Fire, Bed & Bone - Henrietta Branford

I am a PGCE student who had to read this book for my course. The only thing more disappointing than the book itself (I have had to read a number of other of books for children over the last few weeks and have been surprised by the high quality), is that it is something that might ever be recommended to young children taking their first steps in the literary world.

The subject matter is far from engaging. Fourteenth century revolutionary England is not an interesting topic. Furthermore, this animal narrator fails to evoke any sort of empathy, oscillating between the banal and the absurd. If we want young people to be interested in books and literature, we ought to be challenging them and trusting them with far more interesting, sophisticated and ultimately more enthralling books than this.

I was scanning the bookshelves down in the Children’s Library the other day for something a bit different to read. I am currently reading “As Meat Loves Salt” by Maria McCann and am finding it a little heavy. Looking for a bit of less involved reading I thought I would pick a children’s book. Finally deciding on “Fire, Bed and Bone” by Henrietta Branford I set off home (after issuing it to myself ~ I DON’T steal books of the shelves) to read. I found myself hooked instantly! I hadn’t settled on a bit of light reading, in fact I had found something that really got its hooks into me and wouldn’t let me go until I’d finished! ~~~THE ...  Read the complete review