Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Suzie and the Moon Bugs

Chapter book

This is the second book in the Space Blasters series. Full of illustrations and reader-friendly short chapters, this series would be a great addition to a Lower Key Stage 2 classroom as part of a class library. Easy to read and set in space, it is bound to be a popular book with children.

The series follows gadget-loving Suzie Wen, who finds herself on a laugh-out-loud adventure exploring space having already been tasked with saving the universe in the previous book. In this instalment, Suzie and her friends find themselves crash-landing on a mysterious and jungle-like planet, and their challenge is to deal with an infestation of moon bugs.

It is great to see the inclusion of scientific enquiry approaches – something that isn’t found very often in books for this age level. The books could support discussions in the classroom about fair testing and how to complete a scientific enquiry.

Science fiction and imaginative space settings weave with real life space facts and engineering information, offering plenty to occupy the minds of STEM-loving readers who will love the added pages from Suzie’s inventors notebooks. This high-energy science themed adventure will go down a treat with fans of Harley Hitch or Space Detectives.

The Kid Who Came From Space

Ross Welford

Chapter book

A small village in the wilds of Northumberland is rocked by the disappearance of twelve-year-old Tammy. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again.

But that doesn’t mean he’s going to give up.

Together with his friend Iggy and the mysterious (and very hairy) Hellyann, Ethan teams up with a spaceship called Philip, and Suzy the trained chicken, for a nail-biting chase to get his sister back… that will take him further than anyone has ever been before.

Pax

Jon Klassen & Sara Pennypacker

Chapter book

The moving story of the extraordinary friendship between a boy and his fox and their epic journey to be reunited. Beautifully illustrated by multi-award winner, Jon Klassen. Now available in Paperback!

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by ‘his boy’, Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather’s roof he sneaks out into the night, determined to find his beloved friend. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their journeys back to each other as war rampages throughout the country.

A profound and moving story with stunning illustrations by award-winning illustrator, Jon Klassen, ‘Pax’ is destined to become a classic in the vein of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and ‘Watership Down’.

Hello Spring

Jo Lindley

Picturebook

Hello Spring captures the reader straight away with gorgeous illustrations that create a bright, happy feel. Readers are greeted with a magnificent map of the ‘Season Isle’ showing places the friends may go on their adventures together.

This is the perfect book to help children to understand seasonal changes that may happen in Springtime. The feeling of spring is evoked through a rich range of vocabulary and beautiful phrasing throughout, such as ‘Butterflies flitting and birds swooping, a dazzling symphony of colours.’

As well as weather and seasons, Hello Spring could also help to teach children about the importance of friendships.

Flock Horror

Jennifer Killick

Chapter book

The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spookyCrater Lake. Perfect for 9+ fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps.

Angelo and his friends know that together they can handle any pretty much anything – including giant mutant spiders or snake-like parasites that burrow into your brain. But when a terrifying new enemy attacks from above it seems they have met their ultimate match . . . how can they defeat giant vampire birds that are after BLOOD?

With summer term in full force – and sports day and prom night on the horizon – the whole school is in danger. The gang need a plan to bring safety to the skies!

War Horse (Illustrated Edition)

Michael Morpurgo & Tom Clohosy Cole

Picturebook

This classroom classic by award-winning Michael Morpurgo is an animal story set in World War 1. We love this new abridged edition of Morpurgo’s classic text, with colour illustrations by Tom Clohosy Cole.

This moving story explores the themes of military animals, conflict, peace and friendship. Some readers may be surprised to discover how horses were used in the war, and the mirrored experiences of the human and the animal reflect the consequences of conflict for both humanity and the wider natural world.

Older readers might like to use this as a companion to the original, longer text, or to explore it as a standalone. The combination of words and pictures is brilliantly brought together, with the use of light and dark in the illustrations bringing the story to life in an almost cinematic way.

Genie and Teeny: The Wishing Well

Steven Lenton

Chapter book

Meet Grant the genie, and his best friend – the puppy, Teeny…

The third in a series of magical adventures from the renowned illustrator, Steven Lenton, winner of Waterstones Picture Book of the Month and the Times Children’s Book of the Week.

When Grant starts to miss his old life in Genie World, Teeny has a plan on how he can get the genie home for a flying visit. But as usual, where wishes are involved, nothing is quite that simple and they soon find out they’re in for a rollercoaster of a ride!

Einstein the Penguin: The Case of the Fishy Detective

Iona Rangeley & David Tazzyman

Chapter book

Last year, the first Einstein the Penguin book was a huge success and the next book in the series publishes this month. The newest book, Einstein the Penguin: The Case of the Fishy Detective, sees the loveable penguin Einstein return with a new adventure involving a surprise kidnapping and a mystery to solve.

Iona started writing Einstein the Penguin while she was studying English at Oxford, stating that writing children’s books was more fun than studying for final exams. Now, what started as a project alongside her studies has been published with HarperCollins Children’s Books and was named The Sunday Times Children’s Book of the week.

The stories are an enjoyable mix of whodunnit and a hilarious story of a penguin who comes to live with two children, causing them to put aside their sibling squabbles and come to his rescue. This is a lovely choice of a class read for Lower KS2, and children will enjoy the parody of incompetent teachers/zoo keepers/detectives/parents while also prompting several discussion points about right and wrong. The series makes a fun next step for readers who have enjoyed Paddington or Erica’s Elephant.

All Kinds of Families

Picturebook

All Kind of Families, written and illustrated by Sophy Henn, is a wonderful book to use across various opportunities in the preschool or primary classroom. It is an excellent resource to promote discussion and understanding of family diversity in humans and animals. By making links to animals, children gain a wider experience of different families, all underpinned by the theme of love.

The book explores and promotes families of all shapes and sizes, including those with different parents and varying numbers of siblings as well as roles of other individuals and adoption. Each is done sensitively to help children understand and embrace the naturally different shapes of families, using animals as a way of showing natural differences.

The book would be most suitable for EYFS and KS1 but could be adapted for older age groups too. Each theme is linked to different animal families and the final pages of the books give more information about each of those animals.

Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star

Laura Noakes

Chapter book

What a fabulous book! Cosima Unfortunate is a new type of heroine for Middle-Grade readers. Cosima and her friends Diya, Mary and Pearl live in a Home for Unfortunate Girls, locked away from the eyes of the world. However, there is certainly nothing ‘unfortunate’ about them! When a mysterious visitor turns up at the home, Cos overhears a conversation that sets a series of events in motion that will change their lives forever; a chain of events that includes sneaking out, stealing and even mortal danger.
Nothing is too much though for Cos and her friends. Diya is a brilliant inventor, Mary is a great planner and Pearl is a talented artist – all skills that will be needed if they are to stop the evil plans of Lord Fitzroy and save the day.
The story highlights how people who are perceived to be different can be treated. In this book, however, differences are not a hindrance. I really loved the characters, and children who see themselves as different will enjoy being represented as the heroes and heroines of the tale.

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Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

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