Recommended by Emma Sheppard @emma_au_soleil Author: Sam Boughton Form: Picture Book Length: 32 pages Brief synopsis: Joe plants a seed and brings his previously grey block of flats to life with beautiful plants and animals. Age recommendation and challenging content: EYFS-KS1 Notable reasons for recommending this book: Supports Science lessons (seeds, planting, growing etc.) Black protagonist   The post The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton appeared first on Funky Pedagogy ..read more

Recommended by: Stephen Dilley/@stephenjdilley Form and Genre: Novel.  Length: 256 pages. Summary: A heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny story set in Peckham about Shaun (aka MC Growls), a young wannabe rapper which explores serious issues including racial prejudice, housing insecurity and being a young carer. With the help of his friends, his family, his teacher and his counsellor, Shaun is able to overcome the many challenges life throws at him. Age recommendation and challenging content: Explores racism and homelessness but in a way which is suitable for Year 7 upwards. No ..read more

Recommended by: Stephen Dilley/@stephenjdilley Form and Genre: Verse novel.  Length: 400 pages. Summary: This verse novel, the first in a trilogy, explores Asante history and the horrors of the slave trade. The first half of the story explores eleven-year-old Kofi Offin’s childhood in Upper Kwanta before he is captured and sold into slavery, which is described in harrowing detail. Age recommendation and challenging content: Suitable for Year 9 upwards – the descriptions of the slave trade are (rightly) horrifying, including violence, sexual violence and mutilation. Notable reasons for re ..read more

Recommended by: Stephen Dilley/@stephenjdilley Form and Genre: Verse novel Length: 252 Summary: A canine bildungsroman which follows the dog Scruffity from an unhappy start in life to discovering ‘the way of dog’ and understanding the world – featuring moments of Dickensian cruelty and lots of lovely moments of tenderness. Age recommendation and challenging content: Suitable for Year 7 upwards – some references to violence and domestic abuse, sensitively handled Notable reasons for recommending this book: A really delightful verse novel – the use of perspective and verse form are brilliantly ..read more

Recommended by: Kiran Satti @Miss_K_Sunray3 Form and Genre: Picture Book/Prose Length: 25 pages Summary:  Rose and Jack are very different and do not get along as siblings. Jack loves to explore whereas Rose enjoys quietly reading – they are the complete opposites. One day, Jack decides to go through a Tunnel. Rose, after a good while waiting, conjures up the courage to go through the tunnel to see where he is and is he ok. As you read through the story, there are two things I hope you notice as a Reader before a teacher – the positioning and framing of the characters. The way they are s ..read more

Recommended by Emma Sheppard @emma_au_soleil Author: Tim Probert Form: Graphic novel/Fantasy Length: 256 pages Brief synopsis: Protagonist Bea partners with an oversize amphibian creature called Cad to find her grandfather. Age recommendation and challenging content: KS2-KS3 Notable reasons for recommending this book: It’s a beautiful graphic novel.  Further Info: This book is part of a series.  The post Lightfall by Tim Probert appeared first on Funky Pedagogy ..read more

This is a guest blog written by Lucy Wood Lucy is an experienced primary practitioner and has had the privilege of teaching, learning and leading across a diverse range of settings in the UK, Japan and the Netherlands. Following the recent arrival of baby number 3, Lucy has chosen to extend her time out of school life until Autumn 2024, when she will be taking up a senior leadership post in the international school sector. She is currently pursuing an MA in Education, which she is finding energising, enjoyable and challenging in equal measure. You can find Lucy on Twitter (X): @lucyhwood This ..read more

This is a guest blog written by Emily Pringle. Emily has been a History teacher for 12 years working in Lincolnshire. She has three children and works 0.8, and is a Regional Representative for the Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project. She is passionate about effective CPD for teachers: helping to support CPD within her school for the last 4 years has led to a new role of Research and Development Lead. You can find Emily on Twitter: @EHP89  This blog was edited by Gemma Molyneux. Find out more about Gemma on this page. Recently, it has dawned on me that cold calling, which inv ..read more

*This website is supported by our users. We sometimes earn a small commission when you click through affiliate links. Please read more in our disclaimer Recommended by: Marie Bartlett  Contact: @LibraryLady Author: Danielle Jawando Form: YA Prose Novel Length: 388 pages Brief synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al, has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart. Al was special. Al was talented. Al had so many dreams … so why did he do it? Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al’s footsteps. As he does, he mee ..read more

*This website is supported by our users. We sometimes earn a small commission when you click through affiliate links. Please read more in our disclaimer Recommended by: Racheal Gartside Author: Andrea Levy Form: Historical fiction – novel Length: 350 pages Brief synopsis: The story of post-war Caribbean migration told through four narrators. The novel handles sensitive issues of racial discrimination and violence whilst at the same time finding humanity and hope in small moments. Age recommendation and challenging content: Explores racism and contains racial slurs and violence. Would recommen ..read more