Previous Recommended Reading
When deciding on the Royal Mail Awards 2009 shortlist our panel of judges found that there were many books which didn't quite make the final nine, but that they wanted to recommend nevertheless. Here are the books which excited them the most for you to check out over the summer...
Age group: 0-7
Goat and Donkey and the Noise Downstairs
Age group: 8-11
Cinderlla: The Fairytale Files
Gormy Ruckles: Monster Trouble
Age group: Teen
Age Group: 0-7
One Mole Digging a Hole by Julia Donaldson
All the animals are busy lending a hand in the garden in this lively numbers book! The parrots are pulling up carrots, the bears are picking pears and a swarm of bees are pruning the trees with their miniature shears. Julia Donaldson's whimsical rhymes and Nick Sharratt's hilarious illustrations make this book a delight to share out loud. With plenty to giggle at on every page, counting - or gardening - has never been so much fun!
Written by: Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by: Nick Sharratt
Published by: Macmillan Children’s Books
Year: 2009
ISBN: 0230706479
Age groups: 0-4
Themes: Animals
Harris Finds his Feet by Catherine Rayner
Harris is a very small hare with very big feet. 'Why do I have such enormous feet, Grandad?' Harris sighed. So Grandad shows Harris how to hop high into the sky, to climb to the tops of the mountains, and to run very fast. Harris not only learns about the world around him but also the importance of finding his own feet.
Written by: Catherine Rayner
Illustrated by: Catherine Rayner
Published by: Little Tiger Press
Year: 2009
ISBN: 1845065905
Age groups: 0-4
Themes: Animals
Mr Mac's Bad Rabbits by Simon Puttock
Mr. Mac invites some rabbits to stay, but they turn out to be very bad indeed! When they wreak havoc on the neighbourhood, Mr. Mac doesn't mind. But when those naughty rabbits start to turn Mr. Mac's house topsy-turvy, he finally decides to teach them some manners. Mr. Mac's Bad Rabbits is a just-for-fun story that children will enjoy time and time again.
Written by: Simon Puttock
Illustrated by: Judith Drews
Published by: Boxer Books
ISBN: 1905417853
Age groups: 0-4
Themes: Animals
Goat and Donkey and the Noise Downstairs by Simon Puttock and Russell Julian
One night, Goat is woken by a noise downstairs. His immediate thought is that there must be burglars in the house. He doesn't know what to do, but he knows that Donkey will, so he tiptoes very quietly to Donkey's room. But when Goat discovers that Donkey's bed is empty, he comes to the conclusion that Donkey must have been stolen! Full of fear and trepidation, Goat grabs Donkey's toy Rabbity (to brandish at the burglars), goes downstairs, and bursts bravely into the kitchen. . . only to find that the noise is in fact coming from Donkey who has gone downstairs to make himself a sandwich! Relieved but overwrought, Goat is in need of some comfort and a midnight feast with Donkey is just the thing to soothe his shattered nerves! A delightful duo - Goat and Donkey are ready to entertain children and parents everywhere.
Written by: Simon Puttock
Illustrated by: Russell Julian
Published by: OUP
ISBN: 0192728180
Age groups: 0-4
Themes: Animals
The Tickle Tree by Chae Strathie
Have you ever been where the Tickle Tree grows?!...Well, if you haven't then this book might just show you the way, but shh, it's a secret! Written by wacky, up-and-coming Scottish author Chae Strathie, with stupendous illustrations from V&A Award nominated illustrator Poly Bernatene, this is one wild and wondrous adventure for children aged 1 - 101!
Written by: Chae Strathie
Illustrated by: Poly Bernatene
Published by: Meadowside Children’s Books
ISBN: 1845393449
Age groups: 0-4
Themes:
Age Group: 8-11
Cinderella: The Fairytale Files by Alan Durant and Ross Collins
Rumpelstiltskin, a private investigator employed by the king and queen, is looking into allegations that Cinderella is a gold-digger and fraud, only after Prince Charming's money. Open the evidence in the envelopes and discover the real CInderella!
Written by: Alan Durant
Illustrated by: Ross Collins
Published by: Walker Children’s Books
ISBN: 0744570824
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Fairytale
The Bag of Bones by Vivian French and Ross Collins
The good witches of Wadingburn are worried - there's a new witch in town with a bag of magic bones, and she's so evil she makes their toes ache... Another fun-filled fantasty in the Tales from the Five Kingdoms stories that started with The Robe of Skulls.
Written by: Vivian French
Illustrated by: Ross Collins
Published by: Candlewick
ISBN: 076364255X
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Folklore, Magic, Fairytale, Adventure
Singing to the Sun by Viv French
Wealth, power - or love? Which would you choose? Thorfinn's parents are obsessed with wealth and power. But, when he sets off to choose a bride it is neither the princess who promises wealth, nor the one with power that he chooses, but instead the princess who promises love and happiness. But, will the princess of love choose him in return?Accompanied by his friend the jester, and his talking cat, Thorfinn's journey leads him on a quest to discover not only what he thinks he wants, but also what he needs.
Written by: Vivian French
Published by: Egmont
ISBN: 1405227516
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Folklore, Love, Fairytale, Self-discovery, Prejudice
Tallulah and the Teen Stars by Clare Grogan
Tallulah Gosh is Teresa Gordon - an ordinary girl living in an ordinary street. In fact, she feels almost invisible to the world. Except, of course, when she's in her bedroom. There she becomes lead singer with the biggest and best band in the world. But things are about to change - Tallulah is about to step out of her imagination and her bedroom and into the real world. She and her brilliant band are about to take the school talent contest and more by storm. A feat all the more surprising when you know that Tallulah and her bandmates feature pretty highly in the school's Least Likely To Succeed list. But can they all remain friends when overnight success propels them beyond their wildest bedroom dreams and ordinary becomes a thing of the past. Tallulah and the Teenstars are about to find out.
Written by: Clare Grogan
Published by: Black and White Publishing
ISBN: 1845022289
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Music, Friendship
Gormy Ruckles: Monster Trouble by Guy Bass and Ross Collins
More than anything, Gormy wants to be a big, scary monster just like his dad. But monstering isn't as easy as it looks! Gormy's parents are going away for the evening and that can only mean one thing - a monster-sitter! Oh no! When Nana the Noog arrives, she's like no monster-sitter Gormy's had before. But when the sun goes down, he'll find out just how different she is... and how monstrous he'll need to be to survive the night!
Written by: Guy Bass
Illustrated by: Ross Collins
Published by: Scholastic
ISBN: 1407108492
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Family, Fun, Monsters
Our City short story anthology - multiple Scottish authors
The first in a new series of "OneCity" books (crime and London to follow in 2009), this is a cracking collection of specially commissioned stories for upper primary school children, by nine of the best children's writers, who are either based in Scotland or have a Scottish background. All stories will include themes relevant to the work of the OneCityTrust. It is beautifully illustrated by author and illustrator John Fardell (Canongate Kelpies, Viz).
Written by: Julie Bertagna, Cathy Cassidy, John Fardell, Vivian French, Keith Gray, Elizabeth Laird, Nicola Morgan, Jonathan Meres, Alison Flett and Alison Prince
Published by: Polygon
ISBN: 1407108492
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Family, Fun, Monsters
Fit Like Yer Majesty? - anthology of Doric poems compiled by The Reading Bus
A collection of excellent poems in Doric, the north eastern dialect similar to Scots, put together by The Reading Bus.
Written by: Various
Illustrated by: Bob Dewar
Published by: Reading Bus
ISBN: 978 0955890420
Age groups: 8-11
Themes: Poetry
Age Group: Teen
Bad Faith by Gillian Philip
In a society run by the autocratic One Church, a cleric’s daughter finds that her status is no protection when murder, secrets and lies threaten her family and her infidel boyfriend.
Themes: loyalty, webs of deception, religious fundamentalism.
Written by: Gillian Philip
Published by: Polygon
ISBN: 978-1-905537-08-2
Age groups: Teen
Themes: Loyalty, Webs of deception, Religion Fundamentalism
The Lost Riders by Elizabeth Laird
Taken from their home in Pakistan to work in the Persian Gulf, eight-year-old Rashid and his little brother Shari cling to each other. Then they are separated and forced to become jockeys in the lucrative camel-racing business. Rashid is starved and worked to exhaustion by harsh supervisors - but he has a talent for racing and quickly becomes his stable's star jockey. Soon he begins to forget what life was like when he had a proper home. He almost begins to forget about Shari.
Written by: Elizabeth Laird
Published by: Macmillan
ISBN: 978-0330452090
Age groups: Teen
Themes: Slavery, Family, Animals, Other people/places
The Nostradamus Prophecy by Theresa Breslin
Melisande is the daughter of the king's minstrel and lives among the royal French court. She, like many others, pays little heed to the dire warnings of Notradamus the soothsayer. Chantelle, Melisande's older sister is betrothed to the handsome courtier Armand, and there is the excitement of the forthcoming wedding to think about. And Melisande is fascinated by the mysterious and silent Melchior, the boy who looks after the king's leopard. Only Catherine de Medici, the king's mother, listens to Nostradamus and fears for the life of her son. But when misfortune befalls Melisande's family and she realises that it was predicted by Nostradamus, she turns to the soothsayer for help. Upon his death, he leaves Melisande with some papers which hold the secret of the royal line of France - it is up to her to help fulfil Nostradamus' final prophecy but will she have the courage to do so ...?
Written by: Theresa Breslin
Published by: Corgi
ISBN: 9780552557214
Age groups: Teen
Themes: Family, History
Spider by Linda Strachan
Spider is on his last warning. If he's caught joyriding again he'll be sent down, no questions asked. He's trying to stick to the straight and narrow but his girlfriend Deanna and mate Andy reckon he should risk one last run.
Written by: Linda Strachan
Published by: Strident Publishing
ISBN: 978-1905537068
Age groups: Teen
Themes: Adolescence, Crime, Growing-up
Hopefully this fantastic selection gives you some ideas as to what to read during the summer. Don't forget to take a look at the books on this year's Royal Mail Awards shortlist, and send us your reviews of them. Happy reading!
