I suspect many readers who grew up in the 80s/90s may, like me, have very found memories of devouring series after series of boarding school books. There was something so addictive about the heady combination of grand schoolhouses, midnight feasts, and schoolgirl sleuths! When I saw that Malory Towers was being reimagined by Fleur Hitchcock … Continue reading Malory Towers Mystery Club: ‘Kidnap at Midnight,’ by Fleur Hitchcock, illustrated by Hannah Peck.
In my role as a specialist teacher, I have the privilege of supporting lots of young people who, for various reasons, find being in school challenging. After reading the opening chapter of ‘Always Angel,’ I wished I could share it with every school and teacher I work with - it perfectly encapsulated the storm of … Continue reading ‘Always Angel,’ by Kimberly Whittam, cover by Bex Glendining.
There’s something about an equestrian tale which really captures a reader’s heart, especially during the summertime when you could just imagine yourself pounding along the beach on the back of a beautiful bay. This post is highlighting three books guaranteed to help readers to achieve their horse girl summer! The Secrets of Wild Hill: Lottie’s … Continue reading Horse Girl Summer
I’m rounding off the blog tour for ‘Rollercoaster Girl’ - a short and snappy read for readers who are developing in confidence. “When Lily chooses Rory Whoosher, the forgotten founder of a long-abandoned theme park, for her school project, nobody expects much. But Lily’s sketches spark more than just imagination. With her grandad’s encouragement and a little luck, … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Rollercoaster Girl,’ by Sarah Oliver, cover by Lily Evans.
This colour doesn’t technically feature in the rainbow in its own right there were too many beautiful TURQUOISE covers not to give them their own post. Mixed: Explore and Celebrate Your Mixed Indentity “In Mixed: - Celebrate what it means to be YOU- Explore connections to all parts of your heritage- Discover the history of mixed-race … Continue reading Totally TURQUOISE
Next up is BLUE. Always a popular colour for middle grade book covers… The World According to Sharks “This is a laugh-out-loud guide to the weird and wonderful world of sharks – from sharks that can walk on land, to sharks that glow in the dark, to sharks that fart to swim deeper (yes, really).Did … Continue reading Feeling BLUE?
Grassy GREEN is the next colour on our rainbow journey… Crow Thief of Magic “Twelve-year-old Crow is a thief. Scraping a living on the winding streets of Starsgard, Crow works for the leader of the criminal underworld, stealing from the city’s wealthy ruling class. But when a routine job takes Crow to the home of … Continue reading Keen to be GREEN
I’m thrilled to be sharing a brand new, out-of-this-world adventure from Hannah Moffatt. Make sure you scroll down to read her insightful piece about the childhood memories which inspired this bodacious story of wish-fulfilment and honouring a grandparent’s memory. “HELP! ALIEN PIRATES STOLE MY GRANDAD! is an intergalactic adventure that asks a lot of BIG questions: … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Help! Aliens Stole my Grandad,’ by Hannah Moffatt, illustrated by Rory Walker.
One of the great things about the Easter holidays is having the opportunity to spend a large proportion of day catching up with some of the new titles you’ve been sent to review. As soon as ‘Witch Light’ arrived, it jumped to the top of my pile as I loved its predecessor, ‘Deep Dark’ (you … Continue reading ‘Witch Light,” by Zohra Nabi, illustrated by Paola Escobar.
Now that secondary places have been allocated for September, you might be looking for some books to support making that tricky transition from KS2 to KS3. ‘The Overthinkers’ Club’ perfectly taps into the themes of tween anxiety, friendship dramas, and relationships in a hilarious and accessible format. “Birdie is an overthinker, and she has a lot to overthink. … Continue reading ‘The Overthinkers’ Club: Happy List,’ by Nat Luurtsema, illustrated by Cécile Dormeau.
I’ve just spent the past day reading this thrilling Arctic adventure and wanted to share it with you. “After millennia, mammoths have returned, brought back by scientists to help combat climate change. Ash Grimes, born and raised at the Arctic research centre responsible, dreams of becoming a Mammoth Rider, just like her dad. But mammoths … Continue reading ‘Mammoth Rider,’ by S.J. Poynton, cover by Johanna Tarkela.
If you’re looking for a new read to settle down with, look no further than Judith Eagle’s wonderful new piece of historical fiction. “War has been declared and the lives of three sisters, Lydia, Peggy and Teddy, are about to be turned upside down. As bombs rain down on London, the girls will lose their … Continue reading ‘The Blitz Sisters,’ by Judith Eagle, cover by Chantal Horeis.
If you’re after a festive read with a twist, look no further…, “When Masen, Conor and Joss wake up in the caravan on Christmas morning, a chill of unease fills the air. Their presents sit untouched in the house across the way, but their parents are nowhere to be found. Outside, a blizzard rages. Families … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Silent Night,’ by Emma Read, cover by Tom Clohosy Cole.
Introducing the sequel to the award-winning ‘The Deepest Breath.’ Written as a verse novel with dual narrators, readers will love this sensitive exploration of LGBTQ+ relationships and starting high school. Meg has also written a special piece for this blog reflecting on her journey from starting ‘The Deepest Breath’ to finishing ‘The Brightest Star’ and … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Brightest Star,’ by Meg Grehan.
We’re back adventuring with Saga after her environmental triumph in ‘Into the Faerie Hill.’ You don’t need to have read this to enjoy Norup’s sequel - The Changeling Child. “Twelve years ago, a child vanished from his cradle. He was never seen nor spoken of again. Saga is desperate to discover what happened - did … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Changeling Child,’ by H.S. Norup, cover by Thy Bui.
Introducing the final instalment in Pari Thomson’s award-winning Greenwild trilogy. Daisy and her friends have travelled from Kew Gardens, across the oceans, and finally to the Amazon Rainforest in the hopes of rescuing all they hold dear. Make sure you read the exclusive piece from Pari on writing about the environment for young readers! “With … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky,’ by Pari Thomson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli.
If you’re looking for a way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, may I recommend the really quite extraordinary ‘Shrapnel Boys.’ “There's a war going on out there, and I'm missing it. When war comes to London in 1939, Ronnie Smith is scared and excited: scared of the bombs that fall at night, … Continue reading ‘Shrapnel Boys,’ by Jenny Pearson, cover by Tom Clohosy Cole.
I’m on a bit of a ‘magical adventure’ streak at the moment so ‘School of Fireflies’ was just the ticket. What’s I particularly like about this title is that it has a host of ethnically diverse character which can sometimes be lacking in stories like this. "The grown-ups aren't telling us the whole story, so … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘School for Fireflies,’ by Erica Gomez, cover by Simone Smith.
My first read of 2025 was a new middle grade mystery from BookTrust’s Writer in Residence, Patrice Lawrence. You know that you’re going to get a quality reading experience when you crack open one of Patrice’s novels so I went in with high hopes (especially as other bookish people had said how good it was!) … Continue reading ‘People Like Stars,’ by Patrice Lawrence, cover by Michelle Brackenborough.
Today's my stop on the blog tour for the final instalment of Jennifer's 'Witches' trilogy. If you haven't already read them, make sure you find yourselves copies of 'The October Witches' and 'The November Witches' to read first. You can get to know the characters ahead of time by reading Jennifer's exclusive piece about the … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The December Witches,’ by Jennifer Claessen.
Library Girl and Book Boy 