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Reading For Pleasure: Books We Love This Month

Chapter book

Number 14 Darlington Road, looks like a perfectly ordinary townhouse – at first glance, anyway, but magic is good at hiding . . . when it’s waiting for the right person to discover it . . .

Martha Pennydrop is ten, and desperate to grow up. But growing up is a tricky business. It means turning your back on imagination, fun and magic, because those were the things that led to the Terrible Day when something awful nearly happened to Martha’s younger brother, Scruff, which would have been All Her Fault.

But when Martha and Scruff discover a drawer full of mysterious gold dust in the bedroom of their new house – along with a window that’s seemingly impossible to close – it’s the start of an incredible adventure to a magical world: Neverland! The Pennydrop’s new house used to belong to another family – the Darlings – who once visited this world themselves. Now Peter Pan is back, and in need of their help. Neverland is in the icy grip of a terrible curse – cast long ago by Captain Hook. And only Martha and Scruff can save it . . .

A reluctant Martha and excited Scruff are swept off to Neverland and into the company of the Lost Kids. But when Scruff is kidnapped, Martha must rediscover all the imagination, magic and belief she has buried deep inside herself for so long, to save him – and Neverland itself.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in January 2023.

Chapter book

The start of a thrilling new Second World War mystery series from the number-one-bestselling and multi-award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike.

1940. Britain is at war, and a secret arm of the British government called the Ministry of Unladylike Activity is training spies.

Enter May Wong: courageous, stubborn, and desperate to help end the war so that she can go home to Hong Kong (and leave her annoying school, Deepdean, behind forever). May knows that she would make the perfect spy. After all, grown-ups always underestimate children like her.

When May and her friend Eric are turned away by the Ministry, they take matters into their own hands. Masquerading as evacuees, they travel to Elysium Hall, home to the wealthy Verey family – including snobby, dramatic Nuala. They suspect that one of the Vereys is passing information to Germany. If they can prove it, the Ministry will have to take them on.

But there are more secrets at Elysium Hall than May or Eric could ever have imagined.

And then someone is murdered…

All our Books of The Months in 2018

Each month our Review Panel highlights recommended new children’s books. Our top five picks each month feature newly published children’s books that we think you’ll love just as much as we do. From picturebooks and poetry to novels and non-fiction, we love shouting from the rooftops about the best new children’s books when we find them.

All our Books of The Months in 2019

Each month our Review Panel highlights recommended new children’s books. Our top five picks each month feature newly published children’s books that we think you’ll love just as much as we do. From picturebooks and poetry to novels and non-fiction, we love shouting from the rooftops about the best new children’s books when we find them.

All our Books of The Months in 2020

Each month our Review Panel highlights recommended new children’s books. Our top five picks each month feature newly published children’s books that we think you’ll love just as much as we do. From picturebooks and poetry to novels and non-fiction, we love shouting from the rooftops about the best new children’s books when we find them.

Recommended New Children’s Books

Each month our Review Panel highlights recommended new children’s books. Our top five picks each month feature newly published children’s books that we think you’ll love just as much as we do. From picturebooks and poetry to novels and non-fiction, we love shouting from the rooftops about the best new children’s books when we find them.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, we pick five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top picks for you to read in December 2022.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, we pick five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top picks for you to read in November 2022.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, we pick five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top picks for you to read in October 2022.

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Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

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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