Branching Out: Books for Fans of Loki

A highly illustrated diary-style story that will appeal to fans of Tom Gates, Wimpy Kid or Loki.

To begin with, I found myself curious to know how the events which loom so large in Hari’s mind – particularly the film competition and his friendship with schoolmates – would unfold. His doodle-filled diary was a perfect way to view the drama from his perspective; ‘drama’ being the right word for someone with ADHD and autistic traits for whom small things can prompt BIG feelings.

We have teacher Mr Gill to thank for suggesting that Hari keep a journal. More than that, I enjoyed getting an inside look into a mind – one who is aware that he’s neuro-divergent and is not ashamed to admit it, but who, nonetheless, struggles sometimes with expectations, noise, deadlines, focus and relationships. Just as well his BFFs, Rahim and Lily are non-judgmental and forgiving, which is more than can be said for Martin the bully. But what of new boy Cameron? Whose side is he on? And will he help or hinder Hari’s bid to become a Bollywood superstar?

Read it and see, all those who love a good laugh, KS2 children especially.

Trixie Pickle is an arty ‘sort-of-superhero’ and this is her second adventure (the first being Trixie Pickle, Art Avenger). Trixie and her best friend, Beeks, have a lot going on in their lives. First, there is the latest edition of their comic, Blammo, to work on. Then there are the ‘mean girls’ to avoid or they will cause all sorts of trouble for Trixie and Beeks. There is also a new mystery illness doing the rounds; nicknamed ‘Wormwood fever’, it makes the patient very ill and can be briefly summed up by the words ‘it’s coming out both ends’. Could the mystery illness have anything to do with someone Trixie sees dumping toxic waste in the local reservoir? Who is it and can they be stopped? Trixie has a comic to finish, a mystery to solve and enemies to get revenge on . . . but all in an artistic way of course and with plenty of scope for mishap.

Full of fantastic, detailed fact files of the real artists who inspire Trixie and fully illustrated by the author, it was great to discover some artists I hadn’t been aware of before. This is a fast-paced, funny, fact-filled book which will appeal to art lovers, adventure lovers and humour lovers. It would also lend itself extremely well to a variety of art projects based on the artists featured.

Few authors can make children squeal with delight quite so readily as Pamela Butchart. As a teacher, I appreciate the accessibility of the books too and always get a positive response when I recommend them to even the most reluctant of readers.

This story is about a girl who loves Ancient Greek myths and enjoys dramatically recounting them to her friends. 

Thomas Flintham’s illustrations are easily recognisable and perfectly capture the chaotic, wonderful humour of the series. A must-read Ancient Greek story for younger KS2 pupils!

An absolutely first-class, laugh-out-loud, cartoon-filled adventure series for 7+ readers.

This book is part of the ‘Stink’ series and features the world’s funniest fairy. The story is packed full of comedy, wit and cartoons on every page!

Danny’s life hasn’t been the same since a real fairy flew out of a fairy door, attached herself to his hair and turned his life upside down. Now, school is chaotic, home is chaotic and life is chaotic!

So Stink tries as hard as she might to get things changed for both herself and Danny. But life, school & fairy adventures don’t always go to plan. Wanting to land himself the next role in the school play is Danny’s dream, but Stink has other ideas! What’s more, thanks to a misadventure in the science cupboard, a giant all-powerful wizard is released into the world.

Jenny has done it again – comedy claims the reader’s attention in this illustrated laugh-out-loud book and another KS2 favourite is born.

Grimwood is a wacky, anarchic animal story, full of nonsensical mayhem.

The story will certainly appeal to children in KS2 who love funny books (although possibly not the most sensitive in this age group – as there are incidents of biting off heads, tails or feet!). There’s a dark and wacky humour to the story that will delight fans of Roald Dahl or Mr Gum and plenty of discussion points such as the relationship between the fox cubs, the changes in their personalities and the desire to find refuge.

The book could work as a class reader and a fun and quirky independent read for ages 7-11.

There is having a bad day, and then there is Finn’s life. Starting ‘big school’ can be a whole challenge in itself, but Finn seems to be inundated with problems. Embarrassment after embarrassment, failure after failure and mishap after mishap! Finn’s siblings (as well as his divorced parents) are not too far away from the root of all his problems.

Finn’s Fails include losing his swimming trunks in a school swimming lesson, his brother pinning him to the floor and all whilst filming, country dancing in PE and his dad’s daily cycling outfits! Luckily for Finn, he has some knights in shining armour in the form of his best mates. There is also a surprise to enter his life, and it was exactly what he needed in so many ways – with some wins for Finns finally starting to appear.

Through Finn’s first-hand account, the author captures the vulnerability and anxieties of secondary transition (where everything, from the uncomfortable uniform to whether or not to play up for a supply teacher, can feel mortifying one way or another…) with a huge dose of humour and heart.

What another superb book from Phil Earle. A light-hearted and hilarious book that would gain the attention of children in upper KS2 and lower KS3, with a particular appeal to boys, reluctant readers or lovers of funny, diary-style stories.

This fast-moving narrative with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments is a huge hit, especially with upper KS2.

The story is based on the exploits of a boy called Elliot, who falls into an adventurous mission and calls on the help of the Olympian gods. Full of comedy scenes and sad parts too, we think this is an excellent story to read aloud for a light-hearted take on how Greek gods would fare in the modern world.

There are also chapter-by-chapter reading resources available to download from the publisher.

With this brilliant mash-up of LARPing (Live Action Role Play) and ancient history, Marie Basting will have children giggling and learning Latin while they do it! Silvia lives with her Dad in a small cottage by Hadrian’s Wall, where he plans on realising his dream of creating a LARP of epic Roman proportions. The only problem is, as Silvia realises, no one is really going to turn up when he’s not done any advertising. However, when Silvia gets sucked back in time and finds out she is actually one of a large and infamous mythical family, it turns out all of Rome will be coming!

Full of Ancient Roman trivia and Latin asides (with a handy glossary to make sense of them at the end of the book), the story of how Silvia discovers her true demigoddess identity won’t fail to hook in enthusiasts of all things Roman. The plot is fast-paced and contains a particular blend of pre-teen contemporary lingo. For children already familiar with and enjoying a topic on Ancient Rome, it’s a fun read, and may well be a hit with reluctant readers.

If you are looking for a quirky, fun (and just a little bit silly!) addition to classroom shelves for a topic on Ancient Rome then look no further!

A diary-style book that merges modern life with Greek mythology.

Hercules Braver is desperate to live up to his name and sees starting high school as the perfect opportunity to assert both himself and his two friends, Pav and Hatty, as the coolest new kids in school.

Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan, but just when things look like they couldn’t get any worse, a miracle occurs – Hercules’ birth dad shows up. He doesn’t just look like a Greek god; it turns out that he is a Greek God. On the plus side, he can grant wishes and make Hercules the coolest kid in town.

A funny, laugh-out-loud book which will appeal to fans of Wimpy Kid as well as those with an interest in Greek mythology. Easy-to-read text with illustrations by David O’Connell.