This is an award-winning book that has proved to be a big hit with lower KS2. When Atticus, the world’s greatest cat burglar, receives an intriguing message inviting him to a meeting, he packs his bags and sets off. The writer of the mysterious message turns out to be Jimmy the Magpie, infamous leader of a criminal gang. Jimmy challenges Atticus to steal every jewel in town, a criminal act that will leave the humans completely baffled. But when Atticus moves in with a police inspector’s family, he starts to wonder whether a life of crime is really for him. Exciting, fast-paced and full of humour, Atticus Claw Breaks the Law is a great story to read aloud at story time.
The boy loves his grandmother – a retired prize-winning architect – very dearly. He especially loves to snuggle up and look at photographs of her famous projects and listen to her promises to build him an extraordinary house. When his grandmother passes away, the boy is heartbroken. He looks in her garden at the building materials and sets about to build a new, enormous metal grandmother, who joyfully seizes his hand and takes him on an amazing journey to reach a beautiful house, where he finds the perfect space for grandmother at its heart. A gentle story about loss and ways to celebrate the legacy of those who pass away.
What Happened to You? is a pioneering picturebook addressing how a child might want to be spoken to about a visable disability. The author, James Catchpole, like the main character Joe, has one leg, and uses the story to help readers to understand what it might feel like to be seen as different. The spotlight is given to the main character Joe, who gently explains his viewpoint about always being asked to answer questions about his disability when he encounters other children, when what he really wants to do is just join in and play without interrogation. The story tackles a difficult topic in a manner that is both funny and moving, and this is wonderfully supported by the illustrations by Karen George.
The story is steeped in realism about how children can potentially react to disabilities. What is clever about the story is how the same scene is viewed in two different ways and how this makes Joe feel. Humour is used to balance the story well, and helps children not to feel accused or guilty if their natural inclinations towards curiosity may lead them to ask the same questions as Joe’s playmates, but rather to develop empathy and warmly understand another’s experience…
A heart-wrenching true story in graphic novel form, all about life as a refugee. This book is set to restore your faith in real-life happy endings.
This powerfully moving graphic novel is about Omar, an eleven-year-old living with his brother in a Kenyan refugee camp. Despite harsh daily struggles, Omar finds hope, finds enjoyment in football and dreams of a future shaped by education.
This poignant and unforgettable tale is based on a true story, told in a compelling graphic novel format. It’s an essential read, offering profound insights into courage and resilience.
An action-packed adventure, imaginatively written with echoes of The Borrowers and Gulliver’s Travels. Ten-year-old Max is singled out for being deaf by a despicable Headmaster who is evil enough to rival the Trunchbull. In order to solve a mystery at his boarding school, Max forms a friendship with another boy – overcoming their challenges and dispelling some assumptions about deafness along the way. The gaggle of five-year-old girls brings humour and slapstick to this heart-warming story.
An excellent discussion opener for themes of bullying, friendships, difference and equality: “They were from two different species and they had never spoken the same language, but they were friends. And sometimes that’s all you need to achieve the impossible.”
This new adventure story is a great choice for upper KS2. After fighting hard to gain her place on an expedition, young Stella and her explorer friends embark upon an exciting adventure through vast Icelands. A wonderful mixture of fantasy and adventure, the narrative weaves its way through dangerous and magical encounters with snow queens, unicorns, frost fairies and wolf-whisperers.
A sinking boat. A girl in disguise. A disappearing sea.
When Fortune Sharpe carves a boat from a tree with her beloved brother, Gem, she’s only having a bit of fun. But now is not the time for a girl to be drawing attention to herself. She is sent away to find work dressed as a boy. Luckily a rich manor house is hiring.
Yet Berrow Hall’s inhabitants harbour dangerous secrets of their own, the suspicious owner is hunting for witches, and the house itself is a little too close to the sea.
A gentle adventure for young children, with loveable characters and a chance to imagine having tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
This delightful chapter book is an excellent text for encapsulating experiences of World War II from the viewpoint of children. It tells the moving story of Olive and her brother Cliff as they leave the heavily bombed streets of London and become evacuees on the coast of Devon, sent to live with an enigmatic lighthouse keeper. Soon Olive finds herself caught up in a dark mystery linking the disappearance of her sister Sukie with a strangely coded message.
Letters from the Lighthouse is an incredibly empathetic story that not only portrays the hardships of life during the war but also poignantly explores the anguishing encounters of refugees looking for safety in new places while carrying with them the heartbreak of leaving a war-torn home behind. We highly recommend this story for upper KS2 classrooms.
This chapter book story is set in 1922, around the time that Howard Carter famously excavated Tutankhamun’s tomb. Thirteen-year-old Lilian joins a voyage to Egypt to the very heart of Howard Carter’s fascinating discoveries.
Woven into Lilian’s story are letters from Ancient Egyptian times, detailing the last days of the young Sun King and his closest friends, revealing stories of humanity and vulnerability. Much like the tomb’s treasures, there is a strong sense that these stories from the past should only fall into the hands of people willing to treat them responsibly and act with due respect to the original owners.
Rich in historical details about Ancient Egypt and moving at a pleasing pace, this is a gripping story with plenty of mystery to get stuck into. Dynamics of race and gender are explored compassionately, and this aspect of the book has the potential to lead to some promising discussions in the classroom.
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
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Curriculum links (if relevant)
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