Frances Bloom: Dangerous Days

'Dangerous Days' is simply gorgeous. Frances is on an adventure to save her class by finding the perfect teacher. Do they exist? Nannestad captures the innocent voice of a young child perfectly, with just the right amount of silliness to raise the kids' eyebrows.

This book would be a perfect read aloud for a junior or middle grade class, As I was reading, I was imagined the faces of my tamariki as they listen, and their reactions to Frances Bloom and her adventures. Frances is totally relatable - I’m sure tamariki in classes all over the country have imagined doing the things she does to even the best of adults at some point! The opportunities for discussion about behaviour, our own strengths and weaknesses, what makes a good person or how to manage feelings are endless.

Examples of lists, idioms and interesting verbs are peppered throughout the story, providing great opportunities for productive follow-up tasks which link closely to reading and writing. Overall, I highly recommend giving this book a read, even if you are an adult just looking for a bit of whimsy in your day.