Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

Wrong Tracks

Chapter book

Who is sabotaging the Rainhill Trials?

It is 1829. Everyone is talking about the exciting new railways and young Edward Entwistle cannot believe his good fortune: a chance encounter sees him offered a job at the Stephensons’ Steam Locomotive Manufactory.

The Stephensons are preparing for an important competition – The Rainhill Trials. A race of innovation and daring which will award the winner a contract to run the new Liverpool & Manchester Rail Way. Edward must protect the father and son inventors’ latest creation – their precious Premium Engine – but strange and dangerous accidents keep stalling construction.

Edward and his new loco-mad friend Prudence soon realise someone is trying to scupper the Stephensons’ chances. It is up to the friends to spot sabotage and chase down spies in a thrilling race against the clock.

Inspired by the Rainhill Trials.

The Dawn of Adonis

Phil Earle

Chapter book

From the bestselling author of When the Sky Falls and Finn’s Epic Fails comes the heart-wrenching story of a baby gorilla, Adonis, born into captivity, and the twelve-year-old girl who risks everything to rescue him.

In 1911, before the start of World War One, London’s docks thrum with underhand deals, none so great as the arrival of a valuable, rare and exotic animal – a baby silverback gorilla. The baby gorilla stands to make one man very, very rich. Heaven help anyone who gets in his way. But then one night a twelve-year-old girl is unwittingly drawn into his criminal underworld. Can she find a way to escape and rescue the baby gorilla?

The hotly anticipated follow-up to the multi-award-winning story about the incredible friendship between a young boy and a silverback gorilla in the Second World War, inspired by a true story: When the Sky Falls.

‘This richly atmospheric adventure . . . confirms Earle as a master of his craft’ Daily Mail
‘Nobody writes striking, heartfelt adventure like Phil Earle. I loved it!’ Ross Montgomery
‘It’s a tremendous nail-biting read, tender and terrifying in equal measure’ Jacqueline Wilson

Praise for When the Sky Falls:
‘A magnificent story’ Philip Pullman
‘Deeply felt, movingly written, a remarkable achievement’ Michael Morpurgo

Perfect for fans of War Horse, I Am Rebel and The Last Bear

To War With Wallace

Barbara Henderson

Chapter book

Scottish Wars of Independence, 1297. Scottish resistance has been crushed, and King Edward, Hammer of the Scots, now rules the North. Doesn’t he?

At Chester Castle, young apprentice armourer Harry has no idea just how much his life is going to change from the moment he is told to guard an imprisoned Scottish nobleman: the rebel Andrew de Moray. The boy’s momentary carelessness gives the prisoner all he needs: an opportunity to escape. Harry finds himself kidnapped, and on his way to Scotland.

Soon, he is caught up in the Northern Rising with its skirmishes and stealth attacks. But these are nothing to the storm of questions in Harry’s mind: Whose cause is right? Why has his new master joined forces with the outlaw William Wallace? Can his new friend Euphemia be trusted?

As arrows fly and swords clash at the battle of Stirling Bridge, Harry must choose: Whose side is he on?

Under the London Sky

Anna Woltz

Chapter book

A Telegraph best new children’s book

A Daily Mail book of the year

London, September 1940. Deep in the Underground, taking shelter from the bombs, four teenagers meet.

Without the Blitz, they never would have met.

Fourteen-year-old Ella walks with a limp. Some days, she feels like a laughing stock. Other days, like no one sees her at all. Quinn is fifteen, fancy and fearless. She’s run away from home with a bag of family jewels and big ideas about changing the world. Jack is sixteen and doesn’t care about anything anymore – he’s already lost it all. And then there’s Sebastian, Quinn’s older brother. He used to be her hero. Until he became a traitor

A coming-of-age historical novel for teens from internationally bestselling children’s author, Anna Woltz.

Lobster Blues

Jacqueline King

Chapter book

Winter, 1942, and eighteen months since the Germans invaded the beautiful island of Jersey.

For Joe, Spinner, Clem and Ginger, memories of carefree days are fading. They try to lift everyone’s spirits with their band, and they play tricks on the enemy. The local newspaper is controlled by the Germans, there’s no post to England and telephone calls are monitored.
Everybody is hungry.

16 year-old Clem is angry. His brother’s been killed in action and his father is unwell. Then he and Joe discover that Russian slave labourers have been brought to Jersey to build bunkers for the German army. These prisoners are beaten, starving and desperate.

The gang devise a plan. What if they can help the prisoners? Risking life and limb, they embark on an adventure to help in any way they can. But danger lurks in every corner and will it make it worse?

Jacqueline King is a Channel Islander living in Somerset.

Songs for Ghosts

Clara Kumagai

Chapter book

From Catfish Rolling’s Clara Kumagai, a second novel full of longing, love and heartbreak, inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.

Six Weeks

Verse novel

Alfie Piper has six weeks of summer ahead, but since his mum died, his world has unravelled. The silence between him and his increasingly estranged stepdad sits heavy, so he does the only thing that makes sense – he grabs his bike and rides around on the seven hills of Sheffield, alone. His friends struggle to bridge the chasm created by his experience of grief, and while his Dad does his best to hold things together, the days feel lonely. In these long summer days, Alfie has to figure out if he can rebuild what has been broken, as a raw and emotive journey sits ahead of him.

The talented duo of Matt Goodfellow and Joe Todd-Stanton are back, this time exploring a boy’s grief and his journey to rebuild his world after life-changing bereavement. Many readers will have adored The Final Year and The First Year, which have become seminal transition texts and brought verse novels beautifully into the spotlight they deserve. Six Weeks is a standalone story written in the same emotion-packed verse novel style that will meet readers’ now high expectations.

Matt is an exceptional storyteller, and his use of verse is incredibly effective at conveying Alfie’s internal world. Joe’s illustrations are equally powerful. The backdrop of the Peaks – with places like Castleton and, fittingly, Hope, providing space for Alfie to process his journey – serves as a suitable reminder of the undulating reality of Alfie’s emotional landscape.

The relationship between Alfie and his stepdad is handled with great sensitivity, as layer by layer they shed the complexities of their past to unite toward a brighter future, without ever glibly smoothing over the jagged edges of their relationship. Raw but entirely hopeful, Six Weeks is a must-read for Upper KS2 and KS3.

Operation Doodlebug

Manuel Sumberac & Tia Fisher

Chapter book

Operation Doodlebug is a compelling novel, set in World War Two England.

Stanley, the boy at the heart of the story, lives in Croydon with his parents but, following his dad’s enrollment in the war effort, is sent as an evacuee to the seaside with a group of his friends. As he leaves his childhood home, he learns that his dad is missing, presumed dead. This leads to Stanley and his friends to embark on an adventure to discover the truth.

The story is fast paced and really exciting; perfect for use with Upper Key Stage Two as part of World War Two topic work. The first-person narrative and use of an authentic London ‘voice’ for the character makes the book a useful resource for exploring dialect, informal language and characterisation. Teachers could use extracts to support pupils in writing their own diary entries or letters from the perspective of an evacuee.

The novel also lends itself well to guided reading, with plenty of opportunities for inference and prediction as Stanley uncovers clues about his father. Themes of friendship, resilience and loss provide quality material for class discussion and PSHE links. In addition, the text can be used to support wider historical enquiry, prompting pupils to research the experiences of evacuees or the impact of doodlebug attacks on London.

It’s a superb novel to add to a classroom library or to use as a core text within World War Two topic work and is highly recommended.

Bone Head: Guardian of the Underworld

Jamie Gregory

Chapter book

What a breath of fresh (or should I say stinking air from the Underworld) this book was. I was hooked from the first page and laughed out loud throughout the book. I can see fans of Louie Stowell’s Loki series and Gary Northfield’s Julius Zebra series enjoying this book.

Demise AKA Bonehead is a guardian of the gates to King Hades’ fortress in the Underworld. Demise is bored and wants Hades, God of the Underworld to notice him and he certainly does when Demise causes disaster after disaster because he doesn’t think things through and jumps into situations without a backward glance.

This book is told in a diary style, with Demise’s supervisor, Mort adding his thoughts now and again. With illustrations throughout by Jamie Gregory, we’re taken on a thrilling adventure where danger lurks around every corner. Despite all the jokes and humour, the book does have messages such as ‘Don’t judge a book/person/weird frog-like creature by its cover’ and ‘Do your homework’. Definitely a 5/5 from me.

When the Birds Wake Up

Jessica Ellis & Sophie Burrows

Chapter book

Ten-year-old Pear is struggling to cope: with her grandma’s Alzheimer’s, with a new school and with cruel classmates’ jibes. Enter Piglet – a scruffy rescue dog, who helps Pear rebuild her sense of self. She remembers what matters most, through music, friendship and the armour of unconditional love.

Perfect for fans of Matt Goodfellow, Sharon Creech and Nadine Aisha Jassat.