Debbie Thomas

Debbie Thomas has worked as a development journalist in South Africa and Bangladesh. Her first children’s book, Dead Hairy, was published in 2011 by Mercier Press.

Granny Samurai, The Monkey King and I by John Chambers
She’s tough and toothy and lives on cold coffee. And, as Samuel Johnson discovers, Granny Samurai is a neighbour worth knowing. When Samuel’s…
Posted 9/03/2013 in Reviews

The Black Cat Detectives by Wendy Meddour
As sharp-witted as she is soft-hearted, Shaima Stalk has an eye for detail and a nose for adventure. When her auntie Urooj, one of Britain’s…
Posted 1/12/2012 in Reviews

Frankie Foster Pick ‘n’ Mix by Jean Ure
 

Frankie Foster is delighted when Mum agrees to host a friend’s daughter for four weeks. Ever keen to help, Frankie is undaunted by the news…
Posted 4/05/2012 in Reviews

Quarry by Ally Kennen
 

Someone is texting strange dares to Michael ‘Scrappy’ Singer. Convinced they’re a joke from a friend, the 15 year-old rises to the…
Posted 28/02/2012 in Reviews

My Uncle Foulpest: Teacher Trouble and Spooky Sleepover by Timothy Knapman
 

Wally’s parents are always travelling the world, which means they are never around for normal mum and dad duties. So when it comes to…
Posted 24/11/2011 in Reviews

The Maya Brown Missions: Circle of Fire by SM Hall
 

The Maya Brown Missions: Circle of Fireis more than a thriller. Beyond the usual intrigue, action and suspense, SM Hall delves deeply into…
Posted 23/06/2011 in Reviews

Finding the Good
The Storytelling of Frank Cottrell Boyce
Posted 23/04/2011 in Features

The Medusa Project: Hunted by Sophie McKenzie
Dylan is a misfit among misfits.  Fourteen years ago she was one of four babies implanted by her father with the ‘Medusa gene’, which…
Posted 16/04/2011 in Reviews

Splash, Crash and Loads of Cash by Philip Ardagh
The boat is sinking, the sharks are circling … what is the crew to do? Climb aboard the inflatable mayor of Grubtown, of course, and radio for…
Posted 1/12/2010 in Reviews

Time Train to the Blitz by Sophie Mackenzie
Chasing after their dog in the park Joe and Scarlett hear a train approaching through the trees. They climb on board and are whisked back in…
Posted 1/09/2010 in Reviews

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
Alton’s mother insists that Uncle Lester is their favourite relative. He also happens to be their richest. When the blind, cranky old man…
Posted 1/09/2010 in Reviews

Zero Moment by MG Harris
Travelling to Brazil for the World Championship of Capoeira (a combination of martial arts, music and dance), Josh Garcia revisits a hidden…
Posted 1/06/2010 in Reviews

Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children by Conn Iggulden
Bigger than bumble bees and smaller than birds, Tollins are not to be confused with fairies. In fact their relationship is what you might…
Posted 1/04/2010 in Reviews

Flood and Fang by Marcus Sedgwick
When a spiky tail slinks through the undergrowth, Edgar the raven sniffs trouble. But trying to alert the owners of Otherhand Castle to the…
Posted 1/12/2009 in Reviews

The Tale of Two Mice by Ruth Brown
When little mouse Billy and his big brother Bo discover their cupboards are bare, they venture from their mouse hole for food. Foraging round…
Posted 1/06/2009 in Reviews

Then by Morris Gleitzman
The odds are stacked against this book. It’s another child-in-Holocaust story, hard on the heels of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The…
Posted 1/04/2009 in Reviews

The Littlest Dinosaur by Michael Foreman
A mother dinosaur sits on her eggs waiting for them to crack. One by one the babies pop out, until only one egg remains. When Dino-Dad roars…
Posted 1/09/2008 in Reviews

The Trap by Sarah Wray
Fifteen-year-old Luke is thrilled to gain a place on a camp for gifted kids in Upstate New York. Along with other supersmart teenagers, he…
Posted 1/09/2008 in Reviews

Moxie the Underdog by Annie West
When a grey sack is dumped in the lane, the farm animals crowd round curiously. Out jumps Moxie, a scruffy, dusty dog. He explains that he’s…
Posted 1/06/2008 in Reviews

The Master of the Fallen Chairs by Henry Porter
Following the death of his mother, 13-year-old Kim Drago is sent to his ancestral home, the House of Skirl. In the dark weeks before…
Posted 1/06/2008 in Reviews

The Football Ghosts by Malachy Doyle
Soccer and ghosts: two themes guaranteed to grab the interest of some child somewhere. So why not throw them together in a ludicrous tale? One…
Posted 1/12/2007 in Reviews

Baby Brains and Robomum by Simon James
Mrs Brains stocks up on fish and nuts during her pregnancy in the hope of a brainy baby. But even she is amazed by her son’s brilliance. With…
Posted 1/12/2007 in Reviews

The Saddest King by Chris Wormell
In the country, where everyone’s happy, a gift of bad apples inspires the same delight as a box of chocolates. Sunshine, rain, burnt dinners…
Posted 1/09/2007 in Reviews

Smudge by Julia Sykes
Playing in the garden, Smudge the dog and his friends, Nibble and Bounce (guess who’s the rabbit), are caught in the rain. Discovering that…
Posted 1/09/2007 in Reviews

Lucy Willow by Sally Gardner
Not only does she live on a train, but 8-year-old Lucy Willow also has a pet snail and magical green fingers. When the wedding of the century…
Posted 1/04/2007 in Reviews

Seven for a Secret by Laurence Anholt
Very few picturebooks captivate me as much as my children on second, third and even seventh readings. But Seven for a Secret holds the record…
Posted 1/04/2007 in Reviews

Alice Again by Judi Curtin
Megan can’t wait to visit her very very best friend Alice who has moved to Dublin after her parents’ break-up. On arrival, however, Megan…
Posted 1/12/2006 in Reviews

Pageboy Danny by Brianóg Brady Dawson
When Grandpa offers to take Danny to the dog show with his talented trickster dog Keeno, Danny is dismayed to find he has a prior engagement…
Posted 1/12/2006 in Reviews

I Very Really Miss You by Jane Kemp
This touching tale captures the irritation and love between siblings simply and convincingly. Sam is delighted to hear his big brother Ben is…
Posted 1/12/2006 in Reviews

Watch Out for Sprouts! by Simon Bartram
Watch out for Sprouts! jumps from the bookshelf and whacks you in the face. Chunky, custard-coloured and splattered with speech bubbles, it’s…
Posted 1/06/2006 in Reviews

That’s Not Funny! by Adrian Johnson
We all know one and we all steer clear: the kid who laughs at others’ misfortune. Alfie is one such mini meanie who sniggers when Grandpa puts…
Posted 1/06/2006 in Reviews

Snakes’ Elbows by Deirdre Madden
What do you say about a book you wish you’d written? Not fair seems a reasonable start. But I couldn’t resent Deirdre Madden for long. The…
Posted 1/06/2006 in Reviews

Tractor Trouble by Steve Augarde
Young mechanics will have fun fiddling with flanges and directing diggers in this ingenious pop-up book. When Ted’s tractor gets stuck he…
Posted 1/04/2006 in Reviews

Football Crazy by Colin McNaughton
New bear on the block Bruno longs to join in with the guys kicking a football on the street. When he hears they’re training for the big match…
Posted 1/04/2006 in Reviews

Witch Pigs by Colin Hawkins
Pea and Pod are worn out with washing up in the kitchen at Castle Grimewold. When sly ratty ragworm topples the pile of pots, forcing them to…
Posted 1/04/2006 in Reviews

Bears by Ruth Krauss
Twenty-seven words, including the title, create a crazy world of bears. First published in 1948, Ruth Krauss’s poem is illustrated with…
Posted 1/12/2005 in Reviews

Bored Bill by Liz Pichon
Poor bored Bill. Nothing can capture his interest, least of all the frantic antics of his owner, Mrs Pickle. The more she encourages him to…
Posted 1/12/2005 in Reviews