Children Book Reviews

Name: Louisa Farrow
08 May 2025;

Genre: Magical Realism

Valley of the Vikings is the tenth book in the Emily Windsnap series but there is no need to read the earlier books to enjoy it. It's full of magical excitement and magnetic charm, with some underlying themes that feel very relevant to now. For those wh...

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Name: Beverley Somerset
07 May 2025;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Puffin's mum is a research scientist and is often away from home. She and Puffin have a strained relationship; Puffin feels that her mum does not have enough time for her. As her father died when she was five, Puffin and mum live with her best friend Lance and his Grandad Moe. Puffin is fascin...

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Name: Louisa Farrow
06 May 2025;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Imagine an animal that is around twice the size of a domestic cat with shimmering orange fur, silvery whiskers and iridescent green eyes. Imagine that same animal had magical healing powers and had been trapped for scientific research. Now imagine it was the only one left of its kind and you n...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
05 May 2025;

Genre: Historical Fiction

Sharing the 'best bits of the bard', Michael Rosen's Pocket Shakespeare offers a very accessible introduction to some of Shakespeare’s writing. Divided into chapters such as 'Love and heartbreak', 'Scheming and plotting' and 'Thou art a boil and other insults', the book is per...

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Name: Wendy Kelly
05 May 2025;

Genre: STEM

The Super Questers are back! I absolutely love these books and the children in my infants school firmly agree. In true scientific fashion, though, this is the Super Questers evolution! Whereas the previous series were large format, brightly coloured picture bo...

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Name: Ruth Cornish
05 May 2025;

Genre: Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and Becoming Grace by Hilary McKay does not disappoint. McKay fictionalises the story of Grace Darling and her family who were custodians of the Outer Farne/Longstone lighthouses at Longstone Rock on the Outer Staple Islands nea...

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Name: Louisa Farrow
02 May 2025;

Genre: Representation & Inclusion

Coming of age stories have always explored feelings of not fitting in - but how might those feelings be complicated if you didn't really know who one of your biological parents was, or how many half-siblings you might have? Quinn is 12 years old and donor-conceived. She loves her family...

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Name: Sue Wilsher
01 May 2025;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Beautifully presented, Secrets of Bees is both informative and engaging. The role of bees and their importance is celebrated throughout the book, leaving readers with a deeper understanding of, and respect for, the brilliant creatures. Fabulous illustrations</st...

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Name: Sharon Porter
01 May 2025;

Genre: Environment & Nature

Puffin is a girl on a mission. She has a family interest in science and loves to investigate things. Her mum is an ecologist and often works away from home, leaving Puffin with her other “family”. After a chance adventure into her mum’s laboratory (into which she is never allowed), Puffin disc...

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Name: Jenny CADDICK
24 April 2025;

Genre: Representation & Inclusion

This fantastic non-fiction collection features 22 fascinating, inspirational and incredibly honest and open true stories from a huge variety of disabled writers. Sharing their experiences of being young and growing up, of the challenges, achievements, stereotypes and expectati...

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