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The Friendship Bench by Wendy Meddour ill. Daniel Egneus

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Tilly has just moved to a new house, by the splash and curl of the sea. She loves doing cartwheels in the sand and playing catch with Mummy and Shadow the dog. But when it is time to start her new school, Shadow and Mummy must stay outside. And inside is full of strangers. ‘Why don’t you try The Friendship Bench?’ says her teacher, when Tilly is playing alone. ‘It helps children find new friends to play with.’ But when Tilly gets there, somebody is already on it . . .

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Frank And Bert by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Feb 2022

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A new picture book from the creator of The Suitcase.

Frank and Bert are the best of friends and they LOVE to play hide and seek. But Bert the bear isn’t quite as good at hiding as he thinks he is . . . and Frank ALWAYS wins! Every. Single. Time.

But when it’s Bert’s turn to hide, and Frank has to decide between winning again OR making his friend happy, Frank learns that friendship is always the true winner.

This interactive and entertaining story about friendship is guaranteed to get children giggling!

Read this Nosy Crow blog post and discover how the book went through four or five different versions before arriving at the final storyline:

But the essence of the story was always about friendship – what it’s worth and how it can be tested sometimes. That’s what we were always wanting to bring out and highlight. I also wanted to be really careful that Bert, though not appearing to be the sharpest of the duo, is no fool either. He had to have a little conspirational moment with the reader that Frank isn’t entirely aware of, otherwise the friendship felt unbalanced and Bert a little patronised.

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And there’s an interview with him at ReadingZone.

When The World Was Ours by Liz Kessler

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Elsa, Leo and Max have always been best friends, a special team of three. Then the Nazis come.

As a growing darkness descends around them, Leo and Elsa run for their lives, taking two very different paths across Europe. And Max, once their closest friend, now becomes the enemy as he is drawn into the Hitler Youth. Will the friends ever find their way back to each other? Will they want to?

Inspired by a true story, and as powerful as it is heartbreaking, this novel shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times.

The Whale Who Wanted More by Rachel Bright ill. Jim Field

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 4 May 2021

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A stunning undersea tale of friendship, community and discovery from the bestselling creators of The Lion Inside. Humphrey the whale is on a quest: to find the one perfect object that will make him feel complete. He roams far and wide, gathering endless undersea treasure as he goes. Yet, no matter how many goodies he accumulates, Humphrey still doesn’t feel content. Could it be friendship, not possessions, that will really make Humphrey’s heart sing?

A sparkling rhyming tale that encourages sharing and kindness.

See our Meet An Illustrator feature with Jim Field.
Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jimfield/
Follow Rachel Bright on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrightbooks/

Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard ill. Christiane Furtges

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After five years at secondary school spent without any friends, Peyton King starts sixth form college determined that things will be different. Whatever happens, she will make friends at any cost. When she finds the friends she’s always dreamed of, including an actual boyfriend, she’s happier than she’s ever been.
But when they let her down in the worst way, Peyton is left no better off than when she started. Now Peyton knows the only chance she has of finding happiness is to look for it somewhere else. Her life may feel small, but it doesn’t have to be. With nothing but her sketchpad and a backpack, she buys a one-way ticket and gets on a plane. . .

In Destination Anywhere, Sara Barnard explores love, life and friendship in this exquisite tale of the lengths one girl will go to to change her story.

Follow Christiane Furtges on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuertgesillustration/

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 1 Mar 2021

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“Blankman spins a stunningly complex tale out of simple words. By focusing her account on only the two young girls, Blankman situates the seemingly distant horror of the disaster in a firmly human context.” KIRKUS

[f.p. hardback 2020]
On a spring morning, neighbours Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work – Chernobyl – has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who’ve always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina’s estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother’s secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they’ve wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend’s life? Would you risk your own? Told in alternating perspectives among three girls – Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941 – this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.

Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney

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Alex is a rebel with a purple fauxhawk and biker boots. St Mary’s Catholic School is a strict boarding school where she’s currently trapped. Despite trying everything she can to get expelled, she’s still stuck with the nuns, the prudish attitude and the sexism. Fed up with life inside the hallowed halls of St. Mary’s, Alex decides to take matters into her own hands. She’s going to stage the school’s first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. This may be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary’s can even bear to say the word ‘vagina’ out loud…

A riotously funny novel about the importance of friendship and finding your voice.

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold ill. Levi Pinfold

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Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2022 Winner
Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 28 Feb 2021

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There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months. But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life…

This moving story will win the hearts of children the world over and show them that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference. The Last Bear is a celebration of the love between a child and an animal, a battle cry for our world and an irresistible adventure with a heart as big as a bear’s.

Beautifully illustrated throughout by Levi Pinfold – winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Follow Levi Pinfold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levi_pinfold/

Luna Rae is Not Alone by Hayley Webster

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Luna Rae has moved to a new house and a new school. It’s hard fitting in – especially when there’s so much to worry about at home. She’s SURE that the way to solve everything is by winning the school baking competition with her mum … but there’s a problem. Luna’s mum has disappeared.

A wise, warm and uplifting story about families and friendship, from a beautiful new voice in children’s fiction.

Hayley Webster is a primary school teacher and writer of the Teacup House Series for emerging readers (Usborne).

Out Of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

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A feel-good picture book about friendship and change, from the bestselling author of The Suitcase (2019), translated into over 20 languages.

Beetle and Caterpillar are best friends. Every day, they sit together on a big rock, sharing a picnic and looking out over the forest. But one day, Caterpillar goes missing and, try as he might, Beetle cannot find her. Just as he is about to give up hope, a very friendly (and rather familiar) butterfly appears out of nowhere. Can it be his friend? She might look different but she is still just the same and they are together again, at last.

Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free “Stories Aloud” audio recording. Just scan the QR code and listen along!