Resources
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....
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.
Marmite Reads
To celebrate National Reading Group Day on 24 June reading groups nationwide have been sharing the books that have inspired the most discussion and debate in their meetings. We call these ‘Marmite Reads’. Download the full list below to find a book that will really get the conversation going!
How to start a reading group
Interested in joining a reading group or starting one of your own? Download our quick guide to getting started.
Never Say Die book trailer
Alex Rider is back in this brand new, explosive mission in the number one bestselling series. In this adrenaline-fueled, action-packed adventure, Alex Rider is trying to get his life back on track after the traumatic events of his last mission. But even Alex can’t fight the past…especially when it holds a deadly secret. Get your reading group or class excited for Never Say Die with the official book trailer
Chris Riddell Chatterbooks Activity Pack
Chris Riddell is a prolific author and illustrator whose huge range of award winning work covers picture books and fiction for older children. He was appointed Children’s Laureate for the period of 2015-2017. Find out more about Chris and his fantastic books in this Chatterbooks pack.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt book trailer
If you loved the film of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt on Channel 4 at Christmas, now you can explore your natural world with these two brand new We’re Going on a Bear Hunt activity books!
Mrs Mole, I'm Home! book trailer
From Jarvis, the creator of Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth, comes another truly unmissable, hilarious adventure about a daddy mole who has mislaid his spectacles.
King of the Sky - Teachers' notes
Download these teachers’ notes for King of the Sky by Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin to use with your class or Chatterbooks group.
How to be a Scientist - Lesson plans
Discover the skills it takes to become a scientist in DK’s new science book for kids with science presenter and comedian Steve Mould. Being a scientist isn’t just about wearing a lab coat and performing science experiments in test tubes. It’s about looking at the world and trying to figure out how it works. Download this Space: The Relationship of the Earth and the Moon Lesson Plan for KS2 (ages 7 to 9) Use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the...
Sound by Bella Bathurst - an extract
Bella Bathurst is a writer and photojournalist. Her books include The Lighthouse Stevensons which won the 1999 Somerset Maugham Award, The Wreckers, which became a BBC Timewatch documentary, and The Bicycle Book, which was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2011. Sound In 1997, Bella Bathurst began to go deaf. Within a few months, she had lost half her hearing, and the rest was slipping away. She wasn’t just missing punchlines, she was missing most of the...
Into The Water by Paula Hawkins - discussion questions
Into The Water is an addictive novel of psychological suspense about the slipperiness of the truth, and a family drowning in secrets. With the same propulsion that captivated millions of readers worldwide in her debut, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins unfurls a gripping, twisting, layered story set in a small riverside town. A word from Paula about the book: “This story has been brewing for a good while. For me there is something irresistible about the stories we tell ourselves,...
Into The Water by Paula Hawkins - an extract
Paula Hawkins is the author of the global bestseller The Girl on the Train, which received worldwide critical acclaim and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide since first publication in January 2015 [to December 2016]. Now a major hit Hollywood film starring Emily Blunt, the movie enjoyed a higher UK opening than Gravity, The Martian and Gone Girl. “A brooding and complex read that deserves to make a splash in its own right.” Sunday Mirror “A twisting whodunit that...
Eurovision! by Chris West - discussion questions
Do you think the world of the Eurovision Song Contest, with its crazy props, even crazier dancers and crazier still songs has nothing to do with serious European politics? Think again. The contest has been a mirror for cultural, social and political developments in Europe ever since its inauguration, when an audience in dinner jackets and ball-gowns politely applauded each song. It has been a voice of rebellion across the Iron Curtain, an inspiration for new European nations in the 1990s and...
Eurovision! by Chris West - an extract
Chris West is an author, ghostwriter and marketer. His books include Journey to the Middle Kingdom, The Beermat Entrepreneur and First Class: a History of Britain in 36 Postage Stamps. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and daughter. The Radio 2 panel loved Eurovision! – here are some of their comments: “A delightful tongue in cheek romp through the history of the Eurovision song contest with lovely links to the social and political situations of the time. It’s an entertaining...
He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly - discussion questions
The path of every eclipse can be predicted from now until the end of time… Kit and Laura, young and in love, pledge to travel the globe and see as many eclipse as possible. They have no idea of the darkness that will follow. At a festival in Cornwall, in the hushed moments after the first eclipse they share, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows she saw something terrible. But the man denies it. Later, in a panic, Laura tells a little white lie – which changes four lives irreparably....
He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly - an extract
Erin Kelly is the author of The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind and Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the mega-hit TV series. The Poison Tree was a Richard & Judy summer read in 2011 and became a major ITV drama in 2013. The Radio 2 panel loved He Said/She Said – here are some of their comments: “I enjoyed the fact that the story is told from the differing viewpoints of a husband and wife and that it also moves between the present and the time of the...
CWA 2017 shortlist - Tana French
Tana French is the author of In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbour, The Secret Place and The Trespasser. Her books have won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity and Barry Awards, the Los Angeles Times Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction. She grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and now lives in Dublin with her family. Tana has been shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library 2017. Download the resource to find out more about...
