Families Book Reviews

Name: Fiona Collins
20 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

This is another sympathetic story from Jeanne Willis in which a little girl has a close relationship with a lion who lives in her bedroom. The lion, Rory, cannot sleep without a bedtime story so the little girl tells him stories linked to her life: her first day at nursery and the birth of her ba...

More

Name: Emily Marcuccilli
19 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

In this fantastic addition to the inspirational 'Little People, Big Dreams' series, the author and the illustrator transport the reader into the world of 1930s and '40s New York where we meet a young Ella Fitzgerald who, despite a difficult start in life, goes on to become one of the world's most...

More

Name: Emily Marcuccilli
19 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

I am a huge fan of the terrific 'Little People, Big Dreams' series. Celebrating the lives of extraordinary women, they inspire and empower young readers (girls and boys alike) to dream big. This particular title transports us into the world of Ada Lovelace, whose fascination with mathematics an...

More

Name: Jacqueline Harris
19 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

In a great mish-mash of reality and fantasy, this is a debut novel suitable for lower Key Stage 2 children. Alice Dent, the heroine of this story, gets a cold. So far, so ordinary. But this is not an ordinary cold in the slightest. Alice's cold has amazing side effects and it is highly contagious...

More

Name: Ellen King
18 April 2018;

Genre: Horror

This is a thrilling, action-packed horror story that steadily ratchets up the tension as a group of teenagers try to make it through a deadly geocaching challenge on a remote island. Savage Island a perfect addition to Stripes' Red Eye horror series and will be devoured by 14+ readers who love ho...

More

Name: Ellen King
18 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

Sam in Lyttle Lies is a small boy who tells BIG lies and the funny storylines, comic illustrations and short bursts of text make it ideal for reluctant readers as well as children developing in confidence as readers. In this second story in the series, The Stinky Truth, Sam is forced to tell th...

More

Name: Jacqueline Harris
18 April 2018;

Genre: Representation & Inclusion

Ghost Boys is an extraordinary, hard-hitting story, about a black boy killed by a white policeman in an American city. It is strongly reminiscent of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, in that the narrator is the dead child. But this book is suitable for children in Year 6 and u...

More

Name: Joanne Hewish
18 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

Original and uplifting, this is a gentle tale about a boy who builds a relationship with the local zebra crossing man. Zebra Crossing Soul Song tells the tale of Lenny, a boy who is angry that the local zebra crossing has been painted over and replaced with a...

More

Name: Keranjit Kaur
17 April 2018;

Genre: Adventure

The Children of Willesden Lane is a true story of hope and survival during World War II. Mona Golabek, one of the authors, writes a note at the start to explain that this book is based on the story of her mother, Lisa Jura, who taught both of her daughters to play the piano. Through music, Lisa...

More

Name: Aidan Severs
17 April 2018;

Genre: School Stories

I'm always dubious of the quality of books aimed at the 7-9 age bracket, especially ones which feature lurid cartoonish illustrations and crazy typesetting. It can sometimes seem like funny books are the only thing available to children who are just getting into reading longer books, especially w...

More