Books we love in September 2022

Birdsong

Author: Katya Balen Illustrator: Richard Johnson
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8-9

Annie has been silent and furious since she injured her arm in an accident. Can the blackbirds’ song help her get in touch with her feelings? A super-readable format makes the story accessible to a wide range of reading abilities.

Picture Perfect

Author: Serena Patel Illustrator: Louise Forshaw
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6-8

Sonal has a photo project to do for school, and she’s chosen the theme of ‘family’. However, getting a nice family photo of everyone proves to be impossible: her brother Jay is always gaming, Mum and Dad never stop checking their phones for work emails and Sonal’s sister Reena keeps lecturing everyone about climate change from behind her laptop. Plus, the fa…

This is Not a Dinosaur

Author: Barry Timms Illustrator: Ged Adamson
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 4-5

Join a young boy and his new friend – who is absolutely NOT a dinosaur – on a whirlwind journey of discovery, as they perform magic tricks, scale mountains and go deep-sea-diving.

Achoo!

Author: Simon Philip Illustrator: Nathan Reed
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 4-5

Everyone knows that it’s good manners to cover your nose when you do a great big sneeze. Or do they? One day, Sid forgets this very important rule and out of his nose flies none other than an elephant in a canoe! It’s not long before Sid is sneezing again and with every sneeze, something even wackier and wilder appears.

Mirabelle and the Naughty Bat Kittens

Author: Harriet Muncaster
Publisher: Oxford
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8

Mirabelle is half fairy and half witch (even her hair is black on one side and purple on the other) and, though she goes to a witch school, she can’t resist sparkly things. Perhaps because of her fairy genes, Mirabelle is also a little bit prone to getting into mischief every now and again, which wins her no points with strict Miss Spindlewick or class …

The Hat Full of Secrets

Author: Karl Newson Illustrator: Wazza Pink
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8

Henry has a secret and doesn’t want to tell anyone about it. Luckily, Grandad can relate, and gives Henry a special hat where he has kept all his secrets over the years. But when all of Grandad’s wishes (written on luggage labels) escape, he and Henry go looking for them in all the places where they were made. In doing so, Grandad tells Henry the wonderful s…

Maya’s Walk

Author: Moira Butterfield Illustrator: Kim Geyer
Publisher: Oxford
Interest age: 2-3
Reading age: 2-3

Maya loves walking. There are so many different types of walk to enjoy: walks where she and her parent listen to the sounds around them: birds singing, people talking, dogs barking. Then there are walks where Maya can smell the different smells: the earthy goodness of soil, the perfume of flowers and a blade of grass rubbed in your hand.

Black in Time

Author: Alison Hammond and Emma Norry Illustrator: Tinuke Fagborun
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9-11

This fabulous non-fiction book showcases the achievements of an array of remarkable Black Britons, from the Roman Empire to the twentieth century. While some names may be familiar, many are not, demonstrating that people of colour are woefully under-represented in the history books. This volume seeks to redress the balance, and readers will learn about extra…

Into Goblyn Wood

Author: Anna Kemp Illustrator: David Wyatt
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9-11

Hazel is in a race against time to rescue her friend, Pete, from the monsters who’ve kidnapped him in this exciting, quirky fantasy adventure.

Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about Racism

Author: Jordan Akpojaro Illustrator: Ashley Evans
Publisher: Usborne
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8

Split into eight sections, this addition to Usborne’s appealing lift-the-flap nonfiction series of books tackles a weighty and yet important issue: racism.

Circus Maximus: Race to the Death

Author: Annelise Gray
Publisher: Zephyr
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6-8

In the exhilarating but brutal world of chariot racing the rewards are huge but so is the death-toll. This is the background to Dido’s quest for victory and justice; she must win, her life depends on it.

The Circles in the Sky

Author: Karl James Mountford
Publisher: Walker
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 3-4

Beautifully written and illustrated, this moving story is a sensitive way to talk about death with little ones.

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame

Author: Louie Stowell
Publisher: Walker
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8-9

Can Loki – god of mischief and prankster schoolboy – convince everyone that he didn’t steal Thor’s hammer? Bursting with illustrations, doodles and comic strips, this is an equally funny sequel to the hilarious Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good.

The Dragon in the Bookshop

Author: Ewa Jozefkowicz
Publisher: Zephyr
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9-11

An intriguing mixture of contemporary life and Polish folk tale that explores the desolation and trauma of losing a parent and how one boy finds his way back to his friends and family – by rescuing a desperate city from an angry, and very hungry, dragon.

The Elemental Detectives

Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8-9

A thrilling adventure, where two Black children battle Elemental spirits to save Georgian London from a sleeping sickness. Inventive and packed with adventure and accessible historical detail.

10 Cats

Author: Emily Gravett
Publisher: Two Hoots
Interest age: 2-3
Reading age: 2-3

A white-furred mummy cat has nine kittens: two are black, three have stripes and four have patches. Yet, while she sleeps, the naughty kittens get into three pots of paint: one red, one yellow and one blue.

Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush

Author: Patrice Lawrence Illustrator: Camilla Sucre
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8

Ava must dress up as someone she admires for a school project, but can’t decide who to be, so Granny offers to help. As they search for inspiration in Granny’s trunk of clothes, Ava is intrigued when she finds a small, cardboard suitcase, containing four objects: an empty jar, a pebble, a small blue hat and a pair of delicate lace gloves. Granny shares the p…

Kitty Quest: Trial by Tentacle

Author: Phil Corbett
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6-8

As the only two members of the ancient Guild of Kitquaroo, brave warrior kittens Woolfrik and Perigold are the self-appointed guardians of Pawdor Islands, which they have sworn to protect from peril.

If You Read This

Author: Kereen Getten
Publisher: Pushkin
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 7-8

Set on the colourful, sun-soaked island of Jamaica, this beautiful, compelling story combines an intriguing quest with a story of grief and heartache.

The Mystery of the Missing Mum

Author: Frances Moloney
Publisher: Pushkin Children’s Books
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6-8

Nine days before Christmas, Jake’s world is turned upside-down when he wakes up to discover that his mum has disappeared. Desperately concerned about her welfare, he cannot understand why nobody else seems worried.

Marv and the Pool of Peril

Author: Alex Falase-Koya Illustrator: Paula Bowles
Publisher: Oxford
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8

Marvin has a secret: when he puts on a special super-suit, which is powered by kindness and imagination, he becomes Marv the superhero. So far, nobody but his Grandad – who Marvin inherited the super-suit from – knows.

Dinos Don’t Give Up!

Author: Smriti Halls Illustrator: Richard Merritt
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 4-5

Dinah the Diplodocus is a bit of a star: she finds everything easy, from baking to learning the alphabet. And, even though Dinah always wins at everything, she also has tons of friends because she’s nice enough to help others out when they don’t understand something, and she cheers them on when they do.

Shu Lin’s Grandpa

Author: Matt Goodfellow Illustrator: Yu Rong
Publisher: Otter-Barry Books
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 4-5

The new girl Shu Lin can’t speak English very well, but when her grandpa show the class his beautiful paintings, they communicate through art. A stunning book celebrating difference and empathy.

Mildred the Gallery Cat

Author: Jono Ganz
Publisher: Tate
Interest age: 4-8
Reading age: 4-8

During the day, the Art Gallery is filled with people admiring the paintings and sculptures of some of the world’s most famous artists, while Mildred – the little black and white cat who lives in the gallery – snoozes in her basket. But when night falls, Mildred springs into life and has the artworks all to herself!

Over to You!

Author: Roger McGough Illustrator: Jennifer Naalchigar
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6-8

A joyous collection of funny, accessible poems that are wonderful to read aloud. Perfect for inspiring children to write their own poems.

How to Be a Doctor and Other Life-Saving Jobs

Author: Dr Punam Krishan Illustrator: Sol Linero
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 6-8

What is a doctor and how do you become one? What do doctors need to learn, and what are the different kinds of doctors you can be? Answering these and many more questions, such as ‘Who looks after older people?’ and ‘What happens when someone has a baby?’ this helpful picture book, perfect for mid-and upper-primary readers, explains how a variety of peo…

The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory

Author: James Harris
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8-9

A laugh-out-loud story that definitely doesn’t include orange fluffy monsters, a biscuit factory that’s actually a super-secret science lab and a judo-kicking superhero rabbit wearing glasses. Fast-moving, funny – and all-round fabooly.

Small!

Author: Hannah Moffatt
Publisher: Everything With Words
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Harvey Small is a nice boy – but he’s been expelled from pretty much every school he’s gone to, and after a particularly bad incident (OK, so he might have set fire to the headteacher’s trousers…) his Mum decides the only solution is to send him off to Madame Bogbrush’s School for Gifted Giants. The only problem? Harvey isn’t a giant. He’s a small boy. On st…

The Fairy Dogmother

Author: Caroline Crowe Illustrator: Richard Merritt
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 4-5
Reading age: 4-5

Cinders the dog lives at Woofington’s Dog Shelter with a whole host of doggy friends. One day, he’s understandably surprised when Priscilla Paws, a Fairy Dogmother, appears out of thin air and offers to grant Cinders a wish. But what will he wish for?

The Treekeepers

Author: Kieran Larwood Illustrator: Chris Wormell
Publisher: Faber
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9-11

When a plague of rot and poison threatens their world, Liska and Lug are forced to undertake a perilous quest. A stunning, complex and wildly imaginative fantasy adventure.

Which Way to Anywhere

Author: Cressida Cowell
Publisher: Hachette
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+

This is a story about a family. There are five child characters: K2 and his twin sister Izzabird O’Hero, Theo and Mabel Smith and little Annipeck O’Hero-Smith. They are fairly ordinary children (although K2 and Izzabird have some odd magical relatives) living normal lives on Earth in the present day. The O’Hero mum and the Smith dad fell in love and go…