About the Book and Author / Illustrator
The Grimwood series feature brother and sister foxes as main characters called Ted and Nancy. The stories are modern, funny, and animal-centric but not in a fluffy, cute kind of way. Grimwood characters are feisty and streetwise, especially Nancy who is a force to be reckoned with.
Nadia Shireen writes in a funny way with witty comments and a really imaginative layout so the pages are interesting. The whole story has lots of black and white cartoony illustrations by Nadia.
Kids loved the first book in the series and if you scroll down you will see that Mia (aged 8 years) loved this book too. Teachers and school librarians could recommend Grimwood to reluctant readers who find reading independently a chore as this may get them turning pages with a smile on their faces…
Nadia Shireen has won awards for her picture books including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf and most recently for Barbara Throws a Wobbler, which has been described as a ‘little doorway of joy’ by Caitlin Moran. She’s also been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and has been Writer-Illustrator in Residence for BookTrust.
Grimwood is her first series for older readers published by Simon & Schuster.
Book Review
The characters in this book are brilliant and so funny!
I want to start by saying this was one of the best books I have ever read. It is really funny and kept me wanting to read more even though it’s a much thicker book than I am used to. The illustrations are brilliant and there were lots of them too which I really liked. At the beginning of the book there is a picture and description of the main characters which is really useful when you first start reading the story in case forget who someone is.
The characters in this book are brilliant and so funny! My favourite character is Nancy. I like Nancy because she is a strong and determined fox who doesn’t care what other people think. She plays treebonk which is the most popular sport in Grimwood and is usually only played by squirrels, but Nancy doesn’t care.
The story is exciting, silly and fun and a little scary in some parts. Once I started reading I couldn’t wait to read more so I could find out what happened next.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves crazy animals and exciting and funny plots and plans.
I will definitely read this book again and can’t wait to read the other Grimwood books.
If you would would like to buy a copy of the book we invite you to order it from your local independent book shop.
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Alternatively, we suggest that you visit your local library and request to borrow a copy from a friendly librarian.
Whichever you choose we hope you enjoy being part of your unique reading community – happy reading everyone!
Reviewer Profile
- Name: Mia
- Age: 8 years
- Likes: Roller-skating, camping holidays and animals esp. cats and snakes!
- Dislikes: Tidying my room
- Favourite Book: Superworm by Julia Donaldson
- Favourite Song: Faded by Alan Walker
- Favourite Film: Vivo
