Hello all. we have made some changes to our monthly Book Club…there are now two! This is because as our readers have got older, their tastes have changed and it makes sense to split the group into different age groups.
However, the ages are for guidance only, so it is up to the readers and/or parents to decide which club to attend.
Here are our choices for April:
This afternoon we hosted a very different type of bookish event. It was all about food! Vegan food to be exact. This was so great for two reasons. Firstly, we got to eat the most delicious chocolate and pecan cookies in the world and secondly, because Sarah J. Jay, the author, was personable, honest and lovely.
Sarah chatted candidly with the audience about her journey from omnivore to vegan, answering questions and sharing her experiences. We talked about bees, dogs, milk, chickens and puddings!
If you are considering making the transition to veganism, we can highly recommend Rooted. It’s bursting with easy-to-make, delicious recipes, just right for family life.
Here’s a little collage of pics from the afternoon:
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! We’ve been shortlisted for the title of Regional British Book Awards 2017 Independent Bookshop of the Year! The competition is tough, because, quite frankly, all independent bookshops are amazing.
However, we would really appreciate it if you could complete the online survey form – if you love us! It’s not a popularity contest, but the BA are keen to hear from the most important people – our customers.
Yours humbly,
Natasha & Jim
What a week it’s been. We’ve been celebrating awesome books, with three very different bookish events.
First up was Rob Lloyd Jones, with Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake.
When Jake’s parents vanish, Jake and his sister team up with shady tomb robbers to find them in the Egyptian desert in this riveting page-turning adventure. The Atlas family is in trouble: Jake hides an addiction to stealing; his twin sister, Pan, has to conceal her genius, for fear of bullies. The siblings can’t stop fighting – with each other and with their parents, stuffy professors of Ancient History. But Jake’s and Pan’s lives take a dramatic turn the day they discover the truth about their boring mum and dad. When the family go to Cairo on holiday, and Jake and Pan’s parents mysteriously vanish, it’s up to the twins to find them. They team up with shady tomb robbers, master high-tech gadgets and locate a lost tomb in this story of a family that finds itself in the deserts of Egypt.
Rob visited St Bede’s Primary School and Larchwood Primary School, sharing his life story with the children. We found out a lot about Ancient Egypt, as well as the process that authors go through, from first darft to final, finished copy.
Thursday night was Harry Potter Book Night, so we stayed open a little later for magical quiz. The shop was filled with enthusiastic witches and wizards, all keen to share their expertise in the ways of Harry Potter. The teams began with a tuneless rendition of the Hogwarts song, before answering some pretty tough questions. Congratulations to Team Fantastic Beasts (who can be seen below in the striped tights), for beating the opposition.
And then there was this month’s Book Club. Our pick for January was Lisa Thompson’s The Goldfish Boy – we were delighted that this was the chosen title, as it’s a firm favourite at Chicken and Frog.
Twelve-year-old Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by OCD, spending most of his time staring out of his window as his neighbours of Chestnut Close go about their business.
That is, until the day he is the last person to see his next door neighbour’s grandson, Teddy, before he goes missing.
Now Matthew must turn detective and unravel the mystery of Teddy’s disappearance – with a little help from a surprising and brilliant cast of supporting characters.
To make the Book Club even more fantastic, Lisa (and her publicist from Scholastic, Lorraine Keating) joined us for Book Club, answering questions thrown at them by the children. Lisa even stayed around after Book Club, to sign books of keen readers, who dropped in to meet her.*
What a wonderful week!
Now we’re just crosiing our fingers, hoping that Lisa can be added to this year’s schedule for the Brentwood Children’s Literary Festival.
*We have two signed copies left!
This is a super quick post to thank everyone who gifted a book for our #giveabook campaign this year. We have been truly overwhelmed by people’s generosity and know that all of the children will be so excited to have a book on Christmas Day.
Here’s a snap of most of the books:
Until next year!
I’d like to share something with you which happened to me today. Before I begin, I want to say that this is not a moan; it’s just a reflection on the realities of what it is like to be a ‘bricks and mortar’ retailer.
A lovely customer came in, looking for Christmas presents. Two titles had already been decided upon, and the third was chosen following my recommendations. One of the titles was David Walliams’ The Midnight Gang. We sell it for the RRP of £12.99. Amazon (…) currently sell it for £5 – we can’t even buy it for close to that!
Oh dear, says the very sweet customer, explaining that Amazon sell it at a far cheaper price. I nodded and agreed that yes, indeed they do. But, we pay our fair share of taxes, as well as our workers a reasonable wage…and we recommend books for individual tastes.
Nevertheless, she was about to buy the other two books, leaving The Midnight Gang to an internet purchase. I then stamped up her loyalty card, which made it full, cheekily suggesting that the David Walliams’ book would now be discounted, so she purchased it! 1-0 to Chicken and Frog, on this occasion at least.
Whilst I understand that discounted prices appeal, surely customer service and care, knowledge and a diverse High Street are far more appealing? Am I the only person on the planet that doesn’t possess an Amazon account?
It’s just something to think about. If we truly want communities, then we need to support local businesses. And if buying online is a must, surely supporting companies who have questionable ethics is not the way to go.
A few months ago the Book Club chose Robyn Silver: The Midnight Chimes, to read and report back on. Paula Harrison’s book proved a real hit, so we were very excited when Paula kindly offered to visit us.
And we weren’t disappointed by our afternoon of monster creating. From the ‘snigamog/pigadoodle’ to the ‘trifedog’, ideas were flowing! Paula was absolutely brilliant, helping the children to develop their ideas with a series of great questions, such as ‘What does its belly button do?’ or ‘What is it scared of?’
She was also happy to answer questions from the floor. We are jolly pleased to report that a sequel is on its way, as well as a re-boot of The Rescue Princesses series. Paula is certainly a very talented and prolific author.
Here are a few snaps from this afternoon:
Hello all! In the past I have blogged about the various things that happen to us in any given week or two, but it’s been a while since I’ve done so, and the last week has been bonkers (as ‘all the best people are’).
Ready? Here we go. In the past week, we have hosted a grotto for the Brentwood Lighting Up; been interviewed on BBC Essex with Tony Fisher; had two lovely reps visiting us; launched #giveabook; welcomed the Children’s First Fostering Agency in; been the location for a book trailer with Rebecca Elliott and Curious Fox; launched the annual Santa Hunt; sold a fair few books; taught approximately 70 children; taken Ian Whybrow to a primary school; organised school visits for 2016 and 2017; arranged a very exciting Book Club visitor for 2017 and read a brilliant proof copy of Who Let the Gods Out?
All of that, and the week isn’t over yet! Today we have Handwriting Club, Book Club and Creative Writing Club, plus more book-selling. I need a cup of tea and a slice of cake…again.
At this time of year, we often forget that many don’t have much to celebrate. We are working with CFFAFostering (Children First Fostering Agency) to bring books to children in care.
If you’d like to get involved, pop in, call 01277 230068 or email info@chickenandfrog.co.uk
Alternatively, if you live a little too far away or just can’t make it in, you can still take part. All you need to do is select an age bracket of 3-5, 6-8, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 16+, boy or girl and what you’d like to gift. You can choose a title yourself and we’ll get it in, or give us a budget and we’ll choose for you. Then just PayPal to sales@chickenandfrog.co.uk
Apologies for the tardiness of this blog post; I am full of cold. Yuck! I am currently snuggled under a fluffy coat, tippety tapping away at the keyboard. I’m so brave.
Anyway, enough self-pity, *cough*, *sneeze*. Send hot chocolate, quick…
A few weeks ago we were contacted by a friend, who asked us to take a look at his sister’s book. We were nervous. What if we didn’t like it? How do you tell someone who you know that their sister’s book isn’t right for your shop? Thankfully, we didn’t need to have the awkward conversation, because Lizi Jackson‘s debut book, I Don’t Like Cheese, is an absolute joy.
I Don’t Like Cheese is a story about accepting differences in both ourselves and others, and discovering the happiness that comes from enjoying our differences, rather than being ashamed of them. Matty the Mouse has been keeping a sad secret…he is different from the rest of his family. No matter how hard he tries to be the same as his Mum and Dad he just doesn’t seem to fit in. Will Matty realise that being different is what makes him so special?
Ryan Fairbanks’ illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this endearing tale. Matty himself is by far the cutest mouse I have ever seen! Also, each spread separates the text from the illustrations, making the book far easier to access for dyslexic readers.
On Saturday 19th November, we hosted a jam-packed launch party for Lizi. There was cheese, stickers, colouring sheets and several readings from Lizi – the shop was full to the brim, with visitors filling every nook and cranny for two hours of celebration.
We can’t wait for the next instalment.
Signed copies are available in-store (RRP £6.99)
Chicken and Frog Bookshop 
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