A Pocketful of Stars

Product Information

The Branford Boase judges said :‘I love the voice, and the story brought me to tears’; ‘Safiya is a very well rounded, developed character’; ‘a really clever idea, and the story is so well told’; ‘she makes the magic credible’; ‘I was so impressed by the way the friendships developed’.

Pocketful of Stars - Etsy UK Pocketful of Stars - Etsy UK

A lot of nostalgia, for me, is tied into my formative memories of Kuwait, but it feels so distant now that it’s almost like I made it up. Whenever I discuss my early childhood, I realise it was very different to the one a lot of my peers have had. This feels like a book I would have enjoyed the most with older characters and more emotional depth. I already feel like I should raise the rating writing this review *sighs*

At the interval Mum goes and grabs her and Elle an ice cream – vanilla for Mum, strawberry for Elle. She doesn’t ask me, even though she knows chocolate is my favourite. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. While the end broke my heart, I was surprised to learn that Safiya was supposed in be in Year 8 because she acted and behaved much younger. My Year 8 students would cringe at some of the things she said and did. I’m currently working on my second book, and it’s interesting to see how that has shifted. Writing is now, rather bizarrely, my job, and one I love more than I can say, but there are also expectations and deadlines and, with all of that, stress. So, I’ve tried my best to turn to other creative outlets, to help me when I’m struggling to write.

A Pocketful Of Stars – The Branford Boase Award and Interview A Pocketful Of Stars – The Branford Boase Award and

This book was so much more than I ever thought it would be. I enjoyed every second of it, despite it ripping my heart in half. As both a mother and a daughter this story rang so familiar to me. It takes a common situation between a parent and child and gives it a unique life. The blurring of the fantasy world and the real world is done wonderfully. It's able to convey the desperate feelings of Safiya in a way that is both effective and hopeful. OK, let’s be serious now,’ Abir says, like we’re running some sort of covert operation. ‘Meet at the changing rooms in half an hour, yeah?’ I am working on my second book, which I am currently drafting, and I’m very excited about it! I can’t say too much just yet, but I can say that there will be a new magical place to explore. Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn’t understand Safiya’s love of gaming and Safiya doesn't think they have anything in common. As Safiya struggles to fit in at school she wonders if her mum wishes she was more like her confident best friend Elle. But then her mum falls into a coma and, when Safiya waits by her bedside, she finds herself in a strange and magical world that looks a bit like one of her games. And there’s a rebellious teenage girl, with a secret, who looks suspiciously familiar … Now, when it comes to my opinion about this book, then I must say that it was really very moving as well as heartfelt. I loved the way the author portrayed the character of the protagonist, Sofiya. It was gracious and deeply described.Rating this is very weird for me because I know the story is better and I should rate it about a 4/5 but I just didn't vibe with it. It wasn't for me and I would rate it maybe a 2.5/5 if I was honest. Safyia's mother has a stroke and is in a coma. Safyia feels like it's her fault because the last time she saw her mother they argued. On one of her visits to the hospital, Safyia falls asleep by her mum's bed and something strange happens and she feels as if she has been transported to her mum's birthplace in Kuwait. What I found appealing in this book were how many ways the teens were creative – as illustrators, writers, game players and makeup artists. Having a form of creative output helps them bond as well as being a constructive pastime. How much do engage in being creative in other ways and how do you let off creative steam in other forms? The striking difference in star colours is illustrated beautifully in this image, which combines two different types of light: blue stars, shining brightest in near- ultraviolet light, and red stars, illuminated in red and near- infrared. Space telescopes like Hubble can observe in the ultraviolet because they are positioned above Earth’s atmosphere, which absorbs most of this wavelength, making it inaccessible to ground-based facilities. Four stops to King’s Cross. Four stops for me to imagine the worst. Dad must be OK. I don’t have any grandparents, or aunts and uncles, apart from Mum’s sister . . . Is it Mum?