If you are looking for something to engage KS2 on the theme of Ancient China, this gripping action-packed novel is for you. Haoyou feels compelled to save his mother from being forced into a new marriage after the death of his father. Can Haoyou use his powerful kite to find away of reaching his father’s spirit, who dwells with the spirits of the dead among the clouds? But when the Jade Circus arrives, Haoyou faces the question of whether the circus master can offer him the opportunity of a lifetime or whether it is going to lead him into the greatest danger yet.
This engaging picture book takes its reader on a guided tour of an imaginary chocolate factory, run by Mr Bunny. The humorous illustrations are packed with details and guaranteed to get imaginations firing. We think that this highly enjoyable text would make a great stimulus for creative writing and is likely to have pupils poring over its inventive visual details for hours. Mr Bunny’s Chocolate Factory is sure to quickly become a humorous Easter favourite in primary classrooms.
This is the Christian story of Easter as told through the eyes of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem and watched the events of the Easter story unfold. The text is accompanied by beautiful illustrations and would be suitable to use with the whole primary age range as they explore the meaning behind the Christian festival.
A thrilling and fast-paced fantasy full of twists and turns!
I’m always amazed by the sheer scale of Philip Reeve’s imagination. Having created giant mobile cities in the Mortal Engines books, he turned to interstellar sci-fi for this story set in a multi-planetary universe linked by the Great Network, a web of wormholes travelled by huge, hyper-intelligent trains.
Railhead introduces an exciting sci-fi world and is a good book for Year 8 children looking to engage with fantasy stories and thrillers. The plot is wildly complicated yet super exciting, drawing in everything from god-like computer brains to swarms of sentient insects, and Reeve’s writing is, as always, very sharp and funny.
This illustrated chapter book about a flying pony is just so endearing and very entertaining. As you’d expect from this author-illustrator dream team that brought us Cakes in Space and Oliver and the Seawigs, this story is amusingly original at every turn and is overflowing with the feel-good factor. Kevin is a flying pony who lives on the Outermost West hills and loves biscuits (especially custard creams). One day, a wild storm brings Kevin roly-polying through the air and crashing into Max’s flat in the town of Bumbleford. Max has always wanted a pet and is delighted by Kevin’s arrival…
A beautiful adaptation of the classic novel. Renowned graphic novel artist, Edith, has created an enchanting version of the classic Tom’s Midnight Garden. This is a new and special way to read and share one of the best-loved and most enduring children’s stories of all time. A story with a special place in the hearts of grandparents, parents, and children everywhere, this wonderful graphic novel adaptation is faithful, accessible, and stunningly illustrated. A perfect gift for all the family.
We highly recommend this fun and accessible story, which is perfect for fans on Tom Gates and Wimpy Kid. The doodle-diary style story charts the ups and downs of Stan’s life. Stan loves to use pie charts and Venn diagrams to show how he feels, which adds a super fun element to the book.
There are heaps of humorous moments to laugh at during Stan’s adventures, and also heartwarming parts where Stan and his brother learn to pool their resources and work as a team.
Children who love a visual element to their reading books will enjoy this easy to read story, which is perfect for independent reading in KS2.
There’s a new superhero in town and her name is Kitty! This series features a girl called Kitty and her crew of felines as they embark upon brave rooftop adventures in the moonlight. Illustrated in cool blacks and oranges, these fun-filled mystery adventures with talking cats are likely to be a purrrfectly popular independent reading choice among ages 6-8.
This is part of an early chapter book series responsible for turning many young children into independent readers.
Isadora Moon is half fairy, half-vampire and each book in the series follows her adventures with friends and family. In this book, Isadora has reached school age and has an important decision to make. Her mum wants her to attend fairy school, and her dad wants to send her to vampire school. Isadora tries out each school, with their very different priorities and curricula, and in the process answers some important questions about her own heritage and identity.
This is a humorous chapter book, with attractive black-and-pink illustrations and a high appeal to modern young readers.
When Dinah starts at a new school, she finds that all the children are too well-behaved, apart from a handful including Lloyd and Harvey. Most of the pupils follow the headmaster’s rules to the letter and they seem more like robots than individuals with their own personalities. Soon Dinah and her friends discover the headmaster’s wicked plan to take over the whole country. The Demon Headmaster has proven popular in the classroom for over three decades and provides a good starting point for discussing how a school or society would look without the liberty to be individuals.
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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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