School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 41

For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-41/

Part 1
Book post

• Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy
• How to Question Everything by Susan Martineau and Vicky Barker
• The Dream by Gideon Sterer and Nik Henderson
• Camping in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland
• We Can Be Mermaids by Lanisha Butterfield
• Moon’s Lullaby by Júlia Moscardó
• Nico the Donkey’s New Home by Elena Mannion and Erin Brown
• Glam & Beardy by Ruby Clyde and Rachel WD
• SPYGLASS by David Solomons
• The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away by Sophie Anderson
• Peregrine Quinn and the Battle for Olympus by Ash Bond
• The Protectors by Victor Kloss
• A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once by Lucas Maxwell
• The Last Death Poet by Stephen Daly
• The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books in May 2026

• Astrophysics for Supervillains by Matthew Bothwell
• The Hospital for Mythological Creatures by Cathy Evans & Ed Brown
• Dragonflare by Jamie Hammond
• This Boy I Hardly Know by Lisa Heathfield
• The Ice Cream Crocodile by Mariesa Dulak
• Koroba: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Alaba Onajin
• Marcie and Giraffe by Kim Gregory
• Princess Pete by Zoey Allen
• Max and Ella, Stuck Together by Kristina Rahim
• SuperQuesters Mission: Desert Danger by Paul Ian Cross
• Aardvark Day by Victoria Gatehouse & Kate Lucy Foster
• Buzz by Richard Jones
• Reach In! by Hervé Tullet
• Rise of the Goblin Queen by Francesco Bedini & Stefano Tambellini
• In the Theatre by Tove Jansson
• Stormbringer by Tig Wallace
• The Little Cook's Handbook by Lizzie Mabbott
• A Sister Like You by Sarah Hagger-Holt
• Like A Brother by Nathanael Lessore
• Lies We Told This Summer by Emily Barr
• All in the Mind by Gill Arbuthnott
• Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb
• Tadpole Summer by Catherine Bruton
• If the Invader Comes by Tom Palmer
• Your Murder Next by Ravena Guron
• Where the Tide Lines Lead by Sophie Cameron
• Lily Tripp by Amelia Tait
• What If?: Grow Your Imagination by Tom Schamp
• Broken by X. Fang
• I Want by Ziggy Hanaor
• The Ministry of Manners by David Solomons

May 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: A Sister Like You by Sarah Hagger-Holt
• Nonfiction: Nature is the Answer by Chris Packham
• Picture book: Koroba: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn

Part 2
Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness

New book pitches: A Poem A Day by Tara Ali, Dyrne Hill by Chris Dewar & Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan

Part 3
Will the government's new reading assessments undermine the National Year of Reading?

Credits & licensing
Sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 40

For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-40/

Part 1
Book post

• I Am Ray's Imaginary Friend by Brian Moses
• Locked in the Museum by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe
• Mo's Stick by Fiona Lumbers
• Tick Tock Around the Clock by Ruth Brown
• Sea Safari by Julie Sykes and Emily Jones
• Marty Moose: The Great Stamp-ede by Claire Powell
• The Elementals: Wanzu Sets Sail by Love Ssega and Erika Meza
• Cruise Ship Kid: Kidnap at Sea! by Emma Swan
• On the Streets of New York by Sarah Kay and Ryan Johnson
• The Cheat Book (Vol.3) by Ramzee
• Always Angel by Kimberly Whittam
• Made for Each Other by Georgina Taylor
• Dragonborn by Struan Murray
• War & Peas by Robert Muchamore
• Burn the Water by Billy Ray
• All the Cursed Creatures by Amie Jordan
• When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books in April 2026

• The Last Death Poet by Stephen Daly
• What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us by Benjamin Zephaniah
• How to Question Everything by Susan Martineau & Vicky Barker
• Nico the Donkey's New Home by Elena Mannion
• Camping in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland
• SPYGLASS: Mastermind of Mayhem by David Solomons
• Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness
• Two is a Crowd by Cath Howe
• Wide Eye by Jennifer Liss
• Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy
• A Million Tiny Missiles All at Once by Lucas Maxwell
• Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories by William Dobson
• Guinea Pig Rescue by Pamela Butchart
• Saving Species by Jess French
• Wild Footprints by Judy Wise
• Once Upon a Time in the Woods by Anthony Browne
• Whale Song by Nicola Davies
• Once Upon a Planet by Pierrick Graviou
• How to Build a Chocolate Bridge by Roma Agrawal
• Izzy Dobson is Definitely Different by Abigail Balfe
• Survival Show by Juno Dawson
• My Art Book of Peace by Shana Gozansky
• Song I Wrote for Charlotte by Caitlin Devlin
• The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby
• Lost by Tom Adams, Daniela Martin Del Campo
• The Whisperwicks: The Vanished Key by Jordan Lees
• Hercules vs the Minotaur by Tom Vaughan
• The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away by Sophie Anderson
• The World's Last Mammoth and Other Missing Marvels by Mike Barfield & Franziska Hollbacher
• Woodlore by Kevin Parr

April 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy
• Nonfiction: How to Question Everything by Susan Martineau & Vicky Barker
• Picture book: The Dream by Gideon Sterer & Nik Henderson

Part 2
Cricket books

New book pitches: Little Poets: A Poem A Day by Tara Ali, Ask To Learn Booklets by Anjennis Walrond & Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan

Part 3
How to spot which books will appeal to 14-16+ year olds based on social media trends

Credits & licensing
Sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 39

For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-39/

Part 1
Book post

• Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya
• Insectarium Junior Edition by Emily Carter and Dave Goulson
• When Tad Kicked Vlad by Julian Gough and Ross Collins
• Don't Do It, Doug by Maudie Powell-Tuck
• I Am Strong Just Being Me by Laura Dockrill and Kip Alizadeh
• Happy Hills: Cheesy Bob Strikes! by Sophy Henn
• The Great Glacier Hotel Heist by Meg McLaren
• Detective Stanley and the Green Thumbed Thief by Hannah Tunnicliffe
• The Galaxy World Cup by Alan Joyce
• How to Speak and Be Heard by Sam Hutchinson and Vicky Barker
• Stitch Head by Guy Bass
• The Last Wolf by Rob Biddulph
• Mixed by Emma Slade Edmondson
• Boy vs Reality by James Fox
• Escape! by Sophie McKenzie
• Day of Now by Miranda Reason
• Control Alter Delete by K. L. Kettle
• Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books in March 2026

• Tick Tock Around the Clock by Ruth Brown
• Her Hidden Fire by Clíodhna O’Sullivan
• I Am Ray's Imaginary Friend by Brian Moses, illustrated by Bethan Welby
• The STEM Encyclopedia of Wildlife Words by Jenny Jacoby
• Mr Norton’s New Truck by Huw Lewis Jones
• The Elementals: Wanzu Sets Sail by Love Ssega
• The Whale That Sings in the Deep by Yuval Zommer
• Big Brilliant World by Matt Ralphs
• On The Streets of New York by Sarah Kay & Ryan Johnson
• When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson
• War and Peas by Robert Muchamore
• All the Cursed Creatures by Amie Jordan
• Death by Chocolate by Anna Brooke
• The Future Book by Mac Barnett
• Big Words by Luke Palmer
• Keeping Possession by Eve Ainsworth
• The Aztecs by DK
• Lost Robot by Joe Todd-Stanton
• The Big Book of Pi by Jean-Baptiste Aubin & Anita Lehmann
• The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel
• The Mubbles by Liz Pichon
• A Degree in a Book: Physics by Sidney Perkowitz
• Kidnap at Sea! by Emma Swan
• Fang Attack by Kieran Larwood & Joe Todd-Stanton
• Rise of the Badbots! by Jack Noel
• Monkeypig by Huw Aaron
• The Overthinkers’ Club by Nat Luurtsema
• Burn the Water by Billy Ray
• These Shattered Spires by Cassidy Ellis Salter
• A Soul Full of Shadows by Derek Landy
• Dave Vs Dave! by Swapna Haddow

March 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: I am Ray's Imaginary Friend by Brian Moses, illustrated by Bethan Welby
• Nonfiction: Locked in the Museum by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe
• Picture book: Mo's Stick by Fiona Lumbers

Part 2
Survival and bushcraft books

New book pitches: Little Poets: A Poem A Day by Tara Ali, Ask To Learn Booklets by Anjennis Walrond & Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan

Part 3
“Only 10% of boys aged 14-16 read daily for pleasure”. What can we as teachers do about it?

Credits & licensing
Sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 38

For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-38/

Part 1
Book post

• Small Poems for Big Imaginations by Neal Zetter, illustrated by Will Hughes
• How to Survive an Apocalypse by Coby Coonradt and Cameron Hardy, illustrated by Victoria Stebleva
• Tree Thing by Piers Torday, illustrated by Matthew Taylor
• Tyrannosaurus Veg by Smriti Halls and Katherina Manolessou
• The Map of Me by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Olga Shtonda
• Goldilocs by Ella McLeod and Rochelle Falconer
• The Spectacular Space Loop by Javi De Castro
• From AI to WI-FI by Craig Steele, illustrated by Terri Po
• Magpie Girl by Rowan Foxwood
• Escape from the Child Snatchers by Sufiya Ahmed
• The Monsters at the End of the World by Rebecca Orwin
• The Not-So Great Escape by Emma Green
• Quill and the Last Generation by C. M. Lewis
• New You Forever by Steve Cole, illustrated by Chris King
• Sweet and Sour by Monique Turner
• Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet
• Catch by Sarah Brill
• Arcana - The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books in February 2026

• Tiny Hercules by Jon Lock
• Bridge of Storms by Philip Reeve
• The Impossible Gladiator by M. G. Leonard
• Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar by Rashmi Sirdeshpande
• The Day My Brother Got Famous by Jen Carney
• When the World Ends by Joanna Nadin
• At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp
• Tomorrow I'm in Charge! by Jörg Mϋhle
• Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody by Helen Rutter
• Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman
• There Is Not Usually a Hole by Daisy Hirst
• Kill Me Now by Helen Price
• Escape! by Sophie McKenzie
• Day of Now by Miranda Reason
• They Call Her Regret by Channelle Desamours
• Write Your Own Family History by Jane Bingham
• The Fabric of Us by Aditi Anand
• YOU VS The Poison Plot by Josh Hicks
• Raindrops by Robin Boyden
• Alan, King of the Universe by Tom McLaughlin
• Murder at the Ivy Hotel by Emily Hourican
• Chicken Hill by Beccy Blake
• The Moonhaven Chronicles: The Last Wolf by Rob Biddulph
• The Blitz Sisters by Judith Eagle
• Kid Potato by Neil Coslett
• Cheesy Bob Strikes! by Sophy Henn
• The Beasts We Raise by D. L. Taylor
• Always Angel by Kimberly Whittam

February 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya
• Nonfiction: Insectarium Junior Edition by Emily Carter and Dave Goulson
• Picture book: When Tad Kicked Vlad by Julian Gough and Ross Collins

Part 2
Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy

New book pitches: The Collaborator by TG Trouper, Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan, Anna Denton & The Water of Life by Vaughan Hawthorne-Nelson

Part 3
How Book Censorship Creeps into UK Schools and How to Respond

Credits & licensing
Sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 37

For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-37/

Part 1
Book post

• Hot Food Nice! by Michael Rosen
• What If Every Volcano Erupted at Once? by Emma Young
• Snow by Meera Trehan
• The Turtle Who Turned the Tide by Rachel Bright and Jim Field
• Harmony House by Monika Singh Gangotra
• You Think You Know Everything About Space? by Sam Hutchinson
• Flora Stormer and the Wishing Stone by Isabella Harcourt
• The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson
• Ella Jones vs the Battle Noise by Lucy Edwards
• A Sequence of Cosmic Accidents by S. A Reyhani
• No One Keeps a Secret by Denise Brown
• Searching for the Remarkable in Things by Natalie Lucy
• How NOT to Kiss a Prince by B Wheeler
• The Obsession by Natasha Preston

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books in January 2026

• The Night I Borrowed Time by Iqbal Hussain
• Magpie Girl by Rowan Foxwood
• At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp
• The Big Green by Ken Wilson-Max
• The Spectacular Space Loop by Javi De Castro
• Small Poems for Big Imaginations by Neal Zetter
• The Amazing Generation by Catherine Price
• Tyrannosaurus Veg by Smriti Halls
• Nadia Islam, on the Record by Adiba Jaigirdar
• School Inspectors! by Farhana Islam
• The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar by Sonora Reyes
• From AI to Wi‑Fi by Craig Steele & Terri Po
• Tickets for Murder by Niyla Farook
• Tree Thing by Piers Torday & Matthew Taylor Wilson
• Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet
• Scarlet Saves the Multiverse by James Davis
• The Golden Monkey Mystery by Piu DasGupta
• Sadie Jones and the Ball by Sally Nicholls & Ashley King
• Everything You Know About Birds Is Wrong! by Dr Nick Crumpton
• Clem Fatale Has Been Upstaged by Eve Wersocki Morris
• The Year of the Tiger by Eric Huang
• Goldilocs by Ella McLeod
• Shirley vs the Huge Beast by Tor Freeman
• The Terrible Trio by Swapna Haddow
• How the Other Half Kill by P.C Roscoe
• The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton
• Escape from the Child Snatchers by Sufiya Ahmed
• The Lost Dragon of Roar by Jenny McLachlan
• Quill and the Last Generation by C.M Lewis
• The Monsters at the End of the World by Rebecca Orwin
• New You For Ever by Steve Cole

January 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: Small Poems for Big Imaginations by Neal Zetter
• Nonfiction: How to Survive an Apocalypse by Coby Coonradt
• Picture book: Tree Thing by Piers Torday & Matthew Taylor Wilson

Part 2
New children's and YA books in spring 2026

New book pitches: The Collaborator by TG Trouper, Grandpa’s Magical Shop by Heather Nicholls, Mandy Is Still a Banana by Zoe Arena

Part 3
How author visits can make a big impact in schools

Credits & licensing
Sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 36

For transcripts, resources & show notes, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-36/

Part 1
Book post

• Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen
• All About Antarctica by Marc Martin
• To Activate Space Portal Lift Here by Antoinette Portis
• The Bear Who Wanted to Dance by Stephanie Stansbie
• Squirrel and Bird by Laura Baker and Stacey Thomas
• Pizza Pete and the Peculiar Professor by Carrie Sellon
• The Diary of Whiska Wildflower by Harriet Muncaster
• Time Travel Is NOT My Superpower by Nathanael Lessore
• Coach by Jason Reynolds
• Scarlet Morning by N. D. Stevenson
• Space Tour by Collins Kids
• Kofi and the Brand New Vibe by Jeffrey Boakye
• The Lion Cub’s Secret by Lauren St John
• Owl King by Bex Hogan
• Be Right Back by Bill Wood
• We Three Witches by Rosie Talbot
• The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books to buy in November 2025

• Silent Night by Emma Read
• Ask Me Anything by Bethany Rutter
• Rune: The Tale of the Obsidian Maze by Carlos Sanchez
• Coach by Jason Reynolds & Selom Sunu
• Wild Journey by A. M. Dassu & Joe Lillington
• Spin a Story by Catherine Brereton & Susie Brooks
• Ghost by Finbar Hawkins
• The Gland Factory by Rachel Poliquin & Clayton Hanmer
• A Field Guide to Winter by Gabby Dawnay & Dorien Brouwers
• Hot Food: Nice! by Michael Rosen & Neal Layton
• The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer
• The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson & Melissa Castrillon
• Dinosaur Friends by Miles Kelly
• Anya's Quest by Jasbinder Bilan & Jane Ray
• Snow by Meera Trehan
• Bluey: The Sign by Bluey
• Hilda and Twig: Wake the Ice Man by Luke Pearson
• My Small World: Frozen by Caryl Hart & Harry Woodgate
• House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
• Mullets by Nick Sharratt
• X-Mas Marks the Spot by Paul Westmoreland
• My Big Fat Christmas Poo Diary by Jim Smith
• We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart
• Dog Man 14: Big Jim Believes by Dav Pilkey
• What If… Every Volcano Erupted at Once? by Emma Young & Super Freak
• Planet Earth by Shoshana Weider
• Girls Like Me by Rebel Girls
• Things Scientists Don't Know Yet by Peter Gallivan & Daniela Gamba
• Robotics by Kate Peridot
• The Secret History of Christmas by Catherine Saunders

November 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: Wild Journey by A. M. Dassu
• Nonfiction: Flush It Down by Rob Flowers
• Picture book: Mullets by Nick Sharratt

Part 2
Careers books for children and teens

New book pitches: The Collaborator by TG Trouper, Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan, Anna Denton & The Water of Life by Vaughan Hawthorne-Nelson

Part 3
Using AI to help students with difficult GCSE set books

Credits & licensing
3rd party sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 35

For transcripts, resources & show notes, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-35/

Part 1
Book post

• Everything Amplified by Sarah Lippett and Ziggy Hanaor
• The Incredible Pop-up Frog by Ben Hoare
• Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
• The Cave Downwind of the Café by Mikey Please
• I See a Star by Saskia Gwinn
• Hank Meets Frank by Maudie Powell-Tuck and Duncan Beedie
• Brown Girl in the Snow by Yolanda T. Marshall
• This Book is Too Quiet! by Cristina Cubells
• Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature by Caroline Brewer
• More Tales from Shakespeare by Michael Morpurgo
• Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings by Susan Martineau
• Bigg School: Selfie Queen by Lisa Williamson
• The Fate of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood
• Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy
• Sad Girl Hours by Anna Zoe Quirke
• A Match Made in Hell by Charlotte Ingham

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books to buy in October 2025

• Wyrdwood by Curtis Jobling
• Squirrel and Bird by Laura Baker & Stacey Thomas
• The Street Where Santa Lives by Harriet Howe
• Roar by Manjeet Mann
• Avalanche by Simon Fox
• The Notted Island by Katherine Child
• The Forever Bear by Lu Fraser
• Classic Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Bear Who Wanted to Dance by Stephanie Stansbie
• The Boy Who Grew Dragons: A Christmas Delivery by Andy Shepherd & Sarah Warburton
• The Ocean at Night by Isabelle Simler
• My Friend, Billy Whiskers by David Litchfield
• The Butterfly House by Harry Woodgate
• The Story of Gold by Meel Tamphanon
• The Fantastical Safari by Kristjana S Williams
• Atlas of Mythical Journeys by Iryna Dobrovetska
• Be Right Back by Bill Wood
• You've Found Oliver by Dustin Thao
• Ice Dancer by Alex Cotter
• Soup Time Around the World by Denyse Waissbluth
• The House with the Little Red Door by Grace Easton
• The Hidden Wisdom of Animals by Kate Siber
• Forest of Hearts by M.A. Kuzniar
• Step Inside a Fairy Tale by Helen Mortimer
• Exploring the Universe by Isabel Thomas
• Coach by Jason Reynolds
• Time for a Bath, Animals by Ben Lerwill
• Vote Wolf by Davide Cali & Magali Clavelet
• Witchlore by Emma Hinds
• Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou
• The Last Day of October by Phil Hickes

October 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen
• Nonfiction: All About Antarctica by Marc Martin
• Picture book: To Activate Space Portal Lift Here by Antoinette Portis

Part 2
Myths for children

New book pitches: The Collaborator by TG Trouper, Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan, Anna Denton & The Water of Life by Vaughan Hawthorne-Nelson

Part 3
A library in every primary: what £10m means

Credits & licensing
3rd party sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 34

For transcripts & show notes see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-34/

Part 1
Book post

• Gloam by Jack Mackay
• There Are Amphibians Everywhere by Britta Teckentrup
• The Museum of Shapes by Sven Volker
• How to Catch an Idea by Forest Xiao
• The Coming of the Iron Man by Ted Hughes
• My Brother Is a Tiger by Joaquin Camp
• Luna Grace: Girl from Outer Space by Julie Sykes
• Map to Starlight Hollow by Rebecca Lewis-Oakes
• The Notwitches: Prison Break by Gary Panton
• How to Get Magically Popular by Radhika Sanghani
• Moonboy by Anna Ciddor
• Wintour's Fate by Brían Dungan
• iNSiDE by Sally Gales
• Girls of Dark Divine by E. V. Woods

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books to buy in September 2025

• Old Oak and Little Acorn by Elena Mannion & Erin Brown
• The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch by Laini Taylor
• Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia by Christopher Lloyd
• History's Most Epic Fails by Athena Kugblenu
• Hank Meets Frank by Maudie Powell-Tuck
• What Feelings Do at Night by Tina Oziewicz
• Everybody Has a Fear by Koleka Putuma & Amanda Mijangos
• The Cave Downwind of the Café by Mikey Please
• The Search for Our Cosmic Neighbours by Chloe Savage
• Whoosh!: Adventures with Grandad by Sam Usher
• Dance of Resistance by Catherine Johnson
• The Rebel and the Rose by Catherine Doyle
• Thirst by Darren Simpson
• The Wizard's Guide to Magical Experiments by Amanda Wood
• Role Model by Elle McNicoll
• Dead Yard: Seeds of Doom by P. J. Killburn
• Fold-Out + Play: Doll's House by Ingela P Arrhenius
• Where the Dead Live by Sam Fern and Romolo D’Hipolito
• The Fear by Tom Palmer
• Talk Like an Aztec by Tegen Evans & Nina Chakrabarti
• A Tree is a Time Machine by Rob Sears & Tom Sears
• No Escape by M.A. Bennett
• By sea and sky by Lela Nargi & Xuan Le
• The Incredible Pop-up Frog by Ben Hoare
• Fright Club: Let's Boo This! by Sibeal Pounder
• Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen
• BUST OR TRUST by Small Wardour & Sam Peet
• Mythical Tales by Laura Sampson & Lilla Bolecz
• Champions of the Galaxy by Tola Okogwu
• Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron

September 2025 books of the month

• Fiction: Everything Amplified by Sarah Lippett & Ziggy Hanaor
• Nonfiction: The Incredible Pop-up Frog by Ben Hoare & Jasmine Floyd
• Picture book: Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury

Part 2
Our rundown of new children's and YA books for Autumn 2025.

New book pitches: The Collaborator by TG Trouper, Sally the Spider’s new shoes by Clodagh Ryan, Anna Denton & The Water of Life by Vaughan Hawthorne-Nelson

Part 3
Books that rival screens and social media

Credits & licensing
3rd party sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl

Support the show