Topic: Diverse & Inclusive Books for Upper KS2

The Star Outside My Window

Chapter book

Following the disappearance of her mum, 10-year-old Aniyah suddenly finds herself living in foster care. With her life in disarray, she knows just one thing for sure: her mum isn’t gone for ever. Because people with the brightest hearts never truly leave. They become stars.

So when a new star is spotted acting strangely in the sky, Aniyah is sure it’s her mum, and she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to make sure everyone else knows too — an adventure that involves breaking into the Royal Observatory of London, a mischievous scurry of squirrels and the biggest star in Hollywood…

Told through the innocent voice of a child, this is a story that explores the subtle faces and endless impacts of domestic violence, and celebrates the power of hope and resilience, from Onjali Rauf, the award-winning author of The Boy at the Back of the Class.

The Taylor Turbochaser

David Baddiel & Steven Lenton

Chapter book

Amy thinks the world of her Dad, but ever since the accident happened, Amy’s Dad can’t bear to see Amy. Following a car accident, in which Amy’s Dad was driving the car, Amy is left in a wheelchair but she is determined to prove to him that being in a wheelchair doesn’t stop her from doing anything and, with the help of her friend and inventor Rahul, she might just do it. The stakes have never been higher!

Following on the back of the success of AniMalcom, The Person Controller, Birthday Boy and The Parent Agency, Baddiel whips up a fun adventure that explores the hopes and dreams of car-obsessed Amy Taylor. Tricky subjects such as life-changing accidents, divorce, sibling and evolving parent-child relationships are all handled sensitively, with Baddiel’s recognisable brand of sharp humour.

Steven Lenton’s illustrations capture each stage of the story perfectly. A real page-turner, each of the characters of the book balance and enrich the story, even poking light-hearted fun at those glued to their technology or struggling to keep up with it.

This book will be relished individually by readers in KS2, appealing to both girls and boys alike, and would also make fun, upbeat class read at the end of the day.

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom

Sangu Mandanna

Chapter book

Kiki Kallira is not a hero. She is not brave, daring, or strong. She is the kind of girl who worries about her mother being murdered by geese if she leaves the door open. But she can do one thing… draw. Drawing takes all of her anxieties away. That is until she unwittingly unleashes mythological creatures from the Hindu legends she draws in her sketchbook and is given no choice but to become a hero, or both her world and the one she has created will be in big trouble…

To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. The story has a diverse cast of characters and pays tribute to the Hindu legends that inspired it. Full of fantasy, adventure and friendship, it is bound to be a winner in many classrooms.

Kiki has to be one of my favourite main characters that I have read recently. The descriptions of her anxieties and how they affect her life really will resonate with many children. By following Kiki and her journey to discover whether she can be the brave hero that the world needs, children learn that heroes come in all shapes and sizes and everybody has their own strengths.

Miles Morales Shockwaves

Justin A. Reynolds & Pablo Leon

Graphic novel

For those not already familiar with the Miles Morales character from the Marvel movie ‘Into the Spider-Verse’, Miles is an alternate Spider-Man doing his superhero thing in Brooklyn, while also juggling school, friendship issues and doing the right thing by his family.

New to the Spidey-game, Miles is still learning how to web sling accurately, when he comes across two young thieves, Vex and Trinity, who also seem to have superpowers. From here on, we follow a classic formula of adventure, evil bosses, hidden identities and magical glowing rocks. Whilst that might make ‘Miles Morales: Shock Waves’ sound derivative, in truth it is anything but: as a non-Marvel-fan, I was quickly drawn in. Particularly engaging are the family scenes when Miles’ family are affected by an earthquake in Puerto Rica, and Miles’ floundering attempts to make friends with new girl, Kyle, at school.

The style of art by Pablo Leon (Eisner Nominee for ‘The Journey’) is very approachable with particularly striking use of colour tones and facial expressions. For a primary audience, I love that the text in this graphic novel is all in lowercase, rather than the harder-to-read comic standard of full uppercase, making it much more accessible to a wider range of readers.

The text throughout is written in a conversational style with an approachable tone and lots of very funny snarky come-backs. Young readers will love the contemporary references to Instagram and TikTok dance challenges, while Marvel fans will love spotting the odd hidden easter egg reference to the wider MCU.

Miles Morales: Shock Waves is a superb and deserving of a place in every primary school library. I hope there are many more to come in this fantastic new graphic novel series.

Nura and the Immortal Palace

M. T. Khan

Chapter book

A magical adventure rooted in Muslim culture and folklore, Nura and the Immortal Palace follows a young girl’s journey from modern-day Pakistan into the world of the jinn.

Nura has worked all her life in the mica mines, earning just enough to keep her family afloat – and enjoy the odd delicious gulab jamun from the market. Some day she’s going to find the Demon’s Tongue, a legendary treasure buried deep in the mines, and her family will never have to worry about money again.

But when a terrible accident buries her best friend below ground, Nura goes in search of him and passes over into the magical and terrible world of the jinn. Across a pink sea and under a purple sky, she finds her way to a palace, where great riches and a whole new life are on offer.

But it’s not long before Nura discovers this world to be as unfair as the real one, and that trickster jinns will always live up to their reputation…

Cameron Battle and the Hidden Kingdoms

Jamar J. Perry

Chapter book

Inspired by West African and Igbo history, this adventure-filled fantasy introduces readers to Cameron Battle as he begins his journey to greatness.

Cameron Battle has vivid memories of his early childhood, listening to his Mother read him magical and adventurous tales from the Book of Chidani – a lost mythical kingdom of the Igbo people whose Queen bargained with the gods, cutting it off from the world to save her people from slavery.

However, after his parents mysteriously died in a car crash, Cameron’s Grandmother locked the book away in the attic and forbade him to open it again. That is until one summer sleepover with his best friends Zion and Aliyah, when strange things start to happen, and they decide to investigate the attic. As soon as they open the book, a portal drags them into the world of Chidani, which is no longer the place Cameron saw in his Mother’s stories, but is one of darkness and danger, having been thrown into a war between the Queen and her evil sister, who has stolen ‘The Three Gifts’ that give the Queen her power.

Cameron is quickly hurled into the centre of the battle for Chidani – and for Earth. He comes face to face with his past, the legacy his parents left him, and his future. He is ‘The Descendant’ and the people of Chidani are counting on him. But can a 12-year-old boy become a hero? After intensive training in the Igbo fighting style, Dambe, the young heroes set off to find ‘The Three Gifts,’ using The Book to help them solve riddles to seek the missing objects and facing Gods and monsters on their way.

The very relatable characters all grow through the story, facing their fears and finding their strength in different ways, and themes of friendship, family and destiny run through the story. The short chapters combined with the excitement and adventure in this fast-paced narrative would make it a fantastic class novel.

Can You Feel the Noise

Stewart Foster

Chapter book

A profound story about inner strength and perseverance in the face of a life-changing event, from the award-winning author of The Bubble Boy . Perfect for fans of R. J. Palacio’s Wonder and Lisa Thompson’s The Goldfish Boy.

Life is going well for Sophie. She’s getting by at school, has some pretty awesome friends, and their band have made it through to the semifinals of the Battle of the Bands competition.

But when Sophie wakes up completely deaf one morning, the life she once knew seems like a distant memory. With lessons replaced by endless hospital appointments, and conversations now an exercise in lip-reading, Sophie grows quieter and quieter. Until she discovers the vibrations of sound through an old set of drums and wonders whether life onstage is actually still within reach.

Drawing on the author’s own hearing impairment, Can You Feel the Noise? is a deeply personal and moving story that will stay with you long after reading.

Granny Ting Ting

Patrice Lawrence

Chapter book

A quirky family comedy set in the Caribbean from prize-winning author Patrice Lawrence.

Shayla can’t wait to see her cousin Michael again. Last time, they had great fun chasing Granny’s chickens and playing hide-and-seek in the bamboo by the river. But Michael thinks everything in London is better than in Trinidad where Shayla lives, which makes him better than her, doesn’t it? Soon everything’s a competition, especially when there’s hot pepper sauce involved!

This humorous story featuring characters from Trinidad by Patrice Lawrence, the winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2017 for Older Fiction, has fun black-and-white illustrations by David Dean and is perfect for children who are developing as readers.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun

Tolá Okogwu

Chapter book

Onyeka and her best friend, Cheyenne, are both Nigerian and live in London. One day, Onyeka’s hair glows blue and crackles with electricity when Cheyenne is in trouble. Onyeka’s mum is forced to tell her that she is ‘Solari’ and has inherited this trait from her dad. When Onyeka struggles to control her power and it starts to make her sick, her mum decides it’s finally time to return to Nigeria and try and locate Onyeka’s dad and learn to control her powers. Despite being surrounded by other Solari, Onyeka still feels like she doesn’t belong. The other children have lived with their powers for years, but Onyeka has only just discovered hers. If only her mum could find her dad, and maybe she could get some answers!

This exciting, edge-of-your-seat adventure story would make a fantastic read for Upper Key Stage 2 children, particularly for those who are fans of superhero stories and films. Tola Okogwu says in the author’s note in the book that she hopes it will “act as both a mirror and a window” in terms of representation, and I think lots of people will agree that it does. What a wonderful book.

Goddess: 50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief

Dr Janina Ramirez & Sarah Walsh

Tales of powerful female figures have been told since the beginning of time and this collection brings together 50 stories from around the world. There are loving creators, wise leaders, fearsome warriors, gentle healers and mystical protectors, and they can each inspire you to find strength within yourself . . .

Beautifully written by cultural historian and broadcaster, Dr Janina Ramirez, and stunningly illustrated by Sarah Walsh, this amazing book contains goddesses, guides, spirits, saints, witches, demons and many more female figures that have played an important role in shaping belief today. Based on original sources and with photographs from the British Museum collection, this incredible introduction to goddesses throughout history will entertain, engage and empower readers everywhere.

Divided into thematic chapters, but connected by the power of the female, there are important stories of creation and love, action-packed stories of war and death, and heroic stories of great adventure and strength. Each gorgeously illustrated spread is a celebration of girl power in its many forms.

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