Rooftoppers: 10th Anniversary Edition

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And the setting? Let’s just say I want to go to Paris again…. now please. I adore Paris and it will always have a special place in my heart so it was so refreshing to read a story set there that wasn’t immediately bogged down by all the clichés that seem to latch themselves onto it. It was lovely to read about the city from a different perspective… one slightly higher than the others, shall we say? This is also a bit of historical fiction that takes place in England and Paris, which makes it stand out from other middle grade books. It's true that this is a children's book, but I think readers of all ages will be able to enjoy it. The setting is in England and France and the descriptions of the cities are gorgeous—French pastry shops, parks, bridges, and streets. An inspirational topic to inspire KS2 children to follow their dreams. A fabulous new children's classic by Katherine Rundell. sophie is our young heroine, charles the man who took her in as a baby when she was found in the water after the capsizing of a boat, and miss eliot the social worker who disapproves of the whole situation. here:

This would be a beautiful gift for a mother to give to her young daughter, but it goes deeper and is so much more than that, unwritten, unspoken, unbroken bond. It is about the power of love, in all its many forms, all of them fierce and loyal. After the sinking of the Victorian liner, Queen Mary, a baby girl with "hair the colour of lightning" is found floating in a cello case in the middle of the Channel. Her rescuer, the eccentric scholar Charles Maxim, names her Sophie, takes her home to London and brings her up – in defiance of the National Childcare Agency – to be as eccentric as he is. She wears homemade, brightly coloured trousers, and lives on chips, fish in tins, cheese and, occasionally, whisky. When inspectors from the NCA observe that she looks a little pale, Charles explains that she is "cut from the stuff of the moon".

I do, I’m afraid, understand books far more readily than I understand people. Books are so easy to get along with.” Charles drinks whiskey and offers some to Sophie (she takes a sip but doesn't like it). Sophie mentions previously trying alcohol. karen pretty much nailed it when she said this was "classic-feeling". This whimsical historical tale has something timeless and wonderful about it - like all the best children's classics. The characters are so well-drawn and memorable, and the writing sparkles with a certain bittersweetness. I would rate Rooftoppers 9/10, and would definitely re-read it again and again. I would recommend it to anyone aged 8 and up, though it would easily be understood and enjoyed by all ages. The plot follows the two as they flee the authorities to France to search for Sophie's lost mother. Sophie discovers a secret world on the roofs of Paris where dirty, poor, clever "rooftopper" children run free from the watchful eyes on the streets.

The baby was found wrapped for warmth in the musical score of a Beethoven symphony. It had drifted almost a mile from the ship, and was the last to be rescued. The man who lifted it into the rescue boat was a fellow passenger, and a scholar. It is a scholar’s job to notice things. He noticed that it was a girl, with hair the color of lightning, and the smile of a shy person. Mostly, though, it made me think of A Little Princess, with a very different sense of social justice: no romanticizing of the diamond mines into something out of The Arabian Nights; no meek and grateful poor children, and no patient suffering. Sophie is a wonderful character, the rooftoppers she meets are heartbreaking and yet so strong, and I fell head over heels with Charles. It's whimsical and funny, too, which I don't think of A Little Princess as being, and yet ... that rooftop feast, for hungry Matteo (and Sophie, though hers was a voluntary hunger!), had the same emotional payoff as the one from the earlier book. Let me just talk about my love for the characters. Sophie and Charles were impossible not to grow fond of. When Sophie was a baby Charles found her floating on the English Channel in a cello case and took her in to raise her in his humble, book-filled apartment.After a ship sinks , a baby is found floating in a cello case and is rescued by Charles Maxim , another passenger from the ship. Charles names the baby Sophie and decides to raise her.

Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-04-16 11:00:40 Associated-names Fan, Terry, illustrator Boxid IA40089503 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier I think kids might appreciate the use of language, whereas I found some of it a bit kitschy. There were descriptions and even minor plot elements that chose quirky aesthetic sweetness over actual usefulness. A Chelsea bun that tastes like blue skies? It's a lovely sentence, but I'm no closer to knowing what that bun tastes like. And having a suit where a heart should be? It's been done - in fact, I'm pretty sure Meg Ryan says something very similar in You've Got Mail. But for young readers/writers just learning to wrangle words into a particular voice, this kind of language can be engaging and open up new possibilities.But the more you think about, the less romantic it is. I mean, they’re probably really dirty and well, if you fell you’d pretty much be smushed and don’t even get me started on the pigeons. I can only just deal with the pigeons when I’m walking on solid ground but if I’m balancing on a weathervane and a pigeon flies at me? I do, I'm afraid, understand books far more readily than I understand people. Books are so easy to get along with. People will easily fall in love with Charles. He is not a conventional parent and the child services certainly don't value his habit of letting a little girl wear trousers (god forbid!). He is quirky, weird and more concerned with raising a happy child, than one who fits into society's expectations. Also this: