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Topic: Books of the Month - Oct 2021

Chapter book

From Onjali Q. Rauf, the award-winning and best-selling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class , comes an incredible story about missing histories and the concept of a universal family, told with humour and heart.

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. But as Leo’s dad is always telling him, it’s because they’re special. Only thing is, if they’re so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books?

Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo’s attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name.

Desperate to know who this other Leo was, the two friends embark on a search. And together, they begin to uncover missing stories from the past, ones which they are determined to put back into their rightful place in the pages of history.

Touching on themes of historical racism, The Lion Above the Door shines a light on the stories our history books have yet to contain and the power of friendships that can last through generations.

The first edition of this book also contains a special collection of historical photos and stories of real life forgotten heroes from World War Two.

Chapter book

Brandon is a boaster – he says he is brilliant at lots of things. Then he is challenged to count up to ten million. So Brandon starts: one, two, three… and before long he is up to one thousand. Everyone around him is bewildered and annoyed: his friend Waris, his teachers and Miss Hexx, the head. But Brandon can’t stop counting. And the higher he counts, the more everyone takes an interest, when Brandon reaches 30,000 he goes viral, by the time he gets to one million, he has a manager and a stadium full of fans counting with him. And then strange, impossible things start happening. The numbers are taking over everything… A fun and contemporary story about rise and fall of celebrity, and ultimately staying true to yourself.

Non-fictionPicturebook

Told in gentle rhyming verse, this beautiful non-fiction picture book follows the story of a herd of African elephants as they journey across the parched savannah in search for a water hole. The matriarch tells of all the sounds of the savannah, and how the landscape has changed over the years. Still, she remembers where to find water, just as her mother did before her.

Accompanying non-fiction pages at the end of the book include information on African elephants, their family structure and migration patterns, as well as the challenges of climate change, habitat loss and illegal poaching, and what we as readers can do to help.

Non-fiction

The Big Book of Belonging is for all the children who like to climb trees, run barefoot, splash in paddles, search for bugs, sing with the birds, taste snowflakes and count the stars. By placing children at the heart of the natural world, the book celebrates our connection with planet Earth and reveals the often surprising similarities between humans, animals and plants.

Illustrated in Yuval Zommer’s inimitable style and packed with quirky natural history facts, readers will discover that sea otters hold hands just like humans do; hermit crabs have homes; and that butterflies also have bedtimes. They’ll learn that just as humans have unique fingerprints, zebras have different stripes, cowrie shells have distinct spots and that no two snowflakes are identical.

The book’s uplifting message will inspire environmentalists young and old alike – we all belong to nature, and nature belongs to us all.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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