Recommended Reads
CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal Winners
Buy your copies from Durham Learning Resources at 15% discount
The Kate Greenaway Medal Winner
Emily Gravett Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears
Macmillan (Age range: 6+)
"Every time you read 'Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears' you discover something new: there's so much going on, so much to explore. The attention to detail is astounding. It's such a satisfying experience which incorporates smell, texture, humour and great imagination. The die-cut holes, and pull-out map are wonderfully novel features, but it's much more than just a novelty book: everything has a purpose and nothing is wasted. A book that not only works with lots of different age-groups, but also one that can be read, and re-read, and re-read again" Tricia Adams, Chair of the judging panel
The Carnegie Medal Winner
Philip Reeve Here Lies Arthur
Scholastic (Age range: 12+)
"'Here Lies Arthur' is an outstanding book, and deserving winner. Reeve's is a consistent story-telling voice that brings us a subtle and credible retelling of the King Arthur myth. It is both a page turning adventure story and a clever historical novel. It also has clear political resonance for our times, demonstrating humanity's need to sustain hope and optimism, and our tendency to favour myth over reality to achieve that end." Tricia Adams, Chair of the judging panel
Take a trip to the seaside!
Seaside Holidays Recommended Reads for KS1
For Sale at 15% discount from Mainly Books
A walk on the Beach by Jo Waters
Heinemann (Nature Detectives) £5.25
Rita and Whatsit at the Beach by Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vignod
Zero to Ten £4.99
Seaside Senses by Paul Humphrey
Watts (Reading Roundabout) £3.99
Beach
Ticktock (What Can I See) £4.99
My Day at the Beach by Alice Proctor
Ticktock (Telling the Time) £4.99
Coasts by Angela Royston
Heinemann (My World of Geography) £6.50
Winnie at the Seaside by Valerie Thomas (ill. by Korky Paul)
OUP £5.99
To order, contact us
Durham School Pupils' Top Reads
Books chosen by children in Durham schools and libraries, to celebrate the National Year of Reading:
DLR Durham School pupils top reads.pdf (6 pages, 40kb)CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Shortlists
A superb selection of children’s books, chosen by a panel of experienced children’s librarians
Buy your copies from Durham Learning Resources at 15% discount: contact us
CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal shadowing scheme
The shadowing scheme invites children and young people to read the shortlisted books, assess them by the same criteria used by the librarian judges, and share their views with other reading groups.
Winners announced 26 June 2008
For more information and to register online visit carnegiegreenaway.org.uk
The Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist
The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.
Silly Billy by Anthony Browne
Walker Books (Age range: 5+)
ISBN: 9780744570175
Billy is a bit of a worrier. He worries so much, he can’t sleep. Luckily Grandma knows just what he needs to help him overcome his fears. And once Billy learns Grandma’s secret, he finds he never has to worry again.
This is a very clever, very subtle book, fantastically detailed and with some wonderfully weird touches. The layout is beautifully balanced, with lovely strong blocks of colour. Though the narrative is quite static, the images are full of movement, and the skilful framing, reminiscent of a photo album invites you in to take a look.
Penguin by Polly Dunbar
Walker Books (Age range: 3+)
ISBN: 9781844280650
Ben tries very hard to get his new Penguin to talk to him. He pulls faces, sings songs and does dizzy dances. Penguin says nothing. Ben tries ignoring him, making fun of him, and even fires him up in a rocket. But still Penguin says nothing. Only when a hungry lion comes along does Penguin reveal his true feelings.
This book makes a big impression with its clean, confident style. The penguin’s body language is wonderful, and the child is also beautifully drawn without being in any way twee, or sentimental. Dunbar is not afraid of using lots of colour, but neither is she scared of white space: giving each page real visual impact, and making you want to interact with the story. All in all, a book to make you happy.
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett
Macmillan (Age range: 6+)
ISBN: 9781405089487
Little Mouse is afraid of almost everything. We learn about all his phobias, from his fear of creepy crawlies to his fear of clocks, dogs, cats and shadows. The only thing that makes him feel better is that human beings actually seem to be afraid of him!
This is a clever, funny and innovative book which is also extremely warm and emotionally engaging for the reader. It’s a book you can explore and spend ages over. The attention to detail is quite astonishing: every part of the book is used, and the production values are fantastic. It works on every single level. A publishing tour de force.
Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
Macmillan (Age range: 0+)
ISBN: 9781405089494
A little girl and her toy monkey play at being animals. They have great fun pretending to be penguins, kangaroos, bats, elephants and monkeys, before heading tiredly home for tea.
A simple and highly effective, but also rather elegant book, both in format and design.
Everything combines to give a great sense of movement: from the font and the placing of the text, to the way the beautifully drawn limbs of the child and her toy make lovely shapes on the page. The eye is drawn right in, so that you feel you are being invited to join in the game. A book that is quite conventional in feel, but also highly original.
The Lost Happy Endings illustrated by Jane Ray (Text by Carol Ann Duffy)
Bloomsbury (Age range: 9+)
ISBN: 9780747579229
If it were not for Jub there would be no happy endings, none at all. But one night, on her way to make sure that every story told in the world ends well, she is caught by a wicked witch who steals all her happy endings. Jub must use all her ingenuity to rescue the stories from disaster.
A beautiful and decorative book by a wonderful colourist, with a lovely use of gold, and of light and dark, which make the shadows and night scenes extremely effective. The powerful illustrations really elevate the text. It’s also a courageous portrayal of evil: Ray does not draw back from making the witch a very sinister presence in the story. A book that reveals more every time you go back to it.
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell
Macmillan (Age range: 7+)
ISBN: 9781405050579
A string of daring burglaries has taken place in Big City and precious lapdogs are disappearing all over town. Something must be done. Meet Ottoline Brown and her best friend Mr Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve.
A book which combines superb draughtsmanship with a lovely selective use of colour and a beautiful cover design. There is so much synergy between the text and illustrations; they complement each other perfectly, drawing the reader in. The detail is such that every time you look at this innovative book, you see something new.
Banana! by Ed Vere
Puffin (Age range: 0+)
ISBN: 9780141500591
Two monkeys. One banana. A recipe for trouble, until someone remembers the magic word. Do you know what it is?
A bold and deceptively simple book which uses colour to great dramatic effect. Its fantastic use of space provides a masterclass in how not to clutter the page to get a result, whilst the minimal text does the job of telling the story perfectly. Pure colour, pure enjoyment.
The Carnegie Medal Shortlist
The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people.
Gatty's Tale by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Orion (Age range: 10+)
ISBN: 9781842552735
In the year 1203, nine companions set out from Wales on a great pilgrimage across Europe to Jerusalem. Not all of them will come home. At the heart of the drama is Gatty, a field-girl. Eager, bold and resolute, and wide open to new experience, she has an extraordinary journey of her own to make.
This enjoyable and beautifully written book, offers us strong, believable characters, with different perspectives and cultures. The rollercoaster plot gives the reader a tremendous picture of medieval life. This is a moving and hopeful story that plays with language and offers a wonderful, satisfying ending.
Ruby Red by Linzi Glass
Penguin (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780141382807
In Ruby Winter’s world, colour opens some doors and slams others shut. Her opulent Johannesburg neighbourhood is a far cry from the streets of Soweto, where anger and hatred simmer beneath the surface. Everyone around her is conscious of race, colour and creed; but not Ruby.
A multi-faceted and poignant novel that examines the way events profoundly affect some, whilst disengaging others. Glass builds up considerable tension through her use of language; a thought-provoking read about the extent to which one young person is able to make sense of the seismic events taking place around her.
Crusade by Elizabeth Laird
Macmillan (Age range: 10+)
ISBN: 9780330443111
Adam is a Christian who hears that dust from Jerusalem could save his mother’s soul, and eagerly accepts a Knight’s invitation to be a servant on a Crusade, however it’s not long before he finds himself in the front line. Meanwhile, Salim has a peaceful upbringing as a Moslem in the port of Acre. With invasion imminent, his father apprentices him to a Jewish doctor. He’s just settling to his new life when the mighty Sultan sends for the doctor. Salim finds himself confronting the enemy and coming face to face with a fellow teenager - the young Adam.
This is a beautifully realised story which unfolds with immaculate pace and plotting. The passage of time is convincingly depicted, and the novel gives us well-handled insights into the various characters, their creeds and their concerns.
Apache by Tanya Landman
Walker (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9781406303315
Siki is a 14 year-old Apache Indian girl living on the Mexican border. She is orphaned along with her 4 year-old brother Tazhi. When the Mexicans ride against the Apache, Siki witnesses Tazhi’s brutal murder. In seeking revenge for her brother she has no choice but to become a warrior, overcoming all prejudice to fight as a woman alongside the men folk of her tribe.
This well researched novel contains accomplished descriptions of both landscape and character, and perfectly captures the unremitting sadness and tension of the Apache girl’s world. Her grief and sorrow are beautifully handled. A book with lasting emotional impact which gives the reader a rich experience of an unfamiliar culture.
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
Scholastic (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780439955331
“There’s nothing a man can do that can’t be turned into a tale…”. Britain. AD 500. Gwyna’s new master Myrddin says he’s not an enchanter, yet he works his own kind of magic. He turns Gwyna from a slave-girl into a goddess, a boy, and a spy – and Arthur into a legend. But is Arthur really everything he is cracked up to be?
A page-turner of a novel, with a well-constructed plot and believable characters that engage the reader from the off. The landscape and setting of the time are skilfully drawn. Reeve cleverly makes the story relevant to today by examining the versions of history that are handed down to us, and the ways in which myths are created. An enjoyable and thought-provoking book.
What I Was by Meg Rosoff
Penguin (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780141383439
A remote boys public school complete with nineteenth century architecture and values to match is the setting for a novel set nearly fifty years ago. It’s 1962 and the understandably reluctant hero, who has already been expelled from two schools, arrives at St Oswald’s to start again. With its code of conduct, and the importance attached to rank, loyalty and cross country runs it provides an unlikely setting for a story of first love; a story that challenges many contemporary perceptions even half a century later.
A beautiful coming-of-age novel with an outstanding sense of time and place, which vividly captures the individual voice of its central character. Full of gorgeous, striking imagery, it is a bold and brave examination of gender and otherness.
Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine
HarperCollins (Age range: 12+)
ISBN: 9780007214457
A teenage boy spots Violet Park, or rather her ashes, in an urn sitting on a shelf in a cab company’s office at 5 o’clock in the morning. This sets him thinking about his Mum, his absent father and what’s right for people when they die. With the help of his Gran he gets hold of the urn and sets about rescuing Violet Park: who is she and where does she really belong? Finding Violet Park turns about to be an extraordinarily revealing coincidence, not just for her.
A comic and enjoyable novel, cleverly plotted and full of dark humour. The first-person style is very appealing, and gives us a lively and believable hero who finds himself in surreal situations. Valentine takes a serious subject and handles it in a realistic way but with a nice light touch. The ending is bittersweet but satisfying
Healthy Lifestyle
Eat Well
Safe and Sound series
Heinemann First Library
£6.50
Clear, simple text and photos make this a good choice for KS1
Exercise and Play
Healthy Eating
Keeping Clean
Keeping Safe
Harmful substances
Health Choices series
Wayland
All at £5.99
The simple chatty style appeals to 7-9 year-olds
For sale at 15% discount from Mainly Books - contact us
Northern Lights
Now a major new film The Golden Compass
For sale at 15% discount from Mainly Books and for loan while stocks last. Contact us
