Branching Out: Books for Fans of Artemis Fowl

This is a totally subversive retelling of the Robin Hood tale. He does actually steal from the very evil and corrupt rich to give to the poor. It is a fun read full of inventiveness and fun value.

A good book for KS3 library areas, with interesting characters, plenty of action and easy engagement.

If you like fast-paced action, razor-sharp humour, and a cracking adventure, this book is for you. Full of mythological mystery and heart-pounding twists, you won’t be able to put it down. And with three books in the series, there’s plenty to enjoy!

Action, adventure, myth, humour and heart!

This is the first book in a hugely popular series of fantasy novels. The books follow the adventures of magical skeleton detective Skulduggery Pleasant and his niece and mentee, 12-year-old Stephanie. Together with other friends and comrades, Skulduggery and Stephanie (who is also known as Valkyrie Cain) fight against evil forces threatening the world.

Readers who love getting stuck into a fantasy series will find plenty to keep them hooked on in this series – mystery, action and adventure as well as an imaginative cast of characters and a host of cool fantasy settings.

Inspired by West African and Igbo history, this adventure-filled fantasy introduces readers to Cameron Battle as he begins his journey to greatness.

Cameron Battle has vivid memories of his early childhood, listening to his Mother read him magical and adventurous tales from the Book of Chidani – a lost mythical kingdom of the Igbo people whose Queen bargained with the gods, cutting it off from the world to save her people from slavery.

However, after his parents mysteriously died in a car crash, Cameron’s Grandmother locked the book away in the attic and forbade him to open it again. That is until one summer sleepover with his best friends Zion and Aliyah, when strange things start to happen, and they decide to investigate the attic. As soon as they open the book, a portal drags them into the world of Chidani, which is no longer the place Cameron saw in his Mother’s stories, but is one of darkness and danger, having been thrown into a war between the Queen and her evil sister, who has stolen ‘The Three Gifts’ that give the Queen her power.

Cameron is quickly hurled into the centre of the battle for Chidani – and for Earth. He comes face to face with his past, the legacy his parents left him, and his future. He is ‘The Descendant’ and the people of Chidani are counting on him. But can a 12-year-old boy become a hero? After intensive training in the Igbo fighting style, Dambe, the young heroes set off to find ‘The Three Gifts,’ using The Book to help them solve riddles to seek the missing objects and facing Gods and monsters on their way.

The very relatable characters all grow through the story, facing their fears and finding their strength in different ways, and themes of friendship, family and destiny run through the story. The short chapters combined with the excitement and adventure in this fast-paced narrative would make it a fantastic class novel.

A coming-of-age adventure story rooted in fairy tale and magic. As usual, Amy Wilson’s world-building is second to none as she immerses the reader is a richly-imagined magical world that is at once convincing, delightful and darkly enticing.

Stella feels alone, living most of her life with her Nan in a cottage near the edge of a magical forest. The forest is filled with dangers and haunted by the dark shadows released by the King, who is in mourning after a family loss that occurred years before. Stella helps her Nan to guard the house boundary and stop the dark magic from expanding further. Armed with books, Stella has grown up learning charms, spells and the history of magic and has an imp called Peg for company, but feels a pull towards the unfamiliar worlds beyond the fence.

Tired of being isolated from the human world, Stella secretly signs up to go to school in a nearby town. While Nan disapproves of Stella keeping company with humans, Stella arrives at school and quickly realises that some of her new classmates are not quite what she expected. Before long, Stella finds herself caught up in a complex quest to save the forest from the King’s shadows and to uncover the secrets of her own past.

Wilson’s depiction of Stella as a young teen who struggles with isolation and identity will resonate with any readers who have known a longing to find their place in the world. Fairy tale imagery is peppered through the pages; grandmothers in forest cottages, shiny red apples, elves and fairies in underground homes, hidden-from-sight palaces and necklaces imbued with magic all seamlessly weave in and out of the book’s modern, relatable themes.

Suitable for upper KS2 and lower KS3, this is a refined piece of storytelling that encourages young readers to be brave and follow their own path.

Take everything you think you know about unicorns and discard it. They are not the shiny, mythical creatures that you believe you know. They are ferocious, magical and deadly creatures who are very much real. Each year, mainland children hope to pass the Hatchery exam to become unicorn riders. Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith is no different. He wants to be a hero.

When it is finally Skandar’s time to realise his dreams, everything seems to turn against him. The Island’s most powerful unicorn is missing after being stolen by a haunting enemy that has returned with a vengeance and Skandar discovers a secret that could change everything and crush his dreams forever.

Similar to the Percy Jackson series, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has enough magic and fantasy to engage children without it becoming too immature for older children. It would make the perfect read-aloud and could inspire lots of writing, although it is most suitable for children in Upper KS2 and beyond with well-developed reading stamina. It would be a great addition to any school or class library, especially for those more confident readers to get their teeth into.

Following the journey of Alex and his father across Europe as they attempt to escape a brutal government and seek refuge, Running Out of Time is a unique blend of science fiction and thriller, while also tackling some difficult real-life current events including refugee journeys across Europe.

The story is full of action and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while showing just a fraction of the emotional toll those fleeing conflict face in their journey to safety. The author states in their afterword that the book is not an attempt to convey all the difficulties that refugees face, however, I believe that the book would be a great way to begin to open up conversations about this topic.

The narrative alternatives between different time perspectives, with each chapter having a title page identifying which time period it is set in.

A five-star read for Y6!

This is a multi-million-selling series that has also been televised with Disney and is hugely popular among fans of action and adventure.

Percy Jackson’s modern world is turned upside down when he finds out he is descended from Greek gods. What follows is battles with monsters and epic quests in an action-packed series that merges Greek mythology with the modern world.

There are also Teachers’ Notes available to download from the publisher.