Honest Review
• Length: 160 Pages

Andrew, we are in September. Why on earth are you reading a Christmas novella? And a retelling of a well known Christmas classic? have you COMPLETELY lost the plot? 

I am imagining you are all thinking this. Don’t say you’re not. I love Christmas. I love Bonfire Night and Halloween (well… in theory, I love Halloween. I love all the myths and legends on Halloween. In pratice… no. I hate it. I will be the one sitting the dark of my house, pretending that no one is home… but that’s a blog post for another day). So, when I saw this on NetGalley, I thought it would be a fun little read for me. A nice break from Time Convert, my current adult read (which I an enjoying, but it’s so weird reading this book when, the other books In the series, I have audiobooked…). Plus, I was curious on how Michael Morpurgo was going to write this, how he was going to tackle this classic. Tackle it head-on, or go into it from a slight angle… 

When James wakes early on Christmas Eve to discover it had snowed overnight, he’s so excited that he goes out and builds a snowman. He spends all day building him and showing him off to his parents and his grandma, who is staying over Christmas. When he goes to bed that night, waiting for Father Christmas, he wonders about his snowman and, when he looks out of the window, he discovers that his snowman has come to life… 

Where do I start with this novella? 

eBook Review - The Fox and the Ghost King

This was a weird, random choice that I saw on NetGalley. As soon as I read the first line, I went "This sounds nuts. I have to read it!". Plus, the author is Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse, and as I have never read him before, I thought this would be a fun middle-grade to read.

Foxes are football fans. And they follow, of course, the Foxes (aka Leicester City FC). But the team keep losing games. A bit annoying for the Foxes but when Daddy Fox and his kid hear a voice of a ghost king, buried under a car park, wanting to be free, that could all change...

This was fun. It was a fast middle-grade read for me that mixed Leicester City FC's rise to victory in the 2015-2016 Premier League and the discovery of King Richard III's remains under a car park quite well. This does well with foxes and is perfect way to get younger readers into football, nature and history (with the story touching upon Shakespeare as well).

It was a fast read for me (I would have liked a bit more meat on the bones of the story, but I am way older than the target readership) but I think younger readers will love the story and the illustrations and parents will find it utterly charming.