Branching Out: Books for Fans of Grimwood

This book is an entertaining early chapter book about a group of action-seeking rabbits who guard London and live in a burrow underneath Buckingham Palace.

Part of a series but also good as a standalone, this story plunges readers into the thrilling world of Shylo Tawny-Tail, the once-shy country rabbit now a proud member of the Royal Rabbits of London. This new adventure sees the Ratzis, a formidable gang of hundreds of large, smelly rats led by the mysterious Papa Ratzi, aiming for global chaos involving the royal family.

Delivering a fast-paced, engaging plot, this fun and accessible book is packed with suspense, humour and daring escapades as Shylo and the Royal Rabbits of London race against time to save the day. This is a fun and exciting series that will keep young readers hooked.

Murray is a cat that loves his peace and quiet but sadly, living with a rather incompetent wizard means that his life is anything but. On occasion, a happy accidental spell provides something of value and for Murray this arrives in the form of a magic cat-flap and Bun, a bun turned bunny. What Bun lacks in vocabulary, he makes up for in enthusiasm, leading Murray on to adventure, whether he likes it or not.

Adam Stower is best known and loved for his illustrations (most notably for David Walliams), but a smidge of research reveals that he is also a prolific writer and, if this book is anything to go by, this latest series is set to put his writing on a par with his illustration.

The witty dialogue between our unlikely friends leads to a book that will appeal right from Year 2 to Year 6. In fact, my copy was in hot demand with my Year 6 class, accompanied by snorts of laughter and loud exclamations of “Bun!”. Granted it isn’t a text to challenge UKS2 (making it accessible to much younger age groups) but they loved the humour and for more reluctant readers, this could be just the sort of book that they will return to and enjoy time and again.

This story is full of fantastical treasures to keep a reader enthralled: a villain in need of redemption, a mischievous girl and an insatiable bone-crunching beast.

Ebenezer Twitch is five hundred and eleven years old. He has reached this astounding age due to an elixir of youth provided to him by a magical beast, which lives on the top floor of his house. Ebenezer adopted the creature when it was tiny and was thrilled to find that it could magically vomit up any item he desired in exchange for food. As the beast grew larger, so did its demands for unusual dishes, until Ebenezer’s reliance on it to continue living caused him to sacrifice some of the world’s rarest (and subsequently extinct) creatures. Now, though, the beast wants to eat a child…

A laugh-out-loud tale with comic and sinister strands that Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket fans will love.

This is an adrenaline-filled rollercoaster ride of a story!

The story begins with a bang and the race is on to find sixteen ‘lightstreams’ hidden across the globe. When the lightstreams have been discovered,  the finders transported to Imagination Island. There, we encounter larger-than-life characters with traits, strengths and weaknesses, who work with, and sometimes against, each other to save the island for generations to come.

The storyline is fast and furious with a hectic romp through puzzles and adventures. The family characters are well construed and Mel Taylor-Bessant paints a clear picture of shy Luca and each of his siblings. The appeal will sit well with years 3 and 4 while the language and some of the content are informal and strong in places, and the pace rarely lets up, perhaps leaning towards older readers too.

Guy Bass’s Scrap books have been among my favourite books of the last few years, so I was keen to read Stitch Head, particularly having seen trailers for the film recently. This version also has stills from the film inserted into the book.

Who could resist little Stitch Head with his woeful face, admirably rendered by Pete Williamson. The book is a shorter read, made easier by those illustrations, which I loved. The story is not complex, but the emotions are. The reader really feels for poor Stitch Head and the way he has been abandoned, and how he clings to the past. The villain is suitably villainous, and whilst the book is littered with monsters, this is not a scary read, and the scariest ones are actually the people.

Sometimes illustrations enhance a story, but in this case, they are part of the story and I’m sure that the visual aspect of storytelling is what made the book so ripe for being turned into a film.

A wonderfully silly and gloriously bonkers adventure that introduces the brilliantly funny heroine, Betty Steady.

Bustling with quirky characters, clever wordplay and outrageous situations, this book plunges readers into a world of surreal humour, where Mr Gum meets Starfell. When Betty lands herself in trouble, she finds herself shrunken and trapped by the mischievous Toad Witch, who plans to take over Wobbly Rock.

This story is a riot from start to finish, perfectly matched by Sarah Horne’s exuberant illustrations. This is a series that will fondly appeal to humour-loving readers in KS2.

We love this laugh-out-loud series with a tongue-in-cheek humour and plenty of funny asides, but also a poignant side about bullying, overcoming adversity and dealing with big emotions.

Charlie magically changes into animals when he is worried or stressed (not necessarily chickens, though). Charlie’s worries pile up, with a brother in hospital, parents bickering and a school bully to deal with. Riproaring and hilarious antics follow suit as Charlie navigates temporarily changing into a spider, a rhino, a pigeon, snake and more.

Children with a wacky sense of humour will find this story really funny, and it provides plenty of opportunity to think and discuss the deeper topics too.