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Children's books

Apply for a free copy of our children’s chapter book of the month: Lily's Shimmering Spell

14 replies

LaraMumsnet · 01/08/2013 11:20

Our August chapter book choice is Stargirl Academy: Lily's Shimmering Spell by Vivan French. Lily and her friends in Team Starlight can't wait to be Stargirls! But first they have to earn their magic stars ? and it's not going to be easy with Lily's great aunt Acidity around...

If you know of a child who would enjoy this book, then apply for a free copy and please come back to let us know what they thought about it on the thread, and you'll be entered to win one of 15 Stargirl Academy posters.

OP posts:
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Periwinkle007 · 01/08/2013 13:00

ooh we have read a few Vivian French books, mostly early reader ones. My daughter loves her stories.

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PomBearWithAnOFRS · 06/08/2013 00:30

OO I was just in time - DD will be pleased - we thought we'd missed this month and been too late Grin

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MrsBottesini · 06/08/2013 01:07

is this about right for a 7yo dd?

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Periwinkle007 · 06/08/2013 22:40

I am assuming it is MrsBottesini - it looks like a sort of 7+ish one, my daughter is a bit younger but I think she could enjoy listening to it and read some of it herself. I certainly can't imagine the content would be inappropriate so I think it is more if she would like the story. If it is too hard then it can be read to her.

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RachelMumsnet · 08/08/2013 12:52

We've now closed the giveaway form and will be emailing all those who have been chosen to receive copies of the books later today. If you are chosen please don't forget to come back and share your thoughts on this thread. If you weren't lucky this time you can buy the book here. All those who join the discussion or post a review will be entered into a draw to win one of 15 Stargirl Academy posters.

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cavylover · 14/08/2013 17:33

Uplifting story about a pleasant girl living with her grumpy great aunt who while out visiting the local shops is recruited by fairy godmothers to learn how to make spells and to use them to make the world a better place in the process. This book features Lily but it is part of a set of books featuring different girls who become members of "The Stargirl Academy". The illustrations are excellent throughout which are an added bonus to the well-written book. Definitely recommended for girls aged around 7-9. Thank you

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PomBearWithAnOFRS · 16/08/2013 00:15

When our copy arrived, DD rolled her eyes a bit, and thought it might be "too young" for her, now she has reached the exalted age of 11 Grin but she read it from cover to cover in only a few days, and was heard chuckling and talking to it which is always a good sign Grin
I think she is a the top of the age range that will enjoy these stories, but it kept her amused - a blessing during these long holidays, and even made me chuckle once or twice with some of the little quips and amusing turns of phrase Grin

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aristocat · 16/08/2013 21:38

My DD liked this book very much and read it in an hour! She is 9 yo and a keen reader ...... however now I need to buy her the rest in the series Grin

DDs review is that it is a very interesting book and she likes the characters/personalities of the girls. She sees herself as Lily - brown hair and blue eyes.

Thanks for the book, my DD loves helping MN with book reviews.

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Periwinkle007 · 18/08/2013 19:36

oh crumbs - we are being slow in this household. we WILL report back when we have read it - we are still on the last book.

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Runnerduck22 · 21/08/2013 08:32

this book is lovely and perfect for my 8 year old niece, who reads a lot and is a very confident reader, she read it quickly and found the story great, and now i expect Aunty will have to buy the rest of the series for her birthday!

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TheOldestCat · 25/08/2013 08:19

Thanks for DD's copy. She's 6 (nearly 7) and although a good technical reader who loves books, she prefers to be read to. I wondered if this would fire her enthusiasm to get cracking on her own - and it did. She was enthusiastic about the cover and loved all the preamble stuff (the stargirl promise etc).

I read her a couple of chapters then she read the rest - she really enjoyed it. Asked her now "I liked it A LOT, especially when Lily met her friends.'

She has since borrowed the other books in the series from the library, so thumbs up from us!

cheers

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greenhill · 25/08/2013 08:40

My 6 yo DD was so excited when this arrived. She immediately took it off and read it in an hour, then read it four times in an afternoon. She told me it was cool and brilliant, but I was only able to read it to her last night and it was the first time I'd had a proper look at it.

She loves it and was telling me what things meant throughout the story and corrected my wrong impressions, for example, I too had thought that the parrot Polly was calling Lily "stupid girl" but Great Aunt Acidity says at the end, that it was her brothers that had taught the parrot to say it to her, when she was a child.

My DD is looking forward to reading the other books in the series very much.

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Periwinkle007 · 30/08/2013 19:16

My very nearly 6 year old really enjoyed this. She wanted to know what happened next more so than in many books we have read to her. The characters are nicely developed in the book which helps children imagine it better and the story has some humour in it which was appreciated. From a parents' point of view it was an easy one to read and quite enjoyable. She is asking about the others in the series although she wants to know why none of them have HER or her sister's names.

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bettybooboo1 · 07/09/2013 08:03

My 6 year old daughter want to write her own review: thank you for this book.I really loved it.At the end it was really good because the other stargirls helped Lily by becoming invisible and making her great-aunt nice to her. I liked the bit where the great-aunt was nice to Lily. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

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