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Caryl Lewis has won Wales Book of the Year twice for her literary fiction and the Tir na n-Og Award for best children’s fiction. Seed, the story of a heartening and magical transformation, is her first English novel for children. She answered our questions about the book. Seed is a story about the power of […]
All sorts of things grow in the most unexpected ways in Caryl Lewis’s story, and if readers don’t see gardening as something slightly magical when they pick up the book, they will by the time they reach the end. Marty values the evenings he spends with his grandad on his allotment. Since his father left, […]
Award-winning author Ross MacKenzie has come up with a terrific story here, and the title is very clever, too. In the Dominion, most of the world is in shades of grey, as the Emperor, or rather his evil aunt, a Necromancer, has stolen all the colour, and they keep it for themselves, enjoying its life-giving […]
The mice love cheese so their ears prick up when from ‘UP Above’ they hear the word… but there is no cheese! Did someone say ‘Cheese’ again? But where is the cheese? It is a puzzle and a disappointment…or is it? This is a charming debut picture book where the concept and the illustrations work […]
An important story about pollution, consumerism and the dangers of extinction, this picture book turns the usual plot about the extinction of animals into one about humans being the ones who may disappear from earth. As such, it is chilling at the end, but very thought-provoking for older children. The elephant family is enjoying spraying […]
Sue Divin’s book is set in Northern Ireland during the second half of 2019, a time of significance and tension for the region and its people. But, as in her highly regarded previous novel Guard Your Heart, she also uses the story of contemporary young people to shine light on the history of the Troubles […]
Madina is 15, attending school in Germany. In history, her class is learning about the Second World War. The teacher shows photos of ‘mountains of corpses and hanging bodies’. She talks of prisoners herded like cattle into gas chambers. Madina puts her hand up: ‘I’ve also seen how people are killed. Back home.’ Far away, […]
Full of light and love, and infused with the warmth of a special day in the countryside, this beautiful and uplifting picturebook reminds us to be present in the moment and value time with those we love.. “There’s juice on our hands and stains down our shirts…” Early one morning, a mother and her daughter […]
It’s all here in Every Cloud, as you’d know if you were in Year 6; sleepovers, besties, dance classes, Area Sports Days, nail painting, parties-and-what-to-wear, parties-and-who’s-not-been-invited, and so on. Then there are also a couple of questions everyone in Year 6 faces. Which school are you going to in the Autumn? And which of your […]
Alice Tonks is an 11-year-old autistic British schoolgirl. She is about to join an elite boarding school colloquially known as Pebbles. Alice’s deceased mother and her living grandmother (who acts as her parent) are both former pupils of the school. Alice is nervous about going away to school. She knows that she doesn’t easily make […]
The internationally acclaimed Benjamin Zephaniah has written a powerful, moving picture book about the voyage from the West Indies of HMT Empire Windrush. In his bouncy, poetic style, Zephaniah introduces Mona Baptiste, one of five sisters born in Trinidad in 1928. On this island of sunshine, her passion is to sing. ‘Joy is what I […]
David Berman is a young Jewish refugee who came over to England in 1940 on the Kindertransport and is eventually sent to work on a farm in Scotland. Meanwhile Robert and his sister Elsa have been evacuated from London to his grandparents’ farm not far away from David. In a cave on the beach by […]
It’s little elephant Wellington’s fifth birthday and he’s excited when he receives a jacket exactly like his Dad’s. However his delight is short-lived for when he tries it on, it’s far too big. Mum steps in with a suggestion to make the day a good one nonetheless, and off go Dad and the birthday elephant […]
Chris Smith’s new adventure story is a fun and light-hearted addition to the epic fantasy genre. Frankie Best is a relatable hero for young readers. She knows that there is nothing more important in life than being connected to your friends with WiFi and a smartphone, and she knows that little brothers who talk about […]
Charlene is angry; angry with her mum who died, angry at the way she is dismissed by adults, and most of all angry that she has been completely separated from her little sister whom she adores. She hasn’t seen her for two years and she herself is now in foster care. Her rage bubbles inside […]
A new collaboration between John Agard and Satoshi Kitamura, this superb picture book celebrates communication, the power of language and how love can even sometimes supersede it. Creature-Of-No-Words is happy, happy to be furry, and never in a hurry. In fact, though he doesn’t know how to say it, living in a world of no-words, […]
Flora died of neuroblastoma at the age of 15. Three years have passed. Her sisters, Isla now aged 13 and Una now aged ten, miss their deceased sister terribly, as do their parents. Their grief persists until they encounter Project Homecoming. This is a highly secret undertaking whereby a technological company promises to deliver what […]
Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.
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