Dixie O’Day

by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy

This is the first in a series of Dixie O’Day books.

These books follow the humorous adventures of a dog, Dixie O’Day, and his best friend, Percy.

There is something wholesome and delightful about these stories. It might be the crisp, detailed, slightly retro illustrations in red, black and white or the fact that Dixie is such a very solid, considerate, enthusiastic chap. He and Percy get themselves into all sorts of scrapes and near misses but there is always the feeling that things will be ok in the end.

My 5 year old and I really enjoyed reading these books together, and we giggled at some of the pictures, mostly at Percy’s expressions, he is not always as enthusiastic or foolhardy as Dixie!

The extra activities, quizzes and maps at the back of the book, along with the chunky feel and thicker than normal pages, all add to the readability of this book.

I’d recommend these books for parents to read to 5/6 year olds or 7+ year olds to read to themselves.

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The 13^th Storey Treehouse

by Andy Griffiths

Andy and Terry live in a treehouse, the kind of treehouse children dream of living in. It has, among other things, a lemonade fountain, a swimming pool, a tank full of man-eating sharks and a secret underground laboratory! What’s not to love!

Andy and Terry are supposed to be writing a book but before they can even get started distractions come along in the form of flying cats, sea monsters, bubblegum burp bubbles and monkeys, and that’s just naming a few! The reader gets to follow their adventures, through words and pictures, and join in the madness.

The book is crammed full of illustrations, humour and the kind of rambunctious nonsense that kids love. Both my boys have read all the books in these series and get very excited when a new one comes out. They have also been inspired to imagine and draw their own treehouses.

These books are great for children who are reluctant to read chapter books as the illustrations make them feel less wordy and more accessible.

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Charlie Merricks Misfits

by Dave Cousins Football, friends and the World Cup

Charlie Merrick’s Misfits in Fouls, Friends and Football by Dave Cousins “The history of football is full of teams doing incredible things against the odds,….” Charlie Merrick

I thought we should have a topical book and here is a great one set in the run up to a World Cup tournament.

Charlie and his football team, North Star Galaxy, are not exactly the best team in the world, in fact they pretty much reside at the bottom of their local league. However, this doesn’t stop football-mad Charlie dreaming big. The book is written in the form of Charlie’s entry to a competition where youth teams can be selected to play in exhibition matches at the World Cup tournament. Through match reports, comic strips and Charlie’s honest account we follow the team’s journey as they strive to, well, just win a game for once and hopefully win a place in the World Cup youth tournament. This may be a book full of football but it is also very much about what makes a team work and the positives of working as, and being part of, a team, on and off the pitch.

This is a funny, easy to read, really likeable book. Both my boys have read it at least three times each! There are football facts, posters, hilarious illustrations as well as edge of the seat match reports and heart warming moments as the team grow and bond together. This is a book for all football lovers and a great one for a football loving reluctant reader.

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Jack Stalwart

series by Elizabeth Singer Hunt

There are 12 books in the Jack Stalwart series and in each book the nine year old Secret Agent travels to a different country. These are James Bond stories for the young reader, where his spray gun only shoots sleeping liquid and good always overcomes evil. In The Search for the Sunken Treasure, Jack travels to Australia where he comes face to face with pirates, hidden treasure, sharks and Komodo dragons. The story moves along at a swift pace and is full of action, and a little bit of magic, from start to finish. There are whizzy gadgets a plenty that do all sorts of clever things and Jack is inventive, courageous and wonderfully self-assured for a nine year old! The language is simple and the font easy to read making these books great for seven year olds who are starting to read chapter books by themselves.

My son whizzed through these series and often re-reads them for an easy bedtime read full of adventure.

Trebizon

series by Anne Digby

Rebecca has left her London day school and travels to Cornwall to go to the famous Trebizon boarding school, as her parents are moving to Saudi Arabia for work. Through Rebecca, we are introduced to life at boarding school and the girls that attend Trebizon.

We follow Rebecca as she attempts to build friendships, make her mark through her writing and settle into her new school life. Rebecca is very likeable, with enough flaws to make her believable, but not so much depth that her initial loneliness and homesickness feels too raw or uncomfortable. This is a warm comforting book, where despite the emotional ups and downs of the characters, you feel nothing too bad is going to happen. The plot still pulls you along so you are turning the pages and as a young girl I would have raced through these pages wanting to know what happens next, and at the end demanding the next book in the series.

Although set in the 1970’s the writing still feels relevant with the strong themes of friendship making it very relatable to children today. There is a lovely innocence to this book; the characters want to make their own school magazine, drink cocoa as a nightly ritual and appreciate each other’s artwork and poetry. The teachers are all kind, wanting to do the right thing by the girls and there is the sense that good will always prevail. The villain is suitably ruthless, full of “vaulting ambition” but no match for Rebecca and her new friends, especially the bubbly, irrepressible Tish with her strong sense of justice and loyal followers.

This is a sweet, friendly book that I would recommend to any 7+ girl wanting to curl up in a snuggly corner for a cosy read.

tion matches at the World Cup tournament. Through match reports, comic strips and Charlie’s honest account we follow the team’s journey as they strive to, well, just win a game for once and hopefully win a place in the World Cup youth tournament. This may be a book full of football but it is also very much about what makes a team work and the positives of working as, and being part of, a team, on and off the pitch.

This is a funny, easy to read, really likeable book. Both my boys have read it at least three times each! There are football facts, posters, hilarious illustrations as well as edge of the seat match reports and heart warming moments as the team grow and bond together. This is a book for all football lovers and a great one for a football loving reluctant reader.

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Shapeshifter

series by Ali Sparkes

This is the first book in a series of six.

The Shapeshifter series by Ali Sparkes are so good that when my 8 year old had finished reading them all he immediately started reading the series again! To understand why these books had so captured his imagination I opened up the first book and have just finished the series!

The books are about a boy, Dax, and his group of friends who have extraordinary powers, and it is the possession of these powers that draws them into thrilling adventures which have you turning page after page.
As well as being full of action and adventure, the books explore themes of friendship, family and growing up. Dax often examines and explores his own emotions in a very relatable way and it is easy to feel very involved with all the main characters. Ali Sparks’s writing is evocative and moves at a fast pace.

I would highly recommend these books for 8-12 year old girls and boys.

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