My younger son, Sam, is two years old today.

Happy birthday, Sammy!

Love, Mummy, Daddy and Arran x

I’ve just discovered this wonderful competition where you can win a set of Scream Street books – signed by yours truly, courtesy of Seven Stories, the centre for children’s books in Newcastle.

All you have to do is pop along to this site: http://www.whatsonnortheast.com/competitions.php?comp=139504 and answer a question so easy even zombies could get it right!  If your name is drawn out, you could soon be the proud owner of some Scream Street spookiness!

Tommy

Look what I spotted at Waterstones in Gateshead today…

How chuffed am I?

Tommy

Another top children’s author has read and enjoyed Scream Street 1: Fang of the Vampire.  This time it was Joe Craig, author of the action-packed Jimmy Coates series.  Here’s what he had to say…

“This is a great concept, brilliantly executed. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series, because this book is genuinely funny, sharp as a vampire’s fang and quick as a bat out of hell.

It surprised me at every turn with clever twists and action that left me breathless.

All of the characters bring wonderful originality to the familiar figures of werewolves, vampires and mummies. The surfer dude zombies are a particularly inspired creation.

It can’t be easy to combine laugh-out-loud funny with shiver-down-your-spine grisly, but this book hits the spot for me, and the 7-9 crowd should devour the whole series. It deserves huge success.”

As you will know if you’ve read this blog for any period of time – I’m a huge Jimmy Coates fan.  The next installment is due out next week, and I for one will be getting it on the day of release.  I urge you to do the same.  You won’t be disappointed…

Tommy

Another review on amazon.co.uk for Scream Street 1: Fang of the Vampire…

Fun Little Book

This was a fun little book to read, even for an adult like myself. The adventure of the little gang in the book, was fast and funny at times. The main charactor trying to help his parents get back to there normal life. I would say it is aimed at around the 7 -9 age group, although i am MUCH older i also enjoyed it. It was short so not too many words, and very easy to read. There are more books in the series and i am sure they will be read one by one.

As ever, you can read the review in situ here.

Tommy

Two more reviews on amazon.co.uk for Scream Street 1: Fang of the Vampire…

Very Entertaining

I really enjoyed this book. Read it in advance of reading it to my six year old to see if they would like it. It’s really good fun. I was fascinated by vampires and werewolves as a kid and would have really loved this as much back then. My six year old is really going to like it. The characters are really sweet and the writing is easy-going. I love the farting goblins! Look forward to reading the follow-up books which will finish off the six-part story and find out what happens. Also worth purchasing as a gift for any 7-9 year olds in the family.

and…

Scary Fun For The Young

Scream Street : Fang of the Vampire is the first of a new series of books from former childrens entertainer Tommy Donbavand. Luke Watson is a werewolf, not a cuddly friendly werewolf, but a full blown scary werewolf! Despite his parents best efforts, mostly involving vegetarian food, Luke gets himself noticed. He is moved by the government along with his mum and dad to Scream Street, a place for spooky supernatural types.
He quickly makes friends with Resus, a vampire with a secret, and Chloe, a mummy with a thing for lipstick, but his normal parents don’t fit in and have a bit of a hard time, so Luke vows to find a way to get them home again…

N.B. Parents might want to read this before letting younger readers loose on their own as there are some relatively frightening bits, with several mentions of blood and injuries.

To read the reviews on Amazon itself, click here.

Tommy

As previously mentioned, I’ve been reading and reviewing spooky kids books for the October edition of Junior Education Plus.  The reviews are now online, and can be found here.

The books I reviewed are:

Stone Goblins by David Melling

Fright Night: The Shrieking Stones by Steve Rogers

Nightmare Academy: Charlie’s Monsters by Dean Lorey

The Murrian by Robert Dodds

The Wickit Chronicles: Witch Bell by Joan Lennon

Monster Makers: Electrotaur and Slashermite by Ali Sparkes

The Demon Assassin by Alan Gibbons

An Awfully Beastly Business: Werewolf vs Dragon by The Beastly Boys

Hazel’s Phantasmagoria by Leander Deeny

Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help by Douglas Anthony Cooper

I recommend you take a look if you’re after a terrifying tale or two…

Tommy

Just 13 days to go and the first review has appeared on amazon.co.uk It gives Fang of the Vampire five stars, saying…

—

A fast and fun read, mixing humour and horror…

This is the first in a series of spooky adventures aimed at 7-9 year olds. The lead characters – a werewolf, a vampire and a mummy – are good company. I particularly enjoyed the vampire’s cloak, which contains a seemingly endless supply of useful items. There’s a basic quest structure, with each book in the series seeing our heroes pursuing a different relic.

This novel contains a strong mix of humour and horror. There are moments of great comic invention, including the time when a skeletal dog gets confused and buries itself. Sadly there is also a chapter featuring flatulent goblins, though no doubt this body-based humour will appeal to the book’s target audience. It’s difficult to know what will frighten children, but I’d say there’s enough terror here to excite, but not enough to disturb.

The pace of this book is so swift there’s little room for depth. On the other hand I am intrigued to know how the characters will fare in their quest. The concept of ‘Scream Street’ – basically where monsters are deported to from our world – is interesting. Perhaps later books will allow a little more time for world building as the glimpses given here are fascinating.

—

Sadly, yes, there are farting goblins!  You can read the review here.

Tommy

I’m coming back to my home town with an appearance at this year’s Liverpool Literary Festival.  Click here for more details: http://www.liv.ac.uk/literaryfestival/

Information about my events can be found here and here.

Tommy

Grab your towels and stick out your thumb, because Arthur Dent’s going hitchhiking again and, this time, he’s got a new guide…

I was delighted to red that Artemis Fowl creator and all-round top bloke, Eoin Colfer, has been chosen to write a new installment in the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy series – called ‘And Another Thing…’.

Eoin said:

“My first reaction was semi-outrage that anyone should be allowed to tamper with this incredible series.

“But on reflection I realised that this is a wonderful opportunity to work with characters I have loved since childhood and give them something of my own voice while holding on to the spirit of Douglas Adams.

“I feel more pressure to perform now than I ever have with my own books, and that is why I am bloody determined that this will be the best thing I have ever written.”

The book will be published in October 2009 and I, for one, can’t wait!

Tommy