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Topic: Arts and Sports

Chapter book

According to the rule, Freddie has to say “yes”.

Freddie is unremarkable – too unremarkable. He doesn’t stand out in any way, and in fact teachers and fellow students keep forgetting who he is. Even his mum thinks he’s a disappointment, and spends almost all her time at work, producing a TV show.

After a particularly awful night when he embarrasses himself in front of Jasper Perry (the gorgeous teen star of his mum’s new show), Freddie decides to follow a new, proactive philosophy designed to transform his social and romantic life: saying ‘yes’ to every opportunity.

It works! Freddie finds himself auditioning for the school musical (Grease), actually going to parties, and flirting with hot new boy Zach! He’s becoming a whole new Freddie – maybe even one that his mum might be proud of.

But the path to love is never smooth, and sometimes getting things very wrong is an important part of figuring out what – and who – you really want.

A funny, heart-pulling read from one of the UK’s leading writers of LGBTQ+ teen fiction.

Chapter book

Summer by the seaside isn’t working out as Callie hoped. Instead of enjoying sunshine and ice cream, she’s stuck helping Gran’s drama group put on a show to save the local theatre. Worst of all, they’ve asked her to star in their play. With Callie’s stage fright, there’s not a chance that’s happening.

But when she goes exploring backstage, Callie stumbles into an altogether different world – another theatre, run by a wise fox and her troupe of rather quarrelsome talking animals. Forced to face her fears, will Callie be able to put on a good show in the final fight to save Madame Malone’s Music Hall?

A cast of creative creatures take centre stage in this theatrical Barrington Stoke debut from Blue Peter Book Award shortlisted author Laura Wood.

Picturebook

Five easy to move sliders, a rhyming story and lots to spot and say in this series of bright, interactive board books for toddlers!

Bizzy Bear is a football player today and it’s time for the big game! Help him make passes to his teammates and score goals! A funny little story with loads of details to spot and chat about.

This story needs YOU! By pushing, pulling and turning the mechanisms, little hands can move the story onto the next scene and bring the rhyming text to life! The high level of interaction builds confidence and engagement with books, which is a key stepping-stone to reading for toddlers.

Illustrated by multi-award-winning Benji Davies, illustrator of The Storm Whale, and Grandad’s Island.

Picturebook

It’s a lovely day and Spot and his friends are ready to play football together.

Spot and Helen are captains of the red and blue teams, but who will score the most goals?
Join the group of animal friends and the much-loved Spot as they learn it’s the taking part that counts – and, most importantly, have fun.

Picturebook

Topsy and Tim are always finding fun adventures in the real world, and this story is reassuring for young children having first experiences of their own.

Topsy and Tim join the local football club. Along with their friends, they practice their skills, including dribbling a ball around cones. Then they play a proper game. It’s so much fun that Topsy and Tim want to play football every day! Children who are starting to be interested in football will love to read about all the details of the club.

Picturebook

Harry’s football team are trying their best, but they just keep getting in each other’s way. But, luckily, Harry soon learns the best trick of all… teamwork! So together Harry, his friends and their mascotauruses win the best prize ever…

Picturebook

For anyone who can’t see a ball without wanting to kick it, head it, shoot it, or boot it!

‘Not eating an ice-cream
Or riding a bike
No – kicking a ball
Is what I like.’

‘What I like best, yes, most of all
in my whole life is . . . kicking a ball.

A wonderful rhyming story to read aloud, Kicking A Ball will not disappoint fans of Allan Ahlberg. First written as a poem, the little boy in the story has been brought to life perfectly by artist Sebastien Braun. Every parent will be able to immediately relate to the simple joy felt by a boy simply kicking a ball, and how there is nothing else quite like it.

The incomparable Allan Ahlberg takes us on a journey from childhood to fatherhood full of humour, warmth, friendship . . . and football.

Picturebook

Tiz and Ott are drawing themselves a house. With the scritch scratch of her crayon, Tiz busily plants some seeds for the garden. Meanwhile Ott lies back lazily and makes a huge splodge for the sun. Then Tiz has a big idea. With a zig, a zag and a crash, she jolts Ott awake with a huge bolt of lightning! Together Tiz and Ott whip up a storm but as they soon find out, a storm isn’t just lines on a page – Get carried away with Tiz and Ott as they use their imaginations to brush and doodle and scribble and scrawl and splatter their way out of trouble and safely back home.

Picturebook

Tom and his gran are playing penalty shoot-out when things go wrong and the football escapes… Now, wherever it leads them, from the park to the highstreet and beyond to the depths of the ocean and way up high in the sky, Tom and Gran must “Get that ball!”

Picturebook

From the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar comes a brilliant new Eric Carle board book for the artist in us all.
Every child has an artist inside them, and this vibrant picture book from Eric Carle will help let it out. The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There’s a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a polka-dotted donkey. More than anything, there’s imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colorful animals of Eric Carle’s career, this new board book edition is a tribute to the creative life and celebrates the power of art.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

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