by Tom Neilson, Grange School Librarian
As the Senior School Librarian at The Grange School I often meet children who love a particular author or series of books but seem to have a hard time moving on from them.
It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand we are delighted that the child has found a book, or a series of books that they enjoy, but on the other hand we are aware that, if they do not find a way of moving on, they will eventually become bored and dissatisfied with life in that particular reading cul-de-sac, and if that happens, we risk losing them as readers altogether.
One such author whose books tend to have this unintended consequence is David Walliams. Many children (and grown-ups!) love his silliness and find his books funny, imaginative and easy to read, and there is nothing at all wrong with that. However, if we want to convert childhood readers into lifelong readers, we need to show children what else is out there. Here are some great suggestions which play well with readers between 8 – 12 years of age at The Grange:
Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s stories are imaginative, zany and exciting but also grounded in real life issues and human emotion. ‘Sputnik’s Guide…” is no exception. A comical story of an encounter with a chaos-causing alien, it is also the story of a boy coming to terms with his grandad’s dementia and being placed in foster care. Just one in a long list of brilliant books by this author.
Gary D Schmidt writes with such warmth, humour and insight I just had to include ‘Pay Attention, Carter Jones’ on the list. Carter Jones is part of a chaotic New York family who, quite out of the blue, find themselves in receipt of the services of an eccentric British butler. What follows is funny, uplifting and moving, and has quite a lot to do with cricket, or as the butler refers to it: “the most lovely and sportsmanly game that mankind has yet conceived”. As the story progresses, cricket becomes a metaphor for life and Carter, with help from the butler, learns to “keep the bails up” even when life tosses a googly. One that grown-ups will likely enjoy too.
The premise and tone of this book is succinctly and rather brilliantly summed up by its title and subtitle: “My Brother is a Superhero - I could have been one too but I needed a wee...” Silly and funny but also eminently relatable. This book, and the others in the series, are some of the most popular in the library for Year 7s. Perfect if your David Walliams fan also has a penchant for caped crusaders!
This is a touching and amusing yarn about family relationships, particularly between a boy and his Dad, set in the spandex-wrapped world of wrestling. Jake’s Dad spends all week knocking down buildings but at the weekend he becomes Demolition Man, indulging in his secret passion of wrestling. Despite his Dad’s insistence on keeping the identity of Demolition Man a secret, Jake can’t resist signing him up for an international wrestling competition. Needless to say, this has hilarious consequences!
This is the first in a brilliant series of books featuring the Ancient Greek gods as you’ve never seen them before – occasionally grumpy, usually insecure, and sometimes just plain bonkers! Elliot is having a tough time; school is a nightmare, his Mum is forgetting things, and if they don’t sort their money worries out they could lose their home. So, when a star constellation crash-lands in their cow shed, Elliot really doesn’t have time to get drawn into the battles and petty squabbles of the Gods - but perhaps his adventures with his supernatural friends could help him to work through his own problems?
We hope that our young readers find something new and exciting here to challenge and inspire them further.
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