2021

The Company of Eight, Harriet Whitehorn

Stripes Publishing ISBN 9781847159229 £6.99 This is a fantasy adventure story set in the Longest World, a series of islands and archipelagos. It is the story of Cass, a young acrobat who wants to join the renowned Circus Ship touring the world. It is a story of pirates, swords and magic – set in the…

The Boy at the Back of the Class, Onjali Q Raúf

Orion Children’s Books ISBN 9781510105010 £6.99 An accomplished novel for children aged 9-11 examining the issues surrounding the current refugee problem. Onjali Q Raúf has created a very recognisable group of friends and their classroom life through her careful characterisation and descriptions of events. Most children will recognise the school bully, the unpopular teacher and…

The Book of Boy, Catherine Gilbert-Murdock

Chicken House ISBN 9781911490579 £6.99 The Book of Boy is a fantasy adventure story set in Europe in the year 1350, just after the death and destruction caused by the Black Death, when over a third of Europe’s population died. It is the story of Boy, a hunchback goat-herd on a French estate, who can communicate…

Bombs and Blackberries: A World War Two Play, Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Thomas Docherty

Hodder Children’s Books ISBN 9781444938791 £12.99 This is the hard-pressed teacher’s answer to prayer, especially but not essentially if they are still including a study of WW2 in their history curriculum: a play about the evacuation, the Manchester blitz and its effects on the lives of all those caught up in any or all of…

Back on Weird Street, Anne Fine

Barrington Stoke ISBN 9781781129 £5.99 A three-story collection ideal for children who like their stories to be scary but set among familiar surroundings. Three friends share tales about strange happenings in houses in their street – a deserted garden, a spooky cellar which hides a sad story and a message in a dream which leads…

The Afterwards, A. F. Harrold, illustrated by Emily Gravett

Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408894316 £12.99 Remarkably powerful friendships are becoming a trademark of A.F. Harrold. For those who enjoyed The Imaginary, here is another very different tale of loyalty: comical, moving, yet darkly disturbing by turns. Ember and Ness are best friends who lark about and share everything- then Ness dies suddenly and Ember is utterly…