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 Schools' Library Service
BOOKS WE LIKE
With so many books to read and so little
time we thought it might help if we shared some of our favourite reads.
Here is a selection of books we have read recently that have been a big
hit with the team.
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Jump to 'Lesser Known'
Recommended Books
Silly Billy
Anthony Browne
Key Stage 1
Billy worries about many things including hats, shoes, clouds, rain,
giant birds and staying at other people’s houses; even his own grandma’s
house. One night at his grandma’s Billy can’t sleep so his gran shows
him her worry dolls. She tells Billy to whisper a worry to each of the
tiny dolls, put them under his pillow and let the dolls do the worrying
while he sleeps. With wonderful trademark Browne illustrations, and
practical tips to help anxious children, this is a winning picture book
from the new Children’s Laureate.
UFO Diary
Satoshi Kitamura
Key Stage 1
UFO Diary is narrated from the point of view of a lost alien who takes a
wrong turn in the Milky Way and ends up at planet Earth. He flies in
close to get a better look and spots a creature (a young boy), and
although they do not understand each other’s language they smile and
know they are friends. The two of them explore the earth and the heavens
before parting at the end of the day. A fantastic picture book which
easily conveys the enormity of space.
The Red Tree
Shaun Tan
Key Stage 2+
Shaun Tan’s The Red Tree is an unusual and beautiful picture book based
on images inspired by the experience of depression. A child awakes to
find black leaves falling from her bedroom ceiling and sadness threatens
to overwhelm her. She wanders around a world that is confusing, complex
and lonely. What you may not initially notice is that in each picture
there is a small red leaf, and just when it seems that all hope is lost,
the little girl returns to her bedroom and is greeted by a red tree that
has filled her room with warmth and light. A wonderful picture book
dealing with a difficult subject. Suitable for key stage 2 up to adult.
You’re a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!
Andy Stanton
Key Stage 2
Mr. Gum is a miserable old man who hates children, animals, fun and corn
on the cob. He likes staying in bed all day, being lonely and scowling
at things. His favourite TV programme is ‘Bag of Sticks’: a static shot
of a bag of sticks which lasts for half an hour. Unfortunately for Mr.
Gum he is not left alone in his misery. There is a fairy with a frying
pan who hits him over the head, a dog called Jake who messes up his
garden and a heroine called Polly who is intent on saving the day. The
Mr. Gum books are fast and funny and have been described as a mix
between Roald Dahl and Monty Python. What more could you want?
Clay
David Almond
Key Stage 3
A new boy has arrived in town and he seems as strange as the crazy aunt
he is living with. Davie and Geordie befriend him regardless because
maybe he can help in their battle against Mouldy and his gang. As the
shocking truth about Stephen and his past becomes clear Davie’s life is
changed forever. Almond blends realism and magic in his trademark way -
this is a dark and compelling story that grips hard.
Holes
Louis Sachar
Key Stage 3+
When Stanley Yelnats is found guilty of a crime he did not even come
close to committing he is sent away to Camp Green Lake - a place for bad
boys. Stanley and his family try to pretend that he is just going away
for a summer break but this idea is quickly quashed when Stanley arrives
at the camp and Sir asks if he is thirsty. He is very thirsty he tells
Sir. Get used to it he is told. The belief at Camp Green Lake is: “if
you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it
will turn him into a good boy.” And the cruel joke is that there is no
lake at Camp Green to cool off in, just miles of barren, hot sand. It
doesn’t take long for Stanley to realise that they aren’t just digging
holes for ‘improvement’, that the terrifying Warden has got them
searching for something that she is desperate to find. A brilliant,
intricate book about friendship, fate and justice.
Framed
Frank Cottrell Boyce
Key Stage 3+
How to describe Framed? Well, it’s partly inspired by the true story of
the evacuation of paintings from the National Gallery to the safety of a
Welsh mine during the second world war, and partly inspired by the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…
Framed is narrated by nine year old Dylan, the only boy in the tiny
Welsh town of Manod. His family run the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel
garage and Dylan is in charge of the petrol log (which means he pretty
much knows the comings and goings of the whole town). When a convoy of
lorries roars past and heads up the mountainside Dylan investigates and
comes up with a plan that could bring his father home and save the
family business. Framed is a funny, heart-warming story, full of wit and
charm.
What I was
Meg Rosoff
Key Stage 3+
Set in a bleak and draughty boarding school on the misty Suffolk coast
this is a book dripping in atmosphere. The narrator is a 16 year old boy
who has already been expelled from two boarding schools and finds
himself marooned in a third. Life improves immeasurably when he stumbles
upon the mysterious Finn and his hut on the beach. Finn leads a
self-sufficient life free from all the authority and interference that
besets our narrator’s life and a friendship gradually evolves. The
relationship becomes intense and as our protagonist spends more time
away from the school, it isn’t too long before he is missed and
suspicions are aroused. There is a surprising twist and a touching
ending leaving much room for thought and discussion.
Catcher In The Rye
J.D. Salinger
Key Stage 4
J.D. Salinger has not published a word since 1965 and is now a famous
recluse. ‘Catcher’ has sold more than sixty-five million copies
worldwide and still sells around a quarter of a million copies every
year. To this day ‘Catcher’ stands as the classic alienated teen novel.
‘Lesser Known’
Recommended Books
You won’t find any Harry
Potter or Jacqueline Wilson books here! This is our list of books that
we feel we can whole-heartedly recommend. They’re those books that
deserve a little ‘word of mouth’ promotion, and we feel they all deserve
a place in your school libraries.
We can of course recommend more well-known books, but we thought we’d
provide a taste of the books that we feel passionately about on this
webpage!
Key Stage One
Little Wolf’s Book of Badness by Ian Whybrow
One of our all time favourite
books! Little Wolf and his letters back home are delightful.
The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit by Chris Wormell
A magical book about a
friendship that really does pass the test of time.
Key Stage Two
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Described as a ‘Da Vinci Code
for kids’, this book draws two children into a mystery that has the art
world baffled.
The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding
An historical (set in the
1790s) novel, with more than a helping of modern readability.
Will Shakespeare and the Pirate’s Fire by Robert J. Harris
This fictional adventure story
uses historical fact to create a tale about the nation’s best known
playwright’s youth.
The Key to Chintak by John Howard
This unusual, page-turning
adventure story fuses alien spaceships and magical books with ancient
history and mysterious riddles.
Secrets of the Fearless by Elizabeth Laird
Set during the Napoleonic
Wars, this novel sees 12-year-old John Barr press ganged into life on
board HMS Fearless, where he soon discovers not everything is as it
first seems.
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell
Accompanied by stunning black
and white (and occasionally red) artwork, this detective story with a
twist brings us face to face with a real cat burglar and a creature from
a Norwegian bog.
Harry and the Wrinklies by Alan Temperley
Although this has been
televised some years ago, it remains a fantastic read.
Adam Canfield of the Dash by Michael Winerip
Despite being an American book,
this story of a school newspaper has plenty of twists.
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Teenage
The Fearful by Keith Gray
It’s the Mourner’s job to
protect Moutonby’s residents from the monster in the lake, but what
happens if the new Mourner doesn’t believe in the monster himself?
The Ex Files by Pete Johnson
Wouldn’t it be great if there
was a team who supported you after you’d split with your ex? Well, now
there is!
Small-Minded Giants by Oisín McGann
Living in a new Ice Age means
living underground, and when things go wrong, there’s nowhere to run and
nowhere to hide.
My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick
The village of Chust is being
stalked by mysterious forces, and sometimes only an outsider can see the
truth behind closed doors. Set in Eastern Europe in the early
seventeenth century, this vampire story weaves many customs from many
cultures to make it resonant.
Difficult Issues (for Teen Readers)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
A moving tale set in the 1940s
that looks at one of the darkest periods of history, through the eyes of
an innocent boy.
Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy
Jennifer Jones was convicted
of killing a child six years ago. Now released, she has a new identity,
but her past continues to haunt her.
The Story of My Life by Anne Cassidy
This powerful novel explores
how a chance meeting on a railway platform lead 17-year-old Kenny to the
worst night of his life. And the decisions he makes on this night will
shape his entire future.
Once by Morris Glietzman
An interesting,
thought-provoking book set in Nazi Germany.
Pictures in the Dark by Patricia McCord
A careful, well-studied
treatment of how a violent, disciplinarian mother influences the life of
her two children.
Skin by A.M. Vrettos
A sensitive and thought
provoking look at how anorexia can affect a whole family.
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