These titles are longer chapter books often with more challenging themes and plotlines. Best-suited to more confident readers aged 9+
With the Stone Age a firm fixture on the primary school national curriculum, it’s always useful to have some new texts up your sleeve to use along with tried and tested favourites. Today I’m going to share with you a selection of titles I’ve been sent which would fit well with a Stone Age topic … Continue reading Stone Age, Bone Age
Welcome back to the Land of Roar - once a figment of the imaginations of a much younger Rose and Arthur's imaginations, but now a real place accessed through their grandfather's loft. After their last adventure, the twins thought they'd banished Roar's worst villain for good - but perhaps that isn't actually the case.... You … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Return to Roar,’ by Jenny McLachlan, illustrated by Ben Mantle.
I absolutely loved Aisha’s debut middle grade novel, ‘A Pocketful of Stars,’ so was very excited to see what she would write next. The magical ‘Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found’ was the answer! (You can listen to Aisha on my podcast HERE.) I also had the opportunity ask Aisha some questions about the … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found,’ by Aisha Bushby, illustrated by Rachael Dean.
Prepare yourself to be whisked away to the streets of Paris in this wonderful patisserie-filled mystery. Nell Magnificent is feeling anything but. Her two beastly parents are planning to leave on a business trip to Paris. Usually, she would spend the holidays at school, but on this occasion it was being redecorated and had sent … Continue reading ‘The Pear Affair,’ by Judith Eagle, cover by Kim Geyer.
If you loved last year’s award-wining title, ‘The Umbrella Mouse,’ you are going to love this gripping sequel full of treachery, distrust and the power of hope. Following their legendary escape from the Nacht und Nebel camp, Pip and the other members of the Noah’s Ark resistance movement have regrouped and are honouring their fallen … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue,’ by Anna Fargher, illustrated by Sam Usher.
Omar and the gang are back for their third adventure. And this one contains aliens (probably!) When Mrs Hutchinson (aka the best teacher in the universe) is mysteriously replaced by the less than friendly Mrs Crankshaw, Omar knows that something fishy’s going on. There’s no way Mrs Hutchinson would just leave them without saying anything … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission,’ by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Nasaya Mafaridik.
Jess’s writing is fantastic so I was delighted to be sent a copy of her newest title which is firmly rooted in the great outdoors. Cara, her siblings and their Irish wolfhound live on a boat in the countryside. They love their beautiful boat and the fact they can step off the boat and into … Continue reading ‘Where the Wilderness Lives,’ by Jess Butterworth, cover by Rob Biddulph.
I really enjoy reading a good historical fiction novel, especially if there’s an element of mystery afoot. If you’re anything like me, you’ll thoroughly enjoy A.M. Howell’s new title which was inspired by a notable clock collection housed in Bury St. Edmund’s Moyse’s Hall museumS. What would it be like to live in a house … Continue reading ‘The House of One Hundred Clocks,’ by A.M. Howell, illustrations by Saara Söderlund.
You just know that any book whose tagline is: ‘A hilarious story of LOLs, llamas, dramas and finding your voice,’ is going to be a quirky, joyous read! Yasmin lives in a very loud house in the East End of London, full of bustling aunties trying to force her into sequinned dresses, annoying brothers playing … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Llama Out Loud,’ by Annabelle Sami, illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan.
I am always pleased to see books featuring girls & STEM, and even more so when the main character is from a BAME background. Imagine then my delight when Agent Asha arrived through my letterbox. Top hacker and coder, Asha, is recruited via a cleverly coded message from the library to join a top secret … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bites,’ by Sophie Deen, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar.
I was so pleased to see another title for younger chapter book fans by Sylvia Bishop - I'd loved ‘Bookshop Girl’ and was eager for more. Betsy’s parents are world famous concert pianists and, despite what they say, Betsy knows they’d like nothing more than for her to carry on the family business. The only … Continue reading ‘44 Tiny Secrets,’ by Sylvia Bishop, illustrated by Ashley King.
Empathy is a vital human force. One that creates happier children, stronger communities and a better world. It’s come into sharp focus during the pandemic and right now, we’ve never needed it more. Empathy is being able to imagine and share someone else’s feelings. The good news is that it's a skill you can learn, … Continue reading Empathy Day: ‘Flight,’ by Vanessa Harbour.
It is so refreshing to see a wave of ‘real voices’ titles appearing in the middle grade category. Interesting and often challenging stories told from an authentic viewpoint. In this case, we get to read about Addie, an autistic girl, written by neurodivergent author, Elle McNicoll. Addie has been having a tough time recently. Her … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘A Kind of Spark,’ by Elle McNicoll.
I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for ‘Baller Boy,’ the first in a new series from author Venessa Taylor and indie publishing house, Hashtag Press. Written with reluctant readers in mind, Venessa wrote this series to empower its readers, whilst reflecting diversity in football and showcasing different types of families.Shay and Frankie … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Baller Boys,’ by Venessa Taylor, illustrated by Kenneth Ghann.
I recently reviewed ‘Saving Winslow,’ by Sharon Creech. This heart-warming book is all about Louie. He had been hoping for a puppy to care for but instead his father brought home a sickly newborn donkey from his uncle’s farm. Louie didn’t have a great track record when it came to nurturing small creatures, with worms … Continue reading Designing ‘Saving Winslow,’ by illustrator, Sarah Horne.
I am almost ashamed to admit that I hadn’t read any of Welsh Children’s laureate, Eloise Williams’s titles before ‘Wilde,’ but I had heard the most amazing things about her writing so was excited to get engrossed by Wilde’s story. Wilde has managed to get herself expelled from boarding school, again. Rather than face a … Continue reading ‘Wilde’ by Eloise Williams.
Today’s my turn to shout about ‘Rise of the Shadow Dragons,’ the gripping follow up to Liz Flanagan’s award-winning ‘Dragon Daughter.’ Make sure you read Liz’s special piece about some of the main themes in this gripping epic. Joe wakes up smiling with the lingering memory of a dream where he was riding on the … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Rise of the Shadow Dragons,’ by Liz Flanagan.
I was super-excited to dive into this book because I had heard lots of excellent things about it on Twitter and then, I received a most intriguing box of goodies, including a class set of samplers, which went to Book Boy’s school. Freddie Yates likes facts, and that’s a fact. But it’s not all that … Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates,’ by Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph.
If you haven’t read any of Sharon Creech’s stories, ‘Saving Winslow’ is a great place to start, followed up by her verse novel ‘Love that Dog.’ Louie had been hoping for a puppy to care for but instead his father brings home a sickly newborn donkey from his uncle’s farm. Louie doesn’t have a great … Continue reading ‘Saving Winslow,’ by Sharon Creech, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
Given the high profile of climate change and a rise in climate activism amongst the youth of the world, it’s little surprise that the theme for the 50th Earth Day is climate activism. I am about to share with you all some titles which I hope will inform pupils about some of the global issues … Continue reading Books to Encourage Climate Activism – Earth Day 2020
