Children’s Literature News August 2025
Children’s book news for August 2025: classroom reading picks, prize winners, nature writing, humour awards, YA headlines, festivals, and policy moves shaping libraries and school resources.
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Emma Swan is a British author, actor and comedian, best known for her debut children’s novel Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea. She has also performed in theatrical productions including a West End run of Horrible Histories.
Born in Rotherham, Swan spent much of her childhood living on cruise ships, as her parents held roles as Cruise Director and Deputy Cruise Director for P&O Cruises. She was partly educated aboard ship, where she kept diaries that later inspired narrative elements in Cruise Ship Kid.
Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea is written in diary format, following a ten-year-old girl called Silver solving a theft at sea. The book was illustrated by Katie Saunders and was named Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month.
In her performing career, Swan has appeared on the West End stage in productions of Horrible Histories. She has also worked as a comedian and lyricist, and narrates audiobooks.
Children’s book news for August 2025: classroom reading picks, prize winners, nature writing, humour awards, YA headlines, festivals, and policy moves shaping libraries and school resources.
Season 1, Episode 33 of the School Reading List podcast. New book post, 30 great books for August 2025 and The National Year of Reading 2026.
July 2025’s book club includes titles by Huw Lewis Jones, Becky Wilson, Jon Agee, Humera Malik, Jim Smith, John Agard, Emma Swan, Philip Kavvadias, Ciannon Smart, Kathryn Clark, Jay McGuiness, and Jessica S. Olson.
Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea! is a lively, enjoyable read, cleverly addressing friendship, fairness, and self-worth, teaching readers that we should never change ourselves for others.
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops, or Waterstones.com, or Blackwells.co.uk.
Keep up to date with our email newsletter and our latest social media posts about reading, children's books and literacy.
Our latest reading national curriculum year group recommended reading lists:
Picture books for the under 5s | Books for Reception | Books for Year 1 | Books for Year 2 | Books for Year 3 | Books for Year 4 | Books for Year 5 | Books for Year 6 | Books for Year 7 | Books for Year 8 | Books for Year 9 | Books for Year 10 | Books for Year 11