It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.
Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in August 2024.
Sebastian and his two best friends, Lina and Étienne become stranded on a desert island and it’s all Sebastian’s fault. The three friends won a school competition to take part in an environmental summer camp where they would learn how to protect the planet. Sebastian became particularly competitive with the other children at the camp, and before they knew it, there they were, shipwrecked and alone on another island. Headstrong Lina soon takes charge, determined that they won’t make the same mistakes as the children in ‘The Lord of the Flies’ and Sebastian sets out to gain his military dad’s approval.
Told from Sebastian’s point of view, the chapter headings are a series of ‘survival tips’ based on things he’s learnt along the way. The story is full of humour, wit and several animal companions, but it also carries a lovely message about friendship and working together to overcome difficulties.
This is a great adventure story by popular children’s author Jenny Pearson, suitable for Year 4 and up. It will also be loved by fans of humorous stories.
The Beanstalk Murder may have elements of a traditional fairy story – a beanstalk and a land of giants – but this is so much more than a fairy tale! Full of plot twists, double-dealing and peril, it is a real page-turner.
When the dead body of a giant falls out of the sky and flattens the village of Old Stump, Anwen Sedge knows that there is a mystery to solve: a mystery in the form of murder. Anwen is a meadow witch who aspires to train at the Academy of High Magic; what she lacks in talent, she makes up for in determination and optimism. Her attempts at conjuring spells always end in disaster, much to the amusement of her rival Cerys Powell.
Anwen uses an ancient bean seed to magic a passageway to the Sky Kingdom, which is the land from which the dead giant had fallen. What then ensues is a series of breathtaking disasters, nail-biting near-misses and laugh-out-loud blunders.
The Beanstalk Murder has a plot that twists like tendrils. It has mystery, intrigue and red herrings in giant helpings and the reader will be guessing right up until the end. This would be a great read-aloud, each chapter ending on a cliffhanger will ensure that there will be groans when the book is closed for the day. It is also an enticing chapter book for those who are reading independently.
Tom Percival has the knack of using words and drawings to distil the deep feelings of childhood. It’s a formula, but one that works so well. In this latest book to join the series that began with Ruby’s Worry, he addresses the disappointment of ruined plans.
Bea is brimming with excitement that she will be celebrating her birthday with her whole extended family. It will all be perfect! But first, a little snowfall means the postman can’t deliver her presents and then more and more snow means her family can’t make it to her party. As her plans are shattered, jagged lines splinter across the illustrations, symbolising very visually how Bea’s happiness has been broken by disappointment. The rest of the book shows how Bea, helped by the kindness of her family, finds a way to move forward and appreciate that there is more than one way to perfection.
It’s a sweet and hopeful book – fun to read in its own right, but also a great way to discuss uncomfortable feelings with young children. While reassuring the reader that furious misery is normal following disappointment (the emotion is shown so well through the picture of Bea’s face, rather than in words!), embedded in the story is a wise lesson about looking around for small pleasures to stop it ruining a whole day.
A wonderful uplifting read from Helen Peters.
Hannah and her siblings are aghast when their always-strong, forever-busy farming father has an accident leaving him hospitalised and unable to work for weeks. Things go from bad to worse when they discover that the farm’s landlord wants to sell the farm off, leaving them homeless and farmless. They need to raise two million pounds in a few short months
The Great Farm Rescue tells the story of how Hannah, her friends and family – along with many volunteers – try the impossible task of raising the funds to save the farm. Running alongside the fundraising storyline is that of Hannah’s school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the bully determined to get Hannah thrown off the play and humiliate her for good measure. This storyline is a continuation of Helen Peters’ previous books in the ‘Hannah’s Farm’ series, but also can be read as a standalone.
This heartwarming adventure will be enjoyed by many, as read-aloud enjoyment from 6 plus and read-alone for ages 8 and above. With an abundance of likeable characters, human and animal, you can’t help but get swept up in the drive to save the farm and the many twists and turns along the way. The book is well written with a plot line that keeps you wanting to read more, with a few laughs along the way.
This latest historical fiction from Tony Bradman has all the elements of a traditional historical adventure story, with a thoughtful and courageous hero who’s out to prove himself navigating the Roman world and who’s naturally skilled in a classic sword fight. The story is exciting, tightly plotted, and grounded in enough research for the setting to be thoroughly convincing.
Lucius is eager to be adopted by his new stepfather and to make his way in Rome, but instead finds himself packed off to Londinium, where he discovers a ruthless assassin on his tail. To escape, he joins the Roman army under a false name. His bravery and loyalty quickly earn him recognition from his commanders, but the more he gains success, the more he wishes he could reclaim his true identity. As danger looms on the northern border, Lucius’s position becomes more precarious and secrets from his past threaten to resurface and destroy everything he has fought for.
While not especially complex, the narrative is pacy and well-written, with great chapter headings that read like newspaper headlines. It would make an excellent page-turning read-aloud or ‘read for pleasure’ recommendation in any class studying Roman Britain at Key Stage 2.
Many thanks to our review panel members Amanda Wigzell, Louisa Farrow, Jo Clarke and Kristen Hopwood for reviewing this month’s selection.
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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
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