School’s Out for Summer!

Blog · Posted June 26, 2024

Book recommendations for all the young readers (and young at heart) this summer.

Schools out for summer and that means lots of time to do some reading for fun! Our booksellers have selected their top recommendations for the young and young at heart this summer. From teen to picture books, there will be a great read for all ages in this mix….

 

YOUNG ADULT

 

Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald | £8.99

Finlay is studying for his nursing degree but has no support network. How can he write essays, find work and NOT fall for the beautiful boy at uni, when he’s struggling to even feed himself? Banjo is trying to settle in with his new foster family and finish high school. But he can’t forget all that has happened. How can he hold on to the one good person in his life, when his outbursts keep threatening his uncertain future? Can Finlay and Banjo let go of the past before it drags them under?

 


Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls  | £9.99

1896. Tirzah, Sophia and Polly are best friends who’ve left boarding school and gone back to very different lives. Polly is teaching in an orphanage. Sophia is looking for a rich husband at the London Season. And Tirzah is stuck acting as an unpaid companion to her grandmother. In a series of letters, they share their hopes, their frustrations, their dramas…and their romances. Can these three very different young women find happiness?

 


Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates | £8.99

Cass dreams of freedom. So when a fierce and beautiful leather‑clad woman rides up and offers to take her away, Cass doesn’t hesitate to join her. She is introduced to the Sisters of Sword and Shadow – a group of female knights training to fight, protect their community and right the wrongs of men. Drawn into a world of ancient feuds, glorious battles, and deadly intrigue, Cass soon discovers she holds a power that could change not only her own fate but that of her entire sisterhood.

 


Dead Happy by John Silver | £8.99

The nail-biting sequel to HappyHead. By some miracle, Seb has survived the HappyHead programme, only to find himself on a remote island under the guidance of a freakishly beautiful couple. Far from home, Seb reluctantly teams up with Eleanor again. They are forced to compete in a series of ever stranger trials. All the while, he can’t stop thinking about Finn. Determined to find him, Seb’s search uncovers an even darker reality. Can he escape the island and expose the truth behind HappyHead?

 


 

AGE 8-12

 

Wolf Road by Alice Roberts | £7.99

Travelling with her tribe Tuuli  knows there’s a bigger world out there. When she spots a strange boy lurking outside their camp, she realises that he might hold the adventure she is looking for. He is from another tribe, sent to find safer ground and as he and Tuuli strike up an unlikely friendship, they set out on a journey that will impact the rest of human history.  A vast adventure with a very human heart, full of wild animals, huge scenery and inspired by real anthropological discoveries.

 


I am Rebel by Ross Montgomery  | £7.99

I’m Tom’s dog, and he’s my human. We belong to each other.” Rebel is a good dog, and he loves his simple, perfect life on the farm with his owner Tom – until one day the war comes too close… Now Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the king’s men. But Rebel knows war is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to save the human he loves. Rebel must bring Tom home before it’s too late.

 


A Drop of Golden Sun by Kate Saunders | £8.99

12-year-old Jenny has just been cast as one of the lead roles in a feature film. Soon she must jet off to France, where she will join her film family: three other children and two renowned actors. The glitz and glamour of being on set is a million miles away from Jenny’s normal life.  However, showbiz is never straightforward and there’s one fierce and famous actor that threatens the whole shoot. Jenny is about to experience a life-changing summer in the spotlight!

 


Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons by Abi Elphinstone | £7.99

Rusty Fizzbang, vet to magical beasts, needs an apprentice. Ember Spark is his newest recruit. Together with an unlikely friend, Arno, she is sent to help a baby dragon whose parents have gone missing. But keeping magical beasts a secret isn’t an easy task, especially with arch-villain, Jasper Hornswoggle, hot on their heels and keen to derail them…

 

 


The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Treasure Hunt Monsters by Marcus Rashford | £8.99

When a treasure hunt is announced at Rutherford School, Marcus teams up with his friends to win. But an otherworldly monster is set on spoiling their fun. It’s up to the Breakfast Club Investigators to use clues from a series of comic books to uncover the truth. But what happens when reality is stranger than fiction? In one of their hardest cases yet, failing to solve the mystery just isn’t an option.

 


Ettie and the Midnight Pool by Julia Green | £7.99

Ettie has lived blissfully with her grandma and the wild woods as her playground. Until she meets the mysterious Cora and she starts to crave more – now she wants to explore further, to discover secrets of her own. So, when Cora leads her to the hidden quarry pool – cold, beautiful and dangerously inviting – Ettie is ready to jump straight in. But the quarry has secrets too, and Ettie will have to dive deep into the darkness to uncover them…

 


Adventures in Time: Alexander the Great by Dominic Sandbrook | £8.99

Alexander has one, wild dream: to rule the world. And with his childhood friends and his beloved horse Bucephalas, he sets out from his home in Ancient Greece to do just that. With historian Dominic Sandbrook as our guide, join Alexander on his incredible journey through the deserts of Egypt all the way to India, defeating all who stand in his way. For anything is possible with the help of the gods…

 


Skandar and the Chaos Trials  by A.F. Steadman | £14.99

Skandar and his sister Kenna are finally both at the Eyrie, but tensions are high. To survive their third year of training, Skandar and his friends must complete a series of terrifying trials across the Island’s elemental zones. Friendships, allegiances and rider-unicorn bonds will be pushed to the limit – only the strongest will make it. Get ready for unlikely heroes, elemental magic, sky battles, ancient secrets and ferocious unicorns in this highly anticipated adventure that will keep you reading after lights out!

 


Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea by Pari Thomson | £12.99

After smuggling aboard a long-awaited expedition to the heart of the Amazon, Daisy and her friends soon find themselves on the high seas, pursued across the waves by Grim Reapers. Their only hope: to find the mysterious city of Iffenwild, hidden beyond the sea and lost to time. It will take all of Daisy’s courage and determination if she is to discover the truth that haunts Iffenwild, and save the magical world before it’s too late.

 


What a Wonderful Word by Nicola Edwards  | £9.99

The perfect book for a long journey. Have you ever wished there was a word for friends who are like family? Or did you know there was a special word for the distance a reindeer can travel before needing the toilet? This hand-picked collection of untranslatable worlds from all over the world celebrates the magic of language, with gorgeous original artwork and fascinating facts about each word and the culture it comes from. Recommended for ages 5-10.


 

AGE 5-7

 

Watts and Whiskerton: Burried Bones and Troublesome Treasue by Meg Mclaren  | £6.99

Watts doesn’t think he’s got what it takes to be a great detective like his parents. So when they jet off on their next case, he decides to take a holiday to Whiskerton Manor instead. But there, Watts befriends Pearl Whiskerton. Whiskerton is a curious cat with a nose for mysteries,. Watts persuades her to help her investigate a series of strange goings on at the manor…But can this dog and cat detective duo solve the mystery?

 


Gordon the Meanest Goose on Earth by Alex Latimer | £6.99

There are plenty of mean geese in the world. They hiss, honk and chase you down for a handful of crumbs. But Gordon is the meanest of them all. He’s the worst, and he loves it. Until one day, something extraordinary happens…Anthony the Piglet gives him a flower. With this one act of kindness, Gordon’s world begins to crumble. Join Gordon the Goose, Anthony the Piglet, and the citizens of Grover Gardens for a laugh-out-loud journey of empathy, courage, and soggy bread.

 


Bertha & Blink: Rumble in the Jungle by Nicola Colton | £6.99

An adventure full of friendship, with a sprinkling of science and a nod to nature. The perfect new series for fun-loving readers! When a rumble in the jungle disturbs super-star inventor Bertha’s work, she has to leave her peaceful home and investigate. To help her, she creates Blink – an excitable robo-bird sidekick who can’t wait to explore! How will the unlikely pair cope in the wilderness? And will they be able to discover the secret behind the strange noises?

 


Call the Puffins: Muffin and the Shipwreck by Cath Howe | £6.99

Welcome back to the island of Egg, where young puffins are training to join a search and rescue team. Meet Forti, the newest recruit. He’s a bit of a dreamer. When an old wreck washes up in a storm, the puffins are told to keep away – but Forti cannot resist swimming right up to it. Disaster strikes and Forti’s leg gets stuck in the rigging. Can Muffin, Tiny and the other puffins remain unflappable in the face of danger and save the day?

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

This gorgeous follow-up to the award-winning Mouse’s Wood accompanies Mouse on a new adventure – from the woods, down a gently flowing river to the open sea – to visit an old friend. Taking place over the course of twenty-four hours, the story tracks the changing environment of the river’s banks, the shift from day to night, and introduces a whole new cast of friendly characters who wave to Mouse on the way.

 


In this comedic picture book exploring a forever childhood question about friendship, squirrel and a mushroom explore the forest through the seasons.  Then spring arrives, and so does a new friend. And then another. This raises a profound question for an overthinking squirrel: should we have just one best friend? After much drama, Squirrel doesn’t find an answer—the friends keep coming—and he ends the book with at least three better best friends.

 


Gus the Goat loves guessing. And he loves rhyming. So, when he meets Mavis Mole, he can’t help himself trying to guess where she lives. Is it in a hole? In a bowl!? In a Sausage ROLL!! No, not quite…This super-silly and totally HOLE-ARIOUS story will have kids laughing out loud and joining in with Gus Goat’s outlandish guessing game. Perfect for inspiring a love of language in little ones.

 

Rivers can be fast-flowing or still, raging or calm, just like us. This lyrical picture book explores the concepts of time and change through the ebb and flow of a river. From the fleeting flash of a kingfisher to slow grinding of pebbles, this beautiful book encourages readers to notice the big and small things happening in nature, as well as reflecting on things which have come and gone, and those yet to be enjoyed.

 


Pebble the pony lives on a wild and lonely moor. He loves the holidaymakers who come up from the ton – especially when they bring picnics and feed him their leftovers! One day, Pebble makes up his mind to see the town for himself but is rescued by Miss Moss, who leads him safely back to the moor. Pebble often visits Miss Moss on her little farm and they soon become the best of friends.

 


Our booksellers love to recommend books and share their favourite reads with other booklovers. It is their job but also their hobby. Our blog is a good place to start to find some recommendations. However, if you still need some help, simply pop into the shop, give us a call or shoot us an email.

Find out how to contact us HERE.