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 October 2024.
This is a book I would have devoured as a child, full of magic and lovable characters. If you enjoy stories about witches, friendship, and adventure, rich with imagination, then this is for you!
Magical, exciting, spellbinding, witty and enchanting!
Better known for her stand up comedy work on Saturday Night Live and more latterly for playing the “weird” Barbie in the blockbuster film, McKinnon has produced a delightful story that will hopefully give those who are left feeling a bit “different” the assurance to know that one day they will find their place and feel valued for the wonderful person that they truly are.
When the Porch sisters, Gertrude, Eugenia and Dee-Dee are expelled from yet another school of etiquette, their Aunt and Uncle threaten to send them to a corrective School for Failures in the Austrian Alps, the mysterious invitation to The Marjory Questions School of Etiquette seems like a good opportunity to avert a prison-like future. One look at the home of the school soon has the girls running as their new headmistress, the legendary pickler of brains, Millicent Quibb rounds them up with the help of Antonio. a blue hermit crab with hidden talents.
Utterly bonkers, fast paced, with more twists and turns than the Alpe D’Huez this is sure to appeal to those mad about science, adventure and theatre (or anyone who cares to pick it up and read it!).
Simply a joy and I am already looking forward to the sequel.
Set in a fog-bound town where the cats can talk, this imaginative story features falling stars, a labyrinthine Map and a Wolf that swallowed the Sun (barring three embers which a cat saves by scattering them across the world). Thanks to this action, cats have entrance to every house in Starspill.
It’s been 140 years since the Wolf swallowed the Sun, so why are all the cats in the dark, fog-shrouded town of Starspill bothering Zac about it now? He just wants to stay warm, listen to stories, and work hard for his brother Gryff as an apprentice starsmith, who has a shop to sell lamps powered by star power. There are occasional ‘Star Gathers’, which is when Gryff leaves Starspill to find fallen stars which are full of menace to keep the tension high.
But the cats want Zac to steal one of the three legendary Embers of the Sun from the town museum for them, and they’ve taken his precious secret, gigantic and magical map to make sure he’ll agree! He enlists the help of his best friend Alys to break into the museum ….but that is just the start of their adventures. Together with Alys, mysterious bookseller Aurelian and precocious black kitten Jinx, Zac sets out on an exciting adventure. But what will be waiting for them at the far end of the journey – could it be the Wolf himself?
The pervasive fog is portrayed as a menacing presence, blanketing the town and creeping into people’s homes, crawling into cupboards and hidden places. Some even say it has a mind…reminiscent of old fairy tales and mythology.
Starspill is a great fantasy – imaginative and different to many fantasies for this age group – and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended for Year 4 and above.
The central character in this debut fantasy novel by Alexander Armstrong is Sam, who lives with his father in Durham – an interesting historical city with many legends going back to the Vikings. Sam’s mother died in a mysterious crash some years earlier and Sam feels responsible for his father, who has struggled to cope since.
Sam discovers that his family was once at the heart of a secret society – The Order of the Evening – that had long protected the world. As the story progresses we discover what the long-buried secrets of Sam’s family are, and we are drawn into a battle between forces, dark and light, with a gathering of characters calling themselves the ‘Elver’ setting off on a march through England to protect ‘The Tempest’, and a sinister billionaire father-son plot to eliminate the same Tempest and steal his powers to control Bellasis, the Order’s hidden palace and the source of its powerful magic, the óthr.
Sam’s deep friendship with best friend Ish is very believable and central to the story, and it is Ish’s family who provides the support Sam needs to manage both his home life and accomplish his mission, whilst the developing friendship with Goz adds another thread to the storyline.
This is a sophisticated fantasy book at just under 400 pages and the writing and storylines are complex, with storytelling, symbolism and a fast-paced plot, so it would provide a compelling read for those children who are advanced readers and aged 10+. Highly recommended for readers who like fantasy, magic, intrigue and adventure.
The loss of hearing strikes such a sad note, but although sadness is eloquently conveyed in both words and pictures, this beautifully inclusive story – of a child, Jacki, and her Mama – resounds with hope. It is a celebration of a relationship not defined by disability, but by love. So Jacki learns to listen to the quiet which is slowly enveloping her Mama. She begins to be more alert to rhythm and mood and smell. Indeed, mother and daughter become attuned to each other in ways they wouldn’t otherwise.
The story shows that deafness does not have to isolate. It can deepen wonder, inspire mutual respect and be life-enhancing. (The Author’s Note gives context and encourages readers to learn sign language.)
The clear font and large, expressive illustrations mean that teachers can easily share this with a whole class, either to celebrate diversity or when teaching about acceptance. Not all children will have encountered hearing impairment, but all will benefit from this new perspective, as well as provide much-needed representation for those who live with hearing impairment in the day-to-day realities.
Highly recommended for the school library and classroom book corners.
Many thanks to our review panel members Jane Evans, Ros Steward and Jane Rew for reviewing this month’s selection.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments
