Book reviews by Anna Rushall
Grimwood: Party Animals by Nadia Shireen
Grimwood: Party Animals is is perfect for early independent readers and those pupils who have just mastered beginner reads and are ready to finally enjoy a slightly longer story, but for whom it is critical the steps to reading for pleasure success are still available.
The Moonlit Campout by Ruth Symons
The Moonlit Campout would be a suitable text to support a topic on the dark. It would also be a good way of opening up early conversations around the things that scare us, as one character is afraid of the dark.
I Really, Really Don’t Like Parties by Angie Morgan
I Really, Really Don’t Like Parties is a perfect title for supporting the very young with their first explorations into the world of children’s parties, or indeed any example of attending their first events without an adult.
The Big Day by Rachel Plummer
The Big Day would be a useful addition to classroom collections to promote inclusivity of all relationships. It could also be used as a discussion support text in PSHE.
Solstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest Day by Jen Breach
Solstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest Day is an ideal KS2 non-fiction title for supporting Geography, Maths and PSHE units. Much more than this though, it is an essential leisure non-fiction title for its ability to quench the thirst of all hungry young fact finders!
The Last Dragon by Polly Ho-Yen
The Last Dragon is an ideal class reader for upper KS2 pupils (Years 5 & 6 in primary school), either as a text for reading lessons or as a stimulus for book talk in PSHE time.
Moving Up by Christian Foley
Moving Up is a useful addition to the bookshelves of upper KS2 classrooms and Y7 form rooms, either as a text for supporting citizenship time discussions or for pupils to dip into independently.