Branching Out: Books for Fans of The Famous Five

I love family stories, and this is a real cracker.

Hannah lives on a rundown farm with her dad and three siblings. When the farm is threatened with closure, Hannah, who loves drama and writing, decides it is time to act. With the help of her best friend Lottie, and her brother and sisters, The Secret Hen House Theatre is born. Can Hannah’s dreams bring the farm back from the brink of disaster?

A really lovely read which brings both the countryside and the thrill of performing alive.

The mystery genre is incredibly popular with Key Stage 2 children, and The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder by Kereen Getten offers an evocative detective adventure.

Fayson is an aspiring detective who dreams of solving grand cases, but finds herself plunged into a real-life case during a holiday with her mysterious cousins. Fayson feels out of place with their wealthy lifestyle, yearning for the simpler, more honest life she shares with her mother.

As Fayson cleverly unravels the mystery on the island, the narrative also sensitively explores themes of social class, wealth, happiness and family values. The story could prompt discussion with KS2 children around challenging societal expectations and the meaning of belonging. A thrilling and thought-provoking mystery!

From the Costa award-winning author of The Rescue of Ravenwood, Natasha Farrant has produced another epic tale of adventure, leading the young and young at heart to dream of winning their own island.

Struggling with the guilt of almost losing her grandfather, then becoming isolated from her friends, Skylar’s behaviour appears to be spiralling out of control. Feeling the pain of being away from his immediate family, as he is torn away from his war-torn country, Yakov struggles to make friends at his new school. Two chance encounters push the unlikely pair together and a shared dream suddenly feels like it could become a reality, but could the dream about to become a nightmare?

Beautifully written, Farrant captures the emotions and stories of each of the characters sympathetically and with great compassion, resulting in a novel that readers will struggle to put down, and will be sure to create a chorus of groans when “That’s all we have time for today” is emitted when used as a class read. A sure win for every dreamer out there!

The Secrets of the Treasure Keepers is a wonderfully immersive story that takes the reader back to what life might have been like for one family at a particular moment in history. The story felt extra special as it is a rare example of fiction set in the Fens, near BooksForTopics HQ. I know that the author’s commitment to highlighting this area of the country will be warmly welcomed by schools both in the local area and also for those readers yet to discover the hauntingly beautiful geography of the Fens.

The story centres around the apparent discovery of some buried Roman treasure in the field of a struggling farming family. Ruth and her mum – a budding archaeology expert – visit the farm to discover more. What drives the story is the unfolding secrets and backstories of the various different main characters – all interesting and well-nuanced – making for an enjoyable mystery full of intrigue and due compassion for the desperation that can drive deceit.

I particularly enjoyed the well-drawn historical setting of post-war Britain. We see a lot of middle-grade stories set during the war, but the period immediately after the war had finished is just as interesting and much less widely considered in children’s books. How does a country get back on its feet after the devastation of the war? No stone is left unturned when it comes to incidental details that flesh out the time and place of the story’s setting. The country is still reeling from the war’s impact and the reader is given space to reflect on the difficulty this caused for different individuals – for example in terms of ongoing rationing, widespread poverty, the ‘make do and mend’ mentally, missing family members, the dawn of the NHS and the deeply-felt consequences of the war’s destruction on property, people and family relationships. A major theme of the story is embracing change and looking at ways to improve the future even during difficult times – a theme that is just as relevant today as it was in 1948. For me, this is the crux of what makes A.M. Howell’s writing so compelling; the stories feel so authentically and evocatively set in their time period while also being timeless in their themes.

Heartfelt and hopeful, this is a historical adventure not to be missed.

This story was partially inspired by footballer Marcus Rashford’s own experiences growing up and is written with children’s author Alex Falase-Koya. Marcus remembers the breakfast clubs he attended growing up, and said “Breakfast Club guaranteed I had the best possible start to my day and welcomed me with open arms. It wasn’t just about food. It was about forming friendships, about togetherness, about escape. It was where some of my greatest memories were made.” This fiction book pays homage to the role breakfast club played in his upbringing.

In the story, Marcus attends Breakfast Club along with his football-loving friends. Since he lost his lucky football over the fence, his magic touch is gone and he’s lost his enthusiasm a bit. Everybody knows that he won’t get the football back because the other side of the fence is a no-go zone with a derelict, abandoned building. Before he knows it, Marcus ends up swept up on an adventure with the Breakfast Club Investigators involving a mysterious note, a strange creature and a deep dive into what really lurks beyond the fence.

This fun, pacey adventure full of twists and turns is a big hit with Key Stage 2.

A full-steam-ahead adventure that had me hooked from the get-go. The Highland Falcon Thief is a middle-grade mystery story set on a steam train. With a high spirit of adventuring and a good and proper mystery that unfolds with clues and red herrings along the course, this is a brilliantly fun story that is sure to be on track to find itself set among the very best in the children’s mystery genre.

Harrison Beck (Hal) ends up aboard the last-ever journey of a famous royal steam train, ‘The Highland Falcon’, unwillingly accompanying his travel-writer uncle. Hal doesn’t think much of steam trains, and he is even less impressed when he finds there are no other child passengers on board and no electricity to charge his devices. Before long, Hal finds himself caught up in entertainment of a more old-fashioned kind. A mystery begins to unravel among the passengers and what’s more, Hal befriends a secret stowaway girl called Lenny and the pair set to work to solve the mystery before The Highland Falcon reaches the end of its last-ever journey.

It’s a full-throttle mystery with likeable characters and a well-paced plot that is especially full of treasures for anyone who loves trains. Even those who are not particularly into trains – like myself – will enjoy the feeling of being immersed in the world of locomotions, and the joy of being on board one comes across with great passion. Highly recommended!

A classic adventure story with plenty of action and daring rescues topped off with a good helping of home-baked scones. Four cousins – Aiden, Ava, Chloe and Josh – are staying with their grandparents along with their pet dog, Bella, at a farmhouse in the country. After nearly getting knocked down by a fast car during a bike ride one day, they discover the woman who narrowly missed them has more to hide than just her bad driving.

After overhearing a suspicious conversation outside a sinister-looking country pub, they decide to follow her and in so doing stumble upon a trail of missing royal diamonds, some stolen sheep and a gang of dangerous, daring jewel thieves. A thrilling chase across the moors ensues, complete with swirling mist, dangerous bogs and even a spot of breaking and entering. Will the cousins be able to track down the missing diamonds?

Ted and his sister Kat watch their cousin Salim climb aboard the London Eye. But when his pod returns to the ground and the doors open, Salim has completely vanished. Where could Salim have gone? Has he been kidnapped — or worse? With the police baffled by his disappearance, it’s down to Ted to use his unique abilities to solve the mystery — following a trail of clues that lead across London, with Kat’s help. Starring a brilliant young detective, Siobhan Dowd’s ‘howdunnit’ is a real classic, which will keep you gripped from beginning to end.