Schools & Libraries Book Reviews

Name: Louisa Farrow
02 October 2024;

Genre: Mystery & Detective

This gripping crime thriller set against a seasonally snowy backdrop is just the ticket for a page-turning Christmas read. In Murder at Wintertide, George is excited about a cosy, wintry, family holiday by the sea - especially spending time with his dad and gr...

More

Name: Clare Wilkins
02 October 2024;

Genre: LBGTQ+

Desert Echoes is a tender, thoughtful story full of flawed and fragile individuals grappling with the confusion and complexity of grief and growing-up. Kam's boyfriend Ash has disappeared, presumed dead, after a trip goes disastrously and heart-breakingly wrong. Floored by gri...

More

Name: Louise Gahan
02 October 2024;

Genre: Friends and family

Be Normal by Ged Adamson is a lovely tale of acceptance. Theo is so excited about getting his very own dog. But when Geoff arrives Theo is somewhat confused as Geoff does none of the things normal dogs do. Geoff likes to paint, chat to the next doors cat and e...

More

Name: Jo Thomas
02 October 2024;

Genre: Friends and family

Not Fair, Bear is a tale of two unlikely friends and their playful antics! Bear and squirrel are best friends and love to play, however, bear always wants to play their way and poor squirrel gets fed up! Squirrel decides it’s their turn to decide what they play, but bear is no...

More

Name: Jacqueline Harris
01 October 2024;

Genre: Historical Fiction

Georgy listens to her grandmother Tove and great aunt Liva recount what happened to them during the war in Norway. They were only children when the Germans invaded and they witnessed brutal occupation, seeing enormous suffering. Based on the true story of Chris Vick's family, this is <s...

More

Name: Lizi Backhouse
01 October 2024;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Flow with the Snow is a brilliant rhyming book that personifies the snow and follows their journey through the water cycle. The language in the book is poetic and descriptive enough to be interesting but without blurring the sense for readers. It's a great example of using pow...

More

Name: Margaret Pemberton
01 October 2024;

Genre: Fantasy

Magical Mountain Rescue is the fourth book in the Wildsmith series for younger readers, in which the young Wildsmith, Rowan, is coming to terms with her gifts (speaking to animals). After her adventures in the previous books, Rowan has been looking forward to...

More

Name: Donna Ritchie
01 October 2024;

Genre: Adventure

What a beautifully written story by Natasha Farrant! If you love Enid Blyton but wished her stories could be whisked into 2024, then look no further!  The Secret of Golden Island is full of the kinds of action and adventure that are in Blyton's stories, but more comple...

More

Name: Amanda Shipton
26 September 2024;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Flow with the Snow is a beautifully written story based on the water cycle. The personification of Snow allows a wonderfully delicate personality to be developed which will really draw readers in.  The illustrations are colourful and clear and allow the story of the water cycl...

More

Name: Kelly Buxton
26 September 2024;

Genre: Mental Health & Wellbeing

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody had me gripped from cover to cover.  This is a hilarious read that covers it all: bullying, friendship, grief and learning difficulties.  The cast includes lizards with ADHD and anxiety; blind hawks and a pelican who sees themself as a supervillai...

More