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Books of the month
January
Each month we recommend a selection of our favourite books that are either newly published or are appearing in paperback for the first time. The key stage/s indicate the age range for which each title is most appropriate.
Picture Books - Key Stages 1 & 2
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Carol Ann Duffy
The princess’ blankets
A wonderful modern fairy tale with a strong ecological message about a spoilt princess who uses all the world’s resources just to keep warm. With its substantial text, superbly supported by atmospheric, glittery paintings by artist Catherine Hyde, this is a book to cherish. The beautifully poetic language would read well aloud or could be enjoyed by a thoughtful older reader. 9+
Templar 2008 £14.99 ISBN 9781840112016
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Kristina Stephenson
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the really frightful night
This involving picture book mixes fable with common sense, turning tradition on its head, as Sir Charlie searches the castle for the wicked thief who has stolen the princess's teddy. The reader is taken on a fearful quest around the haunted corridors with Sir Stinky and his trusted mare, whilst lively illustrations, word play and artful flaps all add to the experience. A book to read aloud with expression, or one that more confident readers will enjoy poring over themselves. 5+
Egmont 2008 £10.99 ISBN 9781405242028
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Spooky stories: three stories in one
This very attractive and colourful volume features reprints of three popular stories from the 'Banana Books' series, all with a spooky theme. Featured authors include Penelope Lively, Mary Hoffman and Gillian Cross, writing respectively on vampires, devils and monsters. All tales are very tongue-in-cheek, with the child protagonists coming out on top, and are bound to appeal to the majority of children. Quality paper and illustrations make this a very good value purchase. 7+
Egmont 2008 £5.99 ISBN 9781405242301
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Fiction - Key Stage 2 / 3
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Gretchen Olson
Call me Hope
‘Hands and words are not for hurting’. Eleven-year-old Hope knows from experience how words can hurt. Nothing she does pleases her mother, who is sometimes sweet but can fly into a rage for no reason that Hope can fathom. ‘Hopeless’, ‘dumb’, ‘stupid’ are some of the least cruel words her mother uses and Hope struggles to retain her self-esteem. Inspired by the story of Anne Frank, and supported by the school counsellor, Hope finds the courage to confront her mother about her verbal abuse and explain how much it hurts. Despite the very obvious message, Hope’s story is a compelling one and raises an important issue. 11+
Little, Brown & Co. 2008 £4.99 9780316012393
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Chris Priestley
Uncle Montague’s tales of terror
Edgar loves visiting his Uncle Montague to listen to his creepy stories. His uncle’s eerie house is filled with interesting objects, each linked in some way to a chilling tale, and each more terrifying than the last. As the significance of each object emerges through his uncle’s storytelling, it becomes evident to Edgar that something sinister is happening. All of the stories seem to be about children who have died in unfortunate circumstances - so how does his uncle know the endings? An almost tangibly chilling, gothic atmosphere is created throughout the storytelling and readers will become engrossed in the strange objects and the spine-chilling ending. Deliciously unputdownable.
Bloomsbury 2008 £6.99 ISBN 9780747589211
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Savita Kalhan
The long weekend
A book for those who enjoy tense psychological thrillers, this story takes place over the course of a weekend and keeps the reader consistently on the edge. We follow the fate of two young teenage boys, Sam and Lloyd, who accept a ride home, each thinking that they are in the other's family car. They arrive at a country mansion filled with everything they might enjoy … but the man who has taken them there has evil motives, as the reader, and one of the boys, begin to realise. The weekend becomes one of sheer horror, as they attempt to escape the ferocious intensity of the man who is trying to track them down. Contains a reference to sexual abuse. 12+
Anderson Press 2008 £5.99 9781842708460
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Oisin McGann
Strangled silence
Ivor McMorris, a casualty of the war in Sinnostan, believes he has had false memories of the events surrounding his injury implanted in his brain and that he is being watched. Amina, the trainee reporter who interviews him, assumes he is suffering from paranoid delusions brought on by post traumatic stress disorder. Chi Sandwith is an investigator of conspiracy theories and is beginning to make connections between Ivor’s story and those of other injured soldiers. The three join forces and begin to unravel a complex and sinister government conspiracy, putting their lives in great danger. This gripping andthought-provoking novelwill fascinateteenagers who are intrigued by conspiracy theories. 13+
Corgi Books 2008 £6.99 9780552558624
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Heather O’Neill
Lullabies for little criminals
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008, this is the deeply touching story of 12-year-old Baby, who lives with her father Jules in a succession of run-down apartments in Montreal’s red light district. As Jules sinks deeper into heroin addiction, Baby leads an increasingly feral existence and, inevitably, the vacuum is filled by Alphonse, a charismatic and predatory character, who puts Baby to work as a prostitute to support his own drug habit. Baby’s naïve and understated narration of her grim circumstances make poignant reading in this compelling debut novel by a talented new author.
Quercus 2008 £7.99 9781847243935
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Stephen King
Duma Key
This latest King novel does not disappoint; the master of very clever formula fiction delivers an epic 689 pages. While this supernatural mystery takes place in Florida, not Maine, the novel still contains many of Stephen King’s favourite archetypes - zombies, demon dolls, eccentrics, one armed men, ancient curses and the very essence of art itself. The dramatic action is slow to build but the main characters of the Freemantle and his friend Wiseman, both disabled, are beautifully drawn and totally unique. Wonderfully easy to read as most chapters are no more than two pages and all finish with cliff-hanging endings.16+
Hodder 2008 £7.99 9780340978030
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