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One lucky winner will win this box, that will include all the fun swag, two books and the fabulous tote from Celadon Books. Please follow my blog and leave a comment below. Good Luck!!

Goodreads Blurb

Every Christmas, millions of children leave cookies out for Santa Claus. What they may not know is that many many years ago, Santa’s grandma made cookies for Santa, and now every year Santa now makes cookies for Mrs. Claus, the elves and his reindeer. So, when we leave cookies for him, we’re honoring Santa’s family tradition!

But when Santa’s family cookbook goes missing, Santa is unable to make cookies for his family. He is very sad and even considers skipping Christmas. Luckily for Santa (and for kids all around the world), a little girl finds the cookbook, and with the help of America’s Test Kitchen, inspires families from all over the world to help Santa and his family have a happy holiday! 

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The magic of believing and working together to help keep Christmas alive. Poor Santa misplaces his family cookbook. Right before Christmas he always bakes his favorite cookies to give to family, friends, elf’s and even his reindeer. His book is found unexpectedly by Abigail, who finds out the cookbook she found is from her favorite person, Santa Claus. She comes up with a magnificent plan that helps Santa with getting the cookies he needed to make, plus gives him back his precious book. I loved the plot. Definitely, a lot of thought went into the idea. The illustrations are so vivid, colorful, fun and gorgeous. It comes with Santa’s famous Krinkle Cookies recipe in the back, so children can bake with their family. Enjoy, some cookies while reading the book.

Your local Barnes & Noble will be meeting on September 10th at 7 pm, to talk about Inland by Téa Obreht. Pick up the book to read before event. If you want to check out event without reading the book, that’s great also. You can meet new friends and see the process for the book club. Happy reading!!

Goodreads Blurb

The New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife returns with “a bracingly epic and imaginatively mythic journey across the American West” (Entertainment Weekly).

In the lawless, drought-ridden lands of the Arizona Territory in 1893, two extraordinary lives unfold. Nora is an unflinching frontierswoman awaiting the return of the men in her life–her husband, who has gone in search of water for the parched household, and her elder sons, who have vanished after an explosive argument. Nora is biding her time with her youngest son, who is convinced that a mysterious beast is stalking the land around their home.

Meanwhile, Lurie is a former outlaw and a man haunted by ghosts. He sees lost souls who want something from him, and he finds reprieve from their longing in an unexpected relationship that inspires a momentous expedition across the West. The way in which Lurie’s death-defying trek at last intersects with Nora’s plight is the surprise and suspense of this brilliant novel.

Mythical, lyrical, and sweeping in scope, Inland is grounded in true but little-known history. It showcases all of Téa Obreht’s talents as a writer, as she subverts and reimagines the myths of the American West, making them entirely–and unforgettably–her own.

Reviews

“This is no boilerplate Louis L’Amour yarn–there are ghosts, camels and other fantastical elements.”—Newsday (Best Summer Books 2019)

“The long-anticipated second novel from Téa Obreht transports readers to the Wild West through the juxtaposed stories of a frontierswoman whose husband and sons have gone missing, and of an outlaw on the run.”—Bustle 

“Magnificent . . . brings to mind similar effects in, say, Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude or Toni Morrison’s Beloved.”—The Times Literary Supplement

“Obreht masterfully intertwines [Nora’s and Lurie’s] seemingly unconnected stories with the rich prose, nods to history, and elements of magical realism she’s known for.”—Real Simple

“It will enchant lovers of lyrical prose and the mythical American West.”—Harper’s Bazaar

This month, I’m currently reading way too many books to even keep up. I read a little of each, but it seems like I will never be done. What are you currently reading. Look below to see the titles I’m currently reading 🙂

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Goodreads Blurb

NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box and Horns.

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning

Goodreads Blurb

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds? 

Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption. 

The Better Sister by Alafair Burke

Goodreads Blurb

Though Chloe was the younger of the two Taylor sisters, she always seemed to be in charge. She was the honor roll student with big dreams and an even bigger work ethic. Nicky was always restless . . . and more than a little reckless—the opposite of her ambitious little sister. She floated from job to job and man to man, and stayed close to home in Cleveland.

For a while, it seemed like both sisters had found happiness. Chloe earned a scholarship to an Ivy League school and moved to New York City, where she landed a coveted publishing job. Nicky married promising young attorney Adam Macintosh, and gave birth to a baby boy they named Ethan. The Taylor sisters became virtual strangers.

Now, more than fifteen years later, their lives are drastically different—and Chloe is married to Adam. When he’s murdered by an intruder at the couple’s East Hampton beach house, Chloe reluctantly allows her teenaged stepson’s biological mother—her estranged sister, Nicky—back into her life. But when the police begin to treat Ethan as a suspect in his father’s death, the two sisters are forced to unite . . . and to confront the truth behind family secrets they have tried to bury in the past.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

This book is getting quite scary at night. Don’t read before bed.

Goodreads Blurb

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

The Missing Ones by Edwin Hill

Goodreads Blurb

Hester Thursby has given up using her research skills to trace people who don’t want to be found. A traumatic case a few months ago unearthed a string of violent crimes, and left Hester riddled with
self-doubt and guilt. Caring for a four-year-old is responsibility enough in a world filled with terrors Hester never could have imagined before.

Finisterre Island, off the coast of Maine, is ruggedly beautiful and remote—the kind of place tourists love to visit, though rarely for long. But not everyone who comes to the island is welcome. A dilapidated Victorian house has become home to a group of squatters and junkies, and strangers have a habit of bringing trouble with them. A young boy disappeared during the summer, and though he was found safely, the incident stirred suspicion among locals. Now another child is missing. Summoned to the island by a cryptic text, Hester discovers a community cleaning up from a devastating storm—and uncovers a murder.

Soon Hester begins to connect the crime and the missing children. And as she untangles the secrets at the center of the small community, she finds grudges and loyalties that run deep, poised to converge with a force that will once again shake her convictions about the very nature of right and wrong . . .

The Bull Rider’s Second Chance by Leah Vale

Amazon Blurb

Feuding families, a legacy to prove and redemption…

To fulfill a deathbed promise to her mother, Caitlin Neisson must face her fear of bulls to learn how to be a rodeo bull fighter in order to protect her bull riding-wannabe youngest brother. She also needs to find him a teacher before he puts himself in danger. Too bad the best man for the job is her family’s number one enemy. He has a bad attitude and an even worse reputation. To complicate matters, he’s sexy and she begins to suspect his bad boy reputation hides a warm heart that just might melt the ice in hers.

…there’s more at stake outside the rodeo arena

Bodie Hadley was nearly killed by a bull in a rodeo arena and carries the weight of guilt for the death of another. Can he gain redemption by helping Caitlin, a member of the family his family has been feuding with for decades? Or will the weight of additional guilt crush him if he refuses her plea?

August 22 – September 2

*Barnes & Noble Members only until Saturday, August 24th

If you’re a B&N member the sale starts today. You can shop online or at your local store. If you aren’t a member, what are you waiting for? The fee is 25.00 a year and you save so much, plus free shipping. I spend hundreds at B&N and have saved so much, plus you receive coupons 🙂 In store offer is a free tote bag, when you purchase 3 books. The bag is adorable and great to carry your books everywhere you go. Here is the link to shop online https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/book-haul/_/N-2r5n

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of the B&N Book Haul by Nicole Hill

Grabby hands at the ready, folks: the time has come for another earth-shattering, shelf-quaking #BNBookHaul! Saturday, August 24 through Monday, September 2, select titles—including new releases, bestsellers, paperbacks, kids’ favorites and more—are available for 50 percent off at Barnes & Noble, both in stores and online.

(Even better: B&N members get the VIP treatment, with exclusive access to this book bonanza beginning tomorrow, August 22.)

The whole book, half the price. Finally, math works for us all. You can find #bookhaul deals in your local store and online at bn.com/bookhaul.

Looking for more reasons to embrace the blowout? Are you excited but also the teensiest-bit overwhelmed by the vast bounty of new reads available to you? Here are 10 ways to ensure get the most bang for your Book Haul buck.

1. Plan Ahead
The world has a lot of books and, we’re betting, so does your to-read list. Get started on the right foot by poring over the list of titles featured in the sale broken down by genre. There are books here for all types of readers, including fiction across all genres (from mysteries and thrillers, to history and memoirs!), highly bingeable YA novels, and some of our favorite sci-fi and fantasy books of the year so far. Of course, you’ll still undoubtedly be seduced by a beautiful, unexpected book cover or three, but at least this way, you’ll be aiming to pick up a solid list of essentials while you do it.

2. Stay Hydrated
Does this need explanation? Heavy books + moving quickly = sweaty recipe for dehydration. You don’t want to pass out in the aisle. It’s poor Book Haul etiquette to make fellow patrons step over you—prone, legs splayed, hands clutching a hefty biography.

3. Clear Your Shelves
If you have not already done so, now is the time to KonMari those bookshelves to make room for new books, all of which will most certainly spark joy.

4. Don’t Skip Arm Day
If you’re shopping in store, you’re going to need a bigger basket—and all the upper-body strength you can muster. Unless you’re just buying novellas, in which case, carry on.

5. Also Don’t Skip Leg Day
When hoisting your finds onto the counter at checkout, you should always lift with your legs.

6. Use the Buddy System
Best way to maximize bargain-hunting efficiency? Divide and conquer. Bring your spouse or significant other, your best friend or a parent. Split the list and split up. Tip for those with children, they’re great assets for hitting the low shelves—and also for carrying overflow books. It’s character-building.

7. Test Your Wi-Fi Strength 
Online shoppers, we have all been there, waiting for the page to load so you might gaze upon your cart and delight in it. This is not the time to waste any precious seconds. Be somewhere with a stable, free-flowing internet connection. Like, the fancy coffee shop down the street. Or your parents’ house.

8. Explore a New Genre
Enough with the logistics. These deals offer the perfect opportunity to pick out reads you might be too nervous to buy otherwise. Curious about breaking into romance for the first time? Never really delved into sci-fi? Now’s your chance to bring home some beauties and broaden your reading horizons at half the cost.

9. Treat Yourself
For far too many of us, it’s much easier to buy a gift for someone else than for yourself. Throw that thinking out the window during #BNBookHaul and use the huge savings as an excuse to buy yourself that book (or ten) you’ve been meaning to read for far too long. You deserve it.

10. Buy. All. The. Books! And Tote Them Away
While supplies last, buy any 3 eligible books and get an exclusive Book Haul tote bag to, er, haul them home in. Consider it a practical, environmentally conscious badge of honor. (The advice is universal, but this one’s an in-store-only deal.)

Find all the details on Book Haul here.

The schedule will be posted in early Fall. If you click on the names below you will be taken to the page that provides the author’s biography and the day they will be presenting. Here is the link to event https://bostonbookfest.org.

Featured Presenters

Reginald Dwayne Betts

David W. Blight

Candace Bushnell

Susan Choi

Akwaeke Emezi

Jasmine Guillory

Joichi Ito

Saeed Jones

Erin Entrada Kelly

Chip Kidd

Marie Lu

Andrew McAfee

Martha Minow

Oge Mora

Sandra Newman

Tim O’Brien

Morgan Parker

Samantha Power

Elizabeth Strout

Ron Suskind

Chris Ware

Brendan Wenzel

Ibi Zoboi

Shoshana Zuboff

Presenters

Wondermore

Nandini Bajpai

Hayley Barrett

Julie Berry

Angela Bonds

826 Boston

Amy Rose Capetta

Susan Kaplan Carlton

JC Cervantes

Tami Charles

South End Technology Center @ Tent City

Lesa Cline-Ransome

Brandy Colbert

Matthew Cordell

Charlotte Nicole Davis

Julia Denos

Jennifer Dugan

Carol Gordon Ekster

Akunna Eneh

Kristina Forest

Josh Funk

Siân Gaetano

Rachel Gold

Raúl Gonzalez

E.B. Goodale

Karlin Gray

Monique Harris

Ben Hatke

Ryan T. Higgins

Ekua Holmes

James Kennedy

Eric Kester

Hena Khan

Jamaica Kincaid

Laura Koenig

Megan Dowd Lambert

Kathryn Lasky

Grace Lin

Jay B Mankita

Cori McCarthy

Brittney Morris

Maulik Pancholy

Kim Parker

Amy Pattee

Wee the People

Mitali Perkins

Rory Power

Gloria Respress-Churchwell

Susan Edwards Richmond

Lauren Rizzuto

John Rocco

Deborah Lee Rose

Nicole Tadgell

Puppet Showplace Theater

Jonathan Todd

Joy Wieder

Kip Wilson

Katie Zhao

Keith Zoo

You will get two chances to enter. You can follow my blog and leave a comment below. The second entry will be in my FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/384315168432021/. The group is closed, so no one enters that isn’t a book lover. Please request to join and I will add you. I will have the post pinned at the top of my FB Group, just need to leave a comment. One winner will win a shirt with my blog name with your size choice. Depending on entries they might be a raffle for two, we will see. Thanks, for all your support.

GoodReads Blurb

A delightfully devious Christmas story from beloved librarian Betsy Bird and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat.
Freddy Melcher is Santa’s #1 Fan. He has Santa posters, Santa action figures, and even Santa underwear. But there is one prize Freddy desperately wants: A photograph taken with Santa, fresh out of the chimney.

Oh, is it risky! It’s awfully hard to sneak anything by someone who can see you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake. That’s why Freddy has been extra good this year . . . at hiding his plans.

Will Freddy get away with his delightfully devious scheme to outwit Santa Claus himself and capture the ultimate selfie?

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Operation capture Santa is underway with little Freedy. I must say, me and Freedy are huge fans of Santa. He dresses like Santa for every holiday and birthday, which might be a little out of hand. But he owns everything Santa related from posters, paintings, figurines, etc., but he doesn’t have a picture with Santa after arriving in his home through the chimney. Will Freedy outwit his favorite idol or will Santa be prepared to out win Freddy? You will need to read to find out. The story has a great plot that many can relate too, because we all at some point have went to extremes to get a glimpse of Santa leaving our gifts. I mean wouldn’t you want to thank him for the gifts? The illustrations were so cute, colorful and vibrant. Cute book to read to children, so they can start planning their own operation Santa trap.

Author Biography

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, undisputed center of the universe, Betsy Bird (nee Elizabeth Ramsey) grew up and promptly left Michigan the moment her legs could propel her southward. She didn’t get far. Obtaining a B.A. at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana (home of recorded jazz and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise) she set her sights on Portland, Oregon. When that didn’t pan out it was Minneapolis, Minnesota. Then New York, New York. In the midst of all this she somehow managed to get a library degree and a job at New York Public Library, eventually becoming their Youth Media Specialist (a.k.a. the person who bought all the kids’ books for Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx). She created the children’s literary blog A Fuse #8 Production and schmoozed as no one had ever schmoozed before. The result? A non-fiction text for library students, a picture book called “Giant Dance Party”, a behind-the-scenes title for adults co-written with two of her favorite bloggers called “Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature”, and now an anthology of some of the most hilarious women writing for kids today called “Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever.” Betsy Bird is now the Collection Development Manager of Evanston, IL. Stop by. We’ll have lunch. It’ll be nice. 

The book festival will be even better than last years. My first time attending was last year, but the event has been held for 6 amazing years. They will have books for all ages. They have put together an amazing schedule of authors who will speak in panels and then sign books. The event is free to attend. Books will be on sale for purchase. The event will kick off on Oct 11, with the keynote speaker Preet Bharara. This will be a ticketed event. The cost is 55.00 for adults and 25.00 for students. The adult ticket will come with a signed copy of his book. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.mayoarts.org/shows/morristown-festival-of-books-presents-an-evening-with-preet-bharara?utm_source=keynote-page&utm_medium=cta-btn&utm_campaign=2019-keynote

The main event is held on Saturday, October 12. They will have fiction, nonfiction, young adult and children panels. The authors will be interviewed and audience will have a chance to ask questions. Then the authors will go to the autographing area to sign. They will have an amazing schedule for children and activities. Main event page https://morristownbooks.org/

Here is the list of authors who will be attending: Information was taken from https://morristownbooks.org/2019-authors/

NONFICTION AUTHORS

 

RICK ATKINSON

 

SAFI BAHCALL

 

TENA CLARK

 

BENJAMIN DREYER

 

DAVID EPSTEIN

 

GILBERT M. GAUL

 

PAUL GOLDBERGER

 

JJ JOHNSON

 

MICHAEL KRANISH

 

DR. IBRAM X. KENDI

 

ANDREW S. LEWIS

 

T KIRA MADDEN

 

CARL ZIMMER

FICTION AUTHORS

 

KATHERINE ARDEN

 

TESSA BAILEY

 

MARIE BENEDICT

 

SARAH BLAKE

 

MEG CABOT

 

S.A. CHAKRABORTY

 

BEN COES

 

ANDREW GROSS

 

ROB HART

 

PAM JENOFF

 

JEAN KWOK

 

MADELINE MILLER

 

TÉA OBREHT

 

JULIE ORRINGER

 

JOANNE RAMOS

 

JENNIFER ROBSON

 

WHITNEY SCHARER

 

BRENDA SHAUGHNESSY

 

CHUCK WENDIG

 

LAUREN WILKINSON

 

BEATRIZ WILLIAMS

YOUNG ADULT AUTHORS

 

VAL EMMICH

 

HEIDI HEILIG

 

CLARE LEGRAND

 

ELIZABETH LIM

 

JEN MALONE

 

ASHLEY WOODFOLK

CHILDREN’S AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS

Plus music, crafts, writer’s workshop, and lots of activities! Full KidFest schedule coming soon.

 

KWAME ALEXANDER

 

KATHERINE ARDEN

 

SUDIPTA
BARDHAN-QUALLEN

 

MEG CABOT

 

ANIKA DENISE

 

AME DYCKMAN

 

STAR WARS READS

 

KARINA YAN GLASER

 

PAUL NOTH

 

JAMES RILEY

 

HEATHER ROSS

 

JESSIE SIMA

Special Event: Book Club Girl Luncheon at the MFOB
Meet and mingle with some of your favorite book club authors at an exclusive sit-down lunch at the festival.
Jean Kwok ⋅ Beatriz Williams ⋅ S.A. Chakraborty ⋅ Jennifer Robson

Authors will visit with each table, sharing stories, answering questions and signing books — and you’ll take home an amazing swag bag filled with books plus an exclusive advance copy of a Winter 2020 title from William Morrow.
Tickets: $30 (includes lunch + swag bag!)
You can purchase tickets here https://m.bpt.me/event/4316288?utm_source=mfob-site&utm_medium=cta-btn&utm_campaign=bcg-tickets

I was super thrilled to know that Book Club Girl will have an event also. I attended my first event at BookCon this past year and was happily surprised at the amazing line-up of authors, free tote and books, plus snacks which is included with ticket purchase.

Goodreads Blurb

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. 

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Hands down to J.K. Rowling’s for writing another continuation of Harry Potter in a different format. I loved that it’s a manuscript, which gives each character a higher purpose. Makes the story much more fun especially when you get to act each character out differently. I loved how she brought us so many scenarios in which Harry Potter’s success and turmoil could have changed in a blink of an eye. As a reader, I was able to cherish the moments from the past, but also the present. Yes, I would have loved to see a different outcome especially with Voldemort and all the terror he brought to Harry. Sometimes, the past just can’t be changed, even if it’s for the better. This was the perfect beginning and ending to knowing what happen nineteen years later. I highly recommend this amazing story.

Author Biography

Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, “No one ever called me ‘Joanne’ when I was young, unless they were angry.” Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King’s Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother’s maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother’s paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.

Rowling’s sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael’s Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael’s, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: “I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee.” At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said “taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind,” gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford’s autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling’s heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.

Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, “I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life.” She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, “Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Pottercharacter] is loosely based on me. She’s a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I’m not particularly proud of.” Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as “not exceptional” but “one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English.” Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.