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September children’s books: what to look out for

September children’s books: what to look out for

Find out what’s being published in the world of children’s books, as well as our five to watch, which will be reviewed by classes through the month

7th September 2018, 5:02pm

Joshua Morris

Sats: Why A Wide Range Of Reading Is The Best Way To Prepare Pupils For The Sats Tests

This week will have been spent getting back into the routine. Hopefully, you’ve been met with fresh faces, back from their summer break, never more eager and ready to learn.

If you’re looking to capitalise on that back-to-school feeling by bringing in some new reads this school year, our five new books to look out for this month is a great place to start. But those of you wanting to do a bit of extra legwork to find the perfect book for your class should look no further than our really big list of everything coming out this month.

Tes’ five to watch

Here are some of our top picks this month for those of you who are no longer quite so curious about the incident of the dog in the night time and need something new to kick-start the school year.

The Boy At the Back of the Class

By Onjali Q. Rauf

Onjali Q. Rauf tackles the heavy issue of the refugee crisis with a delicate touch, making the content both relatable and engaging for children. She uses her experience working with refugee families in Calais and Dunkirk to inform the character of Ahmet, a nine-year-old refugee boy trying to find his place in an unfamiliar classroom. Told from the perspective of another child in his class, Rauf lets the reader imagine themselves in the shoes of a pupil learning about what it means to be a “refugee kid”.

Our review:

“The refugee crisis is something that continues to make headlines and it is affecting families all over the globe, including many in the UK. This book’s greatest strength is how it conveys the emotive nature of its main theme in a way that opens up conversations instead of shutting them down.”

Samantha Soper, Year 3 class teacher at Wellsprings Primary School in Taunton

“I like how the friends try to help Ahmet. He isn’t the person they all think he is going to be. It teaches us a life lesson: that we don’t have to make up what people are. It helps us to understand a refugee’s experience.”

Samantha and Summer, Year 5

The Restless Girls

By Jessie Burton

The Twelve Dancing Princesses isn’t a Brothers Grimm’s tale that all will be familiar with, but for some, it’s a classic. As is often the case with old fairy tales, the ideas posed can feel a bit out of place in today’s classroom. However, Jessie Burton’s feminist revision of the story reanalyses the story under modern themes, bringing “sisterhood, survival and freedom” to the forefront, all while retaining that fairy-tale feeling.

From the publisher: “A dazzling, feminist reinterpretation of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, from the bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse, beautifully illustrated by Angela Barrett. The Restless Girls is the book that every little girl and boy needs to read, a fairy tale about family, sisterhood, imagination and bravery.”

A Darkness of Dragons

By S A Patrick

A talking rat, a friendly dracogriff, and a young protagonist face increasingly difficult odds on an adventure across a magical world. A Darkness of Dragons has all of the key fantasy hooks to keep children and adults absorbed in the story. S A Patrick weaves together a story that, while fantastical, always has friendship at its heart. This is one that will be just as hard for you to put down as it will for your students.

Our review:

“If future books in the series are as compelling as the first, this could turn out to be a fantastically popular new series. This is a tale of three unlikely heroes, who take on the most infamous villain pipers have ever known - The Pied Piper of Hamelyn. SA Patrick has adapted the traditional fairy tale to create a fearsome character, and then filled the plot with action, suspense and magic from start to finish.”

Angela Kent, librarian, Four Lanes Junior School, Basingstoke

“I enjoyed this story as it gave me, as the reader, many adventures to hold my interest. I liked how engaging the writer made the story by adding suspense and detail in their writing. The book made me feel a rollercoaster of emotions -sad, happy, scare and excited.”

Lucy, aged 10

Pages & Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers

By Anna James

A book for all those children who dream of getting lost in their favourite worlds. Tilly meets a whole host of some of everyone’s favourite literary characters. The tale is driven by adventure, mystery and nostalgia with a real love of books shared with the reader. Tilly and the Bookwanderers is so full of references that some will go over the heads of younger readers, but it’s a good opportunity to introduce other works of fiction to your students.

From the publisher: “Since her mother’s disappearance, 11-year-old Tilly has found comfort in stories at Pages & Co., her grandparents’ bookshop. But when her favourite characters, Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland, appear in the shop, Tilly’s adventures become very real. Not only can she follow Anne and Alice into their thrilling worlds, she discovers she can bookwander into any story she chooses.”

How to Make Friends with a Ghost

By Rebecca Green

One for the younger readers (and young at heart teachers). How to Make Friends With a Ghost is written as a guide with adorable illustrations and a charming sense of humour spread across the pages. It’s just spooky enough going into the Halloween season, without being scary for the younger readers. Readers will love the fluffy marshmallow-like ghosts in this book, and by the end will be a master ghost whisperer.

From the publisher: “What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favourite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you’ll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you.”