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Published on 2 Comments on Toffle Towers: The Great River Race by Tim Harris

The second book in the Toffle Towers series by Tim Harris will have you laughing out loud once again.

Thanks to ten-year-old Chegwin's creativity, Toffle Towers is filling up fast with guests and even more are expected for the annual Great River Race. All is going smoothly until some of Chegwin's staff are 'reverse mugged' by two mysterious men in black. The hotel is thrown into chaos as Chegwin tries to find a solution and work out who is behind the attacks. 

When Chegwin discovers that Brontessa Braxton (owner of the rival Braxton Hotel) is the mastermind, his attempt to be kind to her backfires. Chegwin finds himself competing in the Great River Race to save both Toffle Towers and its staff from her greedy clutches. Underpants, yes underpants, will help decide the race winner!

Will you find out who is in Room 49? I'm not going to say, but you will get to explore secret tunnels hidden in Toffle Towers. There's also fun to be had at the upside-down check-in, dancing on the musical staircase and your mouth will water as you read about the newly upgraded Room 1 that is now The Lolly Room where everything is edible - yum! 

Once again James Foley's fun illustrations bring the story to life. His illustrations of nasty Brontessa Braxton are some of my favourites, especially her eyebrows!

If you enjoy funny books and taking your imagination for a walk, the Toffle Towers series is for you and great way to start your year. Fully Booked is the first book in the series and you can read more about it here.  

Watch out for Book 3 - Order in the Court that will be coming soon.

Happy reading!

Published on Leave a comment on Vincent and the Grandest Hotel on Earth by Lisa Nicol

The Grandest Hotel on Earth is perched high on the snowy slopes of the Mabombo Ranges. It's wilder than any African savanna, more fantastical than Disneyland and more magical than Shangri-la.

Warning: This book contains cute Pocket Dogs, travelling by llama or jet pack, chocolate fountains and flashing boots that play Bach!

Eleven year old Vincent lives a life that is not very grand in the ordinary town of Barry with his parents, seven year old sister, Rose who wants to be an actress and little brother, Thom who won't stop screaming and only eats eggs. When his grandfather leaves him his magical shoe-shine kit, Vincent's life changes forever in THAT MOMENT when Florence spots him and offers Vincent a job shining shoes at The Grandest Hotel on Earth. 

The Grandest Hotel on Earth is a fantastical and wondrous place beyond Vincent's wildest dreams. It is more beautiful, more majestic and more splendid than Vincent could have imagined. It has sixteen storeys of the most amazing themed rooms. Would you choose to stay in the Baby Memories Room, the Roller coaster Room, Sparkles Room, the Edible Room (with a never-melting chocolate couch), the Room of the Unexpected or maybe the Virtuoso Room where you can pick up any instrument and play it like a master? I think I would have chosen the Puppy Room so I could snuggle with all the Pocket Dogs! 

Vincent loves his new job and takes great pride blending the exact shoe polish colour for each customer's shoes and inventing ways to make them more comfortable. Vincent notices there is more to The Grand than meets the eye as he sees the behaviour of guests like the D'Silva family transforming during their stay. Vincent's friendship with Florence grows as he helps her run the hotel while her parents are away working on their projects. However, Vincent's dream life comes crashing down when he can't resist the Mirrors of the Future Room. As Vincent desperately tries to save Florence from a tragedy, he learns the value of friendship and family, to hold on to his dreams and that good things can come from bad. You never know what the future has in store...

The Grandest Hotel on Earth will sweep you up from the first page and transport you to a fantabulous destination! If you're looking for a grand adventure...this is it!

At the end of the book Lisa Nicol reveals her mysterious co-narrator who is at the heart of this story and whose wonderful imagination contributed to many of the fantastical rooms in The Grandest Hotel on Earth.

If you haven't read Lisa's other fabulous book Dr Boogaloo and the Girl Who Lost Her Laughter, make sure you do!

Everybody needs a little 'grand' in their life...and a Pocket Dog!

Pexels / Pixabay

Happy reading!

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Published on 6 Comments on Toffle Towers: Fully Booked by Tim Harris

What would you do if you inherited a hotel?

Chegwin Toffle is a ten year old whose wild blond hair is almost as wild as his imagination and he is regularly in trouble at school for daydreaming. When he unexpectedly inherits the Toffle Towers hotel from his long lost uncle, Chegwin will need to unleash his imagination to help save the hotel and its loyal staff.

Chegwin and his eccentric parents arrive in the town of Alandale to discover Toffle Towers hasn’t had any bookings for two years and they only have three months to save the hotel. Chegwin believes it's time to think like kids to save Toffle Towers because "Adults only ever think of restraints, but kids think of the possibilities. There are always new ideas waiting to be imagined. You just have to come up with them”. 

It’s not easy learning to run a hotel and there are challenges and disasters along the way, especially when Chegwin accidentally orders sixty thousand litres of fresh milk instead of sixty litres! However, Chegwin’s daydreams start turning into reality with help from wacky head groundskeeper, Barry Rake. The beaten up hotel shuttle bus is given a boost in more ways than one and the Grazing Room is transformed into the Gazing Room with an out of this world dining experience that I would love to try! The rooms at Toffle Towers are filling fast as Chegwin's clever ideas put the hotel back on the map as an exciting holiday destination for kids and their families. 

Along the way, Tim Harris encourages you to be creative too. What you would add to ‘Strange Things People Might Inherit’ and ‘Uses for Sixty Thousand Litres of Milk’? There are also mysteries to solve and I really want to know why the door to Room 49 in Toffle Towers is locked and who might be in there. 

It's great to see the dynamic duo of Tim Harris and James Foley bringing their creativity and humour to Toffle Towers. You can find out more about the zany Toffle Towers characters and see some of James' original sketches on his Instagram page. (Am I the only one who thinks Barry Rake looks like James Foley?)

If you enjoyed Tim Harris' fabulous Mr Bambuckle series and you’re looking for a new fun series and an opportunity to take your imagination for a walk then Toffle Towers is for you!


Happy reading! 

Teacher notes

Published on Leave a comment on The Tales of Mr Walker by Jess Black

Mr Walker will steal your heart from the first page as he narrates and stars in his very own illustrated hardcover book!

On a brilliant autumn morning, Mr Walker arrives at the Park Hyatt, ready to put his best paw forward as a Guide Dog Ambassador. However, all he can see is a very tall, grand building whose top is covered by clouds. Where is the park?

In his new role as a hotel dog, Mr Walker learns to walk on slippery marble floors, ride in elevators, greet guests both friendly and not so friendly, help the hotel staff and settles in with his new family while having some unexpected adventures along the way in four fun and heart warming stories.

Jess Black brings Mr Walker to life as he shares the world though his eyes and his personality and warmth are perfectly captured by Sara Acton in her delightful watercolour illustrations. Jess and Sara are a dynamic duo of dog lovers who make you want to visit Mr Walker and give him a great big hug!

In his real life, Mr Walker is a charming golden Labrador who trained as a Guide dog, but his outgoing personality was better suited to being a Guide Dog Ambassador at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne where he greets guests as they first walk in the door and helps them feel at home. Guests can also request to take Mr Walker for walks in the morning, play with him in the park, or sometimes even practice yoga on the hotel deck. He has a specially made Tasmanian oak bed to lounge on in the hotel lobby and he even has his own Instagram account at mrwalker_parkhyatt where you can follow his adventures!

Photo credit: Park Hyatt Melbourne

Royalties from sales of this book go to Guide Dogs Victoria so when you buy this book you are supporting a wonderful organisation and dogs like Mr Walker.

Keep an eye out for more adventures with Mr Walker in February and August in 2019. Scroll down here for a sneak peek!

Happy Reading!

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