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Topic: Geography

Journey to Jo’Burg

Chapter book

This is the story of love, commitment and the flowering of the human spirit against the background of South Africa’s apartheid.

Frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro run away from their grandmother to Johannesburg to find their mother, who works there as a maid. Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life.

The opulence of the white “Madam’s” house contrasts starkly with the reality that Naledi and Tiro face – that their baby sister is suffering from starvation, not an incurable disease.

This edition of Beverley Naidoo’s classic story includes a special “Why You’ll Love This Book” introduction by Michael Rosen, former Children’s Laureate.

Front Desk

Chapter book

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets: 1. She lives in a motel, not a big house. 2. Her parents hide immigrants. 3. She wants to be a writer.

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, and go for her dreams?

Perfect for fans of Boy At the Back of the Class and A Kind of Spark.

Coming to England (Picturebook)

Picturebook

A picture book story about the triumph of hope, love, and determination, Coming to England is the inspiring true story of Baroness Floella Benjamin: from Trinidad, to London as part of the Windrush generation, to the House of Lords.

When she was ten years old, Floella Benjamin, along with her older sister and two younger brothers, set sail from Trinidad to London, to be reunited with the rest of their family. Alone on a huge ship for two weeks, then tumbled into a cold and unfriendly London, coming to England wasn’t at all what Floella had expected.

Coming to England is both deeply personal and universally relevant – Floella’s experiences of moving home and making friends will resonate with young children, who will be inspired by her trademark optimism and joy. This is a true story with a powerful message: that courage and determination can always overcome adversity.

Astro Girl

Picturebook

Astrid has always loved the stars and space.

“I want to be an astronaut!” she says.

While Mama is away, Papa and Astrid have fun acting out the challenges an astronaut faces on a space mission – eating food from a tube, doing science experiments, living and sleeping in near-zero gravity. Astrid can do it all!

Then it’s time to meet Mama at the airbase. But where has Mama been?

Holes

Chapter book

Stanley Yelnats’ family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn’t green and doesn’t have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it’s character building, but this is a lie. It’s up to Stanley to dig up the truth. Witty, inventive and completely unique, this is a masterpiece of storytelling that combines sly humour with irresistible, page-turning writing.

The Good Thieves

Chapter book

Fresh off the boat from England, Vita Marlowe has a job to do. Her beloved grandfather Jack has been cheated out of his home and possessions by a notorious conman with Mafia connections. Seeing Jack’s spirit is broken, Vita is desperate to make him happy again, so she devises a plan to outwit his enemies and recover his home.

She finds a young pickpocket, working the streets of the city. And, nearby, two boys with highly unusual skills and secrets of their own are about to be pulled into her lawless, death-defying plan.

Katherine Rundell’s fifth novel is a heist as never seen before – the story of a group of children who will do anything to right a wrong.

Arctic Star

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer returns with a thrilling naval adventure inspired by the incredible history of the Second World War Arctic convoys.

Winter 1943. Teenagers Frank, Joseph and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic Convoy sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have to navigate treacherous waters, sailing through a narrow channel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases on the Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying enemy attacks from both air and sea, as well as life-threatening cold and storms, will all three boys make it home again?

booklists for primary geography

Geography Topic Booklists

Geography Topic Books for Children

Pack your suitcase and get ready to hop on board with our handpicked selection of recommended children’s books about geography.  Whether you need books for a mountains topic and texts about rivers or you’re planning an imaginary class trip and need children’s books about Africa or stories about the USA, our booklists are here to help to bring your adventures alive with the best books for primary geography topics.

Here you will find a carefully curated selection of books that explore the wonders of the world around us, from the natural environment to human geography and global cultures. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or librarian, these booklists provide a wealth of options for engaging young readers with all things geographical. Our lists of recommended geography topic books for primary schools contain specially selected books to support the teaching of the curriculum at KS2, KS1 and EYFS. When we choose texts for our lists, we select only the best quality classroom books based on age suitability, quality of text, visual appeal, readability, level of interest for children, underlying values, curriculum relevance and print production quality.

Our review panel of teachers and education experts test the geography books and provide information about which books are best for engaging children and supporting the curriculum effectively, as well as writing detailed reviews for some of the books that we feature. In addition to our Review Panel feedback, we work with a team of booksellers to make sure that the books on our lists are readily available from publishers in order to supply them to schools and classrooms. Schools can buy full packs of most of our topic booklists directly from Peters.

So, whether it’s an expedition to Frozen Worlds, a whistle-stop tour of the UK countries or an overview of houses and homes, our primary topic booklists will help you to find the best geography books for children.

Browse the full list of geography topic booklists below.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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