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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!


 

Edgar & Adolf by Phil Earle & Michael Wagg

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 Jan 2021

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Based on a true story…

When he inherits a special football badge, German teenager Adi sets off on a mission to fulfil his grandfather’s dying wish and return the badge to its rightful owner, former England footballer, Edgar Kail. After tracking Edgar down, Adi gets the chance to learn more about the achievements of his grandfather, Adolf Jager, and the story unfolds of a special friendship that spanned twenty years and survived the horror of the Second World War. Edgar Kail and Adolf Jager played for their respective clubs in the early twentieth century and they remain folk heroes even now. Perfect for less-confident readers, this is a fictional tale of two real-life footballing heroes, and the moving story of a friendship forged by the beautiful game.

The cover illustrator is Tom Clohosy Cole, also responsible for the excellent covers on Tom Palmer’s Armistice Runner and D-Day Dog.
Follow Tom Clohosy Cole on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomclohosycole/

Super-Readable Rollercoasters is a new series of titles resulting from a collaboration between Oxford University Press and specialist publisher Barrington Stoke, expertly edited to remove barriers of comprehension and printed in Barrington Stoke’s dyslexia-friendly font, designed to build reading confidence and stamina.
Other titles in the series”
Rat by Patrice Lawrence
I Am The Minotaur by Anthony McGowan


 

The Smallest Man by Frances Quinn

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“I loved this book – a fascinating tale of extraordinary accomplishment, and a story about how anything is possible and how love has always been a beacon of hop'” Phillip Schofield

Inspired by a true story, and spanning two decades that changed England for ever, The Smallest Man is a heartwarming tale about being different, but not letting it hold you back. About being brave enough to take a chance, even if the odds aren’t good. And about how, when everything else is falling apart, true friendship holds people together.

My name is Nat Davy. Perhaps you’ve heard of me? There was a time when people up and down the land knew my name, though they only ever knew half the story. The year of 1625, it was, when a single shilling changed my life. That shilling got me taken off to London, where they hid me in a pie, of all things, so I could be given as a gift to the new queen of England. They called me the queen’s dwarf, but I was more than that. I was her friend, when she had no one else, and later on, when the people of England turned against their king, it was me who saved her life. When they turned the world upside down, I was there, right at the heart of it, and this is my story.

Rat by Patrice Lawrence

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A moving story of community, loneliness and unexpected friendships…

When his mum is sent back to prison, Al knows exactly who’s to blame. Mr Brayker, who lives downstairs, has been making trouble for Al’s mum ever since they moved in, and Al’s determined to get his revenge. Ignoring advice from his gran and sister, Plum, Al takes things into his own hands with a plan that involves the only two creatures he can rely on: his pet rats, Venom and Vulture. But things don’t turn out exactly as he’d imagined … Written by award-winning author, Patrice Lawrence, this is a moving story of community, loneliness, and how you never quite know what’s going on in someone else’s life.

Published in OUP’s Rollercoasters series in association with Barrington Stoke, selected with lower-secondary classroom use in mind. 


 

The Valley Of Lost Secrets by Lesley Parr

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Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, January 2021

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A debut that has generated a lot of pre-publication enthusiasm from fellow authors, including from Frank Cottrell-Boyce: “terrifically enjoyable”.

When Jimmy is evacuated to a small village in Wales, it couldn’t be more different from London. Green, quiet and full of strangers, he instantly feels out of place. But then he finds a skull hidden in a tree, and suddenly the valley is more frightening than the war. Who can Jimmy trust? His brother is too little; his best friend has changed. Finding an ally in someone he never expects, they set out together to uncover the secrets that lie with the skull. What they discover will change Jimmy – and the village – forever.

A mesmerising mystery about bravery and brotherhood from an outstanding new voice.


 

When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 21 Dec 2020
Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 18 Oct 2020

A wonderful evocation of a Caribbean island childhood and a gripping mystery debut with a jaw-dropping twist…

Nothing much happens in Sycamore, the small village where Clara lives – at least, that’s how it looks. She loves eating ripe mangoes fallen from trees, running outside in the rainy season and escaping to her secret hideout with her best friend Gaynah. There’s only one problem – she can’t remember anything that happened last summer. When a quirky girl called Rudy arrives from England, everything starts to change. Gaynah stops acting like a best friend, while Rudy and Clara roam across the island and uncover an old family secret. As the summer reaches its peak and the island storms begin, Clara’s memory starts to return and she must finally face the truth of what happened last year.

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Landing with Wings by Trace Balla

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Dec 2020

This is a really charming graphic-novel picture book, presented in the form of a young girl’s nature diary. It is set in Goldfields in Dja Dja Warrung county and features the Bibrons Toadlet living at Happy Valley, Ballantinia plants growing at Leanganook, Golden Whistler, a smoking ceremony with Dja Dja Wurrung elder Uncle Rick, local veggie growers Gung Hoe, Little Habitat Heroes, and more. There is a strong focus on Aboriginal culture and staying connected to nature.

Miri’s been on the move and now she’s finding her feet, her freedom, her community and her home, treading lightly all the way. A story about spreading your wings and putting down roots in an ancient land, and finding a friend with whom to share an interest in the natural world.  

‘Another lovely adventure from Trace Balla. Rich in country and family, deep in care for the future.’ BRUCE PASCOE
‘A beautiful book about being connected to the world at ground level. I feel like I’ve made a new friend through Trace’s exquisitely accessible drawings and gentle prose.’ ALISON LESTER

The author herself writes of this book “I wrote it as a story of hope – a way forward, beyond boundaries and fences, towards belonging, community and country, welcome and home.”

Follow Trace Balla on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceballa/

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The Time Traveller and the Tiger by Tania Unsworth

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Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 22 Nov 2020

Face to face with the mightiest and most majestic predator in the jungle, Elsie is in awe of the tiger’s beauty. She’s on a mission to have the adventure of a lifetime, save the tiger and change the future.

With echoes of Tom’s Midnight Garden, Tania Unsworth writes about transcendent friendships and conservation in the animal kingdom.  Elsie is not looking forward to the long summer holiday with her creaky, old Uncle John. But then the unimaginable happens as Time unravels and Elsie tumbles back to 1940s India to meet her Uncle John as a young boy on a tiger hunt. Can Elsie stop him from doing what he’s already told her is a wrong he can never right?

The Time Traveller and the Tiger is a multi-layered novel for 9-12 year-olds, rich in adventure, mystery, historical and conservation themes.

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ACHUKAreview; Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

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This is SO good! Absolutely up my street. An economically written YA novel with wryly observed characters and an original storyline that is emotionally engaging to a degree that more overblown, in-your-face writing can never reach.
I want Wes Anderson to discover it and make a movie of it.

Read the rest of the review >

http://www.achuka.co.uk/reviews/?p=589