Schools out - Children’s books for the holidays

Our amazing Book Buying Working Group have been busy selecting reads for children over the summer. Here are four of the best that are in the shop now.

Following on from last week’s blog about water, our first recommendation is Water, Water by Cary Fagan, with illustrations by Jon McNaught. A magical tale of Rafe, lost at sea in his bedroom. He fishes some interesting things out of the water as he travels through this new world.

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf, is a prize winning book with many awards from around the world since publication in 2018. The book is the story of a refugee boy arriving at a new school and highlights the importance of empathy and friendship in a world that doesn’t always make sense.

Our next recommendation is If My Words Had Wings by Danielle Jawando, a life affirming story of hope and rehabilitation after prison. Newly published in May 2024, the book tells the story of Tyrell Foster who gets caught up in an armed robbery and is sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders prison. Ty is inspired by a visiting poet during his time inside and is determined to use his newly found voice in his life outside.

The last book on our summer reads list is The Song Walker by Zillah Bethell tells the tale of two girls who find themselves in the Australian outback. During their wanderings they find that they are both hiding secrets. A story with a terrific twist.

We hope you enjoy our children’s summer reads whatever age you are.