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April 2020 Book of the Month | Twelve-year-old Ross is dealt a devastating blow when he’s told he has an extremely rare form of eye cancer and is likely to lose sight in both eyes. Based on author Rob Harrell’s personal experience of eye cancer, and spiced with his cool comic-strips of Ross’s Battbutt and Batpig characters, Wink has all the freshness and pitch-perfect narrative voice of a Louis Sachar story, with its own unique warmth and wit.As Ross struggles with the strangeness of undergoing immediate radiation treatment, he also faces a terrible time at school. Cruelly called the “Cancer Cowboy” on account of having to wear a hat, he’s also the subject of malicious memes. While Ross’s personal plight is at the huge heart of this novel, it’s equally as powerful in its portrayal of the wider impact of devastating diagnoses, most poignantly when Ross’s friend Isaac distances himself from their Oreo-sealed friendship pact. But as Isaac retreats, he makes life-changing new friends as a result of his treatment. First there’s fellow patient Jerry, a wise-cracking old guy who rebuffs Ross’s desire to be normal. According to Jerry, “Different moves the needle. Different is where the good stuff happens. There’s strength in difference.” Then there’s Frank, the adorable radiation tech guy who teaches Ross to play guitar, which has tear-jerkingly transformational effects.What an authentic, emotional, amusing and all-round awesome read this is.
The epic conclusion to the awesome, award-winning, bestselling, super-charged Kid Normal series by Greg James and Chris Smith.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2020 | March 2020 Book of the Month | There’s lots of fun in this entertaining story about a little girl who doesn’t want to be quiet until she discovers just what can happen if you are quiet. And how much fun that can be in a different way. “ I don't want to be quiet,/ I’d rather be LOUD!/ I want to be HEARD and/ stand out from the crowd!” But that is not popular in a library! Can she be quiet? Yes she can! There’s a good lesson for all about the value of listening.
April 2020 Debut of the Month | “Numbers are great, they make sense - unlike people. You’d think this if you lived with my family.” So Anisha sets the scene for the madcap mystery that unfolds in the chaotic run-up to her Aunty Bindi’s epic wedding. Anisha loves her “sparkly” Aunty Bindi, but it’s not easy being bridesmaid to such a flamboyant figure, especially when she’s on the verge of having a “mega meltdown”! Matters take a scarier turn when Anisha finds a ransom note announcing that Tony, Bindi’s fiancé, has been kidnapped and the wedding must be called off if they want to see him again. “Why did I have to be the one who found the note?” she laments. “I DON’T LIKE DRAMA!” But, in order to prevent her already frazzled family from spiraling into further chaos, Anisha decides to find Tony herself, with the help of her best friend Milo. A hilarious race against time ensues, with clues to pursue, undercover surveillance to be done and the involvement of some decidedly curious characters (among them a weeing lobster), and the menace of Anisha’s “evil” cousins-to-be. The story shimmers with the vibrant exuberance of an Indian wedding, the special warmth of family and friends, and action-packed amusement. Special mention must go to the informative (and funny) footnotes that explain Indian food, customs and language referred to in the story, and to Emma McCann’s energetic illustrations.
April 2020 Book of the Month | Lyla might live in a hi-tech future world in which the moon is colonised and robots a big part of daily life, but the things that really matter are the same they’ve always been: friends, family and learning how to treat them properly. It’s very exciting when Lyla is chosen to look after one of three top-of-the-range cyborg children joining her school and at first Clara 2.2 seems the perfect friend, telling Lyla just what she wants to hear. But real friends do more than pay you compliments, and Clara 2.2’s disregard for anyone other than Lyla soon leads to a fall out with Lyla’s best friend Bianca and then – much worse – puts Lyla’s little brother in danger. There’s lots of fun and humour in the story, but some real tension too and it cleverly delivers a message about what friendship really means, and the importance of kindness.
The new children's book from No. 1 bestselling author David Walliams - a fantastically funny tale illustrated by artistic genius, Tony Ross. WELCOME TO THE ISLE OF MULCH... This little island is home to a large number of horrible grown-ups. The school, the local park, the toy shop and even the island's ice-cream van are all run by awful adults who like nothing more than making children miserable. And the island is owned by the most awful one of all - Aunt Greta Greed! Something needs to be done about them. But who could be brave enough? Meet Ned - an extraordinary boy with a special power. SLIMEPOWER!
Ted has a secret: his toilet allows him to travel through time. Yes – really. All he has to do is climb in, press the flush and whisper a destination. In this adventure, he’s determined to win first prize for a school project so travels back to Roman times, coming face-to-face with 30,000 legionaries on their way to invade Britain; meanwhile, wearing an authentic toga to school really helps swing the competition his way. This popular series is full of toilet humour (to be fair, the author does apologise for that) and the kind of jokes children love, but it’s packed with historical facts too, including the quirky, memorable ones that really make history come alive. If you’re looking for more zany takes on Julius Caesar and friends, Gary Northfield’s Julius Zebra series is terrific, while Matt Brown has an equally funny take on time travel, though without the history, in the Compton Vallance books.
Lincoln ‘Big Nate’ Peirce’s new book is a brilliantly funny story of knights, troubadours, wizards and derring-do, all played out via a snappy mix of text and illustrations. Max is a troubadour in training with Uncle Budrick. Max however really doesn’t want to be a troubadour, but a knight. A series of mishaps lead the two to Byjovia, where Uncle Budrick is imprisoned by wicked King Gastley. With the support of a gang of young friends, aka the Midknights, is this Max’s chance to be a hero? The adventures come thick, fast and very funny and there are surprises in every chapter. Readers who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants or the 13-Storey Treehouse series will lap this up, but it’s hard to see anyone not enjoying these hilarious adventures.
Winner of the Laugh Out Loud Awards | Packed full of stupendously silly, fantastically funny and hysterically hilarious poems, this brilliant anthology is edited by exciting young poet, Joshua Seigal. Featuring a diverse range of contributors and some brand new poems from Joshua himself, this book is perfect for anyone who needs a giggle or a belly laugh! Poets including A.F. Harrold, Raymond Antrobus, Andy Seed, Sue Hardy-Dawson, Adisa, Kat Francois, James Carter, Jay Hulme and Lewis Carroll. Packed with laugh out loud illustrations this follow up to I Don't Like Poetry (which was shortlisted for the 2017 Laugh Out Loud Awards) this book is a marvellous mixture of subversive humour and insight into the world of children.
Not since Adrian Mole opened his diary have the thoughts and innermost feelings of an adolescent boy been examined so precisely or with such heart. Stan is twelve, shy and a worrier, so the thought of a holiday in Italy with his friend Felix and Felix’s family freaks him out. He’s going though: we meet him at the airport drawing up a ‘duck-it’ list of things he hopes he’ll never have to do. Little does he know that he’ll tick off six out of ten of them on his holiday, and enjoy it too. The first-person narrative lets us in on all Stan’s thoughts, but he’s a good observer of others so we learn loads about the others in the holiday party too, kids and grown-ups. There are laugh-out-loud scenes and moments of pure agony, and through it all Stan is learning loads about himself and life in general. Honest, revealing, compassionate and so entertaining, this is a must read for all the Stans out there – adults, give yourselves a treat and read it too.
Freddie Yates likes facts. Just not the one staring him in the face - that his secret plan is not, in fact, secret. Because Freddie's journey wasn't meant to involve Big Trev and the onion-eating competition or the loo-exploding pear-and-potato turnovers. And Freddie definitely didn't expect to end up, with his two best friends, on national television in a supergirl costume. But journeys never take you where you think they will. And for Freddie, that fact might just have to be enough... The super funny, heart-warming adventure of three boys, one summer holiday, and a few miracles along the way.
Interest Age 5-8 | When Norman the Norman from Normandy’s dad, Great Big Norman, is killed in a fight (with ten Bretons from Brittany), Norman swears to visit every one of this dad’s three graves (long story) to pay his respects. He sets off with this dad’s HUGE sword on his not-very-wild boar Truffle and, without meaning to, indeed often without even noticing, avenges his father’s death. If that sounds quite bloodthirsty, it sort of is, but more than that, in the hands of this gifted comedy partnership, it’s just very, very funny. Part of Barrington Stoke’s excellent Little Gems series, this packs more laughs and entertainment into its short extent than books three times the length. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.
Interest Age 5-8 | March 2020 Book of the Month | Clever children who use their wits to get the better of much more powerful adversaries star in this duo of stories by the one and only Michael Rosen. Masha escapes a big and thoroughly bad bear in a particularly delicious way, while little Peggy outsmarts her admittedly rather stupid king to win big. Rosen’s lively, direct style make these stories wonderfully accessible for those growing in reading confidence, and Ashley King’s full colour illustrations add to the appeal of this little gem of a book.
March 2020 Debut of the Month | Newton is excited: he’s just read a sign that tells him dogs have nine lives. That’s carte blanche for Newton to do all his favourite things and be much more daring. Without a second thought he’s off to explore the nature reserve and do some incredibly risky things. He’s pursued by his friend, a much more sensible cat, who realises - as we do - that Newton has been misled. The adventure that follows is full of wonderfully reckless behaviour and narrow escapes for Newton, all the more delightful because he is totally oblivious to the danger he’s in. Newton’s joy is infectious and it’s impossible to read this without smiling at his enthusiasm. Alice McKinley depicts Newton as a plump puppy, with constantly wagging tail and beautifully expressive ears, and he’s set to become a favourite with readers young and old.
Joining Class 2R at Wigglesbottom Primary is always a treat, and the three adventures in this collection are typically funny, well-observed, and gorgeously illustrated. Once again, the children let their imaginations run wild, so that everyday primary school life becomes a thing of delight and wonder: could the pet rabbits in the playground be attack bunnies? Is the special visitor sitting at the back of the classroom and making Miss Riley so nervous really a TV talent scout? Could Miss Stein the music teacher be a witch? We’re happy to accept all these propositions, at least until the truth is revealed, and the stories make irresistible reading. Becka Moor’s illustrations are as bold and lively as the text, and these little stories are absolute gems.
A hero with a difference! Fizzlebert Stump wants to make changes to his life. Bored with life in the circus, he is determined to run away and join…the Library! How Fizzlebert sets out to achieve his goal and gets kidnapped by some unlikely villains for his audacity is a riotous romp which will be loved by all fans of Mr Gum! In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Fizzlebert Stump the Boy who ran away from the Circus (and joined the Library) a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Scroll down to read their reviews...
This classic children’s book (first published in the 1960s) follows the ‘fortunately, unfortunately’ format, and is an example of storytelling at its very best. Tiger finds Boy sitting on a rock and demands he run to avoid being eaten. Boy explains he’s too tired to run, he’s just escaped Rhino. He recounts his narrow escapes (‘That’s good,’ says Tiger) and Rhino’s determined pursuit (‘That’s bad’) until his story concludes with a wonderful twist that will delight children. There’s an air of spontaneity and excitement that’s hard to beat and Aliki’s bold, expressive, child-like illustrations look as fresh as ever in this handsome new edition.
A BRILLIANT new DOG MAN book for World Book Day 2020 packed with three humorous stories. Dav Pilkey's wildly popular DOG MAN series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including: empathy kindness persistence and the importance of being true to one's self
This is the epic, never-before-told story of the Super Zeroes' first ever active mission as real-life superheroes! A brilliant new mini-adventure in the bestselling, award-winning Kid Normal series, exclusively for World Book Day 2020. Join Murph Cooper and the Super Zeroes as they team up with wonderful school librarian and secret superhero Mrs Fletcher (whose special power is that her head can turn into a foghorn) to foil a dastardly, 1000-decibel plot. When Mrs Fletcher's friend Margaret disappears from her duties as town librarian, it's clear that there's something strange afoot. A librarian never deserts their post! Plus the library has suddenly started hosting a whole host of ludicrously loud events. Cow choirs, pneumatic drill masterclasses, stamping competitions ... could a dastardly criminal be using the library to cover up a crime of epic proportions? It's up to Murph, Mary, Hilda, Billy and Nellie to get to the bottom of this mega-loud mystery.
MEET AMELIA FANG A plucky little vampire who's just like you and me . . . Amelia Fang is feeling anxious. Everyone in her class has to write their own stories and read them out loud to the class - but for the first time ever, Amelia has run out of ideas! And she doesn't feel like she can ask for help. So she decides to gets some inspiration from one of the many books in Loose Limb Library. But when Amelia and her friends get there, the gang discovers big bite marks in every book! Bookworms have invaded and they chomp through EVERYTHING and EVERYONE in their path. How will Amelia save all the books - and her friends - before it's too late? Sink your fangs into the exclusive World Book Day edition of the hilarious and charming AMELIA FANG by bestselling author and illustrator, Laura Ellen Anderson - perfect for readers of 7+
The Evil Pea thinks books are rubbish! Find out whether the veggies can prove him wrong in this brand new mini picture book created especially for World Book Day 2020. It’s night-time in the supermarket, and all the veggies are happily reading their brilliant books. Well, not quite all… The Evil Pea thinks books are rubbish! Is there anyone who can prove him wrong?
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