Not Pop Pop by Angela De Groot & Illustrated by MacKenzie Haley - #bookreview

Yay! It's library day.

The doors SWISH open.

I slide my old books down the chute.

The Blurb

In this sweet and tender picture book, a trip to the library turns into an adventure in kindness and a reminder that people experiencing homelessness deserve compassion and respect--just like every human.

During a visit to the library, Brian is sure he sees his Pop-Pop around the corner--same eyes, same beard, same bushy eyebrows.

Nope, that's not Pop-Pop!

This man brushes his teeth in the restroom and his sneakers are patched with duct tape. Some people make frowny faces and even call him mean words, but Not Pop-Pop loves books, puzzles, and turtles, just like Brian.

He may not be Brian's pop-pop, but could he be someone's?

Not Pop-Pop also includes a kid-friendly resource for adults to begin conversations about homelessness, empathy, and ways that anyone can make a big difference in the life of a person in need.

My Review

Not Pop Pop is a touching story and is perfect for sharing with children. 

The story begins with a young boy, Brian, and his mum entering the library to exchange his books. When he thinks he spots his own Pop Pop he becomes very excited but soon realises that it is not his Pop Pop. Instead, he finds a man who is shabbily dressed, who brushes his teeth in the sink in the library toilets and who seems to be living in his car. 

This realisation leads to his mum explaining to him about homelessness. Whilst, other library users are disapproving and even call Pop Pop unwelcome names, his mum is able to teach him about compassion and understanding of those less fortunate than ourselves.

The colourful illustrations by MacKenzie Healey support the text perfectly and will catch the eye of young readers. 

Additionally, at the back of the book are sections about homelessness intended for both children and their parents/carers.  Headed as Understanding Homelessness, How we can Help and For Parents, Caregivers and Teachers, there is something for everyone in this lovely picture book.

November is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month in the US and an ideal time to share this book with little ones. In the UK we mark World Homeless Day on the 10th October. That said, this would be a marvellous book to share with children at any time and to introduce this important issue.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 0593578926

Publisher:  Waterbrook Press

Formats:  e-book and hardback

No. of Pages: 40 (hardback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Angela De Groot was born in England, grew up in South Africa, and now lives in New Jersey with her family. 

Angela’s debut picture book, NOT POP-POP (PRH/Waterbrook) is a 2025 Moon Beam Gold Medal Winner for Compassion and a 2025 Anna Dewdney Read-Together Award finalist. Angela hopes that her writing inspires curiosity and compassion while creating worlds that readers can find and lose themselves in. 

A lifelong lover of reading and writing, Angela teaches ESL and Basic Literacy at her local library. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her in the garden talking to the birds. 

Author Website

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(book and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Christmas at the Cabin by Rebecca Boxall - #bookreview #blogtour

 

There are worse places to be homeless than St Helier. Jersey is one of the smartest places in Britain, after all, and the people are generally very nice. They don't like to look at me - I'm a blot on the beautiful landscape - but they're generous when they see me busking, tossing their coins past my dog, Lola, into my open guitar case.

The weather here isn't too extreme - rarely too hot or too cold, though you'd be surprised how bitter it can feel when you're trying to sleep in a bleak multi-storey in the thick of winter. And there are charities, soup kitchens, shelters, hotstels - even some vicar who seems to have made it his mission to befriend me...

***

A festive, coming-of-age tale about an Oxbridge candidate and a young homeless man who find themselves in the bittersweet predicament of falling in love with exactly the right person at exactly the wrong time. 

Well-to-do Jed never imagined he’d end up homeless, but family circumstances have made it his only option. Local vicar, Ben, tries to help him but there’s an element of self-punishment to the homelessness that makes Jed continue to put up with his situation – until disaster leads him to re-consider the vicar’s offer of a place to stay. 

Hattie is on the cusp of adulthood, frantically trying to persuade her mum that she doesn’t want to attend an elite university, preferring the idea of pursuing her love of art and textiles. When she meets Jed, she badly wants to understand his circumstances and why, when she has everything at her fingertips, he doesn’t. 

Hattie’s mum, Christine, has had a hard life and is desperate for more for her only child. When she meets Ben, the vicar who’s trying to help Jed, she finds an unlikely ally, and the two heartbroken souls find themselves drawn to each other. Until they find their relationship suddenly tested to the limit. 

One thing’s for certain: none of these characters is looking forward to Christmas. It’s the worst time of year for each of them, for different reasons. But perhaps this year, the festive season could defy all expectations.

***

This is a lovely story which begins with the plight of a homeless man. However, if that makes you think that the plot will be a little depressing I urge you not to as this is one of the most uplifting books I have read in a while.

It is the story of four people and how their lives interact. Jed is the homeless man I referred to previously, Ben is the local vicar, Hattie is studying for her A levels and Christine is her mum. Christmas is fast approaching (for them and us) and none of them are looking forward to the festive season. Each of them had a complex background which had led them not to trust others.

I was completely gripped by this book and enjoyed reading every word. It has been well written in an engaging style. Ms Boxall brings her story and characters to life on the page which made me want to get back to this book on every occasion. 

Throw in a dog, Lola, to the story and you have the perfect festive read. I have not read anything by this author before and she seems to specialise in novels set at Christmas. I would love to fit another one in before the festivities but I may be being a little optimistic timewise. Never mind, there is always next year!

Formats:  e-book - currently available on Kindle Unlimited

About the Author:

Rebecca Boxall was born in East Sussex in 1977 and grew up in a bustling vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her family and Rodney the cat. 

She read English at the University of Warwick before she trained as a lawyer and more recently worked at a psychiatric unit.

She is the No. 1 bestselling author of Christmas at the Vicarage and Christmas on the Coast as well as the bestselling writer of Home for Winter, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse, in respect of which she was nominated for the Romantic Novel Awards in 2020. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day. 

(e-book and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

10 Year Blogversary - My Favourite Book from 2020 - The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - #BookReview

 

"There are two versions of the events of 1888. One is very well known; the other is not. The first one is the one printed in most history books......... Then there is the other version..... which most choose to forget."

***

Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers.

What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888.

Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become more famous than any of these women.

In this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally gives these women back their stories.

***

Continuing with my ten year blog anniversary celebrations, here is another of my favourites of the decade. Today I am publishing my favourite read from 2020 and it was originally posted on 27th May of that year.  This nonfiction title made a huge impact on me has stayed with me ever since.

I originally read this during the pandemic and my review reflects that. I have updated the review a little so there is more information about the book and the author but essentially the review is as it appeared that day.

I have a library copy of this book which I had borrowed before all the libraries were closed. However, half way through this book I knew I would want a copy of my own so bought one online. It is a fantastic book and one that I know I shall return to.

I suppose it resonates with me as my own ancestors were in the same area at the time of the murders. Flower and Dean Street is well known for it's Victorian doss houses and the 1881 census places my own great-great grandparents as being resident in Flower and Dean Street at the time the census was taken. It is a strange thought that they were rubbing shoulders with the Ripper victims and possibly even the Ripper himself.

The author has clearly done extensive research in preparation for writing this book and it contains a bibliography that runs to twenty-one pages. She has taken all of these resources and written an accessible and engaging book.

At no point does she deal with the brutality with which these women lost their lives. Instead, she focuses on the women who were murdered; their childhoods, adolescence and  adult lives which were cut tragically short. She challenges the belief that they were 'merely prostitutes,' as was contemporaneously believed and reported and presents us five women who were trying to live and survive during difficult times and in straightened circumstances.

Ms. Rubenhold has humanised and given these women a voice. Certainly, they were women who were down on their luck, homeless and alcoholic but with the exception of two of them there is no evidence to suggest that they were sex workers.

I wholeheartedly applaud the author for this book. She presents us with five women who were not merely victims of the Ripper but were victims of the time in which they lived. They were victims of their gender, time and world into which they were born - a time in which women did not have a voice. Well done Ms. Rubenhold for giving us the means by which we can see these women for who they really were and not merely as the Ripper's victims. I highly recommend this book.

ISBN: 978 1784162344

Publisher: Black Swan

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  432 (paperback)

About the Author:

Hallie Rubenhold is a bestselling author, social historian, broadcaster and historical consultant for TV and film.

She published The Five; The Untold Lives of The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper in 2019 and was the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction. It is the first full length biography of the Ripper’s victims. 

In 2005, Hallie published The Covent Garden Ladies, and was the subject of three television programmes, including the hit drama series, Harlots (ITV Encore, Amazon and Hulu). In 2006, BBC4 broadcast The Harlots Handbook, a documentary based on Hallie’s book which she presented.

Her equally celebrated second book, Lady Worsley’s Whim (entitled The Lady in Red in the US) about the 18th century’s most infamous adultery trial became BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week in November 2008. In August 2015, it appeared as a 90 minute drama for BBC2 entitled The Scandalous Lady W, starring Natalie Dormer and Shaun Evans.

Hallie is also the author of a series of novels set during the period of the French Revolution. The first of these, Mistress of My Fate was published in 2011 (2013 in the US). The second, The French Lesson was published in the UK in April, 2016.

In addition to writing books, articles and reviews, Hallie regularly appears on TV as an expert contributor to documentaries. 

Hallie has a passion for telling a great historical tale and has a nose for unearthing previously unknown stories from little-known sources. She loves challenging our preconceived notions about our ancestors lives and revels in history’s surprising, unpleasant and gritty truths. Her extensive academic experience extends to research, teaching, lecturing and curatorial work. In the past she has been employed as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery, a university lecturer and a commercial art dealer. In 2014 she curated an exhibition on women’s reputations in the Georgian era for No.1 Royal Crescent in Bath and has been involved with several projects at the Foundling Museum in London.

Hallie received her B.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an M.A. in British History and History of Art from the University of Leeds. Remaining at Leeds, she embarked on her studies for a PhD and later completed her thesis on the subject of marriage and child-rearing in the eighteenth century.

She lives with her husband in London.

(author media courtesy of her website https://www.hallierubenhold.com/ / Sarah Blackie)

(all opinions are my own)

Norah's Ark by Victoria Williamson - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

I must be the only girl in the world who doesn't have a mum.

I don't mean like Maya Turner from my old school whose mum lives in another town cos her parents are divorced. And I don't mean like Chelsea Mackay at my new school either who says her mum's got a super-important job in New York, and that's why Chelsea lives in a foster home here in Hull. I mean I never had one to begin with. Dad says I was grown in a test tube in some space-age science lab just like in that film we saw years ago, but I don't know if I believe him or not.

Dad doesn't always tell the truth...

***

Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough with her dad and a mini zoo of rescued wildlife to care for. Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a private tutor and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect-far from it. He’s stuck at home recovering from cancer with an overprotective mum and no friends.

When a nest of baby birds brings them together as an animal rescue team, Adam and Norah discover they’re not so different after all. Can they solve the mystery of Norah’s missing mother together? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood?

***

This is a wonderfully wholesome book aimed at children from about ten years plus. However, reading this as an adult, I enjoyed every word.

The two main characters, Norah and Adam, are both delightful in their own way. They each have their individual challenges and come from very different socio economic backgrounds but they come together through their shared love of animals and their loneliness. They both live in sad and difficult situations, and I would have liked to given them both a hug.

The book deals with some difficult themes; homelessness, childhood cancer, poverty and climate change to name just a few. The author treats each of these issues with sensitivity and never talks down to her readers in putting her message across. Instead, through empathy she allows the reader to familiarise themselves with these topics whilst encouraging a mindful and caring attitude in considering the difficulties that the two children encounter.

There is so much to admire in this book and it will appeal to boys and girls equally. It is well written, accurately paced and heartfelt. There is also an element of adventure thrown in which will increase it's appeal amongst young readers. It would make a great book for independent reading, but it would work equally well being shared as there are many points for discussion within the narrative.

I highly recommend this book. Also, the author is donating 20% of her royalties for this novel to the Shelter charity. If you would like to know more about this charity please click on the link here.

Also, if you would like to read my review of Ms. Williamson's book, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, you can do so by clicking here.

ISBN: 978 1911107996

Publisher:  Neem Tree Press

Formats:  audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  304 (paperback)

Purchase Link*

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award=winning children's author and primary school teacher from Scotland. She previously volunterred as a reading tutor with The Book Bus charity in Zambia and is now a Patron of Reading with CharChar Literacy to promote early years phonice teaching in Malawi. Victoria is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see themselves reflected.

Purchase Link*

(Book and all author info. courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

The Five (The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper) by Hallie Rubenhold - #BookReview

"There are two versions of the events of 1888. One is very well known; the other is not. The first one is the one printed in most history books......... Then there is the other version..... which most choose to forget."

Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers.

What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888.

Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become more famous than any of these women.

In this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally gives these women back their stories.

***

I have a library copy of this book which I had borrowed before all the libraries were closed. However, half way through this book I knew I would want a copy of my own so bought one online. It is a fantastic book and one that I know I shall return to.

I suppose it resonates with me as my own ancestors were in the same area at the time of the murders. Flower and Dean Street is well known for it's Victorian doss houses and the 1881 census places my own great-great grandparents as being resident in Flower and Dean Street at the time the census was taken. It is a strange thought that they were rubbing shoulders with the Ripper victims and possibly even the Ripper himself.

The author has clearly done extensive research in preparation for writing this book and it contains a bibliography that runs to twenty-one pages. She has taken all of these resources and written an accessible and engaging book.

At no point does she deal with the brutality with which these women lost their lives. Instead, she focuses on the women who were murdered; their childhoods, adolescence and  adult lives which were cut tragically short. She challenges the belief that they were 'merely prostitutes,' as was contemporaneously believed and reported and presents us five women who were trying to live and survive during difficult times and in straightened circumstances.

Ms. Rubenhold has humanised and given these women a voice. Certainly, they were women who were down on their luck, homeless and alcoholic but with the exception of two of them there is no evidence to suggest that they were sex workers.

I wholeheartedly applaud the author for this book. She presents us with five women who were not merely victims of the Ripper but were victims of the time in which they lived. They were victims of their gender, time and world into which they were born - a time in which women did not have a voice. Well done Ms. Rubenhold for giving us the means by which we can see these women for who they really were and not merely as the Ripper's victims. I highly recommend this book.

ISBN: 978 1784162344

Publisher: Black Swan

About the Author:

Hallie Rubenhold is a best-selling author, social historian, broadcaster and historical consultant for film and television. She is the author of two novels, Mistress of My Fate and The French Lesson. 

She has also written non-fiction titles The Lady in Red, The Covent Garden Ladies, The Scandalous Lady W and Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies.

She lives in London with her husband.