New Books for the Summer Term
If you are a West Sussex Primary school and subscribe to the Schools Library
Service, click here to benefit from a 25% discount on any books purchased
through our Book Purchase Scheme. All paperbacks come with dust jackets for a
longer shelf life and non-fiction has decimal classification spine labels attached. AR
labels may be applied on request to those books which are registered on the
Renaissance website.
For more ideas of new books and good books to share during the summer holidays, join us for the summer term Primary Book Chat on
Tuesday 9 July 3.45pm – 4.45pm (MS Teams)
SLS Primary Book Chat
Discover new books recently added to the SLS catalogue and take part in an informal chat with colleagues across the county about children’s publishing and best practice. A prize draw is also open to all participants on the day.
Halima, Superhero Princess by Emily Joof and Asa Gilland. Published by Floris Books. ISBN: 9781782509066
Halima doesnt want to go to her friend's fancy dress birthday party, because her friends say she cant go as Elsa or Pippi because she doesnt look like them. Her mum helps her to see there are many strong and brave people who look like her, and Halima tries on different costumes for each day of the week as she decides who to dress up as.
A heartwarming, inspiring introduction to black female role models and a simple way to encourage everyone to be proud of who you are.
Mo's Best Friend: a Stone-Age Story by Bridget Marzo. Published by Otter-Barry Books. ISBN: 9781915659194
Told in the present tense, this story follows a day in the life of Mo with all the responsibilities an older sister has, including babysitting. In a rare moment alone, she befriends a wolf cub and protects it from her tribe when the baby goes missing. Luckily the tribe's tracking skills identify the true culprit, a hungry lynx, which is being chased off by Mo's new furry friend.
This is not only a perfect introduction to the Stone Age, but also has great storytelling potential as a class read or for sharing with friends and family. With lots of humour and rich vocabulary to relish in!
My Mother's Tongues: a weaving of Languages by Uma Menon, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell. Published by Walker Books. ISBN: 9781529517880
This is a picture book story telling how the narrator's mother came from India to their English home and learned to speak two languages, Malayalam and English. The narrator learns to speak English at school, and her extended family in India help her to remember Malayalam when she visits them there. The book is beautifully illustrated, combining references to both Indian culture and to Western culture.
An ideal introduction to any Primary age child which will broaden their knowledge of different cultures, languages and accents, and in particular may be reassuring for children with English as an Additional Language.
 Aqua Boy by Ken Wilson-Max. Published by Otter-Barry Books. ISBN:9781915659224
Island boy Aaron loves the sea. But he's a bit scared of going under the water. Then one day Aaron finds an octopus stranded on the beach. And as he helps Dad return it to the water, something amazing happens - a moment of magic between the boy and the octopus. Can Aaron lose his fear and go underwater?
Ideal to share with year 1 and above as an introduction to the seaside, conservation and challenging yourself, this colourful story provides a culturally diverse background which could be the launch pad for a discussion about how people have a responsibility for conservation and caring for sea-life everywhere in the world.
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton. Published by Otter-Barry Books. ISBN: 9781915659040
The Final Year is the story of a boy in his last year of Primary school, told in free verse with black and white pencil illustrations throughout.
Life can be tough in your last year of primary school. Tests to take, preparing for the change to high school. Nate is ready for it all, knowing his best friend PS is at his side - they've been inseparable since Nursery. But when they are put in two different classes and PS finds a new friend in Turner, the school bully, Nate's world turns upside-down. As he struggles to make sense of this and forge new friendships, he's dealt another blow when his youngest brother, Dylan is rushed into hospital.
Perfect for year 6 children moving to secondary education, this is ideal as an independent and challenging read and could also shared as a class read; however it does contain strong emotional content so read advisedly prior to sharing widely.
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll. Published by Knights Of. ISBN: 9781913311056
A Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie, an autistic girl who wants her village to make a memorial to the women who were put on trial for witchcraft there, who she believes were also autistic. Addie knows there's more to the story of the witches, just like there is more to hers. Addie’s story challenges how the people in her town see her and their perceptions of autism and tries to get her voice heard.
For Key Stage 2 fans of stories about friendship, courage and self-belief with first-person narrative and historical interest, this is also a good example of a story where the lead character is neurodiverse but that is not the most significant feature of the plot .
Also adapted for BBC TV in 2 series based on the book.
The Mystery of the Forever Weekend by Lisa Thompson. Published by Scholastic. ISBN: 9780702322648
Cory dreads Sunday evenings. It's school the next day, where a bully is picking on him and he's struggling to keep up in class. The night before a Monday that will include a maths test and another lonely lunch break, Cory wishes that the weekend would never end - and when he wakes up the next day, time has reset itself to Sunday morning. Suddenly he finds he can lounge about all day watching TV, have pizza for dinner over and over again and play the lottery knowing which numbers will win big!
This story would make a great class read, and has a lot to provoke class discussion for year 6 transition. Whilst on the surface the plot seems quite superficial, there are many threads to unravel, including use of social media, celebrity status, mental health and empathy.
Ada Twist, Scientist: The science of baking by Andrea Beaty and Dr Theanne Griffith. Published by Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419761539
How does a cake bake? What's the difference between baking soda and baking powder? And why is it so important to measure the different ingredients in a recipe? This is an entertaining example of narrative non-fiction combined with instructional writing and data handling ideal for lower key stage 2.
Based on the bestselling series and the new Netflix show.
How the News works by Jane Marlow, illustrated by Terri Po. Published by Templar Books. ISBN: 9781800782594
This is a no-nonsense guide for 8-12 year olds that gives the fascinating inside story of how the news industry works, its history, current trends and the future. With accessible information and practical tips written by real-life journalist Jane Marlow from Independent Television News (ITN). Pop quizzes, scripts, comic strips and timetables ensure this book will engage readers of all abilities. Including fun, friendly and contemporary illustrations by Terri Po, this book is the perfect resource to help children get the inside story.
Follow Your Dreams: 100 inspiring and extraordinary jobs by Katherine Mengardon. Published by Collins. ISBN: 9780008653712
Discover all kinds of inspiring and extraordinary careers in this small colourful book full of photographs and illustrations. Why not become a cat behaviourist? Or a rollercoaster engineer? How about a coral reef gardener? Find out what's involved in these incredible careers and meet the real people who followed their dreams and are doing these jobs today. Divided by categories such as: Performance; Fashion; Sports; Gadgets. This is the perfect inspiration for any key stage 2 child looking for ideas or indeed anyone interested in the range of careers for the next generation!
If you are looking for more ideas to recommend to the children in your school in order to breach the vocab gap which can occur over the summer, then please go to our webpage on Reading Promotion for lots of ideas on how to encourage reading over the summer holiday period. You can also download booklists for all year groups, reading abilities and interest levels in our Booklists section.
If you have any queries about the books you have read about in this newsletter or you would like to know more about new books and how to source a wide range of texts to support the children in their reading over the summer you can email us.
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