Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Tami Wylie (@twylie68), Year 4 Teacher
Mup is a typical girl until her father is kidnappped. She then discovers many secrets about her family; her mother is a witch and her grandmother is the Witch Queen. Thus begins an epic adventure to save a father, a family and a kingdom.
The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay is a lovely story set in the midst of the First World War. We know how harrowing this war was and how tough it was on the men sent to the front lines, but also for those at home. Clarry is a wonderful main character who has boundless hope. She shows true determination throughout the story of her, her brother Peter and her cousin Rupert.
Most suitable for ages 10-13, this is such a beautiful story of love and hope in the face of adversity. I was laughing in places with the stories from Rupert and had tears streaming down my face in others. The author captures some intense moments of battle, fear and agony in such a way as to make it understandable for children reading the book. I was captivated throughout the whole book. I loved the characters, the storyline and the ending!
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Sophie Anderson (@sophieinspace), children’s author of The House With Chicken Legs (available here)
I love fairytale reimaginings and The Restless Girls is one of the best I’ve ever read. Beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated, the story smashes all the stereotypes in the original tale and sings of resistance, perseverance, strength and freedom. Perfect for sisters and brothers, boys and girls, young and old…I adore it!
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Simon Smith (@smithsmm), headteacher and blogger at smithsmm.wordpress.com
The Visitor is a wonderfully simple picturebook focussing on the joy children bring into our lives. The use of colour brings a joy to the tale. It has been a book I’ve found myself returning to often and every time I’ve left with a huge smile and a cosy warm glow. A magical book with a big heart.
Alfie is like any other nearly teenage boy – except he’s a thousand years old and can remember the last Viking invasion of England. When Alfie finds himself alone in the world following the death of his mother, he has to learn to trust newly found friends if he is going to succeed on his quest to grow old naturally.
Older primary children will enjoy this compelling and thoughtful race against time by Ross Welford. With moments of laugh-out-loud humour, heartbreaking grief and high-octane action, this is a touching, truly unforgettable story of finding friendship and acceptance.
A teaching resource pack is also available to download.
A classic in the making, this is a warm, funny and poignant story about a teddy which has been loved into a state of dilapidation. Reminiscent of The Velveteen Rabbit, this is very much its own book and is pitch perfect in tone and message. A perfect marriage of words and pictures, this is a completely charming and enchanting book.
Stripy Ted is a very special bear, accompanying his young owner on all sorts of adventures. But these have taken their toll, and poor Ted is rather worn out and missing quite a few parts. This doesn’t matter at all, he is still just as loved as is clear in this utterly charming, tender and heart-warming picture book tale.
Tomorrow is a poignant picture book offering a window into what life might be like for children living under conditions of war, portraying the all-consuming darkness that war can bring into family life. A young boy called Yazan lives in a war-torn Syrian town. Yazan senses everything changing around him as he is no longer allowed to visit the park or to enjoy playing outside in the street.
Even Yazan’s parents are changing. His mother watches the news with the volume turned up and his father fearfully makes phone calls before daring to leave the house. Fear and anxiety invade the household like a dark cloud filling each room with gloom and despair.
Yazan is bored of being stuck inside and decides to cycle to the park by himself. Venturing outside, he sees the once lively streets are now desolate and crumbling. To Yazan’s relief, his father appears in time to take him back home and the family work together to create a new way to bring some colour and joy back to the house despite the troublesome circumstances outside.
Tomorrow is an important and accomplished picture book that evokes empathy and opens avenues to start discussing real experiences for other children around the world. The use of pattern and colour is wonderfully striking, with splashes of colour amid the gloom and a joyful final page that leaves the story with hints of hope.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Leanne Woolcock (@Mrs_Woolcock), Literacy coordinator & Year 6 Teacher
An extraordinary tale about a girl, magic, good and evil and how love and courage can prevail over all.
Fantasy fans will be blown away by this exciting and original adventure. Imagine a cross between How to Train Your Dragon and The Pied Piper of Hamelin and throw in some musical spells, dracogriffs, spectacular battles and a quest of epic proportions.
Patch Brightwater wants to be a successful piper, using the music from his pipe to make magical spells. But things do not quite go to plan when he tries to help a village with a rat problem and ends up being put in jail for playing a forbidden spell song.
In prison, Patch uncovers a disturbing secret about the infamous Piper of Hamelyn. Patch soon seizes an opportunity to escape his cell. Together with Wren (a girl living under a curse that has turned her into a rat) and a friendly dracogriff called Barver, Patch sets about on a world-saving mission to stop the Piper of Hamelyn. The trio encounter sorcerers, dragons, magical substances and evil villains, with their adventure culminating in a nail-biting climax that readers will not want to put down.
This is a clever and original spin on a well-known story. S.A. Patrick has created an immersive magical world that will thrill its audience with its action-filled fantasy plot, its dark magic and its homage to the power of music.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: @MrsKnjH via Twitter
A Darkness of Dragons was captivating from the first chapter. It provided unexpected twists at perfect opportunities and a constant desire to read on. It truly encapsulates the classic tale of the Pied Piper with a magical new universe.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Fleur Hitchcock (@fleurhitchcock), bookseller and author of children’s books including Murder At Twilight (available here) and Murder In Midwinter (available here)
Smoothly written, clever, warm and funny, this story about families, friendship and divorce really stood out. A quiet book that should have been louder.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
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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.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
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Curriculum links (if relevant)
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