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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/

 

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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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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!


 

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.