The Carnegies

An atmospheric and beautifully worded story by Katya Balen, which transports the reader to feel at one with nature.

Ghostlines is set on the island of Ayrie, where Tilda is at her happiest. She thrives in nature, loves exploring and breathes in every moment of the wilderness. Living in a small and tight-knit community, Tilda is intrigued when a new boy, Albie, arrives. Tilda spends all of her efforts showing him the hidden treasures of the island, but to no avail, as he misses living life in the city.

Despite his reluctance to be friendly, they explore a nearby haunted island and strike an unexpected friendship.

Readers will find themselves absorbed in the cleverly crafted descriptions of the wild, while also rooting for the characters within. It is hard not to fall in love with Tilda and her determination to show everyone the importance of bonding with nature.

Popcorn tells the story of a day in the life of Andrew Yaeger. But this isn’t any old day, this is a day of epic catastrophes – one disaster after another. It’s school photo day, and Andrew is determined to get a nice photo, but that seems less likely by the minute.

Andrew struggles with anxiety, which he likens to a kernel bouncing around, getting progressively hotter and hotter until it eventually pops. He’s had a panic attack before, and he is terrified of having one at school – he thinks that it would be the worst thing that could happen. But as the day goes on, surely his kernel is going to explode.

Popcorn is a cleverly written, impactful narrative. It deals with a serious issue, but in an incredibly relatable and humorous way that will have its readers laughing out loud. The story is accompanied throughout by cartoons and captions describing Andrew’s thoughts and feelings as his anxiety levels increase, as well as providing helpful tips on coping with anxiety.  A core wellbeing read for middle grade pupils

A moving and heartfelt story about the relationship between an orphan and a pit pony in 1950s Yorkshire.

Reminiscent of classics like Black Beauty and Goodnight Mr Tom, Birdie is both a heart-warming animal story and a powerful exploration of belonging and bravery. A must-read for young readers, teachers and anyone who cherishes stories about finding hope in the face of adversity. Timeless, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting, Birdie is destined to become a classic.

This is a unique and thought-provoking picture book about a girl’s playdate at another house. While the text describes a simple afternoon of games with her friend Henry, the illustrations quietly reveal a different story – the families live in completely different worlds, that Henry has access to (and even discards) toys that she can only dream of having, and the girl’s mum is evidently there to clean.

This is a book to truly ponder over, offering no easy answers or neat resolutions. Children can be prompted to consider the unspoken divide between words and pictures, which mirrors the unspoken class divide between the girl and her playdate companion. A brilliant pick for KS2 to explore subtext, social inequality and throwaway culture, especially as the words and pictures tell two very different versions of the narrative.

Freedom Braids is a poignant, beautiful story about slaves finding an ingenious way to escape their captors.

Nemy is a little girl who is a slave on a Columbian plantation. Every day is the same – she sows seeds, pulls up weeds and strips leaves. One night she follows a woman everyone calls ‘Big Mother’ to a shack where women are gathered. They are braiding each other’s hair but these braids are extraordinary braids. Some hold seeds, some hide gold and some map out escape routes to help these slaves leave their captors to set up their own villages and communities.

I love how this book is based on the hope, strength and determination of the enslaved African women (and men). Their story deserves to be told again and again, and this book helps to do that. The next time I braid my daughters’ hair I will think about these enslaved women who were bold and brave enough to escape.