Charlie Ellis accidentally writes in her school essay that her friend Angela Mitchell is her 'best fiend' instead of 'best friend'. I read this book many times over as a child.

With character names such as Walloping Toenail, Lumbering Turnip and Gallumphing Doorknob, what's not to love? This gentle and hilarious tale about bravery and friendship is a joy from start to finish. The trouble is, Harvey isn't a giant, so he has to spend most of the story pretending to be one by stumbling around on stilts. Small! by Hannah Moffattġ0-year-old Harvey Small is enrolled at Madame Bogbrush's School for Giants. Read our review of The Boy at the Back of the Class 5. This is such a heartfelt, beautiful and impactful story.

The lengths the friends go to to try and help Ahmet are quite something. RaufĪ group of 9-year-old classmates befriend Ahmet, a young refugee who has been separated from his family. The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Read our review of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun 4. I wish I had this book to read when I was younger. Set mostly in Nigeria, at a school for children with superpowers, Onyeka's hair is her strength.Īs someone who often struggled with my afro-textured hair as a child, seeing a young Black girl – and her hair – portrayed in this positive and powerful way is so refreshing. Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá OkogwuĪ superhero story with a difference. Told from different viewpoints, including his school friends and sister as well as Auggie himself, this is a tender and moving story about understanding and celebrating difference. After being home educated for the first part of his life, we meet Auggie when he is about to start school. Palacioġ0-year-old August (Auggie) has rare facial anomalies, Treacher-Collins syndrome. Addie is a wonderful character, whom you cheer for all the way through – and the story is told with warmth, humour and effortless style. A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicollġ1-year-old Addie campaigns for a memorial in her hometown when she learns about witch trials that took place there years before.Īddie's life isn't made the easiest by her school teacher, Miss Murphy, and a rather unkind classmate, but this story about courage, friendship, family and what it means to be different is a real triumph. My selection shows that books set at school can be at the forefront of stimulating change, promoting empathy and showcasing diversity, yet, in the best tradition of children's books, they are equally full of wonder and excitement. There are all sorts of adventures to be had in stories about schooldays – and, arguably, authors have to work even harder to create narratives that children find not only relatable and realistic, but that step up to becoming EXTRA-ordinary tales. Linton shares her favourite stories set at school, from classics to more recent releases.

Auggie and me