Resources
History of Wolves - Readers' Guide
On Wednesday 13 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2017 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund by clicking below.
Lincoln in the Bardo - Readers' Guide
On Wednesday 13 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2017 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders by clicking below.
National Poetry Day: a list for reading groups
Celebrate National Poetry Day on 28 September and share a poem with your book group this year. Don’t worry if your group doesn’t tend to read poetry; we’re sharing a brilliant list from the National Poetry Day team of ten recommended poetry books especially for reading groups, along with reading group notes to help spark discussion (coming soon).
Jake in Space activity sheets - Teacher notes answers
Jake in Space is a series of sci-fi adventure stories for kids. It’s full of action and suspense, plus a little bit of weird stuff. Jake lives in the future. His home base is a space station on Earth but he travels throughout the solar system, solving mysteries and thwarting villains before they can carry out their evil plans. In each story, the Central Intergalactic Agency (CIA) sends its cyborg, Henry, on a secret mission. Jake ends up helping his cyborg friend but things never seem to go...
Jake in Space activity sheets
Jake in Space is a series of sci-fi adventure stories for kids. It’s full of action and suspense, plus a little bit of weird stuff. Jake lives in the future. His home base is a space station on Earth but he travels throughout the solar system, solving mysteries and thwarting villains before they can carry out their evil plans. In each story, the Central Intergalactic Agency (CIA) sends its cyborg, Henry, on a secret mission. Jake ends up helping his cyborg friend but things never seem to go...
Chatterbooks FAQs
A list of frequently asked questions and answers about Chatterbooks Children’s Reading Clubs.
Dragon's Green - Teacher Resource
Dragon’s Green Dragon’s Green is the first book in the Worldquake sequence, a trilogy of books all about magic and adventure! In Dragon’s Green, Effie and her friends seem to be normal schoolchildren but when they discover their hidden Otherworld strengths, they are catapulted into the adventure of a lifetime! You can read an extract from Dragon’s Green here and also listen to an audio clip here. You can also find out what your magical power might be by taking a fun quiz. Download the...
Before I Was Yours by Virginia Macgregor
Spark a discussion in your reading group with these questions for Before I Was Yours by Virginia Macgregor – just log in and click download below. About the book Sam and Rosie Keep have always wanted children of their own but life hasn’t worked out that way for them. The only option available to them now is adoption: they’ll do anything to have a child to love. Seven-year-old Jonah is far away from home and his mama promised he’d be looked after in England. But the man who’s meant to be...
Poetry Chatterbooks Activity Pack 2017
To celebrate National Poetry Day on 28 September, we’ve collaborated with the Forward Arts Foundation to create a new Poetry Chatterbooks Activity Pack. National Poetry Day is an initiative of the Forward Arts Foundation, a charity that celebrates excellence in poetry and widens its audience.
Royal Society Young People's Book Prize Chatterbooks Pack
The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize aims to inspire young people to read about science and promotes the writing of excellent, accessible books for under-14s. We have created a Chatterbooks Pack featuring this year’s shortlisted titles. There are plenty of activities to keep your group interested and engaged with science themed books.
The Underground Railroad - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead by clicking below.
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy by clicking below.
Swing Time - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Swing Time by Zadie Smith by clicking below.
Solar Bones - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Solar Bones by Mike McCormack by clicking below.
Reservoir 13 - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor by clicking below.
Home Fire - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie by clicking below.
Days Without End - Readers' Guide
The Man Booker Prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the 13 brilliant books that have been chosen for the 2017 Man Booker Dozen. You can download a Readers’ Guide for longlisted title Days Without End by Sebastian Barry by clicking below.
Owl Babies 25th Anniversary book trailer
A trailer for OWL BABIES, the 25th anniversary edition of the classic bedtime picture book from Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson. On a tree in the woods, three baby owls, Sarah and Percy and Bill, sit and think and wait for their Owl Mother to come HOME. You can share this trailer for this much-loved classic with your Chatterbooks reading group or in class.
7 Questions for Paul Whitfield
Paul Whitfield, creator of PIRATE MCSNOTTBEARD answers seven pressing questions about his new book series for children. WARNING: THIS VIDEO MAY CONTAIN MULTIPLE PARROTS. It’s perfect for sharing with your class or reading group! About Pirate McSnottbeard in the Zombie Terror Rampage Before reading this book you should know: 1) Nobody DIES in this book 2) This book is SUPER-SCARY. (That’s REALLY, REALLY scary.) 3) That’s because this book has DINOSAURS, ZOMBIES and WARLOCKS. And EVEN scarier...
They Came from Planet Zabalooloo! book trailer
Watch out, planet Earth! Zoron, Bazoo and Zob have come from Zabalooloo. They’ve got a supersonic-sucker with shrinker nozzle … and they are ready for an EPIC adventure! Share the trailer for THEY CAME FROM PLANET ZABALOOLOO, the new picture book from Sean Taylor and Kate Hindley, with your class or reading group.
Women in Translation booklist
August is Women in Translation Month. Only a tiny fraction of fiction published in English is translated, and only about a quarter of that translated fiction was originally written by women. For some reason, fiction in translation by women remains as rare as black diamonds. And yet there are so many amazing women-authored books out there in the world – books we’re missing out on. Here is a list of books by women in translation, as chosen by a group of literary translators.
Podcasts for Book Lovers
We’ve put together a list of our favourite reading related podcasts for you to enjoy. From celebrity storytelling to a tour of the fascinating connections between Shakespeare and the world around us, there should be something to suit all tastes.
You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood - discussion questions
An unnamed defendant is accused of murder. Before the Closing Speeches, the young man sacks his lawyer, and gives his own defence. His barrister told him to leave some things out. Sometimes, the truth can be too difficult to explain, or believe. But if he’s going to go down for life, he wants to tell the truth. As he talks us through the evidence, his life is in our hands. We, the reader – member of the jury – must listen to his story. His defence raises many questions. But in the end, only...
You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood - read a sample
An unnamed defendant is accused of murder. Before the Closing Speeches, the young man sacks his lawyer, and gives his own defence. His barrister told him to leave some things out. Sometimes, the truth can be too difficult to explain, or believe. But if he’s going to go down for life, he wants to tell the truth. As he talks us through the evidence, his life is in our hands. We, the reader – member of the jury – must listen to his story. His defence raises many questions. But in the end, only...
5 Questions for author Alison Croggon - video
Walker Books asked Alison Croggon, author of the bestselling Books of Pellinor series, five questions, including why she chose to return to the world of Pellinor in her prequel novel, The Bone Queen. Watch the video to find out more about Alison’s writing process and her inspirations!
Pink Lion book trailer
Arnold blends right in with his bright pink flamingo family. Then a growling gang of lions stops by and tells Arnold he should be more lion-like, just like them. Share the trailer for Pink Lion, a bold and colourful picture book with a heart-warming story about always being yourself, with your class or reading group.
Ellie and Lump activity sheets
Download these fun Ellie and Lump activity sheets to share with your Chatterbooks group or in class. This download includes a maze and drawing activity.
King of the Sky activity sheets
Download these beautifully illustrated activity sheets inspired by King of the Sky to share with your Chatterbooks group or in class
Mrs Mole, I'm Home activity sheets
Download these fun activity sheets inspired by Mrs Mole, I’m Home! to share with your Chatterbooks group
Animal Agents Chatterbooks Activity Pack
Here is a Chatterbooks activity pack to accompany this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, Animal Agents. It features some of the fabulous books in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge collection.
