Don’t expect to encounter the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe within the pages of this book. Paul Berna’s classic is set in the back streets of Paris, on the periphery of the city, where a band of scruffy children get entangled in the theft of a hundred million francs from the Paris-Ventimiglia Express. This is a lovely adventure, packed with likeable characters, twists, turns and a satisfying comeuppance for the villains.
This picture book will always have a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart. It was the first book I ever read to my granddaughter when she was just a tiny little thing barely a few months old. Over the following months, it endured as her favorite book too, and that first hardcover copy was read to pieces (quite literally). Martin’s perfect rhymes and poetic language match her soulful illustrations perfectly. She portrays a whole spectrum of childhood experiences and brings them alive so simply yet elegantly. This is a book that never fails to leave me with a lump in my throat and a smile on my face when I reach the end, because it’s about the sheer joy and wonder of being a child, and we all wish our children the very best in life.
Here, Grandmother is bold, brave and full of great advice on how to cope in a world filled with secret child-hating witches. She works with her grandson (The Boy) to outsmart and eradicate the Grand High Witch and her followers.
One of my favourite childhood books. Twins Ruby and Garnet rely on their grandmother to be a much-needed calming influence when their world is turned upside down.
I have a passion for books set in eighteenth and nineteenth-century London – tales brimming with dark courts, fog-bound alleyways and n’er do wells lurking in the shadows. There are echoes of Oliver Twist in this story about Smith, a ragamuffin pickpocket, who, when he steals a mysterious ‘dockiment’ from an elderly man, gets caught up in a murderous plot that puts both his, and his sisters’ lives in terrible danger. Garfield was a master storyteller and his books may – as was the case with me – prove to be the perfect stepping stone to Dickens.
I love Emil, who sets off full of innocence and good cheer to visit his grandma in Berlin, when – uh oh – a sinister man in a black bowler hat steals all his money while he is sleeping on the train. What follows is a glorious caper across the city, as Emil and all the children of Berlin team up to use wit and cunning to pursue and capture the thief. Kastner published Emil and the Detectives in 1929, and it is thought to be the first children’s book to positively portray the city as a place of excitement and adventure. It also has my favourite villain, Herr Grundeis in it. Wonderful!
This hugely popular picture book is part of the ‘Harry and the Dinosaurs’ series. Harry discovers some dusty plastic dinosaurs and claims them for his own, cleaning them up and carrying them everywhere he goes in a bucket. But what will happen when he loses his beloved dinosaurs one day?
This is another wonderful story from popular picture book author Mini Grey (author of Traction Man). When a child’s toys are left out in the garden over night, they get unexpectedly beamed into space. The toys use their best storytelling skills to cope with their new surroundings and problem-solve their way back home. There are some great ideas for activities to go with this book on the Teachwire website.
A Grand Slam champion
An activist
An inspiration
Serena Williams began playing tennis when she was just a child, and is now an Olympic champion who’s won more Grand Slam singles titles than anyone else.
Throughout her life she’s battled many things, from life-threatening illnesses and sports injuries, to sexism and racism in the tennis world. Now she’s an icon in sport, fashion and activism, an inspiration to every young person who has dared to dream big.
After the success of the Kid Normal series, I was excited to receive the new novel from Greg James & Chris Smith. I have to say I certainly wasn’t disappointed, as I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to crazy end.
When we are introduced to Maya, her father (a scientist working for a company called Somnia) is in hospital following an accident at work. After having the weirdest dream, she is desperate to get back to sleep to dream about the boy who seems to have information on her father’s accident. It transpires that her dad has been left trapped within a dream by his evil employer. It is now up to Maya and her new friends to attempt to rescue him.
The Great Dream Robbery is full of rich language and descriptive paragraphs entwined within the humour. There is an endearing cast of characters, as well as the truly villainous character of Lilith Delamere. In an attempt to stop Lilith’s dastardly plan, there is an extremely bizarre battle involving a unicorn called Donald, a seal and an army of line dancing robots. This book could definitely be enjoyed in the classroom – probably as a class reader. Or as in my case, in the library for book club – as it has left me with a plethora of activity ideas.
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
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
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Any other comments