Welcome to the first Reading Matters round up of the summer term. It would probably be futile to try and include everything that happened over the Easter break but I have attempted to sift through what people may have missed. Here are the highlights, including news from several awards, some free online events for both adults and children, articles and initiatives that may be of interest plus, of course, lots of great new books to tempt you.

What I’m reading…

Under a Fire- Red Sky is inspired by Geraldine McCaughrean’s own family experience since she draws on the life of her father who was a fire fighter during the Second World War. Award winning McCaughrean writes with a directness that has considerable impact and this is a moving and compelling read. She tells the story of a group of four teenagers, very different in character and background, brought together initially by circumstance and bonded by their shared experience of war particularly during the Blitz in London. The author has clearly carried out extensive research and there is a great deal of historical detail included. Under a Fire-Red Sky would support any teaching of WW2 as a history topic well. It is, however, an excellent book to read as a coming of age novel too and the emphasis throughout is focussed on the personal experience and growth of the four likeable main characters. I would recommend Under A Fire-Red Sky to confident readers of about 12+ who enjoy historical fiction. 

The team at Barrington Stoke have been busy and there has been a flurry of new titles published recently. I read and reviewed three of them all of which are suitable for readers age 9+ with a reading age of 8. Expertly edited to ensure that they are accessible to all, these stories by highly regarded authors, although different in themes, convey positivity, understanding and care for others. Highly recommended for primary school libraries and classrooms. Puloma and the Bear by Jasbinder Bilan illustrated by Skylar White is set in the Indian countryside is a short but moving read; Becoming Grace by Hilary McKay illustrated by Keith Robinsons tells the story of Grace Darling before she became a Victorian celebrity for her courage in assisting her lighthouse keeper father in the rescue of people from a shipwreck off the coast of Bamburgh, Northumberland; The Last House in the Row by Lesley Parr illustrated by Richard Johnson is set in a Welsh community and tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an impulsive 11 year old girl and a reclusive old lady and the impact that their bond has on them both.

News, articles and resources…

Summer Reading Challenge Story Garden Collection Announced – the theme for the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge is Story Garden – Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors and it is hoped that this will inspire children to tap into a world of imagination through reading, exploring the magical connection between storytelling and nature. This challenge launches on Saturday 21 June 2025 in Scotland and online, and on Saturday 5 July 2025 in England and Wales. This month saw the announcement of this year’s book collection and I was delighted to see some of my recent favourites included such as Coral Rumble’s beautiful Jakub’s Otter, Angel of Grassmere by Tom Palmer which is the final book in his Lakeland trilogy and Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit, an impressive debut by Clare Harlow. You can explore the full collection on the official website link above.

The Children’s BookShow: Michael Rosen on Reading for Pleasure and the launch of the autumn programme – patron, Michael Rosen will be launching the autumn 2025 programme of The Children’s Bookshow and will be sharing his years of expertise on how to promote reading for pleasure in school in an engaging free online event for teachers, librarians and education professionals. The event takes place online on Thursday 1st May 2025 at 3.50pm and will last 30 minutes and is free. Find out how to book on the link above.

Book Clubs in Schools: Summer Book Club – Summer Book Club is ideal for secondary school transition, summer school activities and sending out to families with information as they prepare for Year 7. In partnership with Walker Books, the Book Club helps to boost young people’s confidence and encourages reading for pleasure. This year’s book is Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Hyun Song We and you can find out how to get involved above.

Book Clubs in Schools Day Birthday Events – 1st May marks the tenth birthday of Book Clubs in Schools and you can take part in the celebrations by joining one of their free author and illustrator events. 11.00 – 12.00 Tom Palmer – an online event for Y4-7, 14.00 – 15.00 Sita Brahmachari – an online event for Y6-8, 09.00 – onwards David Litchfield – a recorded event for Y1-3 to stream (25 mins). You can find out more and sign up for the events via their website above.

Book Trust: Books We Love for April – Every month, the Book Trust team review dozens of books for children and teenagers. The best in April are divided into age groups from babies and toddlers to teens so there is something for everyone.

The Alligator’s Mouth Award Longlist – Ten books have been longlisted for The Alligator’s Mouth Award 2025, which champions authors and illustrators of highly illustrated children’s fiction. Now in its seventh year, the children’s book prize created by The Alligator’s Mouth children’s bookshop and The Bright Agency, celebrates the best books for 6–8-year-olds. Head teacher and book blogger Tom Griffiths joined the judging panel this year, alongside last year’s winners Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. The shortlist will be announced next month so why not acquaint yourselves with the longlisted titles beforehand. I can recommend Rise of Invisidog and am tempted by several of the others too.

Five children’s books that feature positive male role models – from toddlers to teens – article in The Conversation in which five academic experts recommend a book they would read with a boy or young man that features a positive male role model. The stories they have selected celebrate kindness, integrity and vulnerability. Suitable for readers from infancy to late adolescence.

Books for Topics Year Group Lists Update – the Books for Topics website needs no introduction and has been a valuable resource for some time now. However, you may not know that they have updated their book lists recently to include a selection for Year 7 and another for Year 8. These new lists include a range of genres and are a good balance of newer titles together with old favourites. Look out for more updates coming soon!

Trump-style book censorship is spreading – just ask British librarians – article in the Guardian by Alison Hicks, a lecturer in library and information studies at UCL, outlining the manner in which some UK schools are coming under pressure to remove books from their shelves.

Klaus Flugge Prize 2025 Presentation for Schools – The shortlist for this award will be announced on 15th May and the fabulous longlist makes this a difficult task for the judging panel. Mat Tobin, former Klaus Flugge Prize judge and lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, has generously created and shared this wonderful presentation providing information, links and thoughts on the longlisted books. There is also an opportunity to win the shortlisted titles. This would be brilliant to share in both schools and libraries. Thank you to Mat for this excellent resource.

Just Imagine: Reading Gladiators 2025-26 = Just Imagine are rebooting their multi-award winning Reading Gladiators book club for the  academic year 2025-26 and are returning to the spirit of the original format. One of the highlights will be the online inter-school challenge and celebration day where theywill showcase work, have quizzes, provide opportunities to meet authors and win prizes. There will also be a new group, Reading Gladiators Power Up, which is specifically designed for children who have yet to discover a passion for reading in years 2 – 4. You can find out more about it and how to register on the video linked above.  

There is also a free webinar on the 4th of June at 4.00 pm, when Nikki Gamble will announce details of the new Reading Gladiators inter-school challenge for 2026, including full information, the book selection, author involvement and there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Here is the link to register for the webinar.

Just Imagine: Children’s Authors Live (Online) – There are some fantastic free online author events hosted by Just Imagine coming up this term. Take a trip to ancient Egypt with Laila Rifaat, dip into fairy folklore with Anna Kemp, explore emotions with Sophy Henn and Rachel Bright and be thrilled by Christopher Edge in his Escape Room session. When you register, you will receive a link to a discussion guide or supporting activities to use with your class before or after the event. Events generally last 25 minutes for KS1 events and 35 minutes for KS2 events. See individual events for further details on the link above.

CLiPPA Award 2025 Shortlist Announced – On Wednesday 23 April at a live online event watched by thousands of school children across the UK, the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) announces the shortlist for the 2025 CLiPPA (CLPE Poetry Award). Colossal words; effervescent rhymes for the very young; poetry adventures with a family of six; funny, touching poems about our pets; and a boundary-pushing poetry dialogue, this year’s CLiPPA shortlist is typically rich and varied, and “full of magic” says poet Roger McGough, Chair of Judges. It is a really lovely selection suitable for children aged 3 upwards so do please visit the website above to find out more. The winner will be announced at a live event in June.

2025 Branford Boase Shortlist Announced – The shortlist for the 2025 Branford Boase Award, given annually to the author and editor of the year’s outstanding debut novel for children was announced on Thursday. From a longlist of 20 books, the judges have chosen six to shortlist, a mix of fantasy and realism, with escapism and humour alongside hard-hitting contemporary stories. Julia Eccleshare, co-founder of the Branford Boase Award and chair of the judges says, “the 2025 Branford Boase Award shortlist proves that there is nothing children’s authors can’t write about, and the breadth and variety of these outstanding books are a hallmark of the healthy state of writing and publishing for children in the UK.”

2025 Jhalak Prize Shortlist Announced – First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize awards seek to celebrate books by writers of colour in the UK and Ireland. In 2020, the single award was divided to create a dedicated Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize, and then in 2024, the Jhalak Poetry Prize was added. You can view both the shortlist and longlist for the Children’s & YA prize via the link above.

National Literacy Trust: Book Talk Challenge – Inspire students with an exciting reading challenge that encourages exploration of genres and formats, and celebrates the joy of discovering new favourite titles through sharing recommendations. The Book Talk Challenge is open to students aged 5 to 14 years and resources for schools will be available from 1st May. Find out more on their website.

Empathy Day Festival – This was included in Reading Matters before the Easter Break but here is a reminder about this event taking place 2-12 June, with Empathy Day on Thursday 12 June. See the full programme, (including a nationwide assembly with Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, an exclusive empathy-themed ‘Draw with Rob’ session plus lots more, and register on the website link above to download your FREE resources, tips and ideas – and add your own event to the nationwide events map. 

Literacy Hive: Free Author Events for this Summer Term – Sian Hardy has done a great job in bringing together a range of free events to share with children over this coming term. Don’t miss the Carnegie online events next week suitable for both primary and secondary!

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels – A gosling grows up; a campaign to save trees; the impact of partition; thorny dilemmas; wearing a hijab in Essex and more are included in Imogen Russell Williams’ latest selection.

Finally, some book reviews that caught my eye recently…

Mr Norton’s New Hat by Huw Lewis Jones & Corey Egbert – this new picture book has a cover that caught my attention and a review on Story Snug describing it as a story which celebrates kindness has increased my interest. The helpful review also suggests some learning opportunities linked to the book and this sounds like a great purchase for the very young and for Early Years settings.

Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea by Emma Swan – the first in a brand new series by debut author Emma Swan and to be published in July this is one to earmark for the summer holidays. In his review Tom Griffiths describes this as for fans of Tom Gates and Sunshine Simpson so that’s a big potential audience! I am lucky to have received a proof copy and agree that this looks like it will be great fun. Do please read Tom’s review to find out more.

Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods In Our Own Words, edited by Jen Campbell, James and Lucy Catchpole – I was unaware of this book until I read Kate Heap’s review and her helpful comments suggest it is a must have for school libraries. “Owning It is an important book for Key Stage 2 and secondary school libraries. Its short stories may be used as class read alouds, prompts for PSHE discussions, or as catalysts for students’ own writing. There is also much value in teachers reading these eye-opening stories themselves.”

I hope that something included in this round up is helpful for you and the next Reading Matters should be published at the end of the half term break. Happy reading!