STORY    SHACK
  • Home
  • Creating a READING CULTURE in your school
  • Professional Development (and personal too for YOU).
  • Book Recommendations for YOU
  • Get in touch
  • Back together FOLK EAST 2020
  • FOLK EAST 2022
  • Listen to a favourite Storyshack story
  • Book Making Videos
  • Blog

Release your  imagination......
Explore new worlds.    
Make your own stories.

Explore a map-real or fantasy....where do you want to go? Make your own and see where your imagination takes you.

Save childhood

A lovely book list for KS2-not 'the' just 'a'.....

6/29/2014

1 Comment

 
CHAPTER BOOKS WITH SPARKY ILLUSTRATIONS:
'Flotsam and Jetsam' Series by Tanya Landman-two little characters living beneath an upturned cove at the seaside who make amazing things out of 'found materials' and have a crab friend called Sainsbury. 
'Oliver and the Seawigs' by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre'
Little boy who would really love just to settle down and have his own bedroom + go to school ends up following his adventuring parents towards some islands which appear to have floated away...they have in fact floated away. He discovers they are all after the title of best 'sea wig' to win authority over the other floating islands. There is also a short sighted mermaid too who I have every sympathy with! (not that I can swim like a mermaid at all). 
'A boy and a Bear in a Boat' by Dave Shelton
'Good dog, Bad dog' Book 1 by Dave Shelton-graphic novel, great way to entice reluctant readers especially those who are phased by a wall of text.
'The Invisible Boy' by Sally Gardner
'Fortunately the Milk' by Neil Gaiman-Dad goes out to retrieve forgotten milk for cereal and has adventures with pirates, dinosaurs, a volcano and an alien amongst others but 'fortunately the milk' is always OK!  

'Dixie O'Day in the Fast Lane' by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy
'The Charlie Small Journals' are in same vein as popular Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates in the sketchy/journal layout which appeals to everybody BUT these ones are not about school. There's a bit of a small Indiana Jones feel as there are adventures and missions a plenty.
'Ally's World' series by Karen McCrombie will probably be more for girls 9+ but popular, quick reads.

FANTASY:

Don't dismiss 'Harry Potter' by JK Rowling even if you've seen the films...books are worth reading as there's a lot more in them. Would suggest  1st 2 'The Philosopher's Stone' and 'The chamber of secrets' before 9 as it gets a bit darker with 'The Prisoner of Azkaban'.
'Warrior Cats' by Erin Hunter are a great series about cat clans. Book shops are stocking these because they're asked to by children themselves. Worth a look at, again 9+ as some scary and sad bits in there so be warned if you're an animal lover.
'The Edge Chronicles' by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell will appeal to anybody who likes reading about different worlds but they also have those wonderful illustrations by Chris Riddell just like the map header on this blog page!
'The Demon's Watch' and 'The Goblin's Gift' by Conrad Mason-heard Conrad speak last year...would be lovely for all children to hear more writers speak. These are both fantasy adventure focussing on Port Fayt and the main characters who are in the watch-on a mission to protect the Port and whoever lives there whether human or NOT.
'Spooks'  series by Joseph Delaney-starts with a boy apprentice learning to rid villages of spooks. There's enough scariness in it but it's OK for readers to be scared I think...that's imagination for YOU!
'Spiderwick chronicles' for all those fantastical creatures with a great story to go with it.Watch out for those hag stones....
'His Dark Materials' trilogy; 'Northern Lights', 'The Subtle Knife' and 'The Amber Spyglass' by Philip Pullman are a MUST READ for 10+ .EVEN if you've seen the Golden Compass.don't be lulled into not reading it because it's not a patch on the books.

'Strong Winds Trilogy' by Julia Jones - Julia is a local author and these books are set on the River Orwell+surrounding areas. Don't let the sailing put you off. You don't need to sail to enjoy the story-part adventure but also with a hard hitting social care story  which makes it very much NOT 'Swallows and Amazons' in that sense.

The Boy who Swam with Piranhas' by David Almond is a delightful and quirky must read about a boy who runs away to the circus from his canning obsessed Uncle. The warmth and the colour of the people he meets is, as always by David Almond, expressed in a spot on way for young readers + there's great humour there too.

'The History Keepers' by Damian Dibben for great adventures going back in time if you like history-I don't know many children who don't!

'Journey to the River Sea' by Eva Ibbotson,'The star of Kazan' + 'The Dragonfly pool' are great stories, all very different. The reason I'm carrying 'Journey' around is it's set in the Amazon and Manaus which I thought to be topical. Just great good from the heart STORIES. I don't want to say too much- I wish I'd come across her when I was at primary school but it's OK...found her now. 

'The Laura Marlin Mysteries' by Lauren. St. John which I'm always mentioning (pic on Recommended reads). You can't get much better than buying it as a leaving present for Yr4 then their class teacher had to read the next one and, when she left they made their next teacher promise that their class book would be the third! Good girl role model, good role model characters in a detective/mystery solver role.

'Jamie Johnson' series by Dan Freedman with the latest WORLD CUP read for interested football fans

'Itch' by Simon Mayo (yes the Simon Mayo) about a secondary school child who's nuts about chemistry. Refreshing change from all action heroes and good twist on adventure action with use of chemical elements in there too.

Talking of action adventure 'Young James Bond' series by Charlie Higson + 'Stormbreaker' by Anthony Horowitz are all ripping page turners-prob (incl Itch) 10+

'Wonder' by R. J Palacio is a 'must read' for 10+ I think...really great for transition. It's set in USA so concerns middle school but that doesn't matter. What does is the way it's written so you can see what it is like not only for August himself (who was born with a severe facial disfigurement) but also for his friend, sister etc. Really moving and though provoking. 

'The Giver' by Lois Lowry is another book to make you think-pre runner of the many  dystopian novels for young adults around at the minute and another about to be turned into a film BUT please read this first as the film looks quite different and the book is a really though provoking read in itself...for 11+ I think, worth reading at same time for some interesting discussions. Also for a thought provoking, emotionally scarring read so 11+ 

'Looking for the Stars' by Jo Cotteril. It's worth reading yourself but just to tell you that there is a very upsetting scene at the beginning which leaves 2 sisters to try and find their way to a refugee camp. This is there books play such a powerful part in widening children's minds and experiences in without (we hope) actually facing such difficulties in reality.


If you think they're a bit tricky read them to your child-better that than not at all. I think we maybe get 'hung up' on ensuring children are actually physically reading which can sometimes become a battle and is more and more away from the purpose of reading fiction which is to widen our imagination and open doors into other worlds. Don't panic if you're doing the reading....that means doors are opening  and dreams are evolving.











                                 











1 Comment
Jo
6/29/2014 08:45:25 am

What a brilliant resource to have to start my new journey. I will be looking and scouting the shelves of second hand book shops and amazon

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Get in touch
    Tweets by Storyshacker
    Follow @Storyshacker

    Sarah Gallagher

    Avid reader, sometimes a headteacher AND founder of Story shack. A place where  you can release your imagination and see where it takes you....
    reading
    writing
    book making
    playing
    because everyone deserves to imagine and create

    mumsnet

    Archives

    May 2022
    May 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Books
    Children
    Imagination
    Stories
    Teachers

    Wordle: storyshack
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.