Schools & Libraries Book Reviews

Name: Natalie J McChrystal Plimmer
13 October 2025;

Genre: Animals

Saving Snowflake is the fourth title in the series about Ava's life on Whistledown Farm with her parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, and their friends The Whistlers. It is now a few months after the end of Meeting Meg and December is just beginning. The new season brings with...

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Name: Natalie J McChrystal Plimmer
13 October 2025;

Genre: Animals

Meeting Meg is the third title in the series of Whistledown Farm Adventures and begins seven months after the ending of the second book. Ava and her parents are now living in the cottage at the edge of the farm and Ava and her friends, The Whistlers, are enjoying their last su...

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Name: Emma Nelson
13 October 2025;

Genre: Funny Stories

Cringe Club by Emily Jane Clark is a fabulously hilarious book, written from the perspective of Kennedy King. Forced to move school by her mother - AKA The Mother - the story unfolds in a series of messages (this is an ingenious way to engage reluctant readers...

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Name: Louisa Farrow
13 October 2025;

Genre: Friends and family

Ice Dancer, as the title and the jacket suggest, is all about skating - at least on the surface. It is more than that, though. Packaged with pink writing and silver stars, the book looks to be targeted as Christmas reading for girls. It would be a shame to limit it to this, al...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
10 October 2025;

Genre: Mental Health & Wellbeing

Squirrel and Bird are very different. Squirrel is really loud, confident and always busy whereas Bird is really quiet, shy and prefers to sit and do nothing. Yes, they are really different…or are they? This delightful picture book challenges readers to consider how they view oth...

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Name: Rachel Bolton
10 October 2025;

Genre: Horror

Make Me a Monster is not for the faint-hearted. Set in a funeral home with graphic descriptions and explanations about preparing a body for burial, Kalynn Bayron’s first horror story requires a strong stomach. 17-year-old Meka lives and works with her parents in a funer...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
10 October 2025;

Genre: Poetry

Compiled by Traci N. Todd, This is Not a Small Voice is a stunning anthology of poems which focuses on Black culture and experiences. Bursting with vibrant illustrations, it is beautifully presented and sure to appeal to a wide audience. The anthology includes poems fro...

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Name: Linda Brown
10 October 2025;

Genre: Fantasy

When Christopher Forrester is unexpectedly woken by Jacques, a miniature dragon, chewing on his face, his heart leaps for joy. For months he's dreamed of returning to the Archipelago - the secret islands where all the creatures of myth still live . . . In this wonderful, magical sequel...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
10 October 2025;

Genre: Fairy Tales & Folk Tales

With each story retold and illustrated by James Mayhew, My Book of Classic Nursery Tales would make the perfect gift for any little (or not so little) one! There are eight wonderful stories to enjoy in this delightful collection, including perennial favourites such as 'Goldilo...

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Name: Rachel Bolton
10 October 2025;

Genre: Suspense & Thrillers

Taut, tense and captivating, I found this new title from Cynthia Murphy to be completely addictive. Set in a private school that has been set up for poorer teens to make their way in the world, it tells the story through the eyes of Chloe as she returns to school for her final...

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