8–10

Thirteen-year-old orphan Tomek runs a grocery store where, one day, a stranger girl comes into his shop asking for various items. She tells him she is looking for a magic river whose waters are eternal. Tomek develops a yearning to travel, and to bring some of the eternal water back for a beloved elderly man in his village.

Linnet is an alkonost, bird-like creatures similar to humans who have the gift of singing magic. Their island of home of Morovia was once peacefully shared with humans, but now the island is divided, singing magic is outlawed, and the alkonosts are forced to live in a swamp.

Children have been disappearing in London, but Cassie Morgan is more concerned with trying to be invisible at her boarding school, where she has attracted the ire of school bullies and, as a consequence, is a social pariah to her peers. Cassie copes with her solitude by retreating into a world of reading, yearning for the day when her mother will come for her. This hope is shattered when the callous school head mistress announces that Cassie's mother has officially been declared dead, which prompts the girl to run away rather than be despatched to an institution.

Yesterday Crumb is pulled away from a life as a mere circus speculation to a new magical adventure every day. This element made the book super enjoyable to read as well as the family and friends Yesterday found along the way.

In the exciting follow up to Orla and Serpent's Curse, we join Orla, her brothers, and Dave the Dog on their vacation in Norfolk spent at their Uncle Valentine’s house. As a new witch, Orla is hoping to relax on holiday. However, when she stumbles upon the nearby Anna’s Woods and learns of the evil GasFrac’s plans to destroy the woodland, she takes it upon herself to alert the locals to the danger and protect the environment.

Shakespeare: Great Lives in Graphics is an engaging and exciting read, with just enough gruesome titbits on Tudor England to fascinate young readers. Laid out in the style of an infographic, this book shares a surprising wealth of information on the Bard himself as well as the time he lived in. Children will enjoy comparing their own experience of school to those of Tudor children, as well as how stagecraft and special effects were created 423 years ago.

Hawking’s book does a great job of mixing facts with fiction. The story follows Princess Olivia from the palace to her new home and readers get the opportunity to learn about climate change which is an increasingly important topic. Princess Olivia, who isn’t fussed about being a princess at all, is a very determined protagonist. She is delighted when she learns that she will not be a princess anymore.

Max could think of lots of reasons why his school could just suddenly close down – meteor strikes, alien teachers, an army of squirrels, but a global pandemic never featured on his list. When his school does close suddenly, it turns out it is not that much fun after all, nor is being stuck in his house all day with his mum who likes to be quiet and who has to work all day. One day Max starts counting to a million, at first it is mainly to annoy his mum, but his count soon becomes something much bigger.

When Ajay, a young Mumbai orphan, realises his dream of becoming a journalist - thanks to an abandoned printing press and the help of his friends in creating their own paper - he uncovers political corruption which threatens the city's slum dwellers.