Only a week until Christmas Eve!!

The final recommendation for this week from NA Libraries Borrow Box is something for seniors and staff. If you love Strictly Come Dancing and Anton Du Beke, why not try his Christmas book?

Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Mr Selfridge, “A Christmas to Remember” by Anton du Beke, this Christmas, you are cordially invited to the wedding of the year in London, 1938!

When fiercely independent chambermaid Nancy Nettleton first moved to London and the Buckingham hotel, the last thing on her mind was finding love, let alone falling for the debonair demonstration dancer Raymond de Guise.

As the festive season approaches, life at the exclusive hotel is busier than ever, with guests arriving from around the world, seeking comfort, relaxation and refuge as tensions build across Europe and it looks like another war is imminent.

Behind the scenes, the staff work tirelessly, ensuring the smooth operation of the hotel, guarding the secrets of their guests – but they have many of their own that they fear will be revealed.

As the band strikes up in the Grand Ballroom to celebrate Nancy and Raymond’s wedding, one thing is certain – this will be a Christmas to remember.

Today’s recommendation from NA Libraries Borrow Box is a touching animal story from Holly Webb – “The Reindeer Girl“.

One Christmas, Lotta is visiting her grandmother in Norway. Soon, she finds herself drawn into a magical adventure, travelling by sledge, herding reindeer from the snowy mountains to the summer pastures. But when a mother reindeer is lost, Lotta must find her before her calf starves.

Did you enjoy “A Boy called Chrsitmas”? Well why not read the sequel “The Girl Who Saved Christmas” by Matt Haig, also available on NA Libraries Borrow Box.

In this book, it is Christmas Eve 1842 and all is not well. Goodwill is decidedly lacking from Victorian London. Father Christmas’s magic powers are fading. And one very special girl has gone missing. Kindness might just win. Magic might just triumph. Christmas might just be saved.

Now for something a bit different! Today’s Borrow Box Christmas recommendation is “The Clockwork Crow” by Catherine Fisher.

The Clockwork Crow is a mysterious gothic Christmas tale set in a frost-bound Victorian country mansion. When orphaned Seren Rees is given a mysterious package by a strange and frightened man on her way to her new home, she reluctantly takes it with her. But what is in the parcel? Who are the Family who must not be spoken of, and can the Crow help Seren find Tom, before the owner of the parcel finds her?

Another week closer to Christmas! Mrs Vaughan is getting excited!

Feeling peckish for a good festive book? Then look no further than “The Mighty Mince Pie Massacre” by Mark Lowry. A very funny read!

It is the month before Christmas, and Roman’s class is preparing for the Christmas fete and the school pantomime. The new teacher at the helm – the awful Mr Le Salle, a flamboyant, theatrical and downright nasty piece of work – is the least of Roman’s worries. He also has to contend with the most rubbish role in the panto (being a box) as well as organising the Santa’s grotto stall at the Christmas fete with loose cannon Darren Gamble. As the panto nears, it seems that everything that could possibly go wrong is about to. It is left to Roman to save the panto and the day.

To end the first week of Christmas recommendations from NA Libraries Borrow Box, why not try the book which is also a film available on Netflix?

“Jingle Jangle” by David Talbot, is a holiday tale set in the snow-covered town of Cobbleton.  Jeronicus Jangle is an eccentric toymaker whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when a betrayal by a former protégé  leaves Jeronicus withdrawn and down on his luck, it’s up to his bright and adventurous granddaughter, Journey,  and a singularly magical invention to save the day and change their lives forever.

Christmas time and panto go together – oh yes they do! So today’s recommendation is “Olivia’s Winter Wonderland” by Lyn Gardner available in NA Libraries Borrow Box.

It’s winter at the Swan Academy, and that means that it’s panto time! But while Olivia practises being the back end of a horse, everyone else is auditioning for a major new movie. Soon the school is full of rivalry and suspicion, nasty tricks and strange mysteries. To lighten the mood, Eel organises a festive ice-skating trip. But, as the skaters twirl and leap among the twinkling lights, Olivia realises that the season of goodwill is anything but…

Have you ever wondered what the stories are behind our best loved Christmas Carols? Then today’s recommendation is for you!

“Why Was the Partridge in the Pear Tree? The History of Christmas Carols” by Rev. Mark Lawson-Jones is available from Borrow Box. It tells the hidden stories behind our best-lived Christmas carols, from their earliest incarnations in the Middle Ages and their banning under the Puritans to the carols that united soldiers on the Western Front during the First World War.

Today’s festive recommendation from Borrow Box is “Oscar’s lonely Christmas” by Holly Webb.

Christmas is on the way! Need some inspiration for a festive read? Then see the blog each school day until we finish for a recommendation from Mrs Vaughan from NA Libraries Borrow Box eBooks and audio books service.

First suggestion is the book which is now a film “A Boy called Christmas” by Matt Haig.  It is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn’t afraid to believe in magic.