Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Animal Crackers

Picturebook

Ruby Wright’s debut, Animal Crackers, is such a joyful and gently humorous picturebook!

This is a heartwarming story beginning with a scenario that may feel familiar to many children – animal-mad Maisie wishes for a pet, but Mum says it is not to be, living in such a small flat. Much to her delight, her wishes come true via magical animal crackers. This leads to a delightfully chaotic zoo appearing all around.

The story beautifully blends fantasy with relatable modern family life. It’s an encouraging read-aloud that celebrates animals, imagination and the joyful mess of unexpected wishes.

Betty Steady and the Toad Witch

Nicky Smith-Dale & Sarah Horne

Chapter book

A wonderfully silly and gloriously bonkers adventure that introduces the brilliantly funny heroine, Betty Steady.

Bustling with quirky characters, clever wordplay and outrageous situations, this book plunges readers into a world of surreal humour, where Mr Gum meets Starfell. When Betty lands herself in trouble, she finds herself shrunken and trapped by the mischievous Toad Witch, who plans to take over Wobbly Rock.

This story is a riot from start to finish, perfectly matched by Sarah Horne’s exuberant illustrations. This is a series that will fondly appeal to humour-loving readers in KS2.

Gruff Justice

Marisa Morea & Ross Montgomery

Picturebook

Someone has taken a big bite out of the birthday cake the farmer has baked, and he’s furious.

For once, it’s not Big Goat Gruff who’s to blame, but can he find the real culprit before the farmer turns him into goat pie?

Big Goat Gruff is always in trouble for eating things on the farm. So when the farmer discovers that the birthday cake he made for his wife has a huge bite taken out of it, Gruff is naturally the first suspect. But he didn’t do it! Can Gruff find the culprit and clear his name before the farmer and his wife get home and turn him into pie?

How Long is that Dog?

John Bond

Picturebook

Evie is desperate for a dog. She finds a dog that she absolutely loves – Mr Long Dog. Evie’s parents tell Evie, if she can guess how long he is, then she can keep him. Evie spends the rest of the book comparing Mr Long Dog’s length to other things. By the time she thinks she knows how long he is, someone else has taken him home, but the story doesn’t end there.

This book is a wonderful picture book that you could discuss with younger children (EYFS or KS1). The use of the word ‘long’ is repeated throughout the book. This is a great teaching point – how one word can have many different meanings, as well as a way into maths lessons about length and measure.

The book is full of bright and vibrant pictures to tell Evie’s story, except when Mr Long Dog is gone and the pictures become dark, reflecting Evie’s emotions.

A fun dog-themed story for pet lovers and language lovers alike!

The Giver

Lois Lowry

Chapter book

Lois Lowry’s award-winning book The Giver has become known as a modern classic for secondary school pupils.

This engaging novel is a fantastic introduction to dystopian fiction, exploring conformity versus individuality and the vital role of memory and choice. The book introduces readers to Jonas’s seemingly perfect community, where everything is controlled. Jonas becomes selected as the Receiver of Memory uncovers a hidden past filled with emotions and experiences deliberately suppressed. This eye-opening role forces Jonas to question the value of societal rules and the human cost of their so-called utopia.

Jonas’s journey of discovery encourages students to think critically about societal control and the importance of freedom and emotion, making it a powerful and thought-provoking narrative for this age group. A must-read!

The Hobbit

J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Chapter book

First published in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit has become known as a classic book for children and one that remains highly recommended today, particularly for secondary school students.

The story follows the magical adventure of one of the best-loved characters in fantasy literature – peace-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

This book’s engaging narrative and accessible language make it an ideal introduction to longer-form storytelling and the wild and imaginative cast of characters (like the wizard Gandalf, the band of dwarves and Smaug the dragon) familiarise a variety of key tropes of the fantasy genre. It also lays a foundation for appreciating the broader world of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, should readers wish to explore further.

Exciting, strange, magical, adventurous and gripping!

Slug Life

Moesha Kellaway

Picturebook

Join Stevie, the world’s grumpiest slug, in slug self-esteem class to find out why you shouldn’t squash these amazing creatures! His name isn’t “Yuck!” or “Ew!”, it’s Stevie, the world’s grumpiest slug. It’s time for slime.

Being called rude names by humans has made slug Stevie super-grumpy, so his mum sends him to Slug Self-Esteem Class. Stevie discovers why he and his slimy kin are actually kind of amazing: they can regrow bits of themselves, their slime is liquid crystal and their climbing skills are better than Spiderman. The first in this series about creatures humans often try to squash!

Jenny Peckles Lays Eggs With Speckles

Paul Delaney & Rachel Emily

Picturebook

A delightful, funny picturebook about Jenny Peckles, who lays eggs with speckles and other hens on Old Worrall’s Farm!

From the title, it gives the clue that rhyme is present throughout, which causes lots of giggles from children at story time (think of a tongue-in-cheek version of Hairy Maclary, but with chickens!). Children will find the writing engaging and have fun guessing at what the rhyme might be. There is also a brilliant surprise at the end of the story in the author’s note, for readers to realise that there is a real Jenny Peckles and the author is writing about the farm where she grew up.

This book is excellent for enjoying rhyme and language. It is a quick story to share, with vibrant pictures for the readers that add to the enjoyment of the book.

A lovely picture book to have in a class book corner or for a bedtime story for a younger reader.

Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest

Aisling Fowler & Sophie Medvedeva

Chapter book

An exciting novel set in the snowy northern forests of a prehistoric world. This fantastic adventure story is an exciting read and could be a great hook into a new series for children who love fantasy and adventure!

Twelve is a fierce hunter, and she has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters, and she won’t choose a new one until she has earned it. As her friend is taken, Twelve sets off on a dangerous journey to rescue her. Teaming up with Dog, the stone Guardian of the Hunting Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world.

Coram Boy

Jamila Gavin

Chapter book

The Coram Man travels around the country and collects the newborn babies from desperate mothers who are promised that their children will be delivered safely to a foundling hospital. Unbeknownst to them, Otis kills and deposits the infants along the side of the road.

Otis is the Coram Man and has his son Meshak to help him with his business, as well as collecting and selling unwanted children. They find themselves entwined with a wealthy family, the Ashbrooks, after Meshak decides to save one of the babies, Aaron. Aaron grows up with his guardian angel ‘Mish’ watching over him in the foundling hospital. Aaron finds himself being pulled closer to his real family through his talent in music; however, just as things are starting to look up, the Coram man reappears and is back to his evil ways.

This book is a gothic novel split into two parts. It highlights some of the horrors of life during the 18th century – the hardships, the poverty and the importance of wealthy women being seen as proper at all times. The prologue starts the book’s theme off by sharing a story about a wealthy woman abandoning six of her children and keeping only one by asking her midwife to drown the other six.

The story has historic themes and is suitable for mature readers who can handle sensitive topics. This is a dark story with some difficult parts, but also one that will reward readers with its gripping and thought-stirring narrative.

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