Recommended reads

What is a friend? Can a pet be a friend? Are you friends with your brothers and sisters? What if you don't have any friends? A wonderful celebration of all kinds of friendship, from best friends to groups of friends to toys that feel like friends, this truly inclusive book is a great way to start a conversation with children about what makes a good friend.

A lively, funny, contemporary tale of a boy who is fed up with his hyper-competitive parents.

Moving to a new area and a new school, Louis is horrified to discover his parents changing into ultra-competitive parents, wanting him and his younger brother to get straight As at school and join all sorts of after-school clubs and activities like the other kids in the area. Suddenly Louis's life is no longer his own - until he meets Maddy, who claims to have trained her parents to ignore her- But does Louis really want to be ignored? A truly contemporary tale with characters kids will recognize instantly!

Most teeth, toughest armour, fastest hunter, head-to-head dinosaur match-ups and much more - every page of this book is a treasure trove of dinosaur data!

This is a whirlwind tour of the globe, seeking out the highest, deepest, widest, narrowest, coolest, hottest, scariest, smelliest... things on the planet. What's the longest place name? The oldest fossil? Most treacherous road in the world? Most dangerous food to eat? Scariest place to stand because you're most likely to be struck by lightning? It's all here!

Before you start reading, there are a few things you should know: 1. I, Esha Verma, am a genius inventor extraordinaire. 2. There is nothing I cannot invent. This includes words. 3. I did not mean to send my sister back to the Age of the Dinosaurs. That was HER OWN FAULT (Mum and Dad, if you're reading this, please take note).

Discover the most exciting dinosaurs that ever lived!
This book is packed full of dinosaurs and the layout gives a good idea of the scale of the various creatures. A bright and engaging presentation combined with high-interest topic.

Everyone needs somewhere to dream. Rex has gone to stay with his godfather, Sparky... After the death of his dad, a young boy goes to stay with his godfather, where he learns how to cope with his emotions and reconnect with people.

An illustrated retelling of the true life story of a young girl orphaned by war in Sierra Leone who became an international ballet star after being adopted by an American family.

At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America.

Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true.

Hilary McKay's imaginative retellings of key favourites, this ten-story collection includes the much-loved tales of Rapunzel, Cinderella, the Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the Swan Brothers, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Red Riding Hood, the Twelve Dancing Princesses and Hansel and Gretel.