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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 […]
Childhood is evoked on the first page; ‘Playtime, studytime naptime, snacktime, storytime…The days stretch on for ever and ever.’ And doing just what he sees his mother do, this little boy paints his fingernails. For his favourite time is painting-my-nails-time. The boy selects different colours for his many different moods, e.g. a perfect purple for […]
Poetry – poems – are still often seen as esoteric, to be handled with care, presented in hushed tones. Joseph Coelho has a mission to dismiss this stereotype and in partnership with the illustrator, Daniel Gray-Barnett, he sets about this with vigour. These are not ‘serious’ poems – the title alerts one immediately; these are […]
This beautifully illustrated book contains a rip-roaring adventure on the high seas, complete with pirates, a cursed ship, monsters and a battle with the sea itself. Ravian’s father, Lasse, is a sailor and though he is often away from home for long periods he always returns for Ravian’s birthday. However, on his twelfth birthday Ravian […]
This book begins with a framing story which sets the scene. After their regular trip to the library a young girl asks her grandfather to retell her favourite story – the one about the boy who grew a tree. And so the story of a young boy called Timi unfolds. Timi loves the natural world; […]
Kindness is an actual character in this remarkable and very beautiful picture book. He comes in the form of a tiny blue dot, who takes a ride on a little boy’s new trainer and is welcomed happily. The tiny blue dot becomes bigger, and this is the theme of the story. The kindness continues to […]
When Gretel bursts forth from her icy cage, having slept for ‘a very long time’, she shouts, ‘Hello World,’ and is greeted by a flock of white birds who welcome her happily. They are so excited and surprised and full of admiration because she is the very last mammoth on earth, and everyone loves her […]
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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