Not only is she about to start high school without any friends or glamorous swooshy hair, she’s just discovered she’s too flat-chested to wear a bra.
She might as well give up now and go into hibernation with her hamsters Sir Barnaby Squeakington and Fuzzball the Third.
Lottie navigates the perils of growing up in this fantastically funny new illustrated series for pre-teens filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and, of course, KitKat Chunkys.
All Sam wants is a family of his own, a home instead of a ‘house’ and parents he knows will still be there when he wakes up. Because Sam has been in and out of foster care his whole life and he can’t imagine ever feeling like he truly belongs.
Then his best friend Leah suggests that rather than wait for a family to come to him, he should go out and find one. So begins The Perfect Parent Project … But Sam may just discover that family has a funny way of finding you.
Jamie Lee wants to be normal. But his ADHD makes him feel like his brain is full of butterflies.
Elin Watts wants to be perfect. If she can be, surely her dad will come home.
When Jamie and Elin’s families blend, the polar opposites of chaotic Jamie and ordered Elin collide. As their lives spiral out of control, Jamie and Elin discover that they’re actually more alike than they’d admit. Maybe there’s no such thing as normal, or perfect. And perhaps, just like families, happy-ever-afters come in all shapes and sizes.
Uplifting and moving, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind is an inspiring story of acceptance, blended families, and discovering that in the end, being yourself is more than enough.
If you like Jacqueline Wilson, try these…Jacqueline Wilson’s books remain hugely popular with readers who enjoy stories that explore real-life issues and share themes of family, friendship and growing up.
We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of Jacqueline Wilson. Readers who enjoyed Jacqueline Wilson’s stories about living in foster care or life with blended families might like to try The Perfect Parent Project or The Boy With the Butterfly Mind. For more stories about navigating friendship issues, try Do You Speak Chocolate? or Ella on the Outside.
Some children will look for more stories about girl power after reading Jacqueline Wilson books, and we recommend Jaz Santos vs the World or Vote for Effie. If you’re simply looking for a new read delving into real-life pre-teen issues, try The Mystery of the Colour Thief, which explores the topic of mental health, or Charli Howard’s Splash, tackling the themes of self-consciousness and body positivity.
Browse the full list below of books for children looking for what to read next after Jacqueline Wilson…
A KIND OF SPARK tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?
A story about friendship, courage and self-belief.
A story of family, friendship and mystery from one of the UK’s best-loved writers. When Scarlet’s grandma goes into a retirement home, she must sort through her belongings in the cramped flat above a shop in Crouch End, north London.
Here Scarlet comes across a real treasure: a novel that Gran wrote, imagining the life of a girl just like Scarlet, who once upon a time lived in the flat and worked in a cake shop downstairs.
But as Scarlet reads about Ruby’s life in Victorian London, she begins to realise this is no piece of fiction – Ruby was real!
A real life, facing real danger – and a mystery that unravels to the present day.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2023
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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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