Helau! Carnival in Germany

Well, here it is!

After a lot of admittedly fun research looking into how the Carnival is celebrated and what traditions are held onto, including hours of deciphering local German dialect on youtube videos…

I give you:

   Lucy Evans, InstaExplorer, Book 3:

Carnival in Germany: Helau!

In this book I continue the theme of introducing children to the traditions and rich culture that is the backdrop of life. This time, our redoubtable heroine Lucy travels to Würzburg in Germany to participate in the Carnival and the various historical reenactments that are a part of that tradition. She visits local landmarks and tries local food, all the while armed with her tool of modern life: the smartphone. She puts this to good use, and the reader can enjoy Lucy’s pictures, uploaded to Instagram and displayed in the book.

Carnival in Germany: Helau! UK Customers

Carnival in Germany: Helau! US/ Worldwide Customers

Also available now: 12 Awesome Women Explorers by Lynn C. Schreiber

This is part of a series of factual books, aiming to introduce the reader to some of the less well-known figures from the world of exploration, but who nonetheless made their mark. A great little educational aid.

You can read more about it here: 12 Awesome Women Explorers

Christmas in Greece

Lucy Evans the InstaExplorer continues her adventures in Greece, with this heartwarming tale of Christmas in Alexandroupoli, Evros. It examines the very particular traditions of the area, told from the perspective of a young visitor, made welcome by the locals.

Christmas in Greece

Christmas in Greece – UK Customers

Christmas in Greece – US Customers

Check out my fab reviews!

* * * * * “I really enjoyed this book. I know its marketed as a young adult’s book and my youth has long gone, but it’s just charming, the story of a young girl’s stay in Greece at Christmas. It’s like popping into someone’s life for a little while. I enjoy reading about other cultures and fiction is a lovely way to do this.”

* * * * * “We loved reading this book. It was such a good mix of properly modern characters, lovely descriptions of Greek traditions and food, and Christmas spirit and warmth. We almost felt that we were in Greece! Grazie Millie!”

* * * * * “A beautifully written Christmas narrative, wonderfully tackled themes of openness, community, tradition, moving moments, and realistic characters. Millie Slavidou is a promising children’s author. The book is a page turner. Highly engaging dialogue. I highly recommend this to young readers.“

Lucy Evans, the InstaExplorer: The Olympias Clue and Dragon’s Rock

My first book for pre-teens is now available to buy:

This is a fabulous adventure story for pre-teens! Follow the exploits of Lucy, as she explores a little known corner of Greece, making amazing discoveries with her trusty smart phone in hand. Travel on to Wales with her, as she finds that things are not so sleepy as they might at first appear!

Lucy Evans, the InstaExplorer – UK customers

Lucy Evans, the InstaExplorer – US customers

Check out my fab reviews!

* * * * * “Millie Slavidou introduces her redoubtable Lucy Evans character in these two middle grade books (sold as one). Lucy is an independent-minded, purposeful girl who likes solving mysteries. Young readers will identify with her addiction to social media, something which is brought nicely to life in these books by Lucy’s Instagram posts. Lucy’s use of the internet to figure out what clues mean rings refreshingly true-to-life.

Slavidou is an engaging storyteller with a very strong ear for dialect, and her stories draw the reader in and race along. While beautifully written, the language is fairly complex for this readership. This and the subject matter (which is very much not dumbed down) mean that I would tend to recommend these stories most to the more academically minded, confident readers in this age group, particularly those with an interest in languages and history. ”

* * * * * “Lucy Evans is a lovely new heroine for young girls. Not too pink and fluffy but independent and strong. Will be recommending to all my friends.“

The Wandering Lamp-Post Part 4

Following its nose brought the lamp-post to a small shop along the road. It stopped outside and planted its base firmly, settling down to watch. People were coming and going from the little shop, mostly in little groups. The lamp-post wondered what was going on. It shone its lamp even brighter so that it could see better.

“Was that lamp-post there before?” asked a woman, as she went past. “It’s a funny place to put a lamp-post, right outside the window like that! Aren’t they usually at the edge of the pavement?”

“Perhaps it belongs to the shop,” said her companion.

 

Just then, two children came out of the shop with their mum. They were carrying little packets in their hand, all wrapped up in white paper, and a delicious smell wafted up to the lamp-post from them. The lamp-post watched with interest as the children half unwrapped their packets and started to eat. The food looked very strange, thought the lamp-post, even if it did smell great. It was a kind of yellow, brown and golden colour, with lots of little pieces in the packets. Long, thin pieces of something that looked rather soft. One of them had streaks of red, too! What could it be??

 

“Can I have dip some of my chips in your ketchup?” asked one of the children. The lamp-post hardly understood a word! It didn’t know about chips, nor about ketchup. But this was the first chance it had had to move away from the seafront, and it wanted to find out more! It made its lamp ehine even brighter, to get a good look at the chips and ketchup.

“This lamp-post is too bright!” complained the children. “Let’s go somewhere else!” And away they went.

 

The lamp-post was disappointed. It liked to see children. But it seemed it hadn’t yet found the right place. It decided to move on.

The Wandering Lamp-Post Part 3

Free at last! The lamp-post felt very excited. It hardlyknew where to start. It felt a slight breeze whispering around its lantern and knew that its friend the wind was there too, coming with it.

 

The lamp-post slid all along the seafront road, until it reached a part where it could cross and go into the town. As it went, it found the reactions of the people very strange. They would stop and stare at it. Some said things like “Did you see that lamp-post move?” and “I must be seeing things!” Of course, thought the lamp-post, you are seeing things. You are seeing me! What is so odd about that?! And some of them seemed not to remember exactly where it had been. They would say “Has that lamp-post always been there? Is it new?” or even “it looks just like the one down by the old oak tree!” Yes, of course I do, the lamp-post tried to shout at them, because it’s me, I’m the lamp-post from the oak tree! But the people didn’t hear it.

 

The lamp-post crossed the road. It had never crossed a road before, and didn’t know about waiting for cars to stop. It just started sliding out into the middle. Cars swerved, brakes screeched, horns blared. And drivers rubbed their eyes in amazement! Some of them parked their cars and went straight home to bed, sure that they were too tired and it was making them imagine things, or that they had fallen asleep while driving and had a quick dream. Others booked appointments with the optician. Some thought that perhaps the recent storm had caused some damage to the buildings and lamp-posts, and thought they should get out of the way before it fell over. Others just sat and stared as the lamp-post glided happily across the road, following the sound of the music.

 

It was not to be disappointed. On the other side of the road there was a small park with a carousel in it, and when it went round, it played a merry little tune. The lamp-post sidled up to the carousel to watch. There were children riding on it, and it could see their happy faces, their smiles and their waves to the people standing nearby. It heard them laugh. It looked like fun! Much better than standing by the oak tree! The lamp-post decided to stay there by the carousel for a while.

 

Then the music stopped, the ride came to an end and some of the children noticed it standing there and started pointing. “Look! They’ve set up a new lamp-post! An old-fashioned one!” Soon, there was a small crowd of children around the lamp-post, all come to have a look. The lamp-post flashed its light at them to say hello. But then some of them dropped sweet-wrappers at its base, and papers from chips they were eating, packets and other litter, and the lamp-post didn’t like it. It didn’t want to be in all the rubbish, so it started to move away. Some of the children looked to see if it was on wheels or runners. They thought it must belong to the people who owned the carousel, perhaps something new for them to enjoy.

But the carousel operator said it was nothing to do with them, as they watched it slide along the pavement. They thought they had better ringthe council, it must have got damaged and could be dangerous, but the lamp-post ignored them. It wanted to explore. It followed its nose and headed towards where it ciould smell something good cooking.

The Wandering Lamp Post – Part Two

The lamp-post did not give up. It called out to the dogs to help it. After all, they did so like to prowl around its base! It even asked the cats that liked to climb it. The dogs barked and pushed against it and scratched it with their paws, trying to dig it out. The cats yowled. But there was nothing they could do.

 

Then the wind came back again, and it was not alone. Once again, the people walking along the seafront ran for shelter, muttering about the unexpectedly terrible weather they were having. The sky darkened further into the night and a chill filled the air. The wind had returned with a cloud. Not just any cloud, and certainly not a little, white fluffy one. No, this was a big, black, angry looking cloud, sparkling with lightning. When it was over the lamp-post, it clapped loudly and thunder rolled across the sky. The cloud laughed, and a lightning bolt fell from it. “Oops!” it said.

“This is the Storm Cloud,” the wind introduced it. “I think it can help you!”

 

The Storm Cloud floated closer, till the lamp-post felt it rest on the tip of the lantern, where there was a little iron knob. It flexed, and heavy rain suddenly poured from the sky. How was this going to help? The lamp-post had been in the rain before, and all that happened was that it got wet, and then dried off again later. But the Storm Cloud drew a lightning bolt out of the grey folds of its middle. The lamp-post had seen many a storm, but it had never seen a lightnight bolt quite like this one before. It was long and jagged and had sharp points. But the strangest thing was that it glowed eerily with a peculiar bluish light that played all along its edge. The lamp-post looked at it curiously. What was it going to do?

 

The Storm Cloud thrust the lightning bolt towards the lamp-post, but didn’t let go. The strange blue light jumped from the bolt and danced along the lantern, creeping down over the lamp-post till it crackled and glowed all over. Then all at once, the Storm Cloud pulled back the bolt and disappeared, and the rain stopped as though it had never been. The blue light was gone and the lamp-post was completely dry.

 

The wind blew gently at the top of the lamp-post. It felt different. It had moved! It was actually swaying, like the branches on the big old oak tree! The lamp-post quivered with excitement. “Go, my friend,” whispered the wind. And the lamp post moved. It slid along the road, bit by bit further and further away from the tree, towards the bright lights and music of the town.

 

The Wandering Lamp-Post

Part One

On the seafront road, right by the big old oak tree that drops acorns all over the path, there stands a lamp-post. Not just any lamp-post, but a big, old iron one, with the lamp at the top shaped like an old-fashioned lantern.

Everyone likes it. Lots of people stop to admire it and talk about days gone by. Older people like to see it and talk about how things were when they were young. And when people want to meet up, they say “see you by the old lamp-post!”

But the children like to use it as a goal post. And the dogs… well, you don’t want to know what the dogs use it for, it isn’t pretty! Not to mention the seagulls that land right on the top!

So the lamp post is pretty fed up! It has had enough of having balls slammed against it! Enough of being a dog toilet, enough of cats climbing up to its decorative iron spirals. Enough!

The lamp-post would like to see more of life. It used to have a great view of the sea, before it was spoilt by the oak tree growing taller and its branches spreading, blocking out the sight of boats coming in over the horizon. But still, it remembers the sea. It knows what it looks like. No, it’s not the sea that the lamp-post dreams of.

The lamp-post thinks about the town. That’s where all the people come from to walk past, even the birds fly back and forth from the town, so there must be something interesting going on there.

So, when night, it waited until its light had come on and then it called out to the wind. “Please help me! I’ve been trapped here for so long, and you move around, in and out of the town!”

The wind came to see what the matter was. “What do you want me to do?” it asked.

“Can you help me to travel?” asked the lamp-post. “If you blow hard, perhaps I will move along!”

So, the wind blew. It puffed and whistled with all its strength. The people walking along the seafront pulled their coats around them and hurried away and the dogs ran for shelter, but the wind blew on even harder. The oak tree shook and rustled and leaves flew from its branches. Acorns fell on the ground around it and the lamp-post strained at its roots.

But it could not move. Not so much as one inch, not even by a hair’s breadth. It sighed in disappointment, and its light flickered at the top.

“It’s no use,” it complained. “But thankyou, Wind!”

The wind stopped blowing and all was calm again. “Maybe I can’t make you move, but don’t give up! We must find someone else to help!”