Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

The Super Sunny Murder Club

Chapter book

This is a great book for fans of crime, mystery and adventure. Each of the 13 stories in the collection stands alone and is the perfect length to allow readers to dip in and out of the book over the course of the summer holidays. The stories are easy to read and entertaining and would be great for engaging reluctant readers. They would also be good for reading aloud to less confident readers.

Across the stories, there is a diverse range of characters and settings. The settings are all typical of summer holidays from holiday parks, day camps, theme parks and weddings, which helps to make the book relatable for young readers. While following a general theme, the stories are all different enough to keep readers entertained if they want to read one story after another rather than dip in and out.

The book creates a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to different authors and literary styles, and what a great collection of acclaimed authors have contributed! This is a real treat of an anthology!

Secret of the Stones

Martin Remphry & Tony Bradman

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Weaving together fact and fiction, this short adventure, written by Tony Bradman, is set in 2,300 BC and the advent of the Bronze Age.

The tale opens at Stonehenge where Maglos and his high priest father are preparing for the important mid-summer sacrifice. Suddenly Maglos’ uncle murders his father on the sacred altar and makes Maglos his slave. He is rescued when two strangers arrive from a far distant land and he travels with them learning the secrets of smelting copper and then bronze. He eventually returns to Stonehenge to avenge his father’s murder.

The story reflects on the value of friendship and companionship and also demonstrates the skill, resilience and humanity of our ancestors so long ago. As with all Barrington Stoke books, the text is a well-sized font on coloured paper to support readers who have dyslexia, and the text will appeal to older readers without being condescending. The black and white illustrations by Martin Remphry add atmosphere throughout.

The Royal Rebel

Bali Rai & Rachael Dean

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly, Non-fiction

Rebel, Princess, Suffragette: this is the incredible true story of the life of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, a forgotten heroine of the early twentieth century.

Born in 1876, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of the last Sikh ruler of the Punjab, and goddaughter of Queen Victoria. After her father lost control of his empire and was exiled to England, Sophia had a privileged but troubled upbringing that left her unsure about where she belonged – in India or England. Sensitive to injustice, she became an suffragette and fought hard to win the vote for women. This is the extraordinary story of her life.

Fitter, Healthier, Happier!

Joe Wicks & Kate Sutton

Non-fiction

Learn all about your body and mind in this dynamic new fact-filled children’s book from #1 bestselling author and global fitness phenomenon Joe Wicks!

From Joe Wicks – fitness phenomenon and tireless advocate for the power of strong physical and mental health – comes a breakthrough book to get young readers moving and feeling good. Inspiring and motivating, and fully illustrated throughout, Fitter, Healthier, Happier! is an accessible look at the key ingredients to a healthy, happy body: exercise, nutrition, sleep and a healthy mind.

With four information-packed chapters, Joe talks readers through everything they need to know about having a healthy body:

KNOW YOUR BODY: Why do we need a healthy body? Find out what happens to our heart and lungs when we exercise, and how do our skeleton and muscles help us to run, jump and dance.

FUEL YOUR BODY: Join Joe on a tasty tour of everything from carbs to minerals – find out about eating well, nutrition and fuelling your body to ensure you always have plenty of energy.

MOVE YOUR BODY: With handy tips and exercises, grow skills such as flexibility, balance and speed, and get an insight into why these are so important to our physical and mental health. Did you know that exercising every day can boost your brain power?

FOCUS YOUR BODY: A healthy body and a healthy mind go hand in hand! Joe will help you with top-level tips about finding a sport or exercise you love, getting a good night’s sleep, reducing your stress and worry, and finding a calmer mindset.

Written in Joe’s energetic, relatable and motivating voice – which powered so many families through lockdown – this is an informative and fun journey through your body and mind, with plenty of inspiring ideas and activities, and brought to life with amazing black-and-white illustrations by Kate Sutton.

Moon’s Ramadan

Natasha Khan Kazi

Picturebook

In an unusual twist on the story of Ramadan, Moon is the central character, and you join her as she travels the world to watch Ramadan celebrations. She goes to different countries such as Turkey, Indonesia and the UK and watches the Ramadan and Eid celebrations take place.

This is a really clever way of describing Ramadan and how the celebrations can be slightly different in each country. The story is well illustrated, which adds to the understanding. It also features a lot of facts, so it is a good book to teach about Ramadan. For example, there is a section about the lunar cycle at the front and a glossary at the back that can help with vocabulary

A well-crafted story which helps teach about Ramadan – this will be a great addition to any school library.

Ramadan Kareem

Hatem Aly & M. O. Yuksel

Picturebook

This beautifully illustrated picture book shows how Muslims celebrate the holy month of Ramadan around the globe. The illustrator, Hatem Aly uses bright colours to create eye-catching pictures depicting busy scenes of family and community life. We learn how Muslims around the world observe fasting, told through children’s viewpoints. Many Muslim children will relate to wanting to fast for the very first time, the excitement of joining in with everyone and also the anticipation of the difficulties they may encounter throughout the fast. It’s interesting to see how Muslims in different parts of the world like South Korea or the Middle East celebrate Ramadan.

Readers will have fun searching for the flags on the pages and guessing/learning the country’s name associated with it. The author, M.O. Yuksel introduces us to different customs practised, traditional and newer ones. We learn about the variety of foods eaten at Suhoor and Iftar (meals eaten before sunrise and after sunset), and about the good deeds and prayers performed throughout the month. And finally we observe what happens when Ramadan finishes and Eid is celebrated.

A charming and useful book to introduce children and initiate conversations about Ramadan.

What it was like to be an Ancient Maya

David Long & Stefano Tambellini

Dyslexia-friendly, Non-fiction

An interesting and accessible guide to daily life for the Ancient Maya.

This is a short chapter book, at just under 90 pages, but it is packed with knowledge, presented in an accessible way. It has 9 sections, covering who the Maya were, daily life, inventions and discoveries they made, as well as theories about what happened to them. Throughout the sections, illustrations and helpful diagrams are also included.

This is such a useful book, great for teachers to use to support them with lesson planning, but also great for children to access if they want to learn more about a particular area of Ancient Maya.

Skulduggery Pleasant

Derek Landy

Chapter book

This is the first book in a hugely popular series of fantasy novels. The books follow the adventures of magical skeleton detective Skulduggery Pleasant and his niece and mentee, 12-year-old Stephanie. Together with other friends and comrades, Skulduggery and Stephanie (who is also known as Valkyrie Cain) fight against evil forces threatening the world.

Readers who love getting stuck into a fantasy series will find plenty to keep them hooked on in this series – mystery, action and adventure as well as an imaginative cast of characters and a host of cool fantasy settings.

Pick a Story: A Pirate Alien Jungle Adventure

Adam Walker-Parker & Sarah Coyle

Picturebook

Do you love pirates? How about aliens? And jungle animals? Find them ALL in the pages of this laugh-out-loud ‘pick your own’ picture book adventure!

Vincent’s dog, Trouble, has DISAPPEARED and he needs YOUR help. Has Trouble been stolen by aliens? Or pilfered by pirates? Is she exploring the jungle? It’s up to YOU to decide!

Pick a Story is the ONLY series where young readers choose between three completely different worlds – firing their imaginations and promoting agency.

Choice and value! Readers choose the direction of the adventure on every page. With endless story paths to be taken, the adventure is always different.

Packed with activities! Each page includes an activity, such as search-and-find, odd-one-out, mazes and more, woven seamlessly into the narrative – perfect for immersing and engaging young readers.

The Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson

Charlie P. Brooks & Katy Riddell

Chapter book

A charming domestic comedy, with a dash of magic, and the occasional moment of mayhem!

These are the memoirs of ME, Holly Hopkinson, aged almost ten, except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much.

My dad just lost his job, which means me and the rest of my family have to leave London and move to the middle of nowhere, which is a TOTAL DISASTER! There’s no Wi-Fi, the local kids are FERAL and there’s animal poo EVERYWHERE.

But then for my birthday, my eccentric aunt gave me a magic pocket watch, which I can use to hypnotise and CONTROL people. I actually wanted a new phone, but I won’t complain because this new power is REALLY FUN and has led to the MOST unexpected things – including a visit to the QUEEN.

Maybe the countryside isn’t so bad after all…

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Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

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