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Topic: Reading for Pleasure

Chapter book

A gripping adventure in an exciting new series reflecting the authentic, unsung stories of our past!

Now or Never brings a young soldier, Private Fazal Khan, from his home in India to the battlefields of the Second World War.

Fazal’s world is now focused on Company 32 and the animals he cares for in the midst of one of the most frightening times in history. And as he and his friends make their way to the beaches of Dunkirk, Fazal must deal with even more than the terrors of a dangerous trek to reach the evacuation zone.

The Company’s captain defends his troops in the face of a terrible betrayal at the point of rescue: not everyone has welcomed the help brought by the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. Now Fazal is forced to question why he is even there and why he is expected to be loyal to a king whose people don’t all see him as their equal.

Chapter book

They call me Yanka the Bear. Not because of where I was found – only a few people know about that. They call me Yanka the Bear because I am so big and strong.

Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers about who she really is, a journey far beyond one that she ever imagined begins: from icy rivers to smouldering mountains meeting an ever-growing herd of extraordinary friends along the way.

Interwoven with traditional stories of bears, princesses and dragons, Yanka’s journey is a gorgeously lyrical adventure from the best-selling author of The House With Chicken Legs.

Chapter book

Katherine Woodfine’s bestselling debut novel. A fast-paced historical mystery adventure for readers aged 9+, with gorgeous Edwardian period detail. Perfect for fans of Enid Blyton, Chris Riddell’s Goth Girl and Robin Stevens’ Murder Most Unladylike series.

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!

Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villains to justice…

Chapter book

The first in the bestselling Cogheart Adventures series, where mayhem, murder and mystery meet in a gripping Victorian world of fantastical imagination.

Some secrets change the world in a heartbeat.

Lily’s life is in mortal peril. Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her?

With her friends – Robert, the clockmaker’s son, and Malkin, her mechanical fox – Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart…

Chapter book

The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.

When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he’s the Enemy – the god who drowned the world – come again to cause untold chaos.

Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he’s innocent.

But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever.

To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is – even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret…

Chapter book

Somebody was in there. Somebody – or some thing…There is no Room 13 in the creepy Crow’s Nest Hotel, where Fliss and her friends are staying on a school trip. Or is there? For at the stroke of midnight, something peculiar happens to the door of the linen cupboard next to Room 12. And something is happening to Ellie-May Sunderland, too – something very sinister…A gripping page-turner from the master of spooky suspense, award-winning Robert Swindells.

Chapter book

My naughty little sister is stubborn and greedy and full of mischief. She tries to cut off the cat’s tail and eats all the trifle at Harry’s party! How much bother can one little sister be?

My naughty little sister is stubborn and greedy and full of mischief. She tries to cut off the cat’s tail and eats all the trifle at Harry’s party! How much bother can one little sister be?

Dorothy Edwards’ classic story about one naughty but very entertaining little sister.

My Naughty Little Sister has charmed generations of adults and children alike thanks to Dorothy Edwards’ playful stories and Shirley Hughes’ beautiful illustrations. These best-selling books are perfect for little girls with siblings of their own. A great book for early readers aged 6 and up. Fans of Milly Molly Mandy and Mrs Pepperpot will love My Naughty Little Sister.

Chapter book

Betsey Biggalow is here! She may be small but she’s full of bright and shiny ideas about new trainers, winning at marbles and even helping the world! Join Betsey on four short, sun-filled adventures as she learns you don’t have to be big to make a big difference.

This book is one of five short story collections featuring the lively and likeable Betsey Biggalow from Children’s Laureate, Malorie Blackman. Beautifully illustrated by Jamie Smith, these stories are ideal for building confidence in readers aged 7 and over, whether reading aloud or reading alone.

Short story collection

Join the little girl in the candy-striped dress as Milly-Molly-Mandy does the gardening, gives a party, and goes to a fete – whatever she and her friends are up to, you’re sure to have fun when they’re around!

The much-loved stories of Milly-Molly-Mandy and her everyday adventures in the countryside have charmed generations of children since their first publication in 1928. Perfect for reading aloud, these thirteen stories will bring back happy memories for parents and grandparents, and introduce younger readers to an enduringly popular heroine and her friends little-friend-Susan, Billy Blunt and Toby the dog.

Gloriously illustrated with Joyce Lankester Brisley’s original line drawings, Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories is a truly special gift to treasure.

Chapter book

All aboard for the first journey in the bestselling Train to Impossible Places Adventures, with magic at every stop.

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award and the IBW Book Awards, with dazzling illustrations from Flavia Sorrentino, join Suzy on this magical adventure, where the journey will never, ever take you where you expect it to.

When Suzy hears a strange noise in the middle of the night, she creeps downstairs to find a train roaring through her house. But this is no ordinary train. This is the magical delivery express for The Union of Impossible Places.

Whisked onboard by a troll-boy, Suzy’s world is turned upside down when she’s asked to deliver a cursed package to a fearsome sorceress. And quite suddenly, Suzy realizes the fate of the Impossible Places is in her hands…

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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.)?

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