Bloomsbury ISBN 9781526614841 £8.99 This is a wonderful collection of poetry from the award winning Scottish poet Jackie Kay. The poems are reflective of people’s hopes and dreams as well as their everyday life. They range from the very poignant such as “Mrs Dungeon Brae” about an old lady living, and eventually dying alone, to…
Hodder ISBN 9781444950656 £9.99 Katy Birchall is a Jane Austen fan and her retelling of this story makes it accessible and appealing to children aged 8+. Emma Woodhouse is an intelligent rich woman who does not want to be married. She lives at Hartfield House in Highbury village and likes matchmaking. Mr Knightley is critical…
Chicken House ISBN 978191490708 £6.99 Tom is a boy who lives in the Lake District. He has struggled with mobility since an accident. With Spylark, his drone, he can rise high and explore his homeland. Suddenly he discovers a terrorist plot, but he lacks proof and fears no one will believe him. At times, Tom…
Templar Books ISBN 9781787413443 £16.99 A detailed.introduction to prehistoric creatures of the same taxonomic order. We are shown families of animals that share important evolutionary traits. Did you know that the Prionosuchus plummeri was one of the largest and most ferocious of the temnospondyli? This aquatic predator would easily dwarf a saltwater crocodile. Or that…
Palazzo ISBN: 9781786750808 £16.99 Palazzo has published a superb edition of Black Beauty. The introduction provides significant details about Anna Sewell’s life. As a result of a childhood injury, she could not walk, but was able to drive a horse-drawn carriage. She became interested in the way horses were treated in Victorian England. Indeed the…
Wacky Bee ISBN 9781999903343 £6.99 An enjoyable book from Norway with an engaging central character who loves inventing. Ollis was named after five women who played important roles in Norwegian history. Her life is in turmoil. Mum’s new boyfriend, Einar, has moved in, and she has a new baby brother. Gro, her best friend, is…
Bloomsbury ISBN 9781526605580 £8.99 This is an excellent introduction to World War Two. The outbreak of war in 1939 is carefully put into context, and major events throughout the world from 1939-1945 are covered in an interesting and readable way. The text is pitched at just the right level for upper KS2, and each page…
Wayland ISBN 9781526311139 £13.99 Tackling hugely important elements that affect all of us, this timely book explains politics in the broadest sense, explaining how it affects our everyday lives, whether we think we are political or not. It presents various and diverse information before inviting our responses on such topics as what politics means to…
Quarto Publishing ISBN:9781786038869 £12.99 What a great idea – to put evolution into context and follow the journey from primate fossils to Homo Sapiens. No stone unturned, so to speak, and brilliantly brought to life by vivid illustrations all closely based on fossilised remains. Every branch of evolution, from Purgatorius, a small rat-like animal that…