Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

The Golden Monkey Mystery

Chapter book

A thrilling adventure set in the jungles of India from the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author of Secrets of the Snakestone.

A lost monkey.

A cursed jewel.

A race through the jungle.

When Roma stumbles upon a rare golden monkey, she vows to return it to its hidden home in the Himalayas. But the path is riddled with peril: ruthless bandits, prowling beasts, and the sinister power of the Snakestone – a jewel that stalks her dreams.

To make matters worse, Roma is forced to travel with Max and Arabella, two pampered children who seem more trouble than help. Only a mysterious map offers a chance of success – but with every step, pursuers of the Snakestone draw closer.

Can Roma unlock the map’s secret before the jungle swallows them whole?

Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook

Giselle Clarkson

Non-fiction

Omnibird’s subtitle, ‘An avian investigator’s handbook’, sums this book up well. This is no dry and dusty bird guide, this is an investigator’s handbook full of hints and tips and guides to reading clues in order to help the reader play detective and identify the birds who live all around us. From the shape of their wings to the sounds they make and their colouring and patterns, this book covers all the things to look for when trying to identify a bird.

With sections on how eggs are formed, the various jobs birds do in our environment and even the steps to take to help rescue a bird trapped indoors, as well as information on many of our most familiar birds, this is a fascinating book for both budding ornithologists, as well as anyone with an interest in the natural world.

The illustrations are bright and eye-catching and the information is laid out in a very accessible, child-friendly, humorous way. A brilliant addition to any primary classroom or library.

Terrible Traitors

Martin Brown & Terry Deary

Graphic novel

This a a clever tie-in to the current interest in traitors, following on from the TV programme of the same name. It is fairly typical Horrible Histories fare, with their trademark humour and puns.

It tells us of fifty-two assumed traitors, from 2700 BC (the Awful Ancients) to 1945 (the Woeful Second World War) and gives us two to three pages of information about each turncoat, dispelling certain myths along the way. There are twenty-six time periods covered, including Rotten Romans, Slimy Stewarts and Vile Victorians, as well as regional headings such as Wales, USA and The British Empire.

Readers will definitely learn some new facts, no matter what they already know about the time periods, although the number of pages allocated to the double-crossers means that their deeds are relatively précised with the included trademark illustrations. There is a brief ‘Did You Know?’ section at the end of each tale of treachery that gives interesting facts, and children are encouraged to think about the despicable deeds and consider whether there might be extenuating circumstances.

It’s the sort of book that I can see children dipping in and out of, rather than reading it all at once. It covers so much of history that it may be of limited use within the school curriculum, apart from a Crime and Punishment topic. It would be good fun for debate and discussion in Key Stage 2.

Ghost Boys (Graphic Novel)

Jewell Parker Rhodes & Setor Fiadzigbey

Graphic novel

Ghost Boys, the New York Times bestselling novel about a Black boy killed by a white police officer from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, is brought to a new audience in this heartbreaking and powerful graphic novel with striking colour artwork by Setor Fiadzigbey.

ALIVE
Twelve-year-old Jerome doesn’t get into trouble. He goes to school. He does his homework. He takes care of his little sister.

Then Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat.

DEAD
As a ghost, watching his family trying to cope with his death, Jerome begins to notice other ghost boys.

Each boy has a story and they all have something in common…

Bit by bit, Jerome begins to understand what really happened – not just to him, but to all of the ghost boys.

A poignant and gripping graphic novel about how children and families face the complexities of race and racism in today’s world.

Hooked: Learning to Fish

Al Brown & Hope McConnell

Non-fiction

Whether you want to fish for sprats from a wharf, walk up a stream with a fly rod or cast a line from a boat or kayak, there”s a heap of handy information in here.

Learn how to tie knots, bait hooks, cast lures, and fillet and cook your catch.

Al Brown has a life-long love of fishing and Hooked includes ten of Al”s most-loved fish recipes, some of them Depot classics.

Fishing is a terrific outdoors experience that is challenging but also super exciting. And the learning never ends as your knowledge builds with each adventure and every time you head out. Hooked is a go-to for all anglers!

Boy vs Reality

James Fox

Chapter book

Most children will be more familiar than I with the trials and temptations of vlogging: seeking to present perfection; aiming for maximum likes; transitioning from hobby to business while simultaneously upping the fun factor and the revenue; not to mention losing sight of life’s priorities.

Y5 Ethan seems to have a better handle on what really matters in life (families, friends and wellbeing) than Mum, with her million followers, Dad, with his ‘Dad on the Rocks’ channel, or older brother, Mason, who kickstarts his own YouTube ambitions by recording and publishing the meanest possible pranks on his Little Loser Bro. When the perfect influencer family is actually tearing itself apart, when the smiles are forced, and the offline chat fractious and hate-filled, the grown-up plan is ‘fake it’ and keep shtum. No wonder chilling with his good mates, Arlo and Omar, brings Ethan welcome relief; no wonder he goes to Grandad and Colin the Dog for sanctuary and solace. Because confiding in and collaborating with true friends and, eventually, accepting professional counselling and moving towards reconciliation, is surely the better way.

What makes this book a winner is its contemporary and engrossing storyline, for sure. But it is also to be recommended for its humour, the Gen Z/Gen Alpha slang (for those in the know), and even the laying bare of Ethan’s ‘sticky thoughts’, helping real kids to see they’re not alone or ‘weird’. At 373 pages, Boy Vs Reality is a satisfyingly chunky volume: too long probably for a class read, but definitely one to have in the UKS2 library or classroom.

The Domesday Cows

Iszi Lawrence

Chapter book

Who could resist a book with the title The Domesday Cows? Coupled with being written by Iszi Lawrence, whose books I have enjoyed in the past, this was an irresistible draw for me.

This is a story about the culture clash between the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans. Billed as a comedy, this is a romp through the early days of the Norman Invasion and how it impacted the Anglo-Saxon people already living in England (and Wales). It is full of historical details, all cleverly disguised as a funny story. The fact that deer, for example, were no longer permitted to be killed as they belonged to the Normans is all wrapped up in an episode where a deer behaves incredibly stupidly, and the villagers can do nothing about it. I also did not realise the Normans brought rabbits into the country.

The amusing illustrations by Davide Ortu start each chapter with a hint of what is to come, and the tiptoeing cows are very funny. There is a lot to unpack in what seems like a simple book.

New You For Ever

Chris King & Steve Cole

Chapter book

‘New You For Ever’ is a futuristic thriller where artificial intelligence has taken over the world – a world that is suffering from the devastating effects of climate change – a world where extreme measures are being explored to solve the climate crisis.

The ‘New You Foundation’ is giving people the chance to turn themselves into a Pleeka – a replica of their own body with their personality and memories uploaded but importantly a body that can live forever without using up scarce resources such as food and water. Advocates of the Foundation are calling for everyone to turn Pleeka to take the strain off Earth, and influencers and celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon.

Anders and his dad are journalists reporting on the Foundation. But Anders becomes suspicious about the true intentions of the organisation and he is determined to discover the truth.

This is an easy gripping read, which explores an extreme future scarily based on reality. It will certainly make you think!

The Galaxy World Cup

Alan Joyce

Chapter book

This is a hilarious book about daydreamer, Nick who gets a detention for well, daydreaming along with his friend Eddie, who thinks he saw a spaceship land in the woods. They join Phil, angry Mia and tech-savvy Sanjay in detention.

The PE teacher, Mr Barton wants them to play against talented Lucas and his team in the Community Centre. If that’s not bad enough they have to wear unwashed kit. The names on the back of the T-shirts are: Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe, Morgan and Haaland. When they lose miserably, they are made to run laps around the park but they hear strange noises coming from the woods. When they see a green light they go in and are kidnapped by alien, Gaux and robot, Nauton who mistake them for the names on the back of their T-shirts to play in the Galaxy World Cup on the planet Bigpu!

Back on Earth, friends, families and teachers watch them as they play match after match. This was a gripping read with so many funny parts. Mia is always shouting, Phil is always vomiting and Sanjay can’t stop sneezing. This book would be perfect for football fans and fans of funny books alike. Although they seem like misfits who have nothing in common they actually work well together and learn they have ther own strengths.

The Experiment

Rebecca Stead

Chapter book

I was hooked into the story from the first couple of pages with questions as to why a boy named Nathan is locked in his room by his family, and why they are being summoned to the mysterious ‘Wagon’ – a journey that Nathan is clearly very reluctant to take.

The reader then discovers that he’s an alien from the planet Kast, and that his peers in the group, who arrived on Earth together, are disappearing. Nathan is also on a meticulously controlled and monitored food intake: Hester – the Kast leader – needs to see how long their people can maintain human form and blend in. When Nathan grows a tail, that’s clearly no longer possible, and this is why he and his family are summoned to the Wagon – their hidden spaceship – to meet Hester.

Once on the ship, it becomes clear that the situation is not as Nathan has been led to believe, and he has to try to convince his parents that they must all take action. When Nathan takes matters into his own hands and becomes trapped with Hester on the Wagon, the shocking truth about their identity and Hester’s experiments is revealed.

It’s a highly original story that explores our sense of belonging and what it is to be human – or alien. It does challenge a few preconceptions and has further themes of friendship, family and identity. It would be a fabulous science fiction read – more in this genre than fantasy – and would appeal to fans of Christopher Edge or Alistair Chisholm.

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