On EVERY PAGE you will find:
Guaranteed laughs!
Stylish two-colour illustrations!
General PANDAmonium!
Lin the panda is on a mission: to find her best friend, Fu. He’s disappeared from the zoo! Has he been stolen by the Horrid Human? Only her badness can help her find him . . .
Luckily this panda is as fearless as she is fluffy! Just don’t call her ‘cute’ . . .
Emma Carroll needs no introduction, known, as she is as the queen of historical fiction for children. This thrilling adventure brings to life the biography of world-famous escape artist, Harry Houdini, for a young audience.
The story is told through the eyes of Glory, who, with her friend, Dennis, is an avid follower and fan of the enigmatic magician. When Houdini comes to perform in the small seaside town they call home, they are desperate to see him. However, when their wish comes true, in the most embarrassing of ways, they discover that Harry is in danger and his trunk full of trade secrets is the subject of great interest from his rivals. Entrusted with the precious suitcase, and pursued by Houdini’s enemies, Glory and Dennis must escape across the ocean and to Coney Island to restore the trunk to its rightful owner before it is too late.
In this sparkling story, I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of the friendship between Glory and Dennis, and the inter-generational bond between the children and Dennis’s grandmother, who abandons the safety of home and sets out intrepidly across the seas in the role of responsible adult. There are instances of seances in the book. Readers will also enjoy the diversity of characters in the book, and the exploration of the circus as an environment where people unaccepted in society in the 1920s could find a family and a sense of belonging.
As always, Emma Carroll’s writing and storytelling are perfect; never showy and always superbly crafted. Carroll excels at taking the accepted and weaving it into something quite unexpected. Excellent for Year 5 and Year 6 readers with or without an interest in history or escape artistry – if they don’t have the interest already, reading Emma Carroll will kindle it!
This hilarious series is adored by its readers!
Dave Pigeon is writing a book on how he defeated Mean Cat in order to help fellow pigeons everywhere. Cats beware!
A hilarious debut for 6+ readers with black and white illustrations by the superbly talented Sheena Dempsey.
Ava has a very special cat that no one else can see! His name is Squishy McFluff and he loves going on adventures. Ava and Dad are off on their first-ever camping holiday and, of course, Squishy McFluff is going too. Dad tells Ava about the serious business of camping and they spend quite some time getting everything packed and ready. When they arrive, Dad is shocked to discover that the tent isn’t in the car. Ava and Squishy McFluff thought that building a den to sleep in would be much more fun!
Told through rhymes and bright illustrations, younger readers will love reading about Ava and Squishy McFluff’s camping adventures.
Dave Pigeon is back and this time he and his pigeon pals are outnumbered by Kittens! This series is perfect for children who enjoy funny books.
When Aunty’s Cat comes to stay, Dave realises that their old nemesis Mean Cat is not the only feline to fear. With Mean Cat acting strangely, Dave and his pal Skipper find themselves facing new responsibilities and a new-found respect for Mean Cat as they team up to solve a multiplication problem and rid themselves of their new enemy.
Dave Pigeon is a hugely likeable character, whose hilarious facial expressions are a real credit to the illustrator Sheena Dempsey. This book, with its speech bubbles, illustrations and manageable chapters, will appeal to children wanting to build independence with their reading. Dave, our feathered friend, once again delivers on laughs, keeping children wanting to read on to find out if pigeons and cats can ever really be friends.
Alyssa must save the magical spell garden with her new unreliable powers.
When 11-year-old Alyssa is forced to spend the summer holiday with her mum’s family, who she’s never met before, her latent magical powers explode into life. Her great aunt runs a secret magic school in her spell garden where local kids can hone their power. The garden grows magical spell ingredients that have protected their family and the wider neighbourhood for decades – ever since they arrived from Jamaica with their mother Effie in the 1960s. But something is going wrong and the magic is running out! Can Alyssa use her new, unpredictable magic to set things right?
A contemporary fantasy set in a small community in North London facing eviction and gentrification with a magical garden at the centre of it. Stunningly illustrated by Bex Glendining.
This is a really good book to read to your little one, or to the whole class. It is written mainly in rhymes and the illustrations bring the story to life. The message about the dad being too busy on his mobile phone to take any notice of his son is also topical. On a train journey to the seaside, the dad and little boy are joined by all sorts of animals that the boy is fascinated by – and the dad does not notice! This leads to a fun adventure with the boy and the tiger. This is a story about connection and imagination, and there’s a message for adults too, here – don’t miss those early years of fun with your child!
For more information and ideas for using the book with children, check out author Mariesa Dulak’s guest post on the BooksForTopics blog.
You should not judge a book by its cover, however in this case, the vibrant colours and hilarious picture of the alpaca with an ice cream on top of his head and his wings is a perfect picture to grab an early reader’s attention whilst also having a high quality text to enjoy.
When reading aloud, it gave lots of giggles and on every page were fun illustrations and pictures which helped with understanding the story and in bringing it to life for the reader. It was fun reading the book aloud as each line rhymes throughout and as soon as I finished this book, the request was to read it immediately again!
It has a strong message about accepting oneself and celebrating who you are. It would be an excellent addition to a KS1 reading corner and also to be enjoyed being read aloud from Early Years; it is the perfect book to read aloud or for readers who are beginning to read early chapter books.
Have you ever wondered how to pet a yeti crab or whether dogs can tell if you’re smiling? This book answers these questions and so many more that inquisitive minds may be pondering.
‘How do meerkats order pizza? ’is a brilliant book full of funny and fascinating facts about different animals around the world and the scientists who study them. Presented in a fun mix of comic book style images, illustrations, colours and fact boxes, this is a perfect read for any animal fan or science enthusiast. This book provided many giggles and ‘did you know’ conversations after reading.
The colourful map in the opening pages acts as a contents page to help readers navigate their way through the text. With a diverse group of scientists and a multitude of animals covered, this book would complement learning in science lessons. Ideally suited for KS2 children to read independently, the bite-size chunks of text and high ratio of illustrated elements make it an easy read and will appeal to children who don’t enjoy the heavier blocks of text found in many non-fiction books for this age group.
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)
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Any other comments