November 2022’s set of recommendations for book clubs comprises eight magical and curiously imaginative titles that include STEM-themed puzzles for #STEMDAY, cleverly reimagined fables and traditional tales, quests with unexpected twists, immersive journeys through time and space, and stories that remind us why Christmastime is special. November 2022’s picks include titles by Ian Eagleton, David Baddiel, Rudi Haig, Lisa Moss & Dr Thomas Bernard, Grahame Baker-Smith, Juliette Maclver & Sarah Davis, Alex Bell and Jessica Souhami.
November 2022 book club recommendations
The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist by Juliette Maclver
Class 2b can’t wait to try out their forest skills on a trip to the wilderness of Dismal Hills. They’re not afraid of the Grizzled Grist, and especially not Liam, who mysteriously goes missing. Anarchic, fun and adventurous, chaos ensure when the group encounters the Wonderfully revolting Grizzled Grist. We loved the ‘Cream of Children’ soup! With delightful rhyming couplets and the use of onomatopoeia, this is a super colourful large format hardback that’s a joy to read and share with children in KS1. Every school needs a Ms Whiskersniff running extracurricular activities.
Please Mr Magic Fish! by Jessica Souhami
When Jack catches a fish, he doesn’t expect it to answer back and promise him a magical wish in return for returning it to the sea. When Jack accepts, he and his wife Liz have their dreams come true. But then they get bored and ask for another wish. All does not go to plan in this imaginative reimagined fable about greed and being ungrateful. With stunning artwork and clever use of repetition this story is ideal for reading aloud with EYFS groups.
The Ever-Changing Earth by Grahame Baker-Smith
Follow young boy Kûn on a journey of the imagination through history and evolution as he pictures what life was like when dinosaurs lived, what the world was like when the moon was formed and how that event connects him to Solveig, a girl living on the other side of the planet. Awe-inspiring and thought-provoking, this stunningly illustrated companion to The Rhythm of the Rain and Wild is the Wind is a magical and memorable picture book. It’s an ideal text to provoke discussion in book groups and prompt creative ideas for writing clubs in KS2.
5+ year-olds | Author’s Linkedin | An art lesson with Grahame Baker-Smith
The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince by Ian Eagleton
Kai, a woodcutter, spends each Christmas Eve carving amazing statues. But no one visits and each year he grows more and more lonely. Remembering his grandmother’s stories, he decides to seek out the mysterious Snow Prince. Will his life change from gloominess into joyful happiness? With a stunning wintry cover adorned with metallic silver sparkles and vibrant full-colour illustrations throughout, this LGBT+ inclusive picturebook exudes warmth and positivity. If you have a forest school, there will be lots of outdoor creative writing opportunities to develop from the ‘Woods of Wickedness” and “Woods of Wisdom”. This story is ideal to read and share with KS1 and lower KS2 at the end of long school afternoons in December.
Super Questers: The Case of the Missing Memory by Lisa Moss and Dr Thomas Bernard
Lilly, Leo and Bea are back in this quest to find Lord Grumble’s evil megalomaniac memory-stealing machine before it’s too late. To find it they need to solve eight science, maths and logic-themed trials with your help. This interactive book is cleverly constructed and highly engaging – using stickers, rewards, cracking illustrations, and a dialogue-driven storyline. Hours of funs will be had. It’s a great book for more able KS1 children and particularly greater-depth students in Year 2. Please note this title will now be available in early 2023.
Journeys in Creative Writing by Rudi Haig
Packed with ideas and helpful tips, this is an immensely practical creative writing guide for children aged 7-11. Brightly presented with fun prompts lucid grammar reminders and ‘fab fiver’ words to use, Journeys in Creative Writing is an invaluable repository of ideas for primary school writing clubs and ‘greater depth’ literary extensions. We loved the range of imaginative settings and writing genres.
7-11 year-olds | Sample pages | Free resources, including a wicked fold-up story prompter
Virtually Christmas by David Baddiel
Christmas is a thing of the past in ‘Winterzone’. Computers decide who’s been naughty or nice, presents are dropped by drone, and anything decorative is a hologram. Can Etta and Monty find Santa and rescue the real Xmas before it’s too late? This fast-paced, fun, feel-good story is great to read in groups and reminds us of all the things that make Christmas festive and memorable. Perfect for KS2.
Explorers at Stardust City by Alex Bell
The Ocean Squid team rockets through time and space in this, the sixth instalment of the compelling Explorers series. Can Ursula and her sidekicks prevent the evil Collector from gobbling all the world’s bucket list locations? They enlist the help of some strange and interesting allies to save the world and rescue Stella in this highly imaginative and fast-paced part-illustrated adventure suitable for children aged 9-12. You’ll never look at a snow globe the same way again…
Themed day / social media opportunities for November 2022
These hashtag days might provide current and relevant talking points for secondary-aged pupils aged 13+ in KS3, KS4 and KS5, especially when linked to related literature.
- This month is ‘National Non-fiction November’. Have a look at our narrative nonfiction titles and our collection of topic book resources for inspiration!
- November 5th is Guy Fawkes Night / Bonfire Night. BBC Bitesize has a great guide for KS1.
- November 7-13 is Children’s Book Week 2022. Every Child A Reader has a great selection of free resources.
- November 8th is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM) Day #STEMDay. Have a look at our STEM-related stories.
- November 10th is World Science Day. UN Action has lots of ideas and activities for schools.
- November 11th is Remembrance Day. Have a look at our Remembrance topic books list page for ideas and free resources.
- November 13th is World Kindness Day. Have a look at Kind by Jess McGeachin, which is released this month.
- November 13-19 is Transgender Awareness Week. Trans EDU has produced a range of useful resources for schools.
- November 14-118 is Anti-Bullying Week. There’s a great pack of free school resources here.
- November 16 is International Day for Tolerance #ToleranceDay. Unesco has created a useful website here.
- November 26 is National Cake Day #NationalCakeDay. Cake is a very important component of life. Cake goes well with cream or custard and can be served on a plate, using a fork, or inserted directly into your mouth after a long day at school. Cake – it’s highly recommended!
Extension activities:
- Have a look at our writing competitions for November 2022.
Other recently released titles to have a look at:
- Our latest November 2022 books of the month.
- Our rundown of the best books coming out in autumn 2022.
- Our November 2022 books of the day on Twitter.
- Our guide on how to run a school book club, which covers both primary school book clubs and secondary school book clubs.
Click the button below to buy all this month’s recommended book club titles, or class sets of any of these books, from Bookshop.org UK.
