The Storm Swimmer is one of those books that leaves you thinking. Read in just a couple of sittings, I found myself completely wrapped up in Ginika's story. Why do her parents have to send her to stay with her grandparents in Cumbria? What kind of trouble are they in? Will Ginika make any friends… Continue reading The Storm Swimmer by Clare Weze
Gothic Literature is a favourite topic in Key Stage Three English. Dracula, Frankenstein, Edgar Allen Poe... there are so many classic texts to discover. For some children, these texts can be quite challenging with unfamiliar language and a style they just aren't used to. Often, reading another version of their class text helps children build… Continue reading Frankenstein: A Retelling by Tanya Landman
March 2023 Dragonracers by Peter Bunzl is a brilliant blend of fantasy and history, all wrapped up in the story of the first London to Manchester Air Race in 1910! Ten-year-old Kitty and Harris Hawk are twins who have grown up around the first planes in Britain. Their father is chief aircraft engineer to Britain's… Continue reading Dragonracers by Peter Bunzl
March 2023 Readers will lose themselves in this atmospheric mystery filled with hints of magic. An ominous undercurrent runs beneath the main plot, giving a sense that something significant is going to happen - something dark, something magical, something even more important than protecting nature from road works and development. Alfred is sent to stay… Continue reading Into the Faerie Hill by H.S. Norup ~ Blog Tour
My Brownie unit (Girlguiding) really enjoyed using these three new books for our meeting about Lunar New Year. We spent an entire evening learning, reflecting and creating with lots of inspiration. I Love Chinese New Year by Eva Wong Nava & Xin Li (Scholastic UK) shares one little girl's Chinese New Year traditions. There's a… Continue reading Lunar New Year
February 2023 The Ghosts of Mars is a fantastic science-fiction adventure for every young reader who has ever wondered what it would be like to live on Mars. Action-packed with incredibly high stakes, it takes Eva (the first person to be born on Mars) and her band of faithful friends on a quest full of… Continue reading Ghosts of Mars: The Adventures of Eva Knight by Stuart White
February 2023 The Funniest Boy in the World is overflowing with laughs and a whole lot of heart. Ever-charming Billy Plimpton is back! Buoyed by the success of his stand-up comedian act in the school talent show, he’s determined to make it as a comic. He’s learning to embrace his stammer and accept it as… Continue reading The Funniest Boy in the World by Helen Rutter
The Moon of Kyiv by Gianni Rodari & Beatrice Alemagna Picture Book - Walker Books Originally written over 70 years ago, The Moon of Kyiv is a powerful poem about connections. No matter who we are or where we are in the world, we are all under the same moon. This can be a comforting… Continue reading Home? – Books to Help Children Understand the Lives of Refugees
January 2023 Jenni Spangler is one of my favourite middle grade authors. Her stories are full of intrigue, strange objects and characters who always do the unexpected. Valentine Crow and Mr Death goes ten steps further with a unique, gently funny and thought-provoking tale of a young apprentice who is sent to work for the… Continue reading Valentine Crow and Mr Death by Jenni Spangler
February 2023 The Sleeping Stones is an intriguing Welsh mystery. Gruff doesn’t like change. When Matylda and her family move to his Welsh island from Manchester, he doesn’t really want to have to look after her and teach her the ways of their unusual community. She just doesn’t understand about the Sleeping Stones – a… Continue reading The Sleeping Stones by Beatrice Wallbank
Scope for Imagination 