Once again, we are saying goodbye to another group of excellent books.
Reception and Key Stage1 have lost Tiny And Teeny by Chris Judge. Glengadget is the teeniest, tiniest town around. Deep down, in between the blades of grass, lives Tiny with her best friend, her pet Teeny in their apple home. Every day of the week, they have a different neighbour to meet – they do some gardening for Mandy Small, read to Bitsy McGee and give Minkin a hand with her lively twins. Then disaster strikes. Tiny and Teeny find their teeny-tiny world turned upside down, when their house is destroyed by a falling rock. They are helped by their neighbours and other townsfolk to find a new home. A real celebration of community and ingenious uses for everyday objects.
Year 3 and 4 say goodbye to Derek The Sheep: Danger Is My Middle Name by Gary Northfield. Grumpy but lovable sheep, Derek, is always looking for the greener grass in life, but he is constantly thwarted in his plans by the other meddlesome (and tiresome) animals on his crazy farm]. From the legendary pages of the Beano, Bog Eyed Books presents the third graphic novel in the popular Derek the Sheep series. These outrageously funny and increasingly loopy stories can finally be savoured by fans old and new.
Year 5 and 6 lose the heart-breaking graphic novel When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Mohamed Omar, illustrated by Iman Geddy. Omar and his brother Hassan, two Somali boys, have spent a long time in the Dadaab refugee camp. Separated from their mother, they are looked after by a friendly stranger. Life in the camp isn’t always easy. The hunger is constant, but there’s football to look forward to, and now there’s a chance Omar will get to go to school… A stark look at the lives of child refugees that is sure to spark much discussion. The stunning illustrations tell the moving story when there are no words to express what is happening.
You can vote to keep your favourite book in the competition at https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/140/coventry_inspiration_book_awards
And finally, it’s Deaf Awareness Week in the UK this week, so I’ve chosen a brilliant book that has a hearing impaired main character – Max And The Millions by Ross Montgomery.
Max hates life at St. Goliath’s Boarding School. The Headmaster, Mr. Pitt, is nothing like the caring teacher he portrays himself as. Every assembly Max is made to sit in the SPECIAL SEAT because he wears hearing aids. He’d far rather hide away with the caretaker, Mr Darrow, making miniature models. But, hours before the summer holidays are due to begin, Mr Darrow disappears, which means Max has to put their emergency plan into action.
When Mr Darrow still hasn’t returned as the start of the new term looms, Max discovers a miraculous transformation in the caretaker’s room, and finds himself in a race against time and Mr Pitt to save the new world and its inhabitants.
The inhabitants of The Floor have even more to worry about as the three tribes are locked in a battle for resources and all-out war seems ever more likely. Can newly crowned King Luke bring the Tribes together and keep the peace while Max battles Mr Pitt to save them all?
Brilliantly written, Ross Montgomery combines great characters, a pacey plot and huge handfuls of humour to create a rip-roaring adventure that had me howling with laughter from beginning to end in one sitting.
