Welcome to our latest Carnegie shortlisted book. The eight books chosen to battle for the Carnegie Award represent the best among the new books written for young people.  Some are very modern and tackle issues relevant to life today, whilst others, like this week’s featured book, are more traditional, and provide adventure and escapism for the readers. I enjoyed this book; set against the backdrop of the sea, and with a wide range of characters – heroes,villains, pirates and strange creatures- it had an enchanting innocence about it that I found refreshing. 

Lampie: Children of the Sea by Annet Schaap

Every evening Lampie the lighthouse keeper’s daughter must light a lantern to warn ships away from the rocks. But one stormy night disaster strikes. The light goes out, a ship is wrecked, and an adventure begins. In disgrace Lampie is sent to work as a maid at the Admiral’s Black House, where rumour has it that a monster lurks in the tower. But what she finds there is stranger and more beautiful than any monster.

What Bushey Meads Shadowers say:

“I finished the book, it was about a boy, half merman half human, figuring out where he belongs along with a girl called Lampie. The whole concept of mermaids was broken in this book and mermaids were shown in a completely different light.” Benigna Yr8

“I am enjoying the book so far and intrigued as to where it will lead me next. The little girl Lampie lights a lamp every night to warn sailing ships of rocks, but one day the lamp goes out and a ship crashes causing a massive disaster. Lampie then begins an adventure and has to become a maid at the Admiral Black House, but there are rumours that a monster roams in the tower.” Preesha Yr8

Life as an author, illustrator or translator.

Having established herself as one of the Netherlands’ best-loved illustrators, Lampie is Annet Schaap’s first novel.  Laura Watkinson is a full-time translator from Dutch, Italian and German.

To find out more about life as a translator or illustrator and the Annet’s  transition into writing, you can listen to a podcast of the author and translator talking about this book.

Well done to all our shadowers who are finding time to read these books on top of their home-school work.  Whilst they are all keen readers, being given eight specific titles to read is always a challenge and not always the genres students would normally select.  However, they are doing a fantastic job albeit under difficult circumstances.  Look out for next week’s update to find out why Archie described his first book as “PHENOMENAL”

Mrs Turton