Resources
Peng and Spanners: When Pigs Go Bad! by Steve Webb - Activity Sheets
The silliest penguin and the chattiest cat are back to defeat one very bad pig in this action-packed graphic. Perfect novel for fans of Dog Man. Download these free activity sheets which include a wordsearch and a how-to-draw sheet.
Nightshade Revenge by Anthony Horowitz - teaching notes and activity pack
The world’s bestselling teenage spy takes on a new and daring mission. When his best friend Tom is abducted, Alex Rider is given an ultimatum by Nightshade – a sinister cult of assassins with a score to settle. But what twisted evil are they planning, and how is it connected to a revolutionary new gaming system? With no idea who to trust, Alex finds himself dragged into a nightmare world – where nothing is real but the game could kill you. The clock is ticking and Nightshade is closing...
Impossible Things by Dan Schreiber - Teaching Notes & Activity Sheets
Answers to the BIG and BANANAS questions that your parents don’t know! Did dinosaurs land on the moon 66 million years before us? Is the Loch Ness monster really a ghost? Should cats be in charge of protecting countries from Earthquakes? Are imaginary friends mysteriously turning into real people? Investigate the weird, the wacky and the downright bizarre questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to (and some you hadn’t even thought of!) with podcaster and fact-detective Dan...
The Memory Key by Nigel Baines - Teaching Notes & Resources
A time-hopping graphic novel adventure that will take you to unexpected places. Lately Lily’s grandad has been confused and forgetful, but Lily just knows that if she can help Grandad unlock his past, he’ll be back to normal. Then Grandad’s memories magically start coming to life and Lily and Grandad travel back to his childhood in Hungary. But they both get more than they bargained for when they get stuck in Grandad’s darkest memory…. Can Lily find the light at the end of the tunnel?
Baumgartner by Paul Auster - Reading Group Questions
The life of Sy Baumgartner – noted author, and soon-to-be retired philosophy professor – has been defined by his deep, abiding love for his wife. Now Anna is gone, and Baumgartner is trying to live with her absence. But Anna’s voice is everywhere still, in every spiral of memory and reminiscence, in each recalled episode of the passionate forty years they shared. Rich with feeling, wit and an eye for beauty in the smallest, most transient episodes of ordinary life, Baumgartner is a luminous...
National Reading Group Day - library toolkit
This toolkit will help librarians to plan for National Reading Group Day on 12 September 2024. Contact [email protected] with any questions.
National Reading Group Day - assets
Libraries and other organisations can download these social media assets to promote National Reading Group Day (12 September 2024). Contact [email protected] with any questions.
The Cheat Book by RAMZEE - digital resources
‘Laugh-out-loud funny. Kids are going to love The Cheat Book!’ Cressida Cowell ‘Comedy gold!’ Louie Stowell This hilarious guide to being ‘too cool for school’ (or just cool enough) from brilliant author-illustrator RAMZEE. Perfect for 8+ readers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Loki, with black-and-white illustrations throughout! Forgotten your homework and need to WING it? Wish you could talk your way out of DETENTION? Want to SQUASH your bullies and RISE to the top? Join Kamal as he attempts to...
Download reading group questions for Kala by Colin Walsh
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2023 ‘Unforgettable’ Observer ‘Masterful’ Irish Times ‘Explosive’ The Telegraph For those of you wanting a captivating and compelling read for your book group this summer, look no further than Kala by Colin Walsh, and use these reading group questions to fuel some invigorating discussions! More about the book: ‘We used to be such a force, back then when she was still with us. What happened to her?’ In the seaside...
The Crookhaven series by J.J Arcanjo - digital activity pack including a 10 minute video from the author!
To celebrate the third book in the irresistible Crookhaven series, Hachette Children’s Group have created a fantastic digital, activity pack for schools. more about the book It’s Gabriel’s third year at Crookhaven School for Thieves. Along with the usual Break-In challenge – this year to Reclamation island – and difficult new classes like Signs & Signals, Gabriel and his friends have another goal: taking down the Nameless. The Nameless are the very worst type of criminals – they steal,...
Dark Flood by Karon Alderman - Teaching Notes (KS2&KS3)
A stunning timeslip tale about a boy who finds himself trapped in a well-known mining incident that happened many years before! This story of family, community and hope by debut author Karon Alderman is perfect for fans of Skellig and The Wild Way Home. Download the teaching notes. Themes: Family | Community | Hope | History | Northern Stories
Forest of Forbidden Magic by Eve Wersocki Morris - Activity Sheet and Discussion Guide
Dare to stray off the path into a spooky supernatural adventure of dark twists and creepy turns? The magic of Grimmhart Forest awaits… Never go into the forest at night Only trust a map written by your own hand And, above all, do not show the trees your fear . . . A mysterious letter containing ominous hints and strange silver charms of a howling wolf and a malevolent fairy leads Tig and Elsa deep into Grimmhart Forest, a dark enchanted world of sinister secrets and creatures unknown. A place...
The Girl Who Couldn't Lie by Radhika Sanghani - Activity Sheets and Discussion Guides
A fresh, funny story about white lies, brutal honesty and a bangle with special powers, from award-winning journalist and author Radhika Sanghani. Priya Shah lies. A lot. She pretends everything in her life is perfect, so she doesn’t disappoint anyone. But when she puts on a bangle left to her by her Ba – the one person she was always honest with – she finds herself unable to tell a lie. Priya is mortified. She tells her dad she hates his cooking, she tells Dan Zhang about her huge crush on...
Pirate Academy: Missing at Sea by Justin Somper - Activity Sheets
The whole of Pirate Academy is abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming Oceans Bound weekend. It’s the first time the young pirate apprentices of Barracuda Class will set sail as five independent crews – with no teacher oversight! Excitement reaches fever-pitch as Commodore Kuo and Captain Salt reveal which of the fifteen Barracudas will act as captains for Oceans Bound. Jacoby is devastated when he isn’t picked, which makes things difficult for Jasmine when she is chosen. But worse, much...
Try by Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield - Activity Sheets
Try is an irresistibly big-hearted picture book about a friendship between two young boys, inspired by the real-life affection between rugby legends, fundraising heroes and best friends Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield. Meet Rob and Kev. They play games together, laugh together and go to school together. They have lots of other friends. But Rob always has Kev. And Kev always has Rob. When their teacher, Ms Phelps, asks the class to think of their hero, Kev knows exactly who to pick: the fast,...
My Teeth in Your Heart by Joanna Nadin - Discussion Notes
2024, Cambridge, England Billy’s got problems. A Levels, a mum who checked out of parenting a while ago, and then… there’s what Billy’s done to Cass, her person. Some secrets are too toxic to keep, but there’s no way Billy can let this one loose. 1974, Famagusta, Cyprus Anna’s a good ex-pat girl, focused on her A Levels, dreaming of studying at Cambridge, and definitely not looking for the love of her life. But then love does come, closely followed by war, and Anna’s carefully crafted world...
Wildsmith: The Hidden Sea by Liz Flanagan - Activity Sheets
The third book in The Wildsmith series. Rowan has been working as a wildsmith, rescuing magical animals. But when she finds herself alone and far from home, this time Rowan is the one who needs to be rescued! She travels deep into enemy territory and makes some surprising discoveries, coming face to face with great danger. With the help of new friends and old ones will she ever make it home again?
The Houdini Inheritance by Emma Carroll - Activity Pack
Magic shows and mysteries abound in this showstopping new standalone from a bestselling author who has sold close to a million copies of these middle-grade adventures! The English seaside, 1920s. A world famous escape artist. A suitcase full of secrets. And a death-defying stunt. When Harry Houdini comes to visit the seaside town of Sidford-on-Sea, Glory and her friend Dennis are first in-line to see him. He is there to perform a daring trick: he will jump off the town pier in chains,...
The Houdini Inheritance by Emma Carroll - Discussion Notes
Magic shows and mysteries abound in this showstopping new standalone from a bestselling author who has sold close to a million copies of these middle-grade adventures! The English seaside, 1920s. A world famous escape artist. A suitcase full of secrets. And a death-defying stunt. When Harry Houdini comes to visit the seaside town of Sidford-on-Sea, Glory and her friend Dennis are first in-line to see him. He is there to perform a daring trick: he will jump off the town pier in chains,...
Flower Block by Lanisha Butterfield and illustrator Hoang Giang - social media assets
A classic and heartwarming debut picture book celebrating the power of nature to bring a community together. When Jeremiah plants a packet of sunflower seeds, the very last thing he expects is for the vines and leaves to grow overnight and burst through the ceiling of his apartment! As Jeremiah and his brother chase the magical plant up through the floors of their tower block home, they discover an array of curious neighbours who join in the adventure. But what could be waiting for them at...
Monster Fun - Me and My Monster Competition
This Summer, Monster Fun – the UK’s most epic children’s comic – is giving children the chance to STAR IN THEIR VERY OWN COMIC STRIP! In the Me and My Monster Competition, children and young people (up to 16+) simply need to grab the entry form, draw themselves and a monster, then have an adult email their entry in to [email protected] for their chance to win! The winner will get themselves and their monster transformed into a one-page comic strip along with a huge Monster Fun prize...
The Hidden Story of Estie Noor Teaching Resources
When twelve-year-old Estie is expelled from school, she’s sent to stay with her aunt in Scotland over the summer. Even though nobody, not even her mum, asked to hear her side of the story. Estie’s determined to keep her barriers up and stick to herself until the holidays are over. But when she comes across an intricately folded paper castle with a secret message written inside – a message from someone desperate to tell their own unbelieved story – a chord is struck, and Estie can’t help but...
Gross FACTopia! by Paige Towler, Illustrated by Andy Smith - Colouring Sheet
Did you know that sloths poo only once a week? Or that poo from crocodiles was sometimes used as make-up in ancient Rome? Or that ancient Romans sometimes purchased vials of gladiator sweat? Or that apes and monkeys sweat from their armpits just like humans do? Welcome to_ Gross FACTopia!_, a wonderland of fantastically foul facts, all of which are verified by Encyclopaedia Britannica! Every fact in this book is linked to the next in an ingenious trail of information, where you will slither...
Garden of her Heart by Zoe Richards - Discussion Notes
A story of healing and recovery that will warm your soul…and get you into the garden. Garden of Her Heart is the story of one loner, two secrets, and three weeks at the Pinewoods Retreat. When Holly Bush (yes, she still hasn’t forgiven her mother for that combination) is made redundant with gardening leave, after a brutal attack, she decides to visit a retreat not far from home. There she finds friendship and a garden in need of love, she ends up doing literal gardening leave, bringing the...
Transcendent by Patrick Gallagher - Teaching Notes & Resources
JOIN THE TEAM. SAVE THE WORLD. Twin geniuses Jacob and Kira are recruited to take part in a high-tech mission to protect the planet… but will their dreams of adventure come true, or is the threat too great to handle? Jacob and Kira live in the heart of Mbale, Uganda with their conservationist mother and navigate life as unsuspecting geniuses; Kira with hopes to explore outside the hot terrains of Uganda, and conspiracy theorist Jacob, whose fear often holds him back from the answers he so...
Build your own villain with author Clare Povey - activity sheet
Join Clare Povey, author of the Bastien Bonlivre Adventure series and forthcoming The Wanderdays: Journey to Fantome Island, for an interactive, engaging event that is all about the characters we love to hate: villains! During this event, Clare will discuss the different villains and shades of villainy in her books (think self-obsessed best-selling authors, manic scientists, and a David-Attenborough-if-he-was-evil explorer!) She’ll lead a Villains quiz, using examples from books, films and...
Secret FACTopia! by Paige Towler, Illustrated by Andy Smith - Activity Sheet
In Secret FACTopia! take an undercover journey through hundreds of the most mind-blowing, wow-worthy and crazy-cool classified facts. Download the activity sheet (which includes an answer sheet) to see if you can you find the word which links each mysterious fact. Use each word twice to connect one fact to the next. The first one has been done for you. Perfect for children aged 8+. Follow an ingenious trail of 400 facts about everything from secret recipes and escape artists to hidden...
The Explorer's Guide to Going Wild by Preet Chandi - Teaching Notes & Resources
Do you know a child who loves to explore but isn’t sure how to plan their own adventures? Are they often preoccupied by an iPad when they could be outdoors? Then this is the perfect book for them! In this book, kids will learn how they can become a master explorer. Whether they want to learn how to camp in the wild, navigate their way through a new landscape, master bushcraft skills or plan a polar expedition, this book will show them how to do it. Each chapter has a mini challenge for young...
Ultimate Football Heroes – Road to the Euros - Activity sheets
From the playground to the pitch: the Ultimate Football Heroes welcomes two new books ahead of the 2024 Euros! Ultimate Football Heroes: Road to the Euros Epic limited edition Ultimate Football Heroes Book with bonus activities! In this epic special edition book, live the journeys of six ultimate football heroes as they aim for European Championships glory. Discover how superstar players Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson...
Grey by Laura Dockrill and Lauren Child – digital resource packs
An iconic picture book collaboration about feelings and acceptance from two of the most beloved voices in children’s literature. Download your free: - Grey downloadable teachers’ notes - Grey downloadable activity sheet pack We would love to see you enjoying the resources online using #Grey and tagging WalkerBooksUK, BigPictureBooks LauraDockrill and readingagency.
