Captivating Books and Series

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt is a hilarious children's picture book. The book is about Duncan, a boy who decides to do some colouring only to discover letters from the crayons saying they have ‘had enough’ and they ‘quit’. 

The Day the Crayons Quit has won many awards and is a very popular book worldwide. I read this book a lot when I was younger and it was always a favourite. I highly recommend this original and funny book as well as the sequel ‘The Day the Crayons Came Home’. There are read-aloud versions available on both stories on Youtube 

The Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger is a children's fantasy series following twelve-year-old Sophie Foster. But Sophie has a secret - she can read minds. Everything changes when she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who can also read minds. Sophie discovers the truth behind her ability and is forced to leave what she knows behind and go somewhere magical.
There are currently 9 books and a novella (Unlocked) in the series with more to come. This is a magical series full of twists and turns as Sophie discovers who she is and faces many challenges that she and her friends have to overcome. I have read this series many times over the years, loving it more each time. 

The Gone series by Michael Grant is a dystopian series in the fictional Southern Californian town of Perdido Beach. One day everyone aged 15 or older disappears in the town and no one knows why. The kids are cut off from the world trapped in a dome with no view outside. The main character, Sam Temple must learn to survive. Gangs form, sides are chosen and then some kids start to develop powers…  This is a great series with a unique and captivating storyline getting better and better with each book gripping you into wanting to know more. There are characters you'll love and some you fight with the main characters to defeat. Overall this is one series that everyone should read for their own enjoyment. I highly recommend this series. 

Hollywood movie star, Evelyn Hugo, has a secret and is willing to finally share the story of her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses an unknown magazine reporter, Monique Grant for the job no one knows why, including Monique. Monique listens to Evelyn's story and career from the 1950s to the 1980s and the story of her seven husbands. But as the story comes to an end, Evelyn reveals a secret that may very well shock Monique in irreversible ways. 

This book was written by the author of the popular book ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ and was a book that I could not put down. As the life of Evelyn Hugo was unravelled and secrets were revealed, I found that I could not stop reading.  

By Meila Oosterdijk