Branching Out: Books for Fans of Daisy by Kes Gray

We really love this easy-listening and charmingly funny series!

Readers will laugh out loud at well-meaning mischief and misadventure of Marge, the madcap babysitter with rainbow hair. When no grown-ups are around, Marge is in charge and anything can happen!

Highly recommended as a fun read-aloud, each book in this series contains short stories about the funny escapades of seven-year-old Jemima and younger brother Jake when Marge the babysitter is in charge. There is plenty of slapstick and good natured fun to giggle at, and Marge’s outrageous antics make the children feel like she is the one who really needs a babysitter.

Pizazz is back in her brand new Super Costume (with pockets in the cape) to fight for the Superheroes against their old enemy, Team Toxic. Everything is going well and Team Toxic are losing every battle – until they change tactics. Their new evil plan is inspired: they will work through humans, using them to destroy Earth. Their new company, Toxico, encourages everyone to get more and more pointless, planet-polluting stuff. Pizazz and her friends uncover the plot – but what can they do about it when nobody will listen?

This exuberant book sparkles with mischief and humour. Although the underlying premise sounds – and is – serious – the overall impression is one of fun. Superhero illustrations, visual gags, and comic strip pages break up the text to make it a Super-Accessible, high interest, low threat story for readers who are still building their confidence with longer books.

Pizazz is a strong heroine and, despite her ability to produce (biodegradable) glitter storms, utterly relatable. It’s her fifth book but reads just as well as a standalone. We recommend it as a ‘read for pleasure’ title to fans of Tom Gates, Wimpy Kid, Dogman and Bunny vs Monkey. Put it in a Year 3 or 4 book corner, stock it in the Library but also use extracts as part of any project work on plastics or recycling. It’s a gem, so, whatever you do, don’t miss it!

Originally written by Philippa Gregory for her daughter, and now (20 years later) reimagined for her grandchildren, the Princess Rules stories are truly empowering for young girls.

These short story books are set in a classic fairytale world – but Princess Florizella is far from your classic fairytale princess. I adored the humour in these stories and I think this will appeal to an adult reading to a child too, especially the fact that Gregory blames the parents for not following the princess rules, with fabulous quotes like this: ‘The queen was particularly neglectful – she completely forgot to die and leave her daughter to a cruel stepmother to make her herd geese or sit in cinders’. Florizella, as a result, is left to grow into a sassy, confident princess who certainly didn’t want to sit around waiting for a prince to rescue her, or grow up to marry a prince.

In these tales, Florizella finds herself with sea serpents, a travelling circus, pirates and fairy godmothers to deal with.

The fantastic storytelling, together with Chris Chatterton’s beautiful illustrations,  makes this a very popular read for Year 3 and beyond.

This is a delightful book celebrating family and friendships and is part of a very popular series. Anisha is a funny and resourceful character, whose love of STEM and eye for detail makes her the perfect detective in this humorous series of mysteries.  Anisha has an extended family that proves to be strong and supportive when things go wrong. There are authentic cultural references exploring Anisha’s Indian heritage, particularly around food and family.

The illustrations by Emma McCann help to reflect the humour in the story and the text is often broken up with lists and diagrams, making the book particularly appealing to children who may be daunted when faced with full pages of text. 

The first in a joy-filled series of illustrated chapter books, telling the funny story of Mira’s adventures as she starts unicorn school. Mira wishes to be paired up with the most beautiful, sparkly unicorn of her dreams, but the reality presents a grumpy, untidy, doughnut-eating unicorn named Dave.

This humorous adventure series explores themes of friendship, inclusion and loyalty, with a backdrop of rainbows, glitter and a dose of unicorn toilet humour, too. Children love the idea of the secret unicorn school – a bit like a sparklier version of Hogwarts. Illustrations, age-appropriate humour and a diverse cast of characters make this a super choice of chapter book story for readers aged 6-8.

An action-packed, hilarious and heart-warming adventure that follows Silver, who is definitely-not-a-detective, as she tries to make friends, solve crime and discover who she really is – all aboard a cruise ship!

A Fast-paced, interactive, funny  mystery adventure.

This classic children’s book introduces the iconic character of Pippi, a delightfully unconventional nine-year-old living independently at Villa Villekula with her monkey and horse. Her bright pigtails, stripy socks and incredible strength make her truly unique.

This edition contains stunning collage illustrations by Lauren Child (best known for the Charlie and Lola books), which perfectly capture Pippi’s happy-go-lucky spirit and bring fresh energy to this timeless tale.

Pippi’s boundless fun and fierce independence continue to entertain at storytime, making this an essential, whimsical read.

The Clarice Bean books by Charlie and Lola creator Lauren Child are cleverly written, illustrated chapter books. The books are both laugh-out-loud funny and also tinged with mature themes that are suitable for a KS2 audience.

Clarice Bean has a unique voice that readers will find funny and interesting. She is also very ecologically aware, and the sustainability and climate issues are never thrust down your throat, but are just there and explained in the best way. This book covers a child’s perspective on stress, friendship, marriage breakups and old age decline, but the narrator’s warm and sharp observations never make it heavy or a difficult read.

Clarice Bean, narrating the story, is just wonderful. She is so straight-talking and demonstrates how youth see things clearly in a way that adults often do not.

This is a super-fun, colour-illustrated chapter book that fans of Lottie Brooks, Dork Diaries or Tom Gates will enjoy.

Nina is an ordinary ten-year-old with dreams of social media stardom. When a viral cat-in-pants moment gives her a chance, Nina’s quest for likes leads to hilarious, disastrous results.

This brilliantly fun book, with appealing illustrations, is packed with wordplay and bonkers situations. It’s perfect for reluctant readers, subtly exploring friendship and self-awareness while delivering big laughs. It also covers the topic of online stardom, viral fame and navigating the online world.

A brilliant new series from the very talented Serena Patel. In the first book of this series, we are introduced to eight-year-old Pia, who is crazy about animals and even more so as she isn’t allowed one of her own. She lives with her older-but-annoying sister, Anjali, in two places – one with her mum in a nice little house and the other a flat with her dad.

Pia meets a boy called Hari in the communal garden. He is with his two dogs, an older basset hound called Raja and a boisterous puppy, Luna. Hari is upset because he has to train Luna to behave before his Nani comes to visit, or she will be given away. What ensues is plenty of chaos, giggles and new friendships.

This is a heartwarming read with such lovable, diverse characters. Emma McCann’s illustrations beautifully complement this fun story.