January 17, 2019

 

 

After a much-needed break for Christmas and New Year, schools have started again for 2019!

For some English schools this means taking delivery of BookTrust’s free School Library Pack. Funded partly by Arts Council England, the pack contains forty books and consists of fifteen titles split into three groups – future classics, reluctant reader and non-fiction. Apart from Politics for Beginners, which contains too many selections for a viable AR quiz, they all have AR quizzes! You can find out more about why some books aren’t quizzable here.

There’s a great variety of topics, genres and themes contained within the School Library Pack – from Jewell Parker Rhodes’ timely and hard-hitting Ghost Boys to the more whimsical (but very informative) Corpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists by Adam Murphy. Avid and reluctant readers alike will be tempted by Chris Priestley’s horrifying Flesh and Blood!

The Library Pack truly contains something for everyone – so grab a book and get reading!

Future Classics

The School Library Pack includes five future classics – books selected by a panel as some of the best in children’s literature right now. Discover more about the future classics below.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes – After twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys, including historical figure Emmett Till.
AR quiz no 233707 | MY |BL 3.0

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson – “[This] is one of the most whimsical retellings I’ve read in a long time. It’s filled to the brim with magic. But it’s the book’s characters that have stayed with me the longest. I completely fell in love with Marinka and her house with legs. They’re both headstrong and hilarious, but with the biggest of hearts.” – Krista Culbertson, Assistant Editor.
AR quiz no 233724 | MY |BL 5.0

Boy 87 by Ele Fountain – Shif is an ordinary boy who likes chess, maths and racing his best friend home from school. But one day, soldiers with guns come to his door, and he is no longer safe. He is forced to embark on a dangerous journey through new lands and strange voices.
AR quiz no 235050 | MY+ | BL 4.8

Star by Star by Sheena Wilkinson – It’s 1918 and Stella has lost her suffragette mother to the flu pandemic that is sweeping across Europe. Stella wants to change the world – but she can’t do it all by herself.
AR quiz no 235053 | MY+ |BL 4.7

A Good Day for Climbing Trees by Jaco Jacobs – Marnus’s older brother is good at breaking swimming records and girls’ hearts. His younger brother is a crafty entrepreneur. But when a girl called Leila turns up on their doorstep one morning with a petition, it’s the start of an unexpected adventure.
AR quiz no 235049 | MY | BL 4.9

Reluctant Readers

With these dyslexia-friendly texts, illustrated books and a graphic novel, the School Library Pack’s selection will help reluctant and struggling readers unlock their reading potential. Included are:

A Different Dog, by Paul Jennings, is an endearing and emotional tale of empathy between a boy and a dog. The boy, who doesn’t speak, is determined to help the dog, which won’t move, after it survives a crash in which its owner is killed. As the boy helps the dog to find safety, the dog in turn helps him find his voice. Moments of real peril and isolation accompany the heart-warming ones, and this short story will be both manageable and rewarding for reluctant readers who give it a go.
AR quiz no 235048 | MY |BL 3.7

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson – Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, but her best friend Nicole chooses dance. While making new friends and struggling with a new sport, Astrid fears she is losing Nicole.
AR quiz no 232971 | MY |BL 3.2

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier – After a monster apocalypse hits town, average thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan builds a team of friends to help slay the eerily intelligent monster known as Blarg.
AR quiz no 230028 | MY |BL 4.1

Mind Writer by Steve Cole – Luke’s mind-reading skills make life easy. Bullies are no bother and he always knows the right answer to a teacher’s question. But then he meets Samira, who can’t read minds but can write all over them – and the forces of darkness are on her side.
AR quiz no 232898 | MY+ |BL 3.8

Flesh and Blood by Chris Priestley – Bill makes a wish – for a brother rather than a sister. It seems he may have got his wish when his family take in a boy, his face hidden by bandages. But when the boy’s behaviour grows sinister and the bandages come off, Bill is faced with a nightmare.
AR quiz no 231914 | MY+ |BL 4.2

Non-Fiction

Reading varied non-fiction is a great way for children to discover and explore their interests. The School Library Pack’s brilliant non-fiction picks, listed below,  will help them do just that.

Real-Life Mysteries by Susan Martineau – “Though the cover warns its readers not to believe everything they read, the curious cases detailed within Real-Life Mysteries will capture the interest of even the most reluctant of readers. This non-fiction pick features eleven unique case studies which are broken down into manageable sections of evidence, witness information and theories. We know that many children are fascinated by the macabre or weird, but I even found myself researching some of these cases, particularly the spooky section on the Flannan Isles disappearances!” – Kerry McGuire, Editorial Assistant.
AR quiz no 235052| MY|BL 6.3

What is Gender? by Juno Dawson – This book explains how your gender can have an impact on your life, what it means to choose your own gender identity, and the importance of gender equality.
AR quiz no 234813 | MY | 6.6

The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek – Fourteen-year-old Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy who hoped to become a concert pianist. When Hitler’s armies advanced on pre-war Vienna, Lisa’s parents are forced to make a difficult decision. The co-author is Lee Cohen.
AR quiz no 233300 | MY |BL 6.0

Corpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists by Adam Murphy – In this book you will uncover such questions such as how a taste of tortoise inspired Darwin’s discoveries, what led Einstein to unlock the secrets of Spacetime and what the deal was with Marie Curie’s deadly diaries.
AR quiz no 235051 | MY |BL 5.4

Share your favourites from the School Library Pack with us on Twitter and Facebook – @AccReader. Happy quizzing!

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