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Age Group: KS2

Chapter book

This laugh-out-loud Daisy adventure for readers of Year 2 and beyond is from bestselling author of the Oi Frog series, Kes Gray.

Here comes trouble!

Daisy is off to actual, actual London for the day.

Nanny and Grampy are taking her to see the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and lots more.

The trouble is, all Daisy really wants to see is Cooey the pigeon . . .

Non-fiction

Did you know that the world’s biggest tongue belongs to the blue whale? Or that the snub-nosed monkey’s nostrils point upwards, and when it rains it makes them sneeze? From paws to claws, tongues, teeth, tails and more, compare the biggest and the smallest animals (and all the others in between) in this illustrated exploration of creatures and their features.

Includes stunning ‘UP CLOSE’ pages, which take a life-size look at a particular feature of two very different animals. See the mighty elephant’s trunk (it can grow as long as a bathtub!) and compare it to the sensitive snout of an elephant shrew. Study the bristly tongue of a penguin and see how different it is to the stretchy, long tongue of a salamander.

Written by science writer and children’s book author Isabel Thomas, with beautiful illustrations by Dawn Cooper, this absorbing book will delight and educate young animal lovers aged 6+.

Poetry

From the fantastic duo behind Poems Aloud and Smile Out Loud comes another compendium of 25 original confidence-building poems to read out loud which will show children that their voice has FANTASTIC power.

From multi-award winning poet and Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho comes 25 more brilliant, sparkling and truly original poems for children, specially written to help build confidence, develop speaking skills and help foster self-belief.

The collection contains mantras to be true to yourself, to help you feel brave, project happiness, conjure a smile, make you laugh or cheer others up. Some are odes, some can be said as personal mantras or just poems that instil confidence and help children realise the power of their voices.

Reading these poems aloud will teach children the power of a poem, encouraging them to explore the magic of language and foster a love of verse.

Chapter book

Welcome to a fantasy world where edible magic is the hottest commodity, traded between those who can pay or – in the case of Jude Ripon, the youngest thief in Farrowfell – those who can steal it!

An epic debut series from a FAB Prize winner.

Twelve-year-old Jude Ripon has never been taken seriously by her family of magic-stealing masterminds. To them, she’s just the youngest, only good for keeping watch while they carry out daring heists.

Desperate to prove her worth, Jude decides to steal valuable magic from the fanciest house in town . . .

But Jude’s stolen prize was protected by a curse which threatens to wreak havoc on the family business.

While attempting to untangle the mess she’s made (and wondering why anyone would want to curse an honest thief trying to earn a living), Jude discovers just how far her family will go to stay at the top of the criminal world.

Suddenly, her quest to become a true Ripon isn’t straightforward any more . . .

Picturebook

The highly-anticipated sequel to The Proudest Blue; a NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER which explores sisterhood, and kindness, from trailblazer and Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad. I want a kind world. A world where kindness passes from one to another. When Faizah’s teacher asks her class to imagine what kind of world they want to live in Faizah imagines a world where everyone is kind to one another, and tries to create that world in the school playground. But what Faizah wants most is to be like her big sister, Asiya. Will Faizah’s classmates repay her kindness and find a way for her to match Asiya in time for school photo day? An important and uplifting story about celebrating each other’s differences and similarities.

Picturebook

A brilliant retelling of the well-loved classic The Three Billy Goats Gruff – with a hilarious twist!

I am a troll. I live to eat. I love the sound of hooves and feet and paws and claws on cobblestones. For that’s the sound of meat and bones!

What lives under the bridge? A terrifying troll who is always hungry!

And this troll loves to gobble up anyone who dares to cross the bridge, but his favourite of all is billy goat: goat rump in a honey glaze, curried goat and goat smeared on toast – you name it, this troll LOVES it!

So, when the three Billy Goats Gruff decide to clip clop clip clop across the bridge, the troll is already imagining all the scrumptious ways to fill his belly.

But what if the troll is about to underestimate those seemingly sweet goats… And bite off more than he can chew!

A story told with pitch perfect timing, pacing and hilarious detail with Barnett’s signature narrator voice, this is Billy Goats Gruff as never before!

Award-winning illustrator, Jon Klassen, brings the story to life with his stunning visuals

The first in an incredible new collection of fractured fairy tales crafted by one of today’s most celebrated and acclaimed author-illustrator duos.

Chapter book

A gripping, page-turning mystery adventure from the bestselling author of modern classic The Goldfish Boy

When lonely Vincent is forced to go on an outdoor activity weekend with three other kids from his class, he’s counting the seconds until he can escape home. But one of his classmates is hiding a secret: she’s convinced there’s pirate treasure buried deep within a nearby mountain. Suddenly, this boring trip becomes an exciting adventure! But a thief is hot on the trail, intent on stealing the loot for themselves… can the Treasure Hunters work together to stop them? for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce’s Millions and classic action adventure movie The Goonies funny, moving and a real page-turner a sensitive depiction of a hero with dyspraxia.

Chapter bookPicturebook

A stunning children’s novel from the Costa Award-winning author of Asha & the Spirit Bird.

This story follows archaeology-obsessed Xanthe as she uncovers her family’s secrets. Xanthe loves visiting her gran in her flat with its rooftop garden.

But Nani is becoming forgetful – and Xanthe wishes she could help her, if only she knew how.

A mysterious cat shows her a way. It leads Xanthe to clues about Nani’s childhood, and how, long ago, she had to escape her old life in Africa for a new one in Britain.

Set in a tower block in Nottingham, this tale of secrets, family, refugees, belonging and love brings Jasbinder Bilan’s trademark magical realism to an urban, everyday setting.

Non-fiction

Travel back 400 years to visit rowdy theatres and royal palaces to understand what it was like to live in Shakespeare’s Elizabethan England and the influence it had on his ground-breaking work. This book charts Shakespeare’s phenomenal talent and peeks behind the curtain at his most famous plays, from tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet to comedies such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Taming of the Shrew.

Non-fiction

Imagine being able to hear for the first time, or see in full-colour, or take your first steps on Earth. This incredible book celebrates the remarkable achievements made in medical engineering, and offers a glimpse of what the future might hold for humanity.

Pioneering technological breakthroughs have truly changed lives. For some people, particularly those with disabilities, recent advances have crossed the realms of the purely imaginable, and reached a place of possibility. People with paraplegia can walk again, those who are hearing impaired can listen to even the faintest sounds, and some people with missing limbs can create beautiful works of art.

This phenomenal book is a celebration of all that has been achieved so far, and a look at what might be possible in the near future. Is it inevitable that technology will surpass biology?

From cochlear implants and pacemakers, to bionic arms and legs, this empowering book also features spotlights on pioneers including Paralympians Richard Whitehead and Blake Leeper, and the world’s first ‘cyborg’ Neil Harbisson.

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