New books we love: December 2019
Here are the books we reviewed and loved this month. Happy reading!
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A Most Peculiar Toy Factory
Author: Alex Bell Illustrator: Nan Lawson
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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A Most Peculiar Toy Factory
Author: Alex Bell Illustrator: Nan Lawson
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Hoggle’s Happy Toys is a creepy toy factory that has been closed for five years, ever since the toys came to life and started to a…
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Angel on the Roof
Author: Shirley Hughes
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
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Angel on the Roof
Author: Shirley Hughes
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 7+
When Lewis finds an angel living on the roof of his house, they form a quick friendship. Soon, the people living under the an…
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Bad Nana: That’s Snow Business
Author: Sophy Henn
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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Bad Nana: That’s Snow Business
Author: Sophy Henn
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
What happens when Bad Nana gets involved with the Winter Wonderland Variety Show? The third book in Sophy Henn’s young middle…
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Cyborg Cat and the Night Spider
Author: Ade Adepitan Illustrator: Carl Pearce
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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Cyborg Cat and the Night Spider
Author: Ade Adepitan Illustrator: Carl Pearce
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
Ade gets mysterious messages from the Night Spider – is he really in danger, and is he a superhero? Ade is a bright, active, …
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Earth Heroes: Twenty Inspiring Stories of People Saving O...
Author: Lily Dyu Illustrator: Jackie Lay
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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Earth Heroes: Twenty Inspiring Stories of People Saving O...
Author: Lily Dyu Illustrator: Jackie Lay
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
When faced with climate change, the biggest threat that our planet has ever confronted, it's easy to feel as if there is nothing y…
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Football School Season 4: Where Football Explains the World
Author: Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton Illustrator: Spike Gerrell
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Football School Season 4: Where Football Explains the World
Author: Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton Illustrator: Spike Gerrell
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Coaches Alex and Ben are back for a fourth season of the brilliantly informative Football School. A brilliant present for fac…
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Hidden Planet
Author: Ben Rothery
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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Hidden Planet
Author: Ben Rothery
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
A self-confessed wildlife obsessive, Rothery’s book isn’t just a collection of his gorgeous illustration but rather a study of the…
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How About A Night Out?
Author: Sam Williams Illustrator: Matt Hunt
Interest level: 2-4
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How About A Night Out?
Author: Sam Williams Illustrator: Matt Hunt
Interest level: 2-4
Reading age:
This rhyming book about what cats do at night hits all the right notes – the rhyme is bouncy, quirky and original and the cat…
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How to be Extraordinary
Author: Rashmi Sirdeshpande Illustrator: Annabel Tempest
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
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How to be Extraordinary
Author: Rashmi Sirdeshpande Illustrator: Annabel Tempest
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
This inspirational non-fiction picture book introduces children to extraordinary people from across the world and throughout histo…
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Invisible in a Bright Light
Author: Sally Gardner
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 10+
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Invisible in a Bright Light
Author: Sally Gardner
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 10+
A mysterious and riveting fantasy thriller, with elements of horror, that will especially appeal to readers who enjoy puzzles and …
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Isadora Moon Puts on a Show
Author: Harriet Muncaster
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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Isadora Moon Puts on a Show
Author: Harriet Muncaster
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
Isadora Moon is unique: she has a vampire father and a fairy mother. So what kind of show will she put on at the annual vampire ba…
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Kai and the Monkey King
Author: Joe Todd-Stanton
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
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Kai and the Monkey King
Author: Joe Todd-Stanton
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
Professor Brownston recounts the story of two ancestors, whose quest to observe and document mythical phenomena leads them across …
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Level Up! Block and Roll
Author: Tom Nicoll Illustrator: Anjan Sarkar
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Level Up! Block and Roll
Author: Tom Nicoll Illustrator: Anjan Sarkar
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Best friends Max and Flo find themselves trapped inside Max’s favourite construction video game, Blocktopia. How will they leave? …
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Madame Badobedah
Author: Sophie Dahl Illustrator: Lauren O'Hara
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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Madame Badobedah
Author: Sophie Dahl Illustrator: Lauren O'Hara
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
This beautiful and poignant picture book – made extra special and lush with Lauren O-Hara's dreamy, charming illustrations&nb…
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Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise
Author: Alex T Smith
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise
Author: Alex T Smith
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Mr Penguin is setting sail on the Saucy Sandra cruise ship for a well-earned holiday. But is everything what it seems? The th…
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My Monster and Me
Author: Nadiya Hussain and Ella Bailey
Interest level: 3-5
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My Monster and Me
Author: Nadiya Hussain and Ella Bailey
Interest level: 3-5
Reading age:
A boy introduces both himself and his monster, who has been with him for as long as he can remember. An all-round perfect pic…
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Perfectly Polite Penguins
Author: Georgiana Deutsch Illustrator: Ekaterina Trukhan
Interest level: 2-5
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Perfectly Polite Penguins
Author: Georgiana Deutsch Illustrator: Ekaterina Trukhan
Interest level: 2-5
Reading age:
Most penguins are perfectly polite. But then there is Polly. This silly, chilly story will have little ones laughing out…
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Sulwe
Author: Lupita Nyong’o Illustrator: Vashti Harrison
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Sulwe
Author: Lupita Nyong’o Illustrator: Vashti Harrison
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
Sulwe is anxious: why is her skin so dark, and why is she bullied? But a visit from a star reassures her that she is beautiful exa…
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The Blanket Bears
Author: Samuel Langley-Swain Illustrator: Ashlee Spink
Interest level: 3-5
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The Blanket Bears
Author: Samuel Langley-Swain Illustrator: Ashlee Spink
Interest level: 3-5
Reading age:
Alone in the snow, two little bears are cold, scared and missing much of their fur. Thankfully, help arrives in the form of Tilly,…
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The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch
Author: Tom Fletcher Illustrator: Shane Devries
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch
Author: Tom Fletcher Illustrator: Shane Devries
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
The much-adored Christmasaurus is back for more magical adventures in this feel-good sequel to The Christmasaurus. The storyb…
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The Fowl Twins
Author: Eoin Colfer
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Fowl Twins
Author: Eoin Colfer
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
The Fowl twins are completely unlike each other, but they make the perfect team when the evil ACRONYM attacks them. Readers will f…
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The Frozen Sea
Author: Piers Torday
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Frozen Sea
Author: Piers Torday
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
This brilliant sequel to The Lost Magician is a nail-biting adventure of twists and turns from award-winning author Pier…
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The Golden Unicorn: Secrets and Legends
Author: Selwyn E Phipps Illustrator: Aitch Oana Befort and Rae Ritchie
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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The Golden Unicorn: Secrets and Legends
Author: Selwyn E Phipps Illustrator: Aitch Oana Befort and Rae Ritchie
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
The first book in The Magical Unicorn Society series was immensely popular, and this attractive follow-up volu…
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The Somerset Tsunami
Author: Emma Carroll
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Somerset Tsunami
Author: Emma Carroll
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
This is another glorious example of historical fiction from Emma Carroll: a feisty, female-led adventure based on the real-life ev…
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The Weird Friends Fan Club
Author: Catherine Wilkins
Interest level: 12-15
Reading age: 10+
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The Weird Friends Fan Club
Author: Catherine Wilkins
Interest level: 12-15
Reading age: 10+
Grace micro-manages her life and friends to make sure her online identity is super-attractive and super-cool (#blessed). Writ…
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Tiny and Teeny
Author: Chris Judge
Interest level: 2-4
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Tiny and Teeny
Author: Chris Judge
Interest level: 2-4
Reading age:
At the edge of Glengadget, the incredibly helpful Tiny lives with her pet fox Teeny. The colourful imagery in this wonderful …
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Unseen Worlds
Author: Hélène Rajcak Illustrator: Damien Laverdunt
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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Unseen Worlds
Author: Hélène Rajcak Illustrator: Damien Laverdunt
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
Meet the microscopic creatures living in your mattress and the miniature mites that are feasting on your skin in this extraordinar…
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We Are the Beaker Girls
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
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We Are the Beaker Girls
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 8+
The sequel to My Mum Tracy Beaker is another Jacqueline Wilson classic, handling serious issues in a humorous, accessibl…
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What I Like Most
Author: Mary Murphy Illustrator: Zhu Cheng-Liang
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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What I Like Most
Author: Mary Murphy Illustrator: Zhu Cheng-Liang
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
A little girl ponders the everyday wonders she likes most – friends, pencils, staring out of windows – and the person who remains …
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White Eagles
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Interest level: 12-15
Reading age: 8+
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White Eagles
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Interest level: 12-15
Reading age: 8+
It’s the summer of 1939. Germany’s troops have gathered near Poland’s borders and their air force is making increasingly daring fo…
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White Fox
Author: Chen Jiatong Translator: Jennifer Feeley Illustrator: Viola Wang
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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White Fox
Author: Chen Jiatong Translator: Jennifer Feeley Illustrator: Viola Wang
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
After tragedy strikes, white fox cub Dilah sets out on an epic quest to become human. A classic animal adventure with themes of fr…
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Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story
Author: Sean Taylor and Alex Morss Illustrator: Cinyee Chiu
Interest level: 4-5
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Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story
Author: Sean Taylor and Alex Morss Illustrator: Cinyee Chiu
Interest level: 4-5
Reading age:
This beautifully illustrated, large-format picture book perfectly blends a sweet story with fascinating facts about animals sleepi…
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