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Find out moreLovereading4schools is pleased to feature the UKLA Book Awards this year. Run by the UK Literacy Association. What makes these awards so unique is that they are the only awards judged entirely by active classroom teachers, who are able to share the books with their classes and genuinely discover what works with young readers.
This year teachers have been selected from schools in Bristol and South West to read the longlisted books, discuss them with their group leaders, and share them with pupils. Then they had the difficult task of choosing their shortlist of six books in each category!
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One of our Books of the Year 2016 | Winner of the English Association 4-11 Picture Book Awards 2016 - Fiction 4-7 category | Winner of Little Rebels 2016 | Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 3 - 6 year old category. | All finches make a lot of noise! Henry Finch has grown up with a terrible racket all around him from morning until night. But he is sure that there could be more to life – if only he could have space to think! How one brave little finch becomes a hero and gives all the other finches the chance to do their own thing is beautifully realised in Viviane Schwarz’s witty thumb print illustrations.
Winner of the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 7 - 11 year old category. A richly visualised story which explores imaginary friends and the very special role they play in children’s lives. Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger have the best of times playing together. While Amanda’s mother accepts the existence of Rudger she can’t actually see him. He is only visible to Amanda until the sinister Mr Bunting and the pale girl who travels with him turn up on the doorstep. Mr Bunting is searching out imaginaries with sinister intentions. When Amanda is hit by a car Rudger goes on the run and learns the rules of being an imaginary. Emily Gravett’s illustrations capture the hazy world of the imaginaries brilliantly. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Winner of the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 12 - 16 year old category. WINNER of the 2015 COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR and Winner of the Costa Children's Book Award Award-winning Frances Hardinge is spellbinding is this hugely entertaining and dramatic Victorian thriller. When Faith’s father dies suddenly she knows she must try to find out exactly what he was hiding in the local caves she had recently visited with him. Discovering the extraordinary Lie Tree which thrives off hearing lies and, in turn, reveals secrets long kept hidden Faith begins to uncover a web of secrets and mysteries that will change her view of the world forever. Faith is a feisty heroine whose courage combined with a determination that girls can be brave and resolute leads to the exposure of much dishonesty and many deceptions. ~ Julia Eccleshare. Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2016. The Lie Tree is only the second children’s book to take the overall Costa Book of the Year prize, and the first since Philip Pullman won with The Amber Spyglass in 2001. James Heneage, chair of the final judges, said: “Part horror, part detective, part historical, this is a fantastic story with great central characters and narrative tension. It’s not only a fabulous children’s book but a book that readers of all ages will love."
Highly Commended in the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 7 - 11 year old category. A tremendous adventure unfolds across the vast emptiness of Canada being opened up by explorers in the 1880s. William Everett knows all about the railway from his father who has been working on it for years. Waiting to meet him on an empty station – Mile 2553 – William meets an attractive young circus performer before being swept up onto an amazing train and into a journey of a lifetime. There is a dazzling cast of characters, some seriously derailing incidents and glorious countryside all to be encountered on this rollercoaster journey of a lifetime.
Winner of the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 3 - 6 year old category. | Little Red Riding Hood transposed to an African town setting where a lion is really no match for a clever small girl. The inventive layout of the text and its relationship to the witty, beautifully coloured illustrations really enhance the child friendly storytelling. The empowering portrayal of different cultures and a heroine who is not a naive victim ensure that this will become a classic for the classroom and the nursery. A wonderfully engaging classic fairy tale with a twist by the bestselling Alex T. Smith.
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 7 - 11 year old category. Greta needs a hero, someone to defeat the murderous giant Yuk. She goes to see Mr Stickler, proprietor of Happily Ever Afters, motto, ‘You bring the quest, we’ll do the rest’, intending to hire one. But things don’t go according to plan, and Greta finds herself paired with Hercufleas, a flea. Fleas are not the most obvious giant-killers, but like the best heroes, Hercules makes up in brains, courage and resolve for what he lacks in brawn. This wildly inventive story is packed full of bizarre and original scenes and characters, but never once lets the momentum of the story slip. Hercufleas and Greta are irresistible characters, and the book ends with a surprising and rewarding twist. Unbefleavable fun! ~ Andrea Reece
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 12 - 16 year old category. Shortlisted for the 2015 Costa Children's Book Award - Shortlisted for the 2015 Guardian Children's Book prize From the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book prize comes a new novel about family and friendship. Jonathan, Holly and Davy have been struggling since their mother's death. On a visit to eccentric Great-Aunt Irene, they receive some photographs that could lead them to an inheritance. But they're not the only ones after the treasure... “A very modern book which has the feel of a classic as well as heaps of heart.” Costa Children's Book Award Judges
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 3 - 6 year old category - Longlisted for the 2015 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal | Award-winning illustrator Rebecca Cobb creates a number of different imaginary worlds in this delightfully fanciful story about a hole in the ground. The little girl finds the hole just beside the cherry tree. Who could live in it? Could it be frogs, mice, a badger or a troll or a dragon? Everyone has a different idea and the little girl and her dog sit and watch patiently so can be the very first to see! Full of charm, the imaginative scope of the story is quietly inspirational.
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 12 - 16 year old category. Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2016. This is a remarkable and surprising book, just when you think you understand it, whoosh, the unexpected taps you on the shoulder again. There are four quarters to this story; they travel across time, yet somehow are connected and can be read in any order. The writing is clever, each story has a main character, each one different to the one that has gone before, yet linked in a vital way. If you do choose to read the stories in a different order to the one the author has chosen, will your experience be different, will you have an altered understanding, will you feel the same when you turn the final page? Compelling yet often uncomfortable, sharp yet subtle, this will make you feel, think and question what you know; this, is a wonderfully fascinating read. ~ Liz Robinson Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award 2015. The Costa Award Judges thought The Ghosts of Heaven was “A startlingly original novel with a strong conceptual link to the motif of a spiral. A hugely ambitious work.”
An Away Day is the new title in the fantastic new The Dad With 10 Children series: a series of charming picture story books about a single father's fun and frantic daily life. Every day, the dad who had 10 children counted 10 little t-shirts, 10 cups on the table, 10 bowls of spaghetti and 10 goodnight kisses...until one day he finally needed a rest! Leaving his 10 children with Grandma, he set off on an 'away day' from counting. But after just 1 peaceful day and 1 quiet night, he discovers that something is definitely missing! In this delightful tale of the often overwhelming days and nights of modern parenthood, An Away Day demonstrates that, however hectic, family life is more fun when it's all for one and one for ten!
Zoella Book Club title Summer 16 | Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 12 - 16 year old category. Longlisted for the 2015 Guardian Children's Book prize Fans of John Green will love this heart-wrenching teenage novel. School students Violet and Theodore Finch first meet on the ledge at the top of the school bell-tower. Of course, it is out of bounds and neither should be there but, for different reasons and in different ways, both are struggling to believe that their lives are worth living. Together, they have something worthwhile to share and maybe, through that sharing, they can save each other – and themselves? Jennifer Niven convincingly captures their despair and their hope and the importance of friendship. All the Bright Places was the biggest selling YA novel of 2015. Jennifer Niven says “Years ago, I knew and loved a boy. The experience was life-changing. I’d always wanted to write about it—I just wasn’t convinced I would ever be able to. ‘All the Bright Places’ was written about a very hard, sad, lovely time during a very hard, sad, stressful time - and now here it is in your hands. (I am still pinching myself that it even exists.) Thank you, reader. To me, you are the brightest of places.”
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 12 - 16 year old category. Joanne Owen's Pick of the Year 2015 - January 2015 Book of the Month Award-winning Nick Lake tells a complex story fusing two strands of narrative into a richly woven single thread. Seventeen-year-old Shelby Cooper has always been very protected by her mother; she guesses it is partly because she is deaf, partly because her dad is dead and partly she had a terrible accident when she was a baby. But when she is knocked over by a car, her life takes a whole new turn. Suddenly she and her Mom are on the run and everything that she has known about her life before is suddenly questioned. What is the truth? And will she ever discover it? As her life unravels, Shelby retreats into a fantasy world of the Dreaming a place infused with old, old Mythology. Part-adventure, part-mystery and part a teenager’s journey of self-discovery, There Will Be Lies is dramatic and unexpected in equal measure. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 3 - 6 year old category. Shortlisted for Children’s Book Award 2016, Books for Younger Children category - Shortlisted for Oscar’s First Book Prize 2015 | A little girl, a big dog, and a very badly-behaved book! Bella is taking her dog for a stroll across the page when something odd happens. Her dog disappears and it becomes apparent to Bella, her friend Ben, and the rescue services that peril lurks in the pages of this book. But where the police and fire brigade fail, you - the reader - can help!
Set your spirit of adventure free with this lavishly illustrated trip around the world. Explore seven continent maps, packed with hundred of activities and challenges to inspire armchair travellers of any age. Whether you're visiting the penguins of Antarctica, joining the Carnival in Brazil or a canoe safari down the Zambezi River, this book brings together epic adventures from the remotest corners of the globe and discoveries to made on your own doorstep. Follow one boy and one girl as they travel to over 30 destinations and discover hundreds of things to spot and facts to learn on every page.
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 7 - 11 year old category. One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2014 - Interest Age 5-8 It's post-war Poland and grandpa is on a mission to enjoy a traditional carp dinner on Christmas Eve but his granddaughter just might persuade him otherwise but why? A beautiful, heartwarming story that will melt the hearts of all who read it and is a great story for grandparents and their grandchildren to share. About the Little Gems series: Little Gems are in a gorgeous new chunky format, with high-spec production including coloured endpapers and jacketed flaps with activities. Additional features include high quality cream paper, Barrington Stoke font and illustrations on every page. They are perfect for 5-8's. These quality stories promote good reading practice for all newly independent readers.
Birt and Etho are best friends. Together they play on Sudden Hill, making marvellous contraptions out of cardboard boxes. But then a new boy, Shu, wants to join in too. Etho is happy to welcome him. Birt isn't so sure. Eaten up with jealousy, he goes home and refuses to come out to play. Until Etho and Shu come to his house with the most marvellous cardboard contraption so far...A compelling story about accepting someone new, from the Benji Davies, the bestselling illustrator of The Storm Whale.
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2016 Book Award in the 7 - 11 year old category. Longlisted for the 2015 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. Fully illustrated, this is a beautiful and intriguing biography of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the highly original author of the classic French story, The Little Prince. In his detailed and illuminating illustrations, Peter Sis brilliantly conveys the story of this extraordinary explorer and his love of everything to do with aviation. A very fitting companion title to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s masterpiece. A Piece of Passion from Adam Freudenheim, Pushkin Children’s Books I've long admired the work of the Czech-born illustrator Peter Sís, and here I think he's found the perfect subject, which seems to me to be bringing the best out of him artistically and also producing a book with real appeal.The Little Prince is one of best loved children’s books in the UK. This book is a completely new take on the universe of this extraordinary author.
AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much. Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them? A fast-paced mystery novel by one of the country's finest writers, THE DOOR THAT LED TO WHERE will delight, surprise and mesmerise all those who read it.
