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Mirror Baby: Hello You!
Author: n/a
Publisher: Campbell Books
Interest age: 0-3
A striking and fun board book that celebrates diversity and takes baby through the day with a fold-out mirror and plenty of interaction.
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I Can Learn My First Colours: Animal World
Author: Lauren Crisp Illustrator: Thomas Elliot
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 2-5
Learning the colours will be great fun with this rhyming, interactive, board book packed with bright animals and with wooden spinners for little fingers.
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Loves Makes a Family
Author: Sophie Beer
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 2-5
With simple text, and bursting with bright, vibrant illustrations, this simple, inclusive, board book speaks volumes about all aspects of the love inspired by children in the adults who care for them.
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Busy Storytime
Author: n/a Illustrator: Jean Claude
Publisher: Campbell Books
Interest age: 2-5
It’s storytime! And what’s better than a story? Perhaps a story that comes to life as you push, pull, turn and slide the sturdy tabs.
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Cheeky Monkey
Author: Zehra Hicks
Publisher: Hodder
Interest age: 2-5
A cute little red monkey wants to play, but nobody wants to play with her! She accidentally causes havoc wherever she goes in her search for a playmate - until she says a magic word that makes everybody want to play with her.
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There's a Mouse in my House
Author: Ross Collins
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 2-5
Long-suffering Bear has a mouse in his house that just won't leave - and he's eating all the food and making such a mess! Themes of tolerance and looking past first impressions are illustrated beautifully in this fun rhyming book about two unlikely housemates.
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Slug in Love
Author: Rachel Bright Illustrator: Nadia Shireen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 2-5
Doug is a slug in need of a hug... but no-one wants to give him a cuddle! Will Doug ever find his perfect match? A brilliantly fun read.
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The Kiosk
Author: Anete Melece Translator: Elīna Braslina
Publisher: Gecko Press
Interest age: 4-8
Olga works and lives in a kiosk, but when a group of mean kids knock it over, she makes a wonderful discovery. A lovely story about the brilliant things that can happen when your life is turned upside down.
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The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau
Author: Jon Agee
Publisher: Scallywag Press
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+Felix Clousseau brings his painting of a duck to a big art contest. Everyone laughs at it until it comes to life! A fascinating and funny picture book that takes a thoughtful look at what people want from art, and what they don't. The ending is a glorious surprise, too.
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The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth
Author: Ellie Hattie Illustrator: Karl Kames Mountford
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 4-8
Reading age: 6+Join a young boy named Oscar and a woolly mammoth named Timothy as they race through The Curious Museum trying to track down Timothy’s little brother before the ‘magic hour’ is over – or he gets eaten by a dinosaur!
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A Superhero Like You
Author: Dr Ranj Illustrator: Liam Darcy
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Interest age: 4-5
Lily wakes up one day and decides she wants to be a superhero - but not the kind that flies around in a cape or wears their underpants over the trousers. It turns out, superheroes are everywhere...
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The Invisible
Author: Tom Percival
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 4-5
When Isabel's family moves to a new neighbourhood, everything is strange and different. Isabel feels like people look right through her - that is, until she starts to notice the other invisible people trying to make the world a better place.
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One Girl
Author: Andrea Beaty Illustrator: Dow Phumiruk
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Interest age: 4-5
As a young girl sits forlornly on her front porch, a bright light shoots through the night sky, depositing a book at her feet. This gentle picture book about the joy of reading carries a deeper message about the fundamental importance of girls’ education.
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The Ladybird Big Book of Slimy Things
Author: Imogen Russell Williams Illustrator: Binny Talib
Publisher: Ladybird Books
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 7+A fascinating, gruesome, and utterly hilarious book filled with facts all about slime - from the slime sun-cream made by hippos to the monstrous fatberg hiding under the streets of London.
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Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls
Author: Atinuke Illustrator: Onyinye Iwu
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+A collection of three short stories starring the fabulous Tola, who lives with her siblings and Grandmummy in Lagos. A funny, compassionate, and beautifully illustrated book for young readers.
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Squishy McFluff, The Invisible Cat: On With The Show!
Author: Pip Jones Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Interest age: 4-8
Reading age: 6+A funny and engaging rhyming story with colourful illustrations about Ava, her invisible cat and what happens when the circus comes to town.
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Pizazz vs the New Kid
Author: Sophy Henn
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+Pizazz is used to being the only Super in her school - which is a bit exhausting, especially when Serena and the Populars keep making fun of her cape. So when new kid Jett appears, Pizazz decided to take her under her wing. However, things don't quite go to plan...
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The Elephant
Author: Peter Carnavas
Publisher: Pushkin
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+Olive's Dad is followed around by a huge grey elephant that only she can see. It makes him sad and quiet, blocking out all the light in his days. Olive knows she has to get rid of the elephant... but how?
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Flyntlock Bones: The Eye of Mogdrod
Author: Derek Keilty Illustrator: Mark Elvins
Publisher: Scallywag Press
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 7+Flynn and the pirate detective crew of the Black Hound are back for another mystery! The fearsome chief of a Barbarian clan has lost his golden chalice - could the legendary cat Mogdrod be behind it?
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Greek Myths
Author: Jean Menzies Illustrator: Katie Ponder
Publisher: DK
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+A wealth of Greek myths and legends are told engagingly and simply in this gorgeously illustrated hardback, filled with colourful, graphic illustration by Katie Ponder.
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Molly and the Mathematical Mystery
Author: Eugenia Cheng Illustrator: Aleksandra Artymowska
Publisher: Templar
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Molly is a curious explorer and finds that her bedroom is just the beginning of a fantastic journey through a mysterious house which she must navigate by solving mathematical puzzles. A great introduction to mathematical concepts for older primary readers.
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The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh
Author: Helen Rutter
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Billy's starting secondary school, but he's worried that his stammer will make it hard to fit in. He has to get rid of it before he can pursue his dream of being a stand-up comedian - so he comes up with an unusual list of ways to deal with it...
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Uma and the Answer to Absolutely Everything
Author: Sam Copeland
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+When Uma finds a mysterious bejewelled headphone lying in the road, she's astonished to discover that it can talk - and what's more, it seem to know absolutely everything! A hilarious story with a poignant message that some questions are more difficult to answer than others.
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The Broken Leg of Doom
Author: Pamela Butchart Illustrator: Thomas Flintham
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 7-9
Reading age: 7+Maisie's been taken to hospital after some extreme dancing... and now there are some very strange things going on! A laugh-out-loud tale of mummies, mystery, and cursed tuna sandwiches.
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Amari and the Night Brothers
Author: B B Alston
Publisher: Egmont
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Amari is a scholarship student at a supernatural summer school, investigating magical crimes as she tries to solve the mystery of her brother’s disappearance.
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Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow
Author: Benjamin Dean Illustrator: Sandhya Prabhat
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Archie’s mum and dad are splitting up because Archie’s dad is gay. Can a Pride parade give Archie’s family a way of coming together again?
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Swan Song
Author: Gill Lewis
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+A young boy expelled for hurting a classmate is sent to stay with his Grandad in a tiny village, where he begins to find comfort in the peace and beauty of nature. This moving novel sensitively explores some of the pressures faced by teenagers and their potential impact on mental health.
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A Thousand Questions
Author: Saadia Faruqi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Set in Karachi, Pakistan, this engaging novel explores the developing relationship between two seemingly disparate eleven-year-old girls. A compelling tale, which paints a vivid picture of the poverty and privilege of Karachi life.
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The Hatmakers
Author: Tamzin Merchant Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Cordelia is part of a proud, magical hat-making dynasty in an alternate Georgian Britain - but will she ever find her father, lost at sea?
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Football School: Epic Heroes
Author: Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttelton Illustrator: Spike Gerrell
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 7+This collection of 50 real-life tales from around the world spans a period of more than 75 years and spotlights the remarkable achievements, both on and off the pitch, of a variety of football heroes.
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Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters
Author: Jordan Kopy Illustrator: Chris Jevons
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 7+Theodora Hendrix is a human raised by monsters - but when she reaches ten years old, and ominous letters start arriving threatening to expose her family's secret, Theodora takes matters into her own hands! A gruesomely funny, spooky mystery.
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Love is a Revolution
Author: Renée Watson
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+When Nala falls for activist Tye, she makes up a story about herself to try to impress him - but will she ever learn to tell the truth and love who she really is?
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Rat
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Oxford University Press/Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 10+Al's mum is back in prison again - and Al thinks it's their neighbour's fault, so he plots revenge with his beloved pet rats, Venom and Vulture. A moving insight into the world of a young boy affected by poverty, neglect and crime, who eventually earns to trust.
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The Awesome Power of Sleep
Author: Nicola Morgan
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+This informative non-fiction book looks at the science of sleep and explores the crucial role it plays in the physical and mental health of teenagers.
