New books we love: January 2020
Here are the books we reviewed and loved this month. Happy reading!
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A Girl, A Raccoon and the Midnight Moon
Author: Karen Romano Young Illustrator: Jessixa Bagley
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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A Girl, A Raccoon and the Midnight Moon
Author: Karen Romano Young Illustrator: Jessixa Bagley
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
When the statue at her beloved library is vandalised, Pearl is determined to find the culprit - but she'll discover a lot more alo…
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A Throne of Swans
Author: Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12-14
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A Throne of Swans
Author: Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12-14
If you love Melinda Salisbury’s royal politics and treacherous courts, you’ll love this brilliant Game of Thrones-esque fanta…
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Alien Superstar
Author: Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrator: Ethan Nicolle
Interest level: 9-11 years
Reading age: 9+
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Alien Superstar
Author: Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrator: Ethan Nicolle
Interest level: 9-11 years
Reading age: 9+
What better place for an alien to go unnoticed than the backlot of Universal Studios? Full of humour and with an appealing pl…
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Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!
Author: Idan Ben-Barak Illustrator: Julian Frost
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!
Author: Idan Ben-Barak Illustrator: Julian Frost
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
Quog and Oort are off to Kevin’s birthday party but – oh no! – their spaceship is broken. This beautifully crafted …
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Cornelia and the Jungle Machine
Author: Nora Brech Translator: Don Bartlett
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
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Cornelia and the Jungle Machine
Author: Nora Brech Translator: Don Bartlett
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 6+
Cornelia has moved into a big, gothic and creaky new house with her parents, and she’s not happy about it. Full of utterly amazing…
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Dave and the Tooth Fairy
Author: Verna Wilkins Illustrator: Carl Pearce
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Dave and the Tooth Fairy
Author: Verna Wilkins Illustrator: Carl Pearce
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
Dave is thrilled when he finally gets his first wobbly tooth although, despite much wiggling and waggling, it seems reluctant to c…
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Don’t Tickle the Hippo!
Author: Sam Taplin Illustrator: Ana Larrañaga
Interest level: 1-3
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Don’t Tickle the Hippo!
Author: Sam Taplin Illustrator: Ana Larrañaga
Interest level: 1-3
Reading age:
A hilarious touch-and-feel noisy book to excite the interest of very young children. The final double-page spread will have everyo…
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Earth Shattering Events: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Cyclones...
Author: Robin Jacobs Illustrator: Sophie Williams
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
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Earth Shattering Events: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Cyclones...
Author: Robin Jacobs Illustrator: Sophie Williams
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 7+
In any given year, there may be hundreds of large-scale geological or meteorological disasters on earth – and they’re becoming mor…
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Goodbye House, Hello House
Author: Margaret Wild Illustrator: Ann James
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Goodbye House, Hello House
Author: Margaret Wild Illustrator: Ann James
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
A girl is saying goodbye to everything she’ll miss when she moves house. Happily, there will be plenty of new rooms to say hello t…
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Greta and the Giants
Author: Zoë Tucker Illustrator: Zoe Persico
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Greta and the Giants
Author: Zoë Tucker Illustrator: Zoe Persico
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
This story, inspired by the life of Greta Thunberg, is for very young children. Suitably for the age group, it's a tale of hope, p…
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Grown-Ups Never Do That
Author: Davide Cali Illustrator: Benjamin Chaud
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Grown-Ups Never Do That
Author: Davide Cali Illustrator: Benjamin Chaud
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
Determined to document adults misbehaving, a gang of kids spy on the grown-ups as they go about their days, breaking all the rules…
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I Like To Put Food in My Welly
Author: Jason Korsner Illustrator: Max Low
Interest level: 3-5
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I Like To Put Food in My Welly
Author: Jason Korsner Illustrator: Max Low
Interest level: 3-5
Reading age:
Children will adore this brilliantly surreal book of poems, which get sillier for the longer you read them. Korsner’s word pl…
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In the Key of Code
Author: Aimee Lucido
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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In the Key of Code
Author: Aimee Lucido
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Emmy is in a new city and new school and has just discovered computer coding. But why are people in class keeping secrets? Th…
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Katherine Johnson: A Life Story
Author: Leila Rasheed Illustrator: Sarah Papworth
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Katherine Johnson: A Life Story
Author: Leila Rasheed Illustrator: Sarah Papworth
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
An accessible, compelling and inspiring biography of Katherine Johnson: a brilliant, black, female mathematician who helped make N…
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Look Both Ways
Author: Jason Reynolds Illustrator: Selom Sunu
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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Look Both Ways
Author: Jason Reynolds Illustrator: Selom Sunu
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Ten short stories about that strange time when school finishes and children of a certain age (usually around ten years old) get to…
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McTavish on the Move
Author: Meg Rossoff Illustrator: David Shephard (in the style of Grace Easton)
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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McTavish on the Move
Author: Meg Rossoff Illustrator: David Shephard (in the style of Grace Easton)
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
McTavish is the beloved dog of the Peachey family and this is their fourth exciting adventure. Here, the Peachey family are moving…
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Nothing Ever Happens Here
Author: Sarah Hagger-Holt
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Nothing Ever Happens Here
Author: Sarah Hagger-Holt
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Nothing ever happens in Littlehaven... at least, that is, until Izzy's Dad comes out as trans. A gentle, timely and warm story abo…
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Sadiq and the Pet Problem
Author: Siman Nurali Illustrator: Anjan Sarkar
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Sadiq and the Pet Problem
Author: Siman Nurali Illustrator: Anjan Sarkar
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
Sadiq is excited about getting a pet for the classroom, but which one should the class choose? Sadiq is a relatable little bo…
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Scoop McLaren: Detective Editor
Author: Helen Castles
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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Scoop McLaren: Detective Editor
Author: Helen Castles
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Who’s publishing bad news before it happens? Scoop McLaren is determined to find out, before the town of Higgity Harbour is destro…
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Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Author: Andrea Beaty Illustrator: David Roberts
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Author: Andrea Beaty Illustrator: David Roberts
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Sofia Valdez isn’t just a do-gooder: she’s a do-better, visiting people in her community who can’t get out much, or just stopping …
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Sophie Takes to the Sky
Author: Katherine Woodfine Illustrator: Briony May Smith
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Sophie Takes to the Sky
Author: Katherine Woodfine Illustrator: Briony May Smith
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Sophie is scared of everything. Can she overcome her fears to attend the crowded, noisy fair to see the hot-air balloon? This char…
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The Boy Who Loved Everyone
Author: Jane Porter Illustrator: Maisie Paradise Shearring
Interest level: 3-6
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The Boy Who Loved Everyone
Author: Jane Porter Illustrator: Maisie Paradise Shearring
Interest level: 3-6
Reading age:
Dimitri is new at nursery, and no matter how many people (and trees) he says 'I love you' to, no one says it back. Dimitri starts …
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The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
Author: Nizrana Farook
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
Author: Nizrana Farook
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Against the backdrop of a stunning South Asian landscape, three youngsters are on the run from the King’s guards – on an elephant!…
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The Gobbledegook Book: A Joy Cowley Anthology
Author: Joy Cowley Illustrator: Giselle Clarkson
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 6+
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The Gobbledegook Book: A Joy Cowley Anthology
Author: Joy Cowley Illustrator: Giselle Clarkson
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 6+
Joy Cowley is one of New Zealand’s most popular children’s writers and this delightful volume is a perfect introduction to her poe…
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The Land of Roar
Author: Jenny McLachlan Illustrator: Ben Mantle
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
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The Land of Roar
Author: Jenny McLachlan Illustrator: Ben Mantle
Interest level: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Is the Land of Roar real or imaginary? You’ll have to make up your own mind in this exciting and tense coming-of-age adventure tha…
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The Lost Homework
Author: Richard O’Neill Illustrator: Kirsti Beautyman
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 6+
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The Lost Homework
Author: Richard O’Neill Illustrator: Kirsti Beautyman
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 6+
Sonny lives on a Traveller community site with his family and he’s super excited about a family wedding. This smart, charming…
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The Pearl in the Ice
Author: Cathryn Constable
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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The Pearl in the Ice
Author: Cathryn Constable
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Marina can’t bear being sent to boarding school, so she stows away on her father’s ship instead. But her father has dangerous secr…
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Time to Eat
Author: Penny Tassoni Illustrator: Mel Four
Interest level: 2-4
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Time to Eat
Author: Penny Tassoni Illustrator: Mel Four
Interest level: 2-4
Reading age:
Toddlers with ponytails and toddlers with braids enjoy all sorts of delicious snacks and meals in Time to Eat. In additi…
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Unbelievable Football: The Most Incredible True Football ...
Author: Matt Oldfield Illustrator: Ollie Mann
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
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Unbelievable Football: The Most Incredible True Football ...
Author: Matt Oldfield Illustrator: Ollie Mann
Interest level: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
This collection of true football stories demonstrates that sport can unite, inspire and amaze in equal measure. Readers can e…
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Under the Great Plum Tree
Author: Sufiya Ahmed Illustrator: Reza Dalvand
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
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Under the Great Plum Tree
Author: Sufiya Ahmed Illustrator: Reza Dalvand
Interest level: 6-8
Reading age: 5+
Set in the jungles of India, this is a marvellous retelling of a traditional tale from the Panchatantra, an ancient collection of …
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Up and Down Mum
Author: Summer Macon
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
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Up and Down Mum
Author: Summer Macon
Interest level: 4-8
Reading age: 5+
Everyone has good days and bad days, but in some cases, it is far more extreme. This powerful and moving portrayal of a paren…
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What is Masculinity? Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Qu...
Author: Jeffrey Boakye and Darren Chetty with artwork by Oli Frape (Design by Rocket Design [East Anglia])
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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What is Masculinity? Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Qu...
Author: Jeffrey Boakye and Darren Chetty with artwork by Oli Frape (Design by Rocket Design [East Anglia])
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
This timely and excellent book explores what it means to be a man in today’s society. It poses thought-provoking questions to…
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