Resources
The Shark Caller by Zillah Bethell - Resource pack for KS2 Teachers
“I want to be able to call the sharks. Teach me the magic and show me the ways.” Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing’s island. At first, the girls are too angry to share their secrets and become friends. But when the tide breathes the promise of treasure, they must journey together to the bottom of the ocean to brave the deadliest shark of them all… Dive beneath...
How to be a Hero by Cat Weldon - activity pack
How to be a Hero by Cat Weldon, illustrated by Katie Kear A no-good Viking thief. The worst-ever trainee Valkyrie. A hilarious case of mistaken identity. When failing trainee Valkyrie Lotta mistakes an unconscious Viking thief, Whetstone, for a fallen hero and takes him triumphantly to Valhalla, things are definitely not on track to be epic or glorious. Having lost a precious talking cup, Whetstone must cover up his mistake and the two embark upon a quarrelsome journey to find it. But Loki...
January 2021 Children's and Young People booklist - Something New
As we enter a new year and find ourselves in lockdown, we wanted the first booklist of the year for children and young people to focus on books that we hope will inspire them to learn a new skill, support them during this hard time or have characters who they can escape into an adventure with. We hope there is something for everyone to enjoy. You can join in with the conversation online using #SomethingNewBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on...
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse activity
Lovers of children’s classics are in for a treat with the new film Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse, and we have a fun activity resource for families to use to accompany their discussions. Roald and Beatrix, which aired on Sky on Christmas Eve, is based on the true story of an unlikely meeting between two of Britain’s most beloved children’s authors, one dealing with the pressures of success and aging, the other a child learning to navigate grief and loss in a confusing...
Hope Jones Will Not Eat Meat by Josh Lacey - activity sheets
Hope Jones Will Not Eat Meat by Josh Lacey is the latest book in an inspiring new illustrated fiction series about environmental issues, perfect for readers aged 8+. The books are told in a fun blog format, documenting Hope’s activism as she tries to save the planet, showing that you’re never too young to make a big difference. Hope Jones has tackled plastic pollution and now she’s on a mission to save the animals, stop climate change and persuade everyone she knows to turn vegetarian. But...
December 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Winter Wonderland
As we head into the grey and cold, we thought that we would share some great books set during the Winter or set in beautiful winter wonderlands. We have some classics, lovely illustrated stories and some thrilling page-turners. You can join in with the conversation online using #WinterWonderlandBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
Promotional digital assets for MI9 by Dr Helen Fry
Download social media assets, including shareable cards with information on the book and an author video to promote MI9 by Dr Helen Fry in your library. You can also find an extract from the book about the invention of ‘Q-gadgets’, popularised by James Bond, here “A fitting tribute to the hundreds of men and women who risked their lives in assisting Allied escapees.”—Giles Milton, Sunday Times When Allied fighters were trapped behind enemy lines, one branch of military...
There’s a Mouse in My House by Ross Collins - Competition & Digital Activity Pack
The sequel to Ross Collins’ award-winning favourite, There’s a Bear on My Chair, is here! The tables have turned in There’s a Mouse in My House… and this time it’s Bear who has an unwelcome guest. This fantastic rhyming picture book will get all the family giggling! Nosy Crow is offering a downloadable activity pack including: - Downloadable activity sheets – spot the difference and word match - Downloadable event/competition poster and social media assets - Downloadable drawing competition...
The Witching Stone by Danny Weston - Digital Pack
UCLan Publishing have created a spooktacular digital pack of videos and discussion points to help you and your pupils enjoy the new YA coming of age horror story from Danny Weston. For Alfie Travers, a summer away from his now ex-girlfriend can not come quick enough, even if it means tagging along on his dad’s dull work trip to the village of Woodplumpton, Preston. Shortly after arrival, Alfie strolls off to see what the place has to offer. Not much, it seems… until he chances upon a girl...
December 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Books of the Year
It’s been another year of fantastic books and we’re delighted to present our Books of the Year list for 2020 for children and young people. Our staff have chosen their top recommendations of new books from the year. You can join in with the conversation online using #BooksOfTheYear and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook. You can borrow these books from your library or buy a copy for yourself from Bookshop.org.
Gender Swapped Fairy Tales - Lesson Plan
Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, a King sat at a window and sewed. As he sewed and gazed out onto the landscape, he pricked his finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell onto the snow outside. People have been telling fairy tales to their children for hundreds of years. And for almost as long, people have been rewriting those fairy tales – to help their children imagine a world where they are the heroes. Karrie and Jon were reading their child these stories when...
Honey for You, Honey for Me – Rhymetime digital event pack
Walker Books have created a fantastic digital pack to help you enjoy and share a new rhyming picture book written and illustrated by the incredible duo, Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell! From Children’s Laureates Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, the bestselling team behind A Great Big Cuddle, comes a first book of nursery rhymes. Flying pigs, wobbling plates of jelly and a giant with a terrible fear of mice: welcome to the topsy-turvy world of nursery rhymes. Inspired by his lifelong...
Celebrating 25 years of Guess How Much I Love You - digital Storytime pack
Celebrating 25 years of Guess How Much I Love You Sometimes when you love someone very, very much, you want to find a way of describing how much you treasure them. But, as Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare discover, love is not always an easy thing to measure! Since it’s publication in 1994 children and parents worldwide have cherished the heartwarming tale of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare so much that Sam McBratney’s timeless story, beautifully illustrated by Anita...
Football Superstars - Teachers' Notes, activity sheets and poster
Football Superstars is a series aimed at building a love of reading from a young age, with fun cartoons, inspirational stories, a simple narrative style and a cast of characters chipping in with quotes, jokes and comments. Football Superstars: Ronaldo Rules, Messi Rules, Kane Rules, Mbappé Rules. A brand new visual series of first biographies for ages 5-7 featuring male and female football stars. Perfect to engage emerging readers, especially reluctant readers. Quotable stats and expert tips...
The History of African and Caribbean Communities in Britain by Dr Hakim Adi - Teachers' Notes
Newly updated, The History of African and Caribbean Communities in Britain explores why people came to Britain, the problems they faced and the contributions these communities have made to British society. Brought to life with case studies and rarely published photographs, this is an opportunity to get up close to the experiences and vital impact African and Caribbean people have had in Britain. Meet pioneers such as Olaudah Equiano and Phyllis Wheatley and find out why African and Caribbean...
The Ickabog – Activities & Competition Pack
Meet the Ickabog! Discover a brilliantly original fairy tale about the power of hope and friendship to triumph against all odds, from one of the world’s best storytellers, J.K. Rowling. Download a free Monster Competition Starter Pack to run your very own illustration competition in the classroom! Activity Sheets are also available to download for free, packed full of activities to encourage children ages 7+ to get creative.
A Christmas Gift from Bob discussion and activity guide
Download this free discussion and activity guide from Lionsgate and CILIP (The Library and Information Association) for the new feel-good Christmas film A Christmas Gift from Bob, based on the bestselling book by James Bowen. In 2007, James Bowen was recovering from heroin addiction and earning a living by busking in Covent Garden. When he came home to find a stray cat outside his door, he gave him a home – never expecting that in return, Bob would give him the strength to build a new life....
November 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Non-fiction
For Non-Fiction November, we have created a list filled with the best non-fiction for children and young people. There are memoirs, essay collections and books with great advice. You can join in with the conversation online using #NonFictionBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
Reading Guide for The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden, a Sky original tells the story of Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx – Genius, The Little Stranger), a 10-year-old girl sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Colin Firth), under the watchful eye of Mrs. Medlock (Julie Walters) with only the household maid, Martha (Isis Davis) for company. The film is set in 1940s England at Misselthwaite Manor, a remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire moors. Mary begins to uncover many family secrets, particularly after...
Awesomely Austen - Book Club Pack
Meet your new favourite heroines – they’re bold, brilliant and totally awesome! Fresh, funny and accessible retellings of Jane Austen’s classic stories, with witty black and white illustrations throughout. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up. Awesomely Austen: Pride & Prejudice written by Katherine Woodfine and illustrated by...
A Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth by Francesca Gibbons and illustrated by Chris Riddell - a digital pack
It’s time to enter a magical new world. Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum’s boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn’t follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree. But then… who does what they’re told? Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time. Moving fast to escape the monsters that come out after dark, and longing to return home, they find...
The Kid Who Came From Space by Ross Welford - Teachers' Notes
The stunning new 10+ story from the bestselling and award-winning author of TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER, for anyone who loved the humour of WALL-E, the action of STAR WARS and the deeply touching emotion of ET. A small village in the wilds of Northumberland is rocked by the disappearance of twelve-year-old Tammy. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again. But that doesn’t mean...
Social media assets for Lowborn by Kerry Hudson + creative writing guide
Download this free digital pack containing ready-to-use social media assets, an extract from the book and a guide to creative writing written by the author, Kerry Hudson.
The Reading Agency's toolkit for hosting online events
As events continue to move to online formats, we have created a toolkit to support libraries and other organisations to host their own author Q&As, panel discussions and readings. If you have any questions or would like further information and support, please get in touch with zoe.sadler@readingagency.org.uk.
Halloween characters pack from Oxford Children’s Books - digital resources
Oxford University Press have a wickedly witchy set of digital resources for you to download and use this Halloween. Click on the links below to download the resources: - Super Happy Magic Forest: Slug of Doom activity sheet (2+) - Mirabelle Gets Up to Mischief potions activity sheet (5+) - The Last Spell Breather magical spells activity sheet (7+) - Victoria Stitch: Bad and Glittering Reading notes (9+) We would love to see photos of your wickedly witchy fun. You can do this by using...
There’s a Rang-tan in My Bedroom - digital pack
There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom is based on the Greenpeace film that became a viral sensation, about a little girl who discovers a mischievous orangutan on the loose in her bedroom, and she can’t understand why it keeps shouting OOO! at her shampoo and her chocolate. But when Rang-tan explains that there are humans running wild in her rainforest, burning down trees so they can grow palm oil to put in products, the little girl knows what she has to do: help save the...
October 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Powerful Poetry
The fantastic National Poetry Day shines a spotlight on how much fun and important poetry is. We have created a booklist with some of our favourite rhyming picture books, poetry collections and books written in verse. You can join in with the conversation online using #PowerfulPoetryBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
The Castle of Tangled Magic read-along with Sophie Anderson - resources and videos
Want to read-along The Castle of Tangled Magic with the author? Sophie Anderson is running a fairy-tale read-along. Simply download the following resource pack, and head to https://bit.ly/TMreadalong to take part. Sophie’s read-along features author videos, discussion points, activities, and competition prizes – for classrooms, libraries, and all the readers at home. Let us know if you’re joining in @Usborne @Sophieinspace #TheCastleofTangledMagic to win display materials for your...
How to run a virtual reading group with children and young people
Are you wondering how your reading group can continue to meet, even while you’re social distancing? With restricted access to public and school libraries many children and families at home are looking for activities to keep children entertained. We know that books are so important to provide comfort, solace and escapism as well as fun. Virtual reading groups can help children with their confidence through talking about books, and to encourage them to read more widely. In this resource we...
October 2020 Children's and Young People booklist - Brilliant books by black authors and illustrators
As October is Black History Month, we have created a booklist of 65 brilliant books created by black authors and illustrators. There is something for everyone with fantastic poetry, graphic novels, fiction and non-fiction titles. You can join in with the conversation online using #BrilliantBooksBooklist and tagging us using @readingagency on Twitter and @SummerReadingChallengeUK on Facebook.
