FICTION
/ A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
Marion Lloyd Books - Paperback - 9781407129341
Four generations of women in an Irish family come together for the first and last time and take an important journey – one of them is a ghost and another will soon become one. This is a beautifully constructed novel, focusing in turn on each of the four as their background stories emerge largely through the affectionately humorous dialogue, although the forthright child Mary is at the centre. Elegant paper cuts head each chapter.
/ A Thief in the Villageby James Berry
Puffin Books - Paperback - 9780140326796
These short stories are vignettes of Jamaican village life, full of the rhythms of Caribbean speech. The stories discuss relationships between weak and strong, between generations and among young people. The themes are universal and there is a strong sense of culture and place. The reader also has an awareness of the stories continuing after the last words that appear on the page. Did the boys eventually capture the mongoose from Elias? Did Fanso go in search of his father and brothers and sisters?
/ A Word in Your Ear by Tony Ross
Anderson Press - Paperback – 9781783440504
Usually associated with lightness of touch and a comic style of illustration, Tony Ross here reveals himself to be a master of the macabre. These short stories are based on things that happened to him or were suggested by incidents in his own life, about which he provides some notes after each story. They are great for reading aloud and would lend themselves to discussion about elements of surprise and prediction based on what children know about narrative construction from a variety of media.
/ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis
Carroll Puffin/Walker/OUP - Paperback – 9780141321073/9781406316230/9780192738295
A childhood classic which is deeply embedded in cultural consciousness. The characters, incidents, images and language of this book are familiar through many manifestations including film. When children have explored the original text, they might like to explore other versions and consider, for example, the different styles in which it has been illustrated.
/ Artichoke Hearts by SitaBrahmachari
Macmillan - Paperback - 9780330517911
Mira describes a month in her life as she turns twelve when everything is changing including her relationships with her friend Millie and her first boyfriend Jidé and she has to decide what to confide and what to conceal. Especially significant is the approaching death of her grandmother, a well drawn character, as are all the members of her Indian/Jewish family. Culturally mixed families are presented here in a realistic way still rare in children’s books. This is a novel with particular appeal for children making the transition from primary to secondary school. In a sequel Jasmine Skies (Macmillan £6.99 9781447205180) Mira travels to India to discover more about her family’s past.
/ Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen
Doubleday - Hardback - 9780857533036
The short first chapter of this novel sucks you in by raising questions so that you immediately want to read on and discover the answers. As the story progresses and buildings in Ade’s area start mysteriously falling down and people move away, the race is on to find out the cause. Ade’s mother is afraid to go out which necessitates his seeking help from the few people left in his rapidly collapsing community.
The setting has the trappings of a typical urban environment with tower blocks. References to the local streets of Camberwell are incorporated which adds to the reading pleasure for those in the know. The ethnicity of her characters is suggested by their names – the caretaker Obi and Ade whose name is short for Adeola. A dramatic story which holds sadness for some but centres on courage and friendship in adversity.
/ Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Macmillan - Paperback – 9780330440868
This humorous adventure is seen through the eyes of twelve year old Liam Digby a ‘gifted and talented’ child whose physical appearance ages him beyond his years. Spin into space with Liam and his friend, Florida Kirby, as they explore the ups and downs of being a parent and the consequences of a ‘little white lie’.
/ Daughters of Time by Mary Hoffman
Templar - Paperback – 9781848771697
Thirteen enthralling short stories which highlight the lives of women across a huge swathe of time, from Boudica, Queen of the Iceni to the women who occupied Greenham Common. The stories are told from a variety of interesting perspectives, usually that of someone associated with woman in question rather than the woman herself. A young soldier in the Crimea narrates Catherine Johnson’s story about Mary Seacole. The focal point for Katherine Roberts’ story is Boudicca’s daughter, the author assigning her the contemporary name of Tasca. Mary Hoffman’s version of Lady Jane Grey’s tragic tale is told by her Italian tutor.Each story is followed by an illuminating insight into why the author chose to write about that woman.
/ Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Corgi - Paperback – 9780552553551
Noah’s dad hates greed, injustice and cruelty to nature but he has a gungho way of putting his principles into practice which has repercussions for his family. The story opens with him in jail for sinking a boat from which he believes raw sewage is being dumped. Set in the Florida Keys, this novel has a strong environmental message, wisecracking humour and a riotous range of characters.
/ Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Marion Lloyd Books - Paperback – 9781407131276
Set in an alternative future when cities chase smaller towns and villages and devour and dismantle them. Tom is an apprentice historian in London who gets caught up in the struggles and conflicts of his time. Is his hero Thaddeus Valentine really what he seems? Who is Hester Shaw and why does she hate Valentine? An action-packed story with an interesting array of characters.
There are three sequels:Predator’s Gold– 9781407131283; Infernal Devices– 9781407131269; A Darkling Plain - 9781407131252 and prequels:
Fever Crumb - 9781407102436; A Web of Air - 9781407115207;
Scrivener’s Moon- 9781407115269
/ Northern Lights. His Dark Materials Book 1by Philip Pullman
Scholastic - Paperback – 9781407130224
In the first book of what has become a world famous trilogy, the tough, likeable heroine, Lyra, is involved in a quest which will lead her into parallel universes; the one this book is set in is intriguingly different from our own. Pullman’s complex and ambitious tale is told with extraordinary panache and pace; his talent for dialogue means that this dramatic book is accessible to a wide audience.
The trilogy has been adapted for the stage and this first book has been made into a film The Golden Compass.
/ Phoenix by S F Said
David Fickling Books - Hardback – 9780385618144
The story begins and ends with Lucky, a Human boy who travels through the galaxy in search of his identity, undergoing changes in both mind and body. However, it breaks the boundaries of being only Lucky’s personal story. Like most good science fiction this multi-layered book has comments to make about our contemporary world - about war and peace, prejudice, borders and barriers to migration. Political and moral questions and the importance of friendship and family are explored but above all this is an exciting fast-paced narrative in which secrets unfold along the way. Dave McKean’s black and white illustrations swirl around the text echoing the eeriness of Lucky’s journey through the stars.
/ Seasons of Splendourby Madhur Jaffrey
Puffin - Paperback - 9780140346992
In this collection of Indian folk tales, Madhur Jaffrey recalls the rich storytelling traditions of her own childhood in Delhi. She links the stories with associated religious festivals around the year - in late September the acting out of the story of Ram defeating the demon Ravan, in November a story of the goddess Lakshmi to celebrate Divali.
/ Secret Friends by Elizabeth Laird
Hodder - Paperback - 9780340664735
Tragedy strikes unexpectedly in this well-written short novel that deals sensitively with the serious subject of bullying amongst girls. The themes of loyalty and the sometimes negative influences of peer pressure could provoke much fruitful discussion.
/ Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield
Puffin - Paperback – 9780140389388
Twelve of Shakespeare’s plays presented in narrative form, skilfully capturing the richness of each. The essential spirit of the plays is not lost, and the stories are enhanced by Michael Foreman’s dramatic colour illustrations. A wonderful way to introduce the characters, plots and language of Shakespeare to children.
/ Skellig by David Almond
Hodder - Paperback – 9780340944950
Michael and his family have just moved to a new home and his baby sister is very ill. He soon discovers a decrepit being in the dilapidated garage. Is Skellig a human being or a creature from another world? Michael and his new friend, the independently minded Mina, try to find out. David Almond allows his readers to wonder and think about what they have read rather than offering any clear answers.
/ Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis
Oxford University Press - Paperback - 9780192756244
Two children rescue an osprey in the Scottish Highlands. When tragedy strikes, one of them carries out a promise to protect the bird and tracks its migratory flight to the mangrove forests of the Gambia via the internet with some heartstopping moments along the way. A moving story involving inspirational interconnection between humans and respect for wildlife.
/ Sparks by Ally Kennen
Marion Lloyd Books - Paperback - 9781407111087
When Carla’s beloved grandfather dies, she is determined to give him the Viking style funeral she knows he wanted, burning his remains out at sea on the Valkyrie, the boat on which he spent so much time. Persuading children from Sparks, the local carnival club, to switch to a Viking-themed tableau ‘To Valhalla’, she plots to make this wish into a reality. An extraordinary adventure based around the lives of an ordinary family whose relationships are portrayed with warmth and humour.
/ Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne
Corgi - Paperback - 9780552570589
Alfie is five when World War 1 breaks out and his milkman father enlists in the army. Although this is a third person narrative the story is seen very much through his eyes. As the war goes on, Alfie takes responsibility, secretly supplementing the family income and carrying out a mission to find out what has happened to his father. The situations faced by conscientious objectors, shell shocked soldiers and neighbours who are interned are woven into the story which is immersed in everyday detail, giving the reading experience an almost tangible feel.
/ The Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac
Walker - Paperback - 9781406352573
A boy and a one-eyed wolf stand face to face staring at each other, although a cage encloses the wolf. The story of how they each came to be there, one from the cold climate of Alaska, the other from the heat of Africa, gradually unfolds. The wolf remembers his life with the pack, their constant attempts to evade the human hunters and his beautiful sister with golden fur who, thanks to him, remained free when he was captured. The boy journeys across Africa, animals being his only friends, until he finds a home with Pa and Ma Bia. He travels with them to the Other World where he meets the wolf in the zoo, and is reunited with his animal companions. At the heart of this story is the mystical communication between boy and wolf.
/ The Graveyard Book byNeil Gaiman
Bloomsbury - Paperback - 9780747594802
A multi award winning novel with a grim and gripping opening as the man Jack murders a family, leaving only the baby who crawls away and is brought up as Nobody (‘Bod’) Owens by the community of ghosts who inhabit the nearby graveyard. Bod’s upbringing by a crowd of crepuscular characters bears some resemblance to that of Mowgli in The Jungle Book, an influence the author acknowledges. Through the agency of his friend Scarlett, he eventually comes face to face with the man Jack. Will this prove to be his nemesis?
/ The Hobbitby J R R Tolkien
HarperCollins - Paperback – 9780007458424
Tolkien’s classic saga of dwarves, elves, dragons, wizards and hobbits is full of magic and excitement. Bilbo lives a comfortable life full of delicious teas and sunshine, until Gandalf arrives to whisk him away from all of that and into incredible adventures.
/ The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Scholastic - Hardback - 9781407103488
On first appearance, this looks like a chunky novel. Once inside, you find that the story is told in a masterly combination of words and pictures. The finely sketched drawings on black-edged framed pages show movement and allow the viewer to focus in progressively at key moments, as in a film. This is appropriate, because this story of an orphan boy, his struggle to survive in 1930s Paris and his obsession with an automaton left behind by his father is interconnected with that of one of the greatest early film-makers, Georges Méliès. An atmospheric book which can set readers off on a path looking at early films. Filmed under the title Hugo.
/ The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
Puffin - Paperback – 9780141304762
Two children travel to London from Nigeria as political refugees after the sudden and shocking death of their mother. The circumstances in which Sade and Femi find themselves, and how they attempt to take control of their lives, raises many issues about politics, racism and refugees in the context of a fast-moving story.
Sequel: Web of Lies Puffin - 9780141314662
/ The Princess' Blankets by Carol Ann Duffy
Templar - Paperback - 9781848771611
A princess can never be warm and one day a stranger ‘with hard, grey eyes like polished stones’ arrives at the palace declaring that he can cure her malady. However, his solutions threaten the ocean, the forest, the mountain and the very earth itself and people’s way of life along with it. It is only when the princess finds true love with a kind and gentle musician that her heart and body can be unfrozen and warm tears flow. Carol Ann Duffy’s poetic language makes this environmental fairy tale sing while Catherine Hyde’s tactile paintings evoke the colours and textures of the natural environment.
/ The Savage by David Almond
Walker - Paperback – 9781406319859/Hardback – 9781406308150
A very striking illustrated story with an interesting structure. The story is narrated by Blue, a boy coping with bullying in addition to recent bereavement. Blue creates the character of ‘The Savage’ and through telling The Savage’s story and the magical way it seems to come true finds a way of coping with his grief. The sequences written by The Savage are in the style of a graphic novel and use unorthodox spelling. The story contains many strong themes including bereavement, bullying, family love and coping with anger.
/ The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Walker - Paperback - 9781406341546
When two Mongolian brothers Chingis and Nergui turn up at her school, they insist that Julie becomes their Good Guide. She takes her duties seriously, learning about their country along the way. The story is told from her viewpoint, typed on paper that looks like a school exercise book. Photographs taken by Chingis with a Polaroid camera are reproduced but are they really pictures of Mongolia? And who or what is the demon of which Nergui is so afraid? A sad story which has a touching ending, interlaced with this author’s characteristic humour.
/ Tinder by Sally Gardner
Indigo - Hardback - 9781780621494
Here it’s as if the ghosts of Angela Carter and Charles Keeping have met in this haunting expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale ‘The Tinderbox’. The combined talents of Sally Gardner and David Roberts have resulted in a reworking which reflects the cruelty and violence as well as the sensual undercurrents present in the original tale. The stunning overall design of this graphic novel makes this volume an object of beauty. Gothic elements abound, from creepy castles to images that mirror and echo one another. A book to share with older children.
/ Trash by Andy Mulligan
David Fickling Books - Paperback – 9781849920568
Three boys work the rubbish site of their city in an unnamed country, looking for anything that could be reused or sold. One day they find a bag which is destined to get them into a whole heap of trouble when they investigate its contents. Multiple voices take turns to tell this fast-paced story about poverty, politics and corruption.
/ Two Weeks with the Queenby Morris Gleitzman
Puffin - Paperback – 9780141303000
A deeply moving yet humorous novel about a boy desperate to get help for his brother who is dying. In the long search for someone to help – from the Queen downwards- he meets up with a young man whose partner has AIDS and the two support each other. It is rare to find such potentially controversial topics so sensitively handled, particularly in fiction suitable for the primary age range.