A Freaky Friday tale for a new generation, Head Kid is a body-switch story with a difference that will appeal to fans of funny books and situation comedy.

When Ryan Ward, child prankster extraordinaire and his new headteacher Mr Carter swap bodies, there are unexpected consequences. Each finds out what it is like to be the other and neither is prepared for what they discover. With the school due an inspection and the staff trying to avoid it being closed down, Ryan (Mr Carter) and Mr Carter (Ryan) must somehow learn to appreciate each other’s point of view and find a way to work together to secure the school’s future.

David Baddiel’s writing is fast-paced, touching and very funny. Fans of David Walliams’ books will enjoy the similarities between the two authors, although this is longer and a little meatier with a pleasing depth behind the fun. Ryan is a character children can relate to and the problems encountered by him and other central characters will feel familiar to many readers: coping with bullying, having an absent parent, caring for an elderly relative. There is a good mix throughout the book of tender moments and laugh-out-loud scenes.

The book raises questions about leadership, responsibility and the consequences of your actions. It could form the basis of a discussion around different political systems (dictatorship or democracy?). What would you do if you were in charge of school? Why? What might happen if you made those changes? There is perhaps an obvious link to the role of school councils and pupils having a voice and influence in schools.

Appreciation is also a key theme in the book. Being able not only to accept and understand another’s point of view, but also why they might feel that way is an important skill for children to develop in these days of online comments and unsolicited opinions. This book definitely manages to illustrate the importance of understanding others. My first David Baddiel book, I would highly recommend Head Kid for readers in Key Stage 2.

Portico Reeves lives in a huge apartment block, ‘the castle’, with his parents, who row constantly. To escape the tension and trauma of their Mean Time, Portico leaps into his own super-secret, superhero world. With a kind of rap, rhythm and rhyme, Stuntboy Portico and his friends navigate a world away from the stresses of home life, to keep each other, and their castle mates, safe.

But superhero responsibilities come with added anxieties of their own, or ‘frets’ as Portico knows them and like all superheroes, Portico has to deal with put-downs from his nemesis – in this case Herbert Singletary the Worst.

Words alone don’t do this book justice – grab a copy and explore inside! The style and presentation are perfect for engaging readers and holding attention. There’s a lot to look at and take in via Raul the Third’s brilliant illustrations, comic strips and speech bubbles – each page is different. The effect is a fast-paced, upbeat story that is fun to read while tackling heavier themes.

The Tom Gates books have been phenomenally popular with readers who enjoy laugh-out-loud illustrated stories exploring themes of school, family life and everything zany. Readers enjoy the notebook-style format and the Tom’s funny take on the ups and downs of family life and school, punctuated by the joys of forming a band and snacking on caramel wafers.

Liz Pichon’s instantly recognisable doodle style makes this a really enjoyable and accessible book that quickly hooks children in, which is extra fantastic because there is an impressively populated series to collect!

The Treehouse books form an enormously popular children’s book series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton.

The series features a fun-loving pair of friends who live in an imaginative treehouse with lots of fun extra rooms. As the series progresses, the treehouse expands and before long contains everything from a movie theatre, dinosaur petting zoo, marshmallow-toasting volcano and a ninja snail academy.

Highly illustrated with comic-style line drawings, treehouse diagrams and speech bubbles, these books are wildly popular with children aged 7 plus. The high image-to-text ratio coupled with its wacky sense of humour have helped the series to earn its reputation for hooking children into reading.