Grief and loss books for children
Grief and loss themed books for children and teens with titles by Britta Teckentrup, Samuel Langley-Swain, Judith Kerr, Harry Woodgate, Laura Dockrill, Oliver Jeffers, Kereen Getten, Michael Rosen and Joseph Coelho.
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Robin Gow is a trans and queer poet, editor and educator.
Dear Mothman is a middle-grade novel in verse by Robin Gow. It follows Noah, an autistic transgender sixth grader, as he writes to the cryptid Mothman after the death of his best friend. The book was published by Amulet, has 320 pages, and carries the ISBN 978-1-4197-6440-0.
Ode to My First Car is a young adult contemporary sapphic romance novel in verse by Robin Gow. It follows Claire, a bisexual teen girl, after she crashes her first car and navigates love, identity and changing relationships. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) published the 352-page book on 20 June 2023, with the ISBN 9780374388430.
Gooseberry is a children’s book by Robin Gow about a nonbinary 12-year-old called B, who wants a new name and hopes to become a dog trainer. The story includes foster care, school bullying, queer family support and B’s relationship with an anxious dog named Gooseberry. Dear Mothman won the LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Lammy Award.

Grief and loss themed books for children and teens with titles by Britta Teckentrup, Samuel Langley-Swain, Judith Kerr, Harry Woodgate, Laura Dockrill, Oliver Jeffers, Kereen Getten, Michael Rosen and Joseph Coelho.
The School Reading List compiles this list of recommended books monthly. This children’s and YA books of the month list highlights new releases and editions of fiction and non-fiction books suitable for children and young adults aged 2-16.
LGBTQIA+ themed books for secondary schools, featuring titles by Simon James Green, Alice Oseman, David Levithan, Phil Stamper, Rainbow Rowell, Dean Atta, Meg Grehan, Juno Dawson, Kalynn Bayron, William Hussey and Erin Ekins.
Summer reading challenge – A good reading challenge will not only promote reading and encourage reading for pleasure, but it will encourage a reading culture to spread like a virus throughout your school. Updated for 2026.
Edgy stories for 11-14 year olds with titles by Kwame Alexander, Malorie Blackman, Hilary McKay, Jason Rohan, Ele Fountain, Christopher Edge, Catherine Bruton, Derek Landy, Simon James Green, Robert Muchamore, Anne Cassidy & more.
International Transgender Day of Visibility books for children and teens with titles by Juno Dawson, Virginia Woolf, Kacen Callender, Alex Gino, Kyle Lukoff, Aiden Thomas, Andrew Joseph White, Anna-Marie McLemore, Meredith Russo, and Dashka Slater.
Season 1, Episode 9 of the School Reading List podcast. New book post, 30 great books for April 2023, a look at our summer term children’s book picks and how Chat GPT could affect English teaching.
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