Back to School reading

Loathe as I am to accept it, all of the available meteorological evidence points to a single, inescapable conclusion: Summer is over and Autumn is here. And with it come three words beloved of stationers and the children’s clothing departments of Marks and Spencers across the land: Back to School.

But Back to School doesn’t have to be ALL bad – and here are some of our best new books for back to school reading.

My School Musical and other Punishments is the third hilarious novel for 9+ readers by Catherine Wilkins, author of My Best Friend and other Enemies and My Brilliant Life and other Disasters. Clever, knowing, and wonderfully true-to-life, these books are brilliant for fans of funny books – every one will recognise Catherine’s spot-on depictions of friends, enemies and frenemies. Here’s a look inside:



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Izzy’s River, by Holly Webb, is the second book in a fantastic new sequence of novels about four friends who want to make the world a better place – entertaining, inspirational and ideal for 8+ year olds. Here’s a look inside:



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If you know a child who’s not entirely over the moon about going back to school, then some excellent new escapism might be in order – in which case, look no further than Witchworld, by Emma Fischel, which is out in September. With an ingeniously imaginative story from Emma, stunning cover artwork from Ottoline creator Chris Riddell, and a brilliantly bewitching new heroine, this is a fabulous foray into fantastical fiction for 9+ readers – Sabrina with a smartphone! Here’s a look inside:



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For fans of The Twits or Mr. Gum, The Grunts in a Jam will be just the ticket – the third book in this very funny, very silly series by Philip Ardagh and Axel Scheffler. The gloriously grubby Grunt family head to a country fair so Mrs Grunt’s mother can enter her homemade jam in the Preserves, Jams and Jellies Competition. What could possibly go wrong…? Here’s a look inside:



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And finally, for 7+ year olds, you simply CANNOT go wrong with The Spy Who Loved School Dinners by Pamela Butchart, the brilliantly bonkers new book from the author of Baby Aliens Got My Teacher! It’s funny, crazy, and absolutely SPOT ON at capturing day-to-day life at primary school. Here’s a look inside:



Buy the book online.

Do let us know your best back to school reading recommendations below!

Have you heard about our upcoming children’s publishing conference? Early Bird tickets are available now.