Pandora: The instant no.1 Sunday Times bestseller

Product Information

The programme is comprised of 204 fully decodable, beautifully produced, reading books from Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle, which are perfectly matched to the progression of the SSP as well as joyful and engaging mnemonics, catchphrase cards, friezes, wallcharts and teacher guides. Taken together these provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics. It is primarily a historical fiction, but with rather enticing elements of Greek mythology that give it that little bit of extra intrigue. These transpire to be more akin to magical realism than fantasy and along with the double meaning of the title, bring a lot of promise that something mesmerising awaits at the end. There is certainly lots to enjoy, only the mythology merely exists within the narrative rather than being the thing around which it is based. Indeed, Cornelius is an entertaining character to read and it was a shame that he did not receive a happy ending. He is sharp-witted and in front of an oblivious Edward, never makes any attempt to hide his jealousy towards Dora, creating many of book's lighter moments. Lady Latimer was also highly memorable; haughty in the extreme and with an enormous sense of entitlement, yet not without the occasional hint of generosity.

Updated guidance from the Department for Education on phonics is covered in The Reading Framework (updated July 2023) and will be important to review when updating your resources. As for Edward, his story is fairly moving in places and he comes across as shy and unassuming. He is caring and kind-hearted, although he does become a bit too over-protective of Dora as his feelings for her grow. If you were instead hoping for Edward to be involved in a romance with his friend and benefactor Cornelius - as is heavily implied at the start - then you will be left disappointed. Overall: I loved the historical setting, the intriguing mystery, lovely romance, riveting pacing! One of the greatest historical functions I’ve read lately!The author does well to capture the villainy of some of the characters too: I definitely saw one of the characters as a Vernon Dursley type from HP and it was so easy to despise him! The story is pretty interesting and engaging, i love the Georgian atmospheric vibe and the mystery element in the book but in my opinion the characters are pretty bland and the plot is slow… there are also a lot of unnecessary conversation and I think the book can be shorter, however I’m pretty much enjoyed this book and think this is such a great debut from the author One thing I will say is that the author has left me with some interesting questions that I need answering! There’s a sense that Pandora holds the moral high ground in this novel, not because she does good things but because she is suffering under her uncle’s tyranny. Virtue via suffering is apt for this time period, but it’s also a device that sometimes makes her bland. Meanwhile, her uncle is purely despicable – he too tends to be flat. Banded books ultimately provide children with a pathway of progression in reading but also support teachers who are making book-buying decisions to meet the needs of individual pupils, bringing variety and breadth to children’s reading diets.

Steeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance. This book feels like a mix of historical fiction and Greek mythology and the realities of London life during the Georgian era. A book about archelogy and greek mythology? Yes, please. I was intrigued by the blurb about a mysterious greek vase (could this be the famed Pandora's vase?) and the book was ok. I did find the story to drag now and then and it was a bit predictable with the romance and who's good and who's bad. Actually, my favourite character was Cornelis, Edwards's best friend. I found his story to be most tragic and I would have loved him to take a more central place instead of the usual pairing of a young woman meets a dashing young man and the usual cliché romance. Not that I disliked Dora and Edward, but it's the usual pairing and I do like more memorable characters. Created by Hephaestus and released into the world of men to bring both misery and hope, Pandora is a figure whose name conjures an expectation of mythic drama; but Susan Stokes-Chapman’s bestselling debut novel only hints gently at those possibilities. Her Pandora is a young woman living in an attic above her uncle’s shop of fake antiquities in 18th-century London, training herself to become a designer of fine jewellery.The author’s writing gives a sense of a lurking, oppressive dangerous presence felt…no spoilers from me. The book bands philosophy has not changed and at its heart is the opportunity it gives schools to use a mix of reading scheme and ‘real’ books from a range of publishers whilst maintaining a consistent and appropriate challenge for pupils. Using banded 'real' books, children are able to choose books freely from within a structured range of books making reading more independent and enjoyable. Dora discovers that her uncle is hiding a mysterious Greek vase in the basement of the shop & sets out to find out why he is keeping it a secret. The vase appears to have many hidden secrets & it’s discovery by Dora leads her to unravel more about her past & what happened to her parents. The historical time period and the Georgian London setting are reflected really well by the atmosphere that prevails throughout and the meticulous attention to detail. The attention given to the study of antiquities and the descriptions of things such as Dora's jewellery, the objects at Blake's Emporium, and Lady Latimer's soiree, all help to give the story even more depth.

All of it is written in the third person, focusing on the three separate perspectives of Dora, Edward, and Hezekiah. This worked well and brought a good degree of contrast, with the tone of Hezekiah's chapters noticeably darker than the others and providing more of an insight into his motives. Also, the storylines of Dora and Edward compliment each other nicely as they are both enduring difficult lives until they meet.Prepare to lift the lid on a lush reimagination of the mythological Pandora….Susan Stokes-Chapman’s atmospheric debut, PANDORA, immerses the reader in the dangerous, mysterious world of ancient antiquities with prose that is elegant and teeming with visceral sensory detail. A marvelous debut—imaginative, ambitious, and begging to be savored." — Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Apothecary For confident and super-confident readers it is important that books are matched appropriately to their emotional maturity. For thisreasonPandora Books collate specific book collections for confident readerswhereextraemphasis is put on the contentbeingabsolutely spot on and not inappropriate for their chronological age whilst the book band level is higher.