Today is the last day to download your free copy of Bernard’s Watch.
Lots have already taken advantage of the offer and now have a delightful story to read themselves and with their children.
No catch just a three day promotion to celebrate World Book Day.
Just click on the links below.
Bernard’s Watch by Andrew Norriss is the children’s book based on the popular children’s TV series Bernard’s Watch. The eBook is free for 3 days now from Amazon.
What would you do if you had a watch that could stop time?
When Bernard finds himself outside of school during the lunch break, his Aunt B. gives him a special watch with the power to stop time. With it, Bernard need never be late for anything again, and begins using the watch to help himself and others. He becomes star of the school football team by playing in goal, waiting for the ball to come his way, then stopping time and moving into a position where he can stop the goal being scored. He stops time so he can find out the answers to difficult maths and other academic problems, and to hand school bullies over to the police without them knowing how they came to be hanging on railings outside the police station. But the watch also has a power for great harm. While Bernard can use it to stop time and move someone out of the way of a car accident, someone else could use it to move him into the path on an oncoming bus. And can the watch stop time from running out for his elderly Aunt B.?
Andrew Norriss shines in this book; his writing is sensitive, humorous and thought-provoking all at once. The relationships between the characters are extremely important, and Norriss doesn’t just focus on the children. He give times to the personalities of Aunt B. and the thoughts of Mr. Beasley and his neighbour, and shows Bernard’s change through their eyes as well as Bernard’s own. It is refreshing for the listener to have time to appreciate the reactions of Bernard’s close family and friends, as well as the police sergeant who finds himself mysteriously caught up in events where things seem to appear and or disappear into thin air. It is enjoyable by both children and adults.
The audio book runs at approximately 3 and a half hours, perfect for a long car journey.
by Louise Anne Bateman, WATERSTONE’S CRAWLEY
Free Download on World Book Day 2013
“Bernard’s aunt gave him the watch at a little after two o’clock on a Thursday afternoon in early February. Later, he would sometimes wonder why his aunt chose to give it to him at that particular time or, indeed, why she chose to give it to him at all, instead of to somebody else. But whatever the reason, he was always extremely grateful to her. It was the perfect present at the time because, at the time, time was exactly what he needed.”
So begins Bernard’s Watch by Andrew Norriss. The story began as a 15 minute short film for the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) some years ago. As the brief was to provide a story comprehensible and enjoyable for children throughout Europe, there was little dialogue and a narrator told the story. It was a great success, so much so that a series was commissioned by ITV, and then another and another…
The first run told of a young boy called Bernard who was always late, until a postman gave him a “magic watch” which could stop time. He soon found out that the postman had magical powers, and that these watches were given to people who needed them. The rules of him keeping his watch were that he couldn’t use it to commit crimes and couldn’t be greedy. Every episode focused on Bernard or someone he’d lent the watch to facing a problem or simply doing day-to-day stuff and trying to sort it out, using the watch.
Andrew Norriss wrote 6 series of delightfully stories about Bernard and then used some of the ideas to write a the book Bernard’s Watch published by Puffin Books in 1999. When it went out of print I typed it out (we didn’t have the original document), and published it as an eBook. It was a delight for me to re-read and I recommend it to adults and children alike. Andrew Norriss’s characteristic ‘light humorous touch’ and clever plotting make for a most enjoyable and satisfying read, and so that more can appreciate it I have made it free to download for 3 days this week including World Book Day. Do help your self and let me know what you think!
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Well not really of course but the book Matt’s Million by Andrew Norriss will be free to download at the weekend 21st – 24th December 2012. Click on the book cover below or here for more information.
Ever wondered what it would have been like to have had £1 million or ($2 million) when you were 11 years old? Andrew Norriss did and so he wrote Matt’s Million as a way of experiencing it vicariously, and it turned out that having that sort of money is, like so many things in life, a little more complicated than you might think. Yes you can go out and buy everything you want – but will it fit in your house when you get it home? You could move to the house of your dreams but then you might not be near your friends anymore, and who are these ‘new friends’ anyway? You can buy people expensive presents but when they don’t accept them as cheerfully as you expected life gets a little confusing.
Matt’s Million is a greatly entertaining read as you imagine yourself in Matt’s place thinking about what you would buy or do in his situation, and as in all Andrew Norriss’ books everything is happily resolved with a most satisfying ending. I love Mr Kawamura’s advice – it should be given to everyone at an early age.
A delightfully engaging story with believable characters, a clever plot and told with a light humour it is your to enjoy for free this weekend.
Yes, free. Absolutely no catch. Let me know if you enjoy it. Click on the cover…
Matt’s Million was made as a children’s TV series and some episodes are to be found online.
Andrew Norriss - Children's Author & Winner of the Whitbread (Costa) Award 