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Topic: Reading for Pleasure

Chapter book

The number-one-bestselling, magical first children’s novel from Tom Fletcher.

This is a story about a boy named William Trundle and a dinosaur named the Christmasaurus .

It’s about how they meet one Christmas Eve and have a magical adventure . It’s about friendship and families, sleigh bells and Santa, singing elves and flying reindeer.

It’s about discovering your heart’s true desire, and learning that the impossible might just be possible . . .

Chapter book

When Ade moves to London from Nigeria, he knows things will be different, but nothing can prepare him for the ups and downs of his Parson’s Road adventures. Ade doesn’t always feel welcome in his new community; fitting in is hard, especially as he looks different to everyone else. But Ade is brave and takes on the school bullies, surprising himself and the kids on his new street. His heroic acts and super football skills quickly help him make new friends who will always be there for him.

Chapter book

There are times when only a polar bear will do . . . So Mum and Dad have decided we’re moving house, but not just down the road, not even in the same town . . . not even in the same COUNTRY! Not only that, but now they expect me to try and fit in and make new friends. Don’t they understand that I just want my old friends who love and accept me the way I am – bad jokes and all. It would seem that the only friend I CAN make is this enormous POLAR BEAR who has come to stay. I didn’t ask for him, but I ended up with him at the airport instead of my missing suitcase . . . Meet Joe as he tries to adapt to his new life. And meet Mister P, the world’s most helpful(ish) polar bear. Packed with gorgeous illustrations throughout, readers will love this fun and heartwarming story.

Picturebook

Pablo thinks differently!

Pablo’s mum takes him to his cousin Lorna’s birthday party, but Pablo gets scared of the noisy party.

Pablo hides in the car, and soon his friends come to join him. Pablo’s friends help him realise that it’s OK if he doesn’t want to go to the party.

This lovely and heartwarming story will help readers understand that not everybody thinks the same way, and that some people feel differently about parties.

All Pablo books are written by writers on the autistic spectrum and are grounded in the real-life experiences of autistic children.

Picturebook

Jack and Bear are the best of friends. Jack loves Bear because he makes him feel brave. But one day Bear disappears and Jack suddenly feels all alone with a big Bear-shaped hole in his heart. Word soon gets around that Bear is missing and Jack starts to receive kind messages from strangers all over the world. Then the toy bears start to arrive. Though the bears start to heal Jack’s sadness, none of them are Jack’s bear. Perhaps there is something Jack can do with them to help the other people with bear-shaped holes. . . A beautiful story of love, loss, and moving forward, inspired by the true story of Jack and his beloved Bear.

The world was too bright for Leo.

And too loud.

“I must be living on the wrong planet,” Leo thought.

Leo struggles to make sense of the world. He doesn’t understand the other children in his class, and they don’t seem to understand him. But then one day, Leo meets Maya.

Maya is an octopus, and the more Leo learns about her, the more he thinks that perhaps he isn’t alone in this world, after all.

Picturebook

With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, readers will learn about a different color of the Muslim world on each spread with a young Muslim girl and her family as a guide. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, it is equally at home in a classroom reading circle as it is being read to a child on a parent’s lap.

Picturebook

Milo Imagines the World is a warm and richly satisfying story from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling picture book duo , about a little boy with a big imagination who learns that you can’t know anyone just by looking at them. Set in a bustling city, and full of a family love that binds even in difficult circumstances.

Milo is on a train journey through the city with his older sister, looking at the faces of the other passengers and drawing pictures of their lives. The whiskered man with a crossword puzzle he imagines playing solitaire in a cluttered flat full of pets. The little boy in bright white trainers he imagines living in a castle with a moat and a butler. But when the little boy gets off at the same stop and joins the same queue as him, Milo realises that you can’t judge by appearances and that we are all more alike than we are different: both boys are visiting their mothers in prison.

Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson once again deliver a hugely powerful and enjoyable picture book, full of rich details both to look at and to talk about. Anyone who has ever travelled on public transport will relate to Milo’s journey.

Abigail has ADHD and can’t concentrate, but one teacher knows just how to get her engaged.

Abigail is frustrated. She can’t focus on writing and fools around instead. She is sent to the cooling down room. After that is music class, and she can’t make any of the instruments work! Just when things are about to go wrong again, the teacher discovers exactly what to do to engage this little girl, and Abigail ends up finding a special voice of her very own.

Chapter book

Meet Lizzie and Lucky: a sparky young detective and her loyal Dalmatian sidekick!

The first title in a brand new illustrated series from beloved animal author Megan Rix.

Lizzie is desperate for a dog. In order to convince her parents to get one, she has to come up with 101 reasons why she needs one. Lizzie is a master at making lists, so thinking of 101 reasons is going to be easy! Especially as she is deaf and could train one to be her hearing dog. But as Lizzie begins compiling her list, she witnesses an adorable puppy being snatched away and put into a van by a mysterious-looking man. Can Lizzie solve the case – and maybe find herself a loyal friend at the same time…?

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