Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Resource Available: No resources

Picturebook
When a group of bullies steal a poor newspaper boy’s money, his bag suddenly flies into the air and the newspapers transform into Origami Girl. Joey is whisked away on away on a hair-raising chase with his new superhero friend in order to confront the bullies!

We’ve been on a mission to dig out the best books to look forward to!

Our team has been taking a look at some of the new middle-grade titles (ages 8-12) coming up this term. We’ve picked out ten top recommendations to watch out for from January to April 2022. Why not pre-order now as a gift to your future self?

Amy Wu does her best to make her new classmate feel welcome in this warmhearted and playfully illustrated follow-up picture book to Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao and Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon .

Amy’s class has a new student from China! Amy tries hard to make Lin feel included, but she can’t draw him out of his shell. Then she sees Lin chattering happily in Chinese with his family. The gears in her head start to turn, and a plan blossoms. Step one: invite Lin to her dumpling party…

With a little help from her grandma and a shiny new banner, can Amy give Lin the warmest welcome?

Join Billy and Fatcat on their quest to escape Captain Howl in their third thrilling adventure, filled with singing mermaids and sticky toffee eating sharks.

Ahoy there! It’s time to sail the ocean blue with Billy and her trusty feline friend, as they embark on a noble seafaring adventure.

Billy and Fatcat find a mysterious message in a bottle at sea. When suddenly something terrible happens: they bump into a pesky pirate and his smelly crew. Oh no!

Fortunately for our courageous twosome, they’re no strangers to peril: they always have a trick (or treat) up their sleeves.

Nadia Shireen is back with her third instalment from our favourite heroine and hangry cat.

From ‘What’s wrong with the idea of ‘race’? and ‘Why is life harder for people with darker skin?’ to ‘Don’t ALL lives matter?’ and ‘What’s racism got to do with me?’ this book tackles powerful, pertinent questions in a direct, accessible and thought-provoking way. Discover why racism is everyone’s problem to solve, and how we can all be part of the solution.

A doctress

An activist

An inspiration

Mary Seacole is now known for her medical work in the Crimean war, and as a brilliant woman who combated the racial prejudice she experienced in her lifetime. But for a long time her story was lost.

From growing up in Kingston, Jamaica as the daughter of a doctress to helping soldiers in the war, discover the details of the amazing life that Mary Seacole led in this beautifully illustrated book with real-life stories, timelines and facts.

How did Simone Biles become a superstar athlete and gold medallist? On a daytrip to the local sports centre, Simone discovered her natural talent for gymnastics. She signed up for regular training sessions and was soon performing incredible routines at competitions. Despite a challenging start in life, Simone went on to become one of the world’s greatest athletes. Find out how this gymnast toughed it out in training and went on to win four Olympic gold medals.

Hiya! Alison Hammond here! I love getting to know all about different people and I’ll tell you a secret . . . sometimes people we don’t know much about are the most interesting of all! Which is really what this book is all about.

Let me ask you a question: How many Black people can you name from our history? Mary Seacole ? Ira Aldridge ? George Bridgetower ? Pablo Fanque? Walter Tull ? Have you heard of these people?

Yes? That’s great! But if you haven’t, don’t worry , you’re not alone, which is why I’m so excited to tell you all about them. Because the people in this book should be totally famous given the AMAZING things they’ve done! And we’re not going to stop in the past, I’ll introduce you to people making waves right here and now!

From sportspeople to scientists, activists to musicians, politicians to writers, we’re going to meet a whole bunch of AWESOME people who have helped shape the world we live in . So , are ready for you a journey Black in time ?? Course you are, let’s go!

A graphic novel for children age 7 to 10. Rosa Parks was the courageous thinker and leader known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. Long before the Montgomery Bus Boycott made her famous, she was a social justice activist and organizer. In honor of her work, she received a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is her story.

1720. Blue Mountains, windward Jamaica. In the sweltering heat Captain Shettlewood leads a troop of British soldiers through the thick trees towards the river. They are hunting slaves who have escaped from the brutal plantations. Their mission: to find them, and kill them.

But up ahead, hidden among the rocks above the water, a group of men with cutlasses and muskets wait patiently for the instructions of their leader. Queen Nanny is a ‘wise woman’ with a reputation for ancient obeah magic, and a guerilla fighter with a genius for organisation. So the battle for Jamaica begins, the First Maroon War, in which the maroons – escaped slaves – will make a final, do-or-die stand against the slavers and soldiers of Empire.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments