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Book Review: Tom Gates, By L. Pichon

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (Read it and go ha ha ha :-) )
Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff)
Everything's Amazing (sort of)
Genius Ideas (Mostly)
Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic (at some things)


So, this is my first attempt at a book review.  I will admit now that I haven’t actually read all of these, so this is taken from my 8 year olds opinions and the pieces I have read / have had read to me.

The most recent addition to the series “Absolutely Fantastic” was given to my son for his 8^th Birthday and since then, he hasn’t been able to put them down.  He enjoyed it so much he spent a chunk of his Birthday money buying a box set of 4 more.

This series of books, which are aimed at children 9 + years are written in a journal style by a young boy named Tom Gates.  He writes about his home and school life and includes his laugh out loud thoughts, excuses and antics with Derek, his best friend and neighbor, Marcus Meldrew, the most annoying boy at school, Amy Porter, who he sits next to at school and it always trying to impress, his form tutor, Mr Fullerman, his big sister Delia and his interactions with his parents. 

The characters are very funny and my son can relate to them well.  He often talks about them in general conversation and tells me if he thinks something is sad or funny.

The pages are full of brilliant pictures and word art (drawn by Tom) to accompany his narratives, which makes these books even more fun and very easy to read.  It holds my sons attention well and I know when he’s reading them because he laughs out loud all the way through.  He will even come and find me to read me excerpts that he finds exceptionally brilliant.  I have often found myself picking the books up once my sons gone to bed and flicking through, and it appeals to my sense of humour too, especially the parts about the parents, which I can relate too well.  For example, here is one small conversation between Tom and Derek that made me smile.   “Derek warns me …. if my dad ever says to you “have to heard of this band, Tom?”  Say YES”  “What happens if I say no?” I ask.  “You’ll be forced to listen to crackly old records FOR EVER”. 

I think they are good fun and pretty much sums up all aspects of family, home and school life through the eyes of a child.  I love these books and it gives me great pleasure in seeing my son reading and enjoying them. 

I totally recommend any young readers to read these books.  Also, in my opinion this is a great series to encourage children who aren’t usually a fan of reading to show an interest.  Any child who likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid will LOVE these too!

There is one more we need to get to complete the set; Best Book Day Ever! (so far) (World Book Day Edition 2013) which I have ordered today and we are really looking forward to the next installment too “Extra Special Treat (not)” which we have already pre-ordered from Amazon.

Information and Synopsis taken from Amazon

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (Read it and go ha ha ha J )

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (4 April 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407120697
ISBN-13: 978-1407120690
Synopsis When my teacher, Mr Fullerman, doesn’t have his BEADY EYES on me, I like to draw pictures and write stories about stuff – like when we had the worst holiday ever (camping sucks), and when my parents came to school for parents’ evening (groan), and about how Marcus Meldrew is the most annoying boy in the world and how I don’t want to sit next to him in class. All I want to do is get tickets to see the best band ever, DUDE3, when they come to town. It’s not easy when I’m up against Delia, my weirdo big sister, and all my plans seem to get me into MAJOR TROUBLE.

 
Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (1 Sep 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407124404
ISBN-13: 978-1407124407
Synopsis  No school for two whole weeks leaves Tom with heaps of time for the important things in life. Yeah! He can forget all about lessons and the irritating Marcus Meldrew, and save his energy for good stuff! Stuff like: inventing new ways to annoy his sister Delia. (So many). Band practice for the Dogzombies – rock stars in the making! Watching TV and eating caramel wafers; eating caramel wafers and watching TV. Excellent! But clouds are gathering on the horizon in the form of Tom’s weirdo big sister Delia. And when trouble collides with his brilliant plans, he’ll need all his excellent excuses...


Everything's Amazing (sort of)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (1 Mar 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407124412
ISBN-13: 978-1407124414
Synopsis Back to school, but it's not all bad. Sports Day, the school fair and Tom's birthday are all coming up. And even better, his awful big sister Delia won't be at any of those events! On the downside, Granny Mavis is threatening to make his birthday cake - uh oh! But on the other hand, Mr Keen has asked Dogzombies to perform in front of the whole school! YEAH! Maybe they can even play at the school disco too. How can the term turn out any less than seriously amazing?

Follow Tom on his third set of cheeky and doodle-tastic adventures in this Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning series!

Genius Ideas (Mostly)
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (6 Sep 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407134507
ISBN-13: 978-1407134505
Synopsis  Seeing Delia without her sunglasses on is a BIG shock for Tom, but that's nothing compared with the surprise that Dad has in store with his new-found fitness regime! He says he's going to compete at the school Sports Day. Can you even imagine the horrendous shame that will bring? Meanwhile Tom, Derek and Norman are also busy with a training regime of their own - practising with Dogzombies to make sure they're ready for the school talent show. The highs and lows of Tom's life are funnier and more extreme than ever in this fourth wicked diary from the Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning series!


Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic (at some things)
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (4 April 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407134515
ISBN-13: 978-1407134512
Synopsis:  This takes the form of Tom's battered homework diary - crammed with his doodles and stories. "Exciting News! Mr Fullerman announces that class 5F are going on an 'Activity Break'! Which should be fun. As long as I don't get stuck in a group with anyone who snores or worse still with . . . . . . Marcus Meldrew. Delia is already threatening to paint my room funny colours while I'm away. Which is annoying. I just hope the only surprise I have when I get home is the new pet that I hear Mum and Dad talking about. Because I've always wanted a pet!"

Gooey Chocolate Rice Crispy Cakes

 

I was having a clear out of my kitchen cupboards and I came across some Chocolate Rice Snap cereals that my son didn't like, some small marshmallows that needed using up and some white cooking chocolate.  So I decided it was about time I baked our old childhood favourites, but with a bit of a re-vamp. 

I wish I could say that Adam helped, but actually I made them very quickly while he was at his Gym session so that they were ready to eat when he came home.
 

INGREDIENTS

ü  Bar of White Cooking Chocolate (Milk or Plain is just as good)

ü  1oz Butter

ü  3 tablespoons Golden Syrup

ü  Left over Chocolate Rice Snaps (Cornflakes or similar will also work)

ü  Cake Cases

ü  Sweets (for decoration).  I was going to use M&M’s but the Aero Bubbles were on offer, so I got those instead - 1 Pack Orange, 1 Pack of Mint. 

1)     Break the chocolate into a microwavable bowl with the golden syrup and butter.

 

2)     Heat on a low setting for 15 seconds at a time until the chocolate and butter just start to melt. 

 

3)     Bring the bowl out of the microwave and stir.  The heat of the melted chocolate and butter will continue to melt the chocolate, until it is smooth.  (If you continue to heat once the chocolate starts to melt you are in danger of burning it).

4)     Stir in the left over cereals and marshmallows, enough so they are all coated with no chocolate mix left in the bottom of the bowl. 

 

5)     Spoon into cake cases. 

 

6)     While the mixture is still warm, add your sweets of choice. 

 

7)     Put into the fridge for at least half an hour to cool (or on the side for about an hour)  

 

 

 

Adam loved these and even asked "How did you get them sooooo Gooey"  As you can see, they were a real hit - and because we used the Aero Bubbles, they also looked pretty good for grown-ups too.

"I don't want to go anymore..... It's boring"

This is the line that I got from my 8 year son today, three weeks into starting his first ever out of school club. 

Money has always been a little tight for me, having been a single “stay at home” mum for the past 4 years and I have always felt a little guilty for not being able to afford to take him to out of school activities.  But things are on the up and I am now living with a new partner as well working a part time job.  So, I thought now would be a good time to step up and do all the things most other families are doing.  So, we picked Gymnastics as it is just round the corner from our house and was recommended to us by a friend whose son and daughter both attend, and they love it. 

I took him along to his FREE taster session, and he loved it.  We had originally agreed that he would just go once a fortnight (as he spends some days in the week with his Dad), but after his first session he loved it so much he wanted me to let him go every week.  So, we made the commitment to join and I paid the monthly subscription fee.    We even got him some new Gym gear, which he wanted to “save just for the Gym” and he went along the second week, all kitted out in his branded Tracksuit bottoms and T-shirt (purchased from ebay of course) and he loved it.

 

I am not sure what was different this week, unless of course it had something to do with his delivery of his new Horrid Henry and Tom Gates Books and the three new Skylanders that he brought with his birthday money, but he informed me tonight that he didn’t want to go anymore because it’s boring”!!!! 

Now usually there is no way I would let him get away with that... but I had a migraine all day and really wasn’t feeling up to driving anywhere, so on this occasion I caved and let him stay home.

But - I really think he needs this.  He is 8 years old and has no brothers or sisters, or cousins or any close friends outside of school.  Hardly any of my friends have children and although according to his teacher, he is really popular at school and has lots of friends; outside of school it is completely different.  He has no one.  We have also just moved out of school catchment too, but even when we lived close, he rarely had friends over for tea either.   He has always been a loner and appears to be happy that way. 

I never really had the opportunity to go to many clubs as a child and we never had friends over for tea either.  Both my brother and I had our birthdays in the summer holidays too, so we never even got Birthday parties and we both turned out ok. 

So, what should I do?   Should I insist he carries on, as I believe it will be good for his social skills and also teach him about commitment, as well as give him somewhere to let off steam and use up all that energy, or do I give in and not waste my money (which I can only just spare) on something he says is boring?  It would be very easy to just give in and give myself an easy life as well as saving a little bit of money along the way, but then I know I should make him stick it out at least for a few more weeks!!

What would you do?  Do your children attend out of school activities and if they do, what do they do and was it their choice or yours?  And what if they decide they want to give it up?

 

I'd love you to leave a comment and tell me your opinion.
You can follow me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/MySnakesAndLadders

The Wall

You are walking along fine with everyone else and the sun is shining and all is going ok and then you walk SLAM into a brick wall. And it hurts – really hurts. It hurts your head and your chest where your heart is and your stomach. And it shocks you as only slamming into a brick wall can. Stops you dead in your tracks. And you stand there thinking “How did I not see that coming? What the hell happened? How could someone just do that to me?” And you look around and everyone else seems to be walking round the wall. They are carrying on like nothing happened and the sun is still shining for them. They don’t even see the wall. They don’t even know it’s there. And you realise you didn’t know it was there until you hit it – you didn’t even know there was a brick wall you could hit – not now, not at this stage. And slowly you pull yourself together. The pain in your stomach goes away but your heart still hurts and your mind is racing with questions about this brick wall – how, what, where, why?? Mostly, why? Why on earth would someone make you walk into this wall – why did they have to put it in front of you and no-one else? And you can walk again now the pain in your stomach and maybe your legs has subsided.

So you slowly make your way round the wall and to the other side. But it doesn’t look the same on the other side. It’s greyer and emptier. And you know you’ve left something behind –something very precious and you want it back. So you turn round and there is the brick wall behind you and it seems to hit you with the same force again when you realise you can’t go back. Its blocking your path and it will always be there. You pummel your fists on it and cry and shout at it but it’s unbreakable and absolute. It won’t let you get your precious bundle back – that has to stay on the other side and you must carry on without it. You can’t go back to the path you were on before you hit the brick wall – it’s impossible.

So all you can do is go forward and walk on from it. But its hard-going and your legs don’t seem to want to walk away from it. You know when you look over your shoulder it will always be there. It may fade a bit from view but if you look closely you will always be able to see it – even in the distance. And you look around you again and see all the people who never hit the brick wall carrying on too. You tell some of them about the brick wall and they sympathise – it must have hurt they say. You are looking well despite hitting this brick wall – you have no cuts or bruises on the outside because those heal. So you must be doing ok then now they say? But my wounds are on the inside you feel like screaming. How can you not know about this brick wall – why couldn’t you walk into it instead of me? And then you feel bad – you know you wouldn’t really want anyone else to walk into that wall. Some people are ok – maybe they have seen the wall themselves in the past or come close to it - maybe they are really good friends and family who close their eyes and do try to imagine walking into the wall. They are the ones who help you keep walking away from it.
 

People tell you that you’ll never hit this brick wall again – it only appears once in your life. And you want to believe them even though you can’t be sure. Up ahead it looks like maybe your path does cross back into the sunshine again – the same sunshine that everyone else is basking in. And you can just maybe make out another bundle waiting for you to pick up and carry with you for the rest of your life. And maybe if you are strong and keep moving forward then you’ll reach it one day. But it’s not the same bundle as before – it can’t be. That one is behind the wall. The wall that’s always there if you look over your shoulder. And written on it in forever more is the message in letters a mile high, that only you can see – My darling baby. RIP

 

I read this on a forum shortly after I hit my first WALL...... and I was amazed at how well this was written and how brilliantly it explains the pain and despair of losing a baby through miscarriage. And how I wish that last paragraph were true, that you will never hit the wall again.... For me, so far, I have hit THE WALL three times last year. And each time it just gets more confusing.

I was hoping that the next time I added a new entry on here I would have some positive news, but just weeks away from my 40th Birthday we still haven't conceived our take home baby.

Some other things have changed for the better though, my OH and I are now living together with my son, who is now 8. We still have the Cat and also some Guinea Pigs too. Our relationship has grown stronger each day and we are very very happy..... After 9 months off unsuccessfully trying to conceive, I have come to the conclusion that it is highly unlikely that I will ever carry another child to term and I have to accept that my DS will be an only child. I have been seeing a Recurrent Miscarriage Consultant at our local hospital too, but so far have had no answers as to why I lost our babies. Despite this, most days I am walking in sunshine like everyone else - trying very hard not to look back at the wall because that still hurts like hell whenever I allow myself to think about it, but I have a fantastic job which I love and I adore my oh and ds and I am very thankful for them. My Job could not have come at a better time, In fact I was officially offered the job on the same day that I was having my third miscarriage, and to be honest I believe that my new job saved me because it gave me something else to think about. Miscarriage and trying to conceive after a miscarriage can consume you if you are not careful.

I will add my story in full at some point - and it's probably not for the faint hearted, but if I can offer help and support to anyone who needs it by sharing my story, then it will be worth it.

Time to get started

Hi and welcome to my blog.  Please bear with me as I am new to this and have no idea what I am doing.

I have decided to start a blog as some my friends have them and I always enjoy reading them.  I met a couple of them on a Baby Forum site and I already upload my "snakes and ladders journals" on there, but I wanted this blog to be about much more than just my family making journey - although at this precises moment in time, i'm not really sure what I want it to be about.  I am hoping all that will come later.  But for now, I will start with uploading my previous BC journals, so if you're interested, you can read my Snakes and Ladders journey of making my family complete, which is far from being over.  But, I am trying to be positive and I thought this would be a great way to start.

Here's a little bit about me.  My name is Wendy, i'm in my late 30's and I'm Mum to my georgous son who has just turned 7.  We live in a little house in Milton Keynes with our old pet cat, (who is 13).  The man in my life is Tony, (who's in his 40's) and he lives in another little house in Milton Keynes.  To some, we have a complicated relationship; we met, we lived together, and now we live apart, but we are happy and doing ok.  And who knows what the future will bring.

Life had been hard for the last year or so, especially the last 6 months, hence the name of my blog - My Snakes and Ladders.  I call it that, because my emotional journey has been like a game of snakes and ladders.... Each day I am slowly making my way, one step at a time....  And sometimes I find myself steaming ahead and up a ladder I go... But then there's those snakes day when I can find myself right back to the begining again...  or one step forward, then 10 steps back... I am sure you know what I mean. 

I have a fantstic son and although I am not done with trying to give him a brother or sister just yet, I want something else to focus on, so I am hoping this blog will do that and that I get to meet some lovely Mums who can get me back on the right path and put my attention back on to living life to the full !!!

Well, that's about it for now - thanks for taking the time to read this, although I still haven't worked out how I get this blog "out there" for people to read, but I am sure it will all make sense soon.

Hope to see you again