Swimming to the Moon

Fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Elen Caldecott will like this real-world drama that manages to balance a story that stays light on its toes.

The unfortunately named Beatrix Daffodil Tulip Chrysanthemum Rose is named after the naff bunch of flowers her dad got at the petrol station after he missed her birth. Her parents are still arguing about that, and now Bee has lost her beloved great-grandmother, too. On top of that, her ex-best friend Chrystal is turning school into a nightmare.

Old films and dressing up feels like Bee's only escape until a new boy with an equally embarrassing name teaches her to swim. With his help, she'll be able to enter the sponsored swim and prove everybody wrong - but will it be enough to drown out the rest of her problems?

Warm and dreamy with just the right amount of quirk for young readers to identify with if they feel like outsiders.