When new girl, Astra Firestar, crash-lands into Sam’s class, his life is about to change forever. Little did he know that she wasn’t from his neck of the woods but a space-traveller who had veered a little of course. It’s not every day a strange looking octopus lands in your classroom, and for…
What’s Worrying You? Sometimes things in your life can change and you’re not sure how to deal with the big feelings this can create. Perhaps the daily routine you’re used to has been adapted and there’s new things to remember? Or maybe there’s a new building at school or a new teacher to get to…
Life is not easy for Jane Eyre as she tries to find her place in a sometimes unforgiving world. Moved from pillar to post, she encounters hatred and disdain at every corner. Her younger years spent unloved within the walls of Gateshead Hall. Only to realise the same fate as a governess for the Rochester…
Jess French’s master world-building skills bring the fictional island of Ramoa, the setting of her new children’s novel Beastlands – Race to Frostfall Mountain to life with great flair. Involving all of the reader’s senses, the author makes the vastly different terrains of the island’s Realms leap off the page. But most intriguing and…
This book has such an epic plot twist it makes you want to immediately reread the novel AND demand the next one. I think it’s this very element that sets it apart from other magical school stories where a prophesied saviour has to defeat an evil baddie. I read this novel aloud as a…
Mariesa Dulak and Rebecca Cobb have teamed up to bring us this brilliantly OTT tale about a train journey to the sea and the increasingly extraordinary animals that come along for the ride. Now, this story may have a little sting in its tail for the adult reader. Dad misses out on most of…
There’s nothing quite like a cosy, comforting book when the winter nights draw in and these fantastic children’s authors have the perfect stories to curl up with! Wolf and Bear written and illustrated by Kate Rolfe Stunningly illustrated and gorgeous to read aloud, author-illustrator Kate Rolfe has brought us a touching, gentle…
Santa has had a busy night delivering presents to children across the world. He’s about to have a well-earned rest when all of a sudden… …someone dressed as Santa has been stealing all the presents! With Rudolph and the elves’ help, Santa travels far and wide to track down the culprit. Following footprints and other…
It’s 1881 and Samuel Osbourne is the only American at his English boarding school for boys. He is constantly on guard against the pranks made by his fellow pupils, making his time there unpleasant and fretful. Taking solace in books where the adventures on the page take him to places of wonder, he…
Yaba Badoe’s middle grade debut is a captivating tale that stretches from the UK to Africa and the Caribbean, dancing a winding trail to the roots and heritage of main character Man-man and his sister Pan. The story opens in present day London where Man-man is practicing his best dance moves for the Notting…
It’s not always easy to find a bedtime book that both my children (aged 7 & 10) will enjoy, but this engagingly-written, contemporary story had them both begging for one more chapter, and this mum was just as gripped. Josh has just moved home and school – a tough change for anyone, but harder…
What do you get if you put four tween girls in a creepy house…with no grown ups…on halloween night…and LOCK THEM INSIDE with a ghost who wants to play hide-and-seek? A brilliant Halloween read, of course! But be warned – it is creepy. Bella Bright and her Mum are staying at Darkling Manor…
It truly is a privilege to share Luke Palmer’s guest post for this week’s PLAY Blog Tour. A powerful read, this novel has continued to ‘play’ on my mind since I finished it. I was gripped by its raw exploration of masculinity and friendship, of role models and expectations, of games that turn…
This second fantasy adventure by wonderful wordsmith Nicola Davies is brimming with wisdom and heart. A prequel to The Song That Sings Us, and set in that same richly-imagined world, we follow young tiger cub Skrimsli on a perilous journey across mountains, deserts, and seas as he seeks to protect those he calls ‘kin’…
There’s never a dull moment in Maggie Blue’s life. After her experiences in the Dark World, she much prefers the quiet life with her incredible cat, Hoagy, and all her friends. But all is not what it seems when she has a feeling she is being watched. When a white crow constantly caws and…
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