Topic: Reading for Pleasure

Some Places More Than Others

Chapter book

New York Times bestselling author Renée Watson brings a heart-warming story about discovering the places that make us who we are.

Amara is 12 and lives in Oregon. She longs to visit New York so that she can find out about her heritage and see where her Dad grew up. Her Mum doesn’t have any family left, her Dad doesn’t talk about his, and with a new sibling on the way Amara is feeling a bit lost. She eventually persuades her Mum and Dad to take her to New York for her birthday and she is incredibly excited to meet her Grandpa Earl and her two cousins.

However, New York is busier than she imagined, Dad and Grandpa Earl are not talking to each other, and one of her cousins is not particularly welcoming. Dad spends most of the time working which makes it hard for her to work on the secret mission her Mum has given her: to bring her Dad and Grandpa Earl back together.

Things start to look up when Grandpa Earl arranges for Amara’s cousins Nina and Ava to take her sightseeing. While Nina is happy to show her around, Ava can’t understand why she is so fascinated by New York and rushes her past everything. Can Amara discover more about her heritage and bring her family back together?

I absolutely loved reading this heart-warming book, with its fascinating themes of identity, belonging, black culture and family running through the plot. It would make a brilliant book to read in Y7 as it raises many discussion points throughout, such as how Amara’s family treat her, how Amara behaves when she is in New York, the value of cultural heritage and the importance of family.

The Tzar’s Curious Runaways

Robin Scott-Elliot

Chapter book

The Tzar’s Curious Runaways is the debut children’s novel by writer and sporting journalist Robin Scott-Elliot. Set in imperial Russia in 1725, this historical fantasy adventure takes a number of familiar middle-grade themes into a less familiar setting: vulnerable characters on a journey, friendships and acceptance, perseverance in the face of peril, the bid for freedom. It makes for an exciting and tension-filled read and is likely to hold a high appeal of young readers who enjoyed The Greatest Showman film.

The story centres around Kat, a hunchback who was sold by her parents to the Tzar for his Circus of Curiosities, at the age of six. Eight years later, she finds herself hiding in the Tzar’s palace following his death, frightened for her life because she knows that the Tzar’s successor does not have the same interest in her or her fellow performers. Through a series of flashbacks dotted among the action, the reader learns of the prejudice and ridicule that Kat experienced as a dancer, and from there the scene is set: can she escape and return home to freedom?

Teaming up with fellow curiosities, a giant and a dwarf, Kat finds practical help in the Palace’s employees, including the librarian, who equips her with a special map to help her find home in Yegoshikha (hurray for librarians and the magic they can put into people’s hands!). The trio set off on a journey, relying on their wit and small pool of resources as they overcome a host of challenges: a wolf attack, prejudiced villagers, corrupt monks, perilous terrain and worsening hunger leading to increased risk-taking.

Finally, Kat finds her home, but it is not the happy ending she expects – and the reader expects – and the dramatic action continues as they make a new escape from the dangerous persecution of those she thought would finally accept her.

Scott-Elliot’s writing is flowing, with beautiful descriptions and a brilliant gripping pace. Apart from the obvious theme of adventure, there are the underlying themes of friendship, love, deeply engrained prejudice and suffering, determination, trust and hope. This book would suit Upper Key Stage 2 classes and I can imagine them begging me to read on at class storytime.

Invisible in a Bright Light

Sally Gardner

Chapter book

Phantom of the Opera meets Alice in Wonderland in prizewinning author Sally Gardner’s first middle grade novel in 14 years.

Celeste is the lowest of theatre workers in the Royal Opera House – a mere orphan whose job it is to run errands for everybody else. One day, Celeste wakes up in a costume basket to realise that everyone else in the opera house seems to think she is somebody else – a talented young dancer preparing for a stage performance. Utterly confused, Celeste also remembers fragments of a strange dream from the night before; a man in an emerald green suit, a devastating shipwreck and a dangerous game called the Reckoning, in which she is a player.

The same day, a crystal chandelier in the shape of a galleon comes crashing down from the ceiling in the opera house, causing Celeste to become too injured to dance on stage as expected. After the accident, a series of clues about Celeste’s true identity begins to emerge, including the appearance of a ghost-like girl who seems to know more about Celeste’s past and an increasing realisation that Celeste is part of a high-stakes game to which she does not know the rules. A labyrinthine mystery unfolds – with elements of the surreal giving the whole plot a dream-like quality that keeps readers on their toes the whole time.

I enjoyed the opera house setting, complete with its prima donnas, colourful costume and sham effects. I also enjoyed the unravelling of the plot, cleverly moving the reader from initial disorientation and confusion to piece together the answer to Celeste’s mystery step by tiny step . The story is quite dark in places and takes good reading stamina to move through the parts that feel surreal, making it most suitable for confident readers in upper KS2 or lower KS3 who can cope with feeling a little disorientated as a mystery unravels.

Intriguing, haunting and filled with suspense, this story will transport readers right to the gutter of time and back again and is one to recommend to those who love an other-worldly read or who are looking for something a little bit different to get stuck into.

The Ghost Garden

Emma Carroll & Kaja Kajfez

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

The queen of historical fiction has done it again! Emma Carroll’s short story about an unlikely friendship and a ghostly garden set in the days before World War One is a mysterious tale that fans of hers will thoroughly enjoy.

Fran lives and works in the grounds of Longbarrow House, where she makes a discovery that deeply unsettles her. The opening line of the book, ‘Fran found the bone in the potato patch’ is a sign of the intriguing story to come.

When Leo, grandson of the owner of Longbarrow House, breaks his leg minutes after Fran’s garden fork breaks the bone in the potato patch, Fran is worried that the two incidents are connected. Further strange coincidences occur and Fran becomes increasingly concerned.

When Leo returns from hospital, Fran is tasked with keeping him company and the two children become friends. Leo is worried about the threat of impending war in Europe and Fran is concerned about the strange coincidences. Together, they explore Longbarrow House and discover the secrets the estate has been hiding. The story edges the reader along and brings tension and suspense with it.

The Ghost Garden is an insight into the lives of children on the eve of World War One. The story reveals details about the daily lives of both the privileged and not so privileged in 1914. We discover their anxieties about (and hopes for) the future and realise that the two children have more similarities than differences when it comes to facing the prospect of war. A short read with dyslexia-friendly text, this is another treat for those readers who enjoyed Letters from the Lighthouse and When We Were Warriors.

The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth

Cerrie Burnell

Chapter book

Young fans of stories set in fantasy worlds are in for a treat with The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth, a middle grade debut from former CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell. The cover alone (illustrated by Sandra Dieckmann‏) is enough to make you want to dive right in, but if you are anything like me you’ll be hooked from the first paragraph of this magical adventure that leaps straight into action.

Minnow knows that she is different from most of the other children in town. She lives on a boat called The Seafarer and has always found herself drawn to the water, as if she belongs deep below the surface. Her body is intuitive and dextrous when it comes to swimming, almost as if it is better adapted to moving through the water than running on land, where she often feels lost.

One evening, three strangers appear near Minnow’s boat and kidnap her mum, Mercy. With her mum in trouble, Minnow sets sail alone to find her grandmother in Reykjavik. Not content until she has uncovered the truth about her family history and found a way to rescue her mother, Minnow demonstrates courage and determination as she embarks upon a journey that will lead her to discover the magical underwater world of the Wild Deep.

Minnow is a strong-minded and courageous protagonist who is not afraid to follow her heart. A major theme in the book is identity, as Minnow works through questions about what her dual heritage means in a way that will feel relatable to a lot of young readers.

In The Girl with The Shark’s Teeth, Cerrie Burnell has created an exciting and richly-imagined fantasy world that is sure to hold a high appeal to readers in Upper KS2.

Furthermoor

Darren Simpson

Chapter book

What a fantastic book! The characters are dynamic and life-like, really making the story drive home to the reader.

Bren used to have friends, play football and do normal things boys do, but when his sister Evie died, his whole world changed. He withdrew into himself and pushed everyone away. Now he is bullied by Shaun the school bully and skulks in the shadows trying not to be noticed.

Then new boy Cary arrives and things begin to change again. All Bren can do is escape to the world that he created where his sister is still alive and he can see her whenever he wants, a world called Furthermoor.

Furthermoor is a story of grief, love, friendship, courage and family. The difficult subjects are dealt with in a caring and sensitive way. As Bren begins to grow and change, more of the story comes to light. This book should be a staple in every classroom and library.

The Dragon in the Library

Davide Ortu & Louie Stowell

Chapter book

The Dragon In The Library is a thoroughly enjoyable story that combines libraries, dragons, wizards and aliens with some very pertinent messages of friendship, inclusion and diversity. The story focuses on three friends (Kit, Josh & Alita) and their quest to stop evil businessman Mr Salt from expanding his property empire.

With a thoroughly engaging plot and a likeable and diverse set of characters, this book would sit perfectly in a lower KS2 classroom. The book contains a broad range of characters from a mix of ethnic backgrounds. With a short haired female protagonist who loves getting muddy, Stowell has shown readers that they can be whatever and whoever they want to be and provided a wonderful role model in Kit to highlight just this.

There is a heavy emphasis on the magic of books and the wonderful (and often crazy) places they can take you, an important message to portray to readers. With library closures aplenty across the UK, this book serves to highlight just what wonderful places they can be and adds a little intrigue into just what might be found if you pay them a visit!

A strong mention must go to Davide Ortu, illustrator of The Dragon In The Library. His wonderful illustrations are showered throughout the book and really bring the characters and settings to life.

When Fishes Flew

George Butler & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

This first new novel in two years from the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller is a sweeping story of love and rescue – an unforgettable journey to the Greek island of Ithaca, and back in time to World War Two…

Australian-Greek girl Nandi travels to her ancestors’ home in Ithaca, and discovers – through a friendship with an extremely unusual flying fish – the extraordinary story of her great-aunt Elena; of how she fell in love, in the hardest of times, and how of how she became an unsung hero of World War Two.

But Elena has gone missing, and Nandi has to find her. In her search, she will discover that Elena was an even greater hero than she thought – and still is…

Nandi’s story is a beautiful and inspiring tale of personal discovery, of love and place and belonging, threaded through with the quiet heroism of everyday people. Stunningly illustrated throughout by acclaimed artist George Butler, and full of magic, myth and mystery, it is a classic Morpurgo novel that will move and thrill every reader who loved Private Peaceful and War Horse , and combines all the hallmarks of this beloved Master Storyteller.

Evie and the Animals

Emily Gravett & Matt Haig

Chapter book

Evie and the Animals is a delightful book with a high appeal to readers who love animals as well as fans of mystery. Matt Haig weaves a plot that explores family dynamics, the importance of friendship and listening to the feelings of others, including animals.

Evie Trench is not a normal girl. She has the ‘talent’ of being able to hear animals and talk to them through mind-chat. While she loves talking to all sorts of animals and helping them whenever she can, she has to do it in secret. Her dad, a hard-working but reserved man, does not want anyone knowing about her talent. He is still too traumatised by the death of Evie’s mum, who also had the talent, and wants to keep Evie safe.

As the tale develops, we learn more about Evie and the people in her life and her friendships, good and bad. We also meet the menacing Mortimer J Mortimer – the villain of the story. Mortimer also shares the talent for communicating with animals, but unlike Evie he does not use it for good. What follows is a thrilling adventure as Evie attempts to escape from Mortimer’s control and rescue both her family and all the animals he is using to gain power.

This is an enjoyable story that is able to open discussions around emotions, bereavement, conservation and animal cruelty. The illustrations by Emily Gravett are interspersed throughout and beautifully bring the various animals and their emotions to life. A winner of a book for fans of The Truth Pixie and The Boy Called Christmas series who enjoy Haig’s brand of gently humorous, poignant and child-centred prose.

The Great Dream Robbery

Amy Nguyen & Greg James & Chris Smith

Chapter book

After the success of the Kid Normal series, I was excited to receive the new novel from Greg James & Chris Smith. I have to say I certainly wasn’t disappointed, as I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to crazy end.

When we are introduced to Maya, her father (a scientist working for a company called Somnia) is in hospital following an accident at work. After having the weirdest dream, she is desperate to get back to sleep to dream about the boy who seems to have information on her father’s accident. It transpires that her dad has been left trapped within a dream by his evil employer. It is now up to Maya and her new friends to attempt to rescue him.

The Great Dream Robbery is full of rich language and descriptive paragraphs entwined within the humour. There is an endearing cast of characters, as well as the truly villainous character of Lilith Delamere. In an attempt to stop Lilith’s dastardly plan, there is an extremely bizarre battle involving a unicorn called Donald, a seal and an army of line dancing robots. This book could definitely be enjoyed in the classroom – probably as a class reader. Or as in my case, in the library for book club – as it has left me with a plethora of activity ideas.

Best Books by Age

Popular Children's Authors

Topic: Reading for Pleasure

Author James Davis on Humour, Accessibility and Lifelong Reading

Go All In for the National Year of Reading 2026: The Ultimate Primary School Booklist

News: BooksForTopics Founder Alison Leach Named in 2026 #iAlso100 List

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review