Tag: spark school book awards

‘Rumaysa Ever After’ by Radiya Hafiza

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‘Rumaysa Ever After’ is the sequel to Radiya Hafiza’s first novel ‘Rumaysa’, in which Rumaysa escaped a tower using her hijab, defeated the evil witch Cordelia who kidnapped her as a baby, and has two other adventures with her friends Cinderayla and Sleeping Sara. But now all Rumaysa wants is to find the parents she never had a chance to know, and go home.

But on the way, Rumaysa saves a prince from a terrifying beast, and is invited to a golden castle by his sister, Queen Saira White, to thank her for her heroic actions. There Rumaysa hears the story of how Saira’s evil stepmother was jealous of her beauty and tried to have her killed, but instead she hid in the woods with the Seven Outcasts and eventually returned to kill her stepmother. So far, it is the story we all know. But Saira White is hiding something and once again Rumaysa’s magic necklace leads her to someone who needs her help. Little does Rumaysa know that her parents are still desperately searching for her in the meantime, but there is someone who is determined to stop them from finding each other. 

I love Radiya Hafiza’s take on the traditional fairy tales, in particular her feisty and determined protagonist who doesn’t wait around for a boy to save her, and her happy endings that are about finding family and being true to yourself, rather than falling in love and getting married.

“‘True love?’ Rumaysa made a face. ‘That’s so clichéd! Besides, I think we’re a bit young for that.’”

Another inspiring and empowering Rumaysa adventure!

‘The Underpants of Chaos’ by Sam Copeland & Jenny Pearson

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When something weird starts to happen at their school, Agatha and Lenny team up to investigate…

Agatha is already a spy-detective so she is naturally well-placed to figure out what’s going on when a mysterious ‘shiver’ causes all of her classmates to dance wildly and then forget it ever happened. Lenny has tried a lot of different things, in a lot of different schools, (his mum is sure he’ll find his thing eventually) so he’s happy to give investigating a try – particularly as he and Agatha seem to be the only ones who notice the shiver and remember its effects afterwards. The shiver continues to cause chaos, from rampaging gargoyles to vicious underpants, but can Agatha and Lenny work out who is behind it all before their whole school is destroyed?

A lively and laugh-out-loud hilarious story from two very funny authors – this one has been highly requested in the school library!

‘Smile Out Loud’ by Joseph Coelho & Daniel Gray-Barnett

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Another wonderful collection from Joseph Coelho. These 25 poems will not only make you smile, but they are also perfect for reading aloud, acting out and inspiring children to write their own poetry. 

Amongst my favourites were ‘Imagination Running Free’, ‘A Brush with Danger’ about a yeti brushing his hair, and the wonderfully soothing and meditative ‘Bedtime’.

It is also wonderfully illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett.

‘Let’s Chase Stars Together’ by Matt Goodfellow

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A collection of powerfully emotive and beautifully written poems, ideal for older children.

Among my favourites were: ‘It’s Always the Same’ about a vulnerable child who lacks the protective armour that stability provides, the lyrical ‘When You Get Sad You Speak Like the Sea’, ‘Guess What’ about finding a friendship that seems like destiny, and ‘The Wolf’ – a metaphor for divorce.

These poems made me cry – highly recommended!

‘How To Be More Hedgehog’ by Anne-Marie Conway

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When Lily’s new teacher asks the pupils to team up and create a presentation about conserving the environment, she is thrilled as she is very passionate about wildlife. But as Lily’s supposed-best friend reminds her, she has a stammer and finds some letters particularly difficult to say – other people often talk over her as they don’t have the patience to wait for Lily to get her words out. But she is determined to do the presentation and she videos herself practising to help with her preparation. But then someone shares the video online and the comments fill up with people making fun of Lily’s stammer. Lily is sure that the only solution is to run away to live with her Dad in Scotland, change schools and start over where no one knows her. But perhaps Lily needs to learn to be more hedgehog…

Lily is a resilient and determined character and her experience of living with a stammer is sensitively and astutely explored. ‘How to be More Hedgehog’ is a warm, emotive and inspiring story about learning to face your fears and stand up for the things you are passionate about. Highly recommended.

Spark! School Book Awards Picture Book Shortlist

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I was fortunate to chair the shortlisting panel for the Picture Book category of the Spark! School Book Awards again this year. Out of a fabulously diverse, creative and colourful pile of submissions, these are the four books we selected to go forward to the children for judging…

‘The Bear and her Book: There’s More to See’ by Frances Tosdevin & Hannah Worsley

‘The bear gave a sigh and she waved a paw, “I’m a curious bear who must explore. The world is big and there’s more to see, and I’ll find this bear who is not like me.”’

Bear reads about a sad and lonely bear living in the arctic in her Book of Being Wise and sets out to find him, helping lots of other animals along the way.

A lyrical, stunningly illustrated story about a curious bear and her book-inspired adventures.

‘The Drama Llama’ by Rachel Morrisroe & Ella Okstad

‘The llama really started causing panic and hysteria, chasing kids and lunchtime helpers round the cafeteria.’

Whenever Alex is feeling anxious, his worries turn into a real live llama. The llama keeps growing and causing chaos until his teacher gets him to talk about his worries.

A colourful and hilarious read about learning to calm your drama llama by sharing your worries.

‘The Night Flower’ by Lara Hawthorne

‘And high on the cactus, beneath the bright moon, a tiny green bud is beginning to bloom.’

As the sun sets over the desert, all the creatures begin to gather for a special event – the blooming of the beautiful Night Flower on the saguaro cactus, which only happens once a year.

‘The Night Flower’ is a gorgeously illustrated story about a rare and magical moment in nature.

‘Why, Oh Why, Am I a Crocodile?’ by Alex Brooks & Hannah Worsley

‘Admiring the parrot for a little while, she sighed, “Why, oh why, am I a crocodile?”’

A lonely crocodile envies the other animals with their bright colours, long legs and appealing smiles, until she meets a blind monkey who teaches her to accept herself for who she is.

A delightful rhyming story about friendship and learning to love yourself.