Topic: Reading for Pleasure

The Tigers in the Tower

Chapter book

Sahira’s family are travelling to England to deliver two majestic Indian tigers to the menagerie in the tower of London.

But tragedy strikes and sickness steals Sahira’s parents from her on the journey. Left alone in London, Sarhira finds herself confined to a miserable and dangerous orphanage. Despite her heartache and the threats she faces, Sahira is determined to carry out her father’s last request – to protect God’s beautiful creatures: her tigers. To do so, Sahira must set out on an adventure and use all her powers of persuasion to engage the help of some new friends along the way.

Can the quest to find her tigers a safe home, lead Sahira to find her own place of hope and belonging in this strange and foreign land?

Dragon Mountain

Katie Tsang & Kevin Tsang

Chapter book

A dragon-filled adventure and the first book in an exciting new series by Katie and Kevin Tsang, co-authors of the popular Sam Wu books.

12-year-old Billy Chan has been sent from his home in California – where he’d much rather be surfing – to a Chinese Summer Camp deep in the shadows of a mysterious mountain in China. In between learning Mandarin, martial arts and cooking, there are to be team challenges, the first of which takes Billy and his new friends (Charlotte, Ling Fei and Dylan) into an area that is out of bounds. Ling Fei loses her necklace and they are forced to return to the area. When his new friends disappear, Billy bravely enters the mountain to find them, but comes face to face with four dragons! As each of the children forms an unbreakable bond with a dragon, they discover that Ling Fei’s necklace is more than it appears to be and with the power it bestows, along with other magical pearls, the four small humans are tasked to save the whole dragon and human realms!

This was an amazing start to the Dragon Realm series and I was quickly hooked. Filled with legend, magic and, of course, dragons, this would sate any young fantasy lover’s reading appetite. There’s excitement around each corner – from magical objects to out-of-bounds adventuring. I also loved that each of the children was so different, but managed to form a loyal team, exemplifying how you don’t have to be friends with only people who are similar to you.

This is a beguiling start to a promising adventure series, filled with humour, warmth, action and magic.

Stevie Wonder (Little People, Big Dreams)

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Melissa Lee Johnson

Non-fiction, Picturebook

At just 8 years old, it was clear that Steveland Judkins was going to be a star. Renamed Stevie Wonder for his astonishing talent on the piano and other instruments, he wrote and performed some of the biggest hits of the 1970s. Stevie became known for his inventiveness, his soulful voice and the social commentary in his lyrics. He is a UN Messenger of Peace and remains one of the music world’s most iconic figures. This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back , including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the great musician’s life.

Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Missing Diamonds

Annabelle Sami & Daniela Sosa

Chapter book

Determined to be the world’s greatest detective, Zaiba is always on the lookout for a crime to solve.

She knows everything there is to know about running an investigation – in theory… At her cousin’s Mehndi party, Zaiba gets her first challenge: to discover the identity of the VIP staying at the same hotel. With the help of her best friend Poppy and brother Ali, Zaiba puts her sleuthing skills to the test. And when the celebrity’s precious dog disappears, along with its priceless diamond collar, it’s up to the trio to save the day!

The first in a fun, fresh and exciting new detective series, for fans of Robin Stevens, Katherine Woodfine, HIGH RISE MYSTERY and NANCY DREW.

Anisha Accidental Detective

Emma McCann & Serena Patel

Chapter book

This is a delightful book celebrating family and friendships and is part of a very popular series. Anisha is a funny and resourceful character, whose love of STEM and eye for detail makes her the perfect detective in this humorous series of mysteries. Anisha has an extended family that proves to be strong and supportive when things go wrong. There are authentic cultural references exploring Anisha’s Indian heritage, particularly around food and family.

The illustrations by Emma McCann help to reflect the humour in the story and the text is often broken up with lists and diagrams, making the book particularly appealing to children who may be daunted when faced with full pages of text.

What Lexie Did

Emma Shevah

Chapter book

Lexie lives in London with her colourful Greek-Cypriot family – and she’s devoted to her fragile cousin of the same age, Eleni, who has a heart condition. But after the death of their grandmother, Lexie tells a terrible, instinctive, jealous lie about an heirloom necklace, a lie that splits the family apart. It’s up to her to bring the family back together … but after such a lie, can she find a way to tell the truth?

No 1 Car Spotter

Atinuke & Warwick Johnson Cadwell

Chapter book

Oluwalase Babatunde Benson is No. 1. He’s the No. 1 car spotter in his village. The No. 1 car spotter in the world!

The start of an exciting new series about the irresistible No. 1, whose hobby is car spotting but who is good at solving all sorts of problems for his village.

When the family’s cart breaks down and there’s no way of bringing goods to market, it’s No. 1 who devises the Toyota Cow-rolla and saves the day. He runs errands for his family and helps Mama Coca-Cola feed the busloads of people who stop for her delicious fried akara. No. 1 even helps Grandmother get to the medical centre when she can’t afford treatment.

No. 1 is bright and plucky and resourceful – a fantastic new character in what will undoubtedly prove to be a brilliant series!

Show Us Who You Are

Elle McNicoll

Chapter book

This story follows twelve-year-old Cora, who describes herself as autistic, as she befriends a boy called Adrien at a party that she never wanted to go to. A little unwilling at first, Cora is used to distrusting others and feels sure that Adrien’s intentions are unlikely to be driven by genuine interest in her. In no time at all, Cora learns to trust Adrien, who confides in her about his own ADHD, and as the pair become close they enjoy each other’s unquestioning acceptance and bond over their experiences of not quite fitting in at school.

Adrien’s Dad runs a company called ‘Pomegranate Technologies’, and Cora finds herself drawn to their innovative programme of creating incredibly lifelike holograms (or ‘grams’) of people. Having recently lost her own mother, the idea of being able to interact with a loved one after they die appeals instantly. Cora is intrigued to discover that scientists at the institute are keen to interview her as a ‘person with autism’, and after an unexpected event happens with Adrien she agrees to help. Before long, Cora notices something amiss with one of the grams and begins to unravel some surprising truths about what is going on behind the scenes at Pomegranate…

There was so much to enjoy in this book. I loved the depth of the storytelling – the multilayered writing with its many allusions, symbols and reflections that provoke an enjoyable tension between feeling the need to pause for thought and wanting to rip on through the genuinely gripping plot. I enjoyed the artificial intelligence strand of the plot very much, and in particular, how thought-provoking the story was about the ethics of AI in both the hypothetical sense of holograms, but also hinting at a closer, everyday sense. There’s food for thought aplenty, and yet the writing is watertight and never strays from the plot to dwell on these themes or impose judgment. I also enjoyed the emerging themes of acceptance and the importance of being true to oneself.

This is a stand-out story and a must-have for classrooms and school libraries where there are mature readers aged 10+.

Double Felix

Maria Serrano & Sally Harris

Chapter book

He skips every second step when he takes the stairs, taps door handles twice and positions objects in pairs. The problem hasbecome so bad that Felix is on the verge of being expelled from school because the principal has had enough of trying to run theschool around his very specific rules.

Cally & Jimmy: Twins in Trouble

Katie Kear & Zoe Antoniades

Chapter book

Four stories in one!

I have a twin brother. Everyone calls him Jimmy, which is sort of the English version of Dimitri, his actual Greek name. Our mum’s Greek, you see. I’m Cally, short for Calista, which means, I don’t want to sound big-headed or anything, ‘most beautiful’. I’m not sure about Dimitri, but if Dimitri means most-annoying-brother-in-the-whole-wide-world, then that’s him.

Join Cally and Jimmy in four hilarious stories, perfect for newly confident readers. They get into scrapes together, bake some poisonous cakes, almost ruin their school assembly and finally have a twintastic birthday party.

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