Books for children at that tricky age of being not quite old-enough for Teen Fiction but wanting something a little more grown up than Middle Grade.
I raced through this book! A superb read from Jeffrey Boakye which explores the complexities of growing up as a black youth from an estate, alongside a backdrop of pure 90s joy - cassette tapes, Gladiators, rap battles, the internet? What’s that? ‘Kofi had an idea . . . one big lightning bolt of an … Continue reading ‘Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer,’ by Jeffrey Blakey.
People have long been fascinated by the highwaymen who used to strike fear into the heart of many a wealthy traveller. Lots of us will have studied Alfred Noyes’ famous poem ‘The Highwayman’ at school, and generations of children continue to do so. This book would be a great choice to read along side for … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Stand and Deliver,’ by Philip Caveney, illustration by Jill Tytherleigh.
Chris Vick is a stunning writer - his debut novel ‘Girl. Boy. Sea.’ was shortlisted for the 2020 Cilip Carnegie award. When I was given the chance to read his newest title, I just couldn’t pass it up! I also have a special Q&A from Chris for you to enjoy! ‘From killers to conservationists, Carnegie-shortlisted … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Last Whale,’ by Chris Vick, cover by Jessie Price.
Oh my goodness. Book Boy and I have been eagerly awaiting for the second instalment of Scarlett and Albert’s adventures (see my review of the first in the trilogy HERE) and now it’s here! This post also features a special piece by author, Jonathan Stroud, about the key roles and characters of the landscapes within … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Notorious Scarlett and Browne,’ by Jonathan Stroud, cover by Tom Clohosy Cole.
For those of you who’ve read Benjamin’s debut novel, ‘Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow,’ it will come as no surprise that his second title is equally as joyous with a LGBTQ+ theme appropriate for its middle grade audience. It’s one of those books that will leave you with a huge smile … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Secret Sunshine Project,’ by Benjamin Dean, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat.
Our young people live in an increasingly visual world - branding, advertising, and online images are a part of everyday life. The ability to decode and critically analyse images is key to becoming aware of when art is seeking manipulate your emotions or thoughts in some way. This fascinating book explores how typography, colour, and … Continue reading ‘Art of Protest – What Revolution Looks Like,’ by De Nichols, illustrated by Diana Dagadita, Saddo, Olivia Twist, Molly Mendoza, and Diego Becas.
Today I’m kicking off the blog tour for a brand new title by award-winning novelist Sita Brahmachari. ‘When Shadows Fall’ pis a powerful exploration of grief, exclusion, and friendship for teen readers told in prose and free verse. There are also stunning illustrated pages and sections throughout which echo the story’s theme of the therapeutic … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘When Shadows Fall,’ by Sita Brahmachari, illustrated by Natalie Sirett.
Pam Smy’s first novel, ‘Thornhill,’ was met with much critical acclaim and nominated for several awards so my expectations of ‘The Hideaway’ were high. Well let me tell you, she has crafted another beautifully told tale interwoven with atmospheric greyscale illustrations. Pam has written an exclusive piece for this blog about being an illustrator. You … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Hideaway,’ by Pam Smy.
This time last year, I had just finished this title’s predecessor, ‘The Monsters of Rookhaven’ - a delightfully brooding read full of gothic motifs, lurking menace, and the idea of embracing those different to yourself. As the nights draw in and Halloween swiftly approaches, I would suggest you might like to get yourself a copy … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Shadows of Rookhaven,’ by Pádraig Kenny, illustrated by Edward Bettison.
If you are looking for a dark, mysterious, brooding read for young teen readers, then this is what you need to get hold of. It is very rare that I am so enthralled by a book that I am compelled to read it in one sitting. But that is exactly what happened with ‘The Ash … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Ash House,’ by Angharad Walker.
I was completely blown away by this powerful novella which chronicles the inner dialogue of Rex, a young teen whose father has very recently passed away. There were smiles and there were tears as I watched him struggle to come to terms with his loss and with his final moments with his father. Definitely something … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Dream House,’ by Laura Dockrill, illustrated by Gwen Millward.
The Oxford University Press have produced a brand new range of highly-readable titles for less confident KS3 readers (aged 11 up.) They’ve created the ‘Super-readable Rollercoasters’ in collaboration with Barrington Stoke who are known for their dyslexia-friendly format and snappy, engaging stories. I was lucky enough to be sent two of these titles to review, … Continue reading ‘Dark Peak,’ by Marcus Sedgwick, cover by Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor.
Today I’m sharing an exciting new book for teen readers packed with daring exploits and audacious crimes. AND I have the second part of Chapter Two for you to enjoy. If you’ve missed reading Chapter One and the first part of this chapter, check out which stops on the blog tour to visit on the … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne,’ by Jonathan Stroud, cover by Tom Cole.
Justin Somper’s swaggering fantasy adventure series has been reissued with striking new covers and bonus additional content including ‘origins stories’ for its lead characters, interviews, and reading group notes. Today I’m sharing the first of those with you, plus an exclusive piece by Justin about how he researched his characters. ‘The year is 2512. The … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘Vampirates,’ by Justin Somper, cover illustration by Crush Creative.
Ever since reading the first instalment of Robert Muchamore’s Robin Hood series earlier in 2020, Book Boy has been counting down to the release of the second in January 2021. Luckily for him, I was kindly sent a review copy before that which he promptly whisked from under my nose and set about devouring. ‘The … Continue reading ‘Robin Hood: Piracy, Paintballs and Zebras,’ by Robert Muchamore.
With World Mental Health Day (Saturday 10th October) and International Day of the Girl (Sunday 11th October) coming up, today seems like an excellent time to share this fantastic book with you all. Written by a world-leading expert in body image research, it is packed with advice you can trust. This book is full of … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless,’ by Dr. Charlotte Markey, cover by Zoe Naylor.
Today is my turn to share with you this truly wonderful graphic novel which depicts the true story of life in a refugee camp through the eyes of a young boy. For almost as long as he can remember, Omar and his brother Hassan have lived in the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Although … Continue reading Blog tour: ‘When Stars are Scattered,’ by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed.
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.
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.
This week, Book Boy got to pick our Tuesday title and he selected this updated take on the classic story of Robin Hood. After his coder father is falsely imprisoned following a disagreement with local gangster, Guy Gisborne, twelve-year-old Robin escapes into the sprawling and dangerous Sherwood Forest. Full of snakes and bandits, no one … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay Robert Muchamore’s ‘Robin Hood,’ cover by Alessandro Taini.
Library Girl and Book Boy 