2019 Staff Recommended Reads

Gearies Primary school

Staff Recommended Reads

September 2019

Chapter One: Children’s fiction where the main character is not male and not white!

Recommended by Mr Drew “Look Up!” by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola The main character in this story is Rocket, a young girl who has been inspired by her heroine, the famous astronaut Mae Jemison, to one day grow up and go to space.  She is obsessed by all things space and tries to encourage all her family and neighbours to join her in watching a pending meteor shower.  Will they stop looking at their mobile phones for a minute to watch the show, will the meteors appear? A fun read with lively illustrations for younger readers.

Recommended by Miss Lee and Mrs Waters “Ruby’s worry” by Tom Percival This book tells the story of a bright, enthusiastic girl, who loves swinging, playing, going on adventures and exploring new places. Ruby enjoys digging and playing in her garden and exploring the fields that surround her. Ruby suddenly notices a worry, a yellow creature that just wouldn’t go away. She notices that her friends and family can’t see it. So she tries to ignore it by pretending it’s not there and covering it up. However, Ruby begins to worry about it even more. As Ruby continues to disguise her worry, the worry gets bigger and bigger. This affects her happiness and love for exploring and being adventurous. Then, Ruby meets a friend in the park, and she notices that the boy also has a worry. They begin to talk to each other about their worries and it gets smaller and smaller, until it disappears. Ruby realised that she wasn’t the only one that had a worry, and with help from her new friend, finds ways of making each other feel better. Eventually, Ruby understands that everyone can get worries and they come and go, and when learning magical ways to deal with it, the worries would never stay. This story shares an important and inspiring message, of which young children can relate to. This book discusses themes such as worries and anxiety and expresses the importance of sharing and talking about our worries and feelings to people around us. This is a touching, insightful exploration of what it’s like to live with worry and anxiety.

Recommended by Mrs Dias “The closest thing to flying” by Gill Lewis This book is nothing short of inspirational on a number of levels.  An absolute page turner from the outset, this book details the journey that the main character, Semira who arrived in England from Eritrea, goes on when she accidentally comes across the diary of a young girl of a similar age, growing up in Victorian England.  Semira has many challenges to overcome, but the diary she discovers helps to inspire her to improve her life, and things for those around her.  Covering issues such as the equality of women, respect for wildlife and standing up to bullies, quite simply, if you don’t read this book, you are missing out.

Recommended by Mrs Moore ‘No ballet shoes in Syria’ by Catherine Briton This was a wonderfully moving story which shares the experiences of Aya, an 11 year old who has just arrived in Manchester with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from the war in Syria. You immediately feel empathy for this girl who shares her experiences of being a refugee and finds comfort in the beauty of dance. We see just how important acceptance and kindness is in contrast to indifference and cruelty. I also liked the way the story compared the experiences of refugees now to the experiences of child refugees during the Holocaust. This was a real page- turner and I felt emotionally involved with the characters in the book,; I cried and I cheered. A book I would highly recommend.

Recommended by Mrs Suleiman “Lubna and Pebble” by Wendy Maddour I came across this book on my travels to Morocco. A story of a powerful act of friendship and kindness in the toughest times.​ An emotional story about a young refugee girl called Lubna who is forced to cope with the atrocities of war in her country, relying on a special friendship to help ease the horror of her situation. Her best friend is not a boy, nor a girl, but a pebble. She draws a smiley face on the pebble and gives him the name Pebble.  Lubna tells Pebble everything, about her home and her country, about the terrible fighting and the war that came closer and closer to home until her family had no choice but to leave.  Pebble always listens to her stories and smiles when she feels afraid. But one day, when a little boy called Amir arrives at the camp, Lubna understands that he needs Pebble even more than she does.

Recommended by Mrs Neville and Miss Patel ‘The MEGA magic hair swap!’ Written by Rochelle Humes (from the music band ‘The Saturdays’) and illustrated by Rachel Suzanne The story is about two best friends called Mai and Rose who have two completely different personalities. But it is those unique differences that make the girls so interesting. Mai has dark curly hair that doesn’t obey! All she ever wanted was beautifully perfect her like her best friend Rose. Rose on the other hand, has silky straight blonde hair that slips through your fingers like a waterfall. When a magical coconut grants each girl their wish, and they get the hair they've always dreamt of, the friends are over the moon. However, they soon learn that perfect hair is not everything they thought it would be. In fact, their hair was pretty great and perfect the way it was. This beautifully illustrated picture book can be aimed at children of all ages. It is about accepting, embracing and loving yourself and not comparing and wanting attributes that make you different and unique. I recommend this book to be read by all children, so that they themselves can see that the imperfections that they may see in the mirror are what makes them beautiful, unique and who they are.

Recommended by Mrs Barker “Princess Truly in My Magical Sparkling Curls” by Kelly Greenawait This book belongs to a series of books by Kelly Greenawait.  The author created Princess Truly for her own daughters, as she wanted them to see a strong, smart, problem-solving confident young girl with beautiful curls who could do anything she set her mind to. The author hopes that her books inspire readers everywhere to reach for the stars, dream big and stay TRUE to who they are. Princess Truly begins her story talking about her magical curls and how they can transport her to exciting new places.  Playing games and racing  with the  dinosaurs   Cracking secret messages written on Egyptian Pyramid walls,  Travelling in a submarine to exploring the ocean floor discovering new sea creatures that no one has seen before.. Zooming in a rocket across the galaxy - where she wants to hear some music so she starts a band and they begin to jam. This book features fun and imagination throughout, with good illustrations and rhymitic text. Well worth a read for young children.

Recommended by Mr Alam “The map of salt and stars” by Zeyn Joukhadar Do you remember the last time you felt connected to a character in a story on a personal level? This is what “The Map of Salt and Stars” does multiple times throughout its intertwining story of courage, bravery, love, self-discovery and heartache. This is the story of a young Syrian girl named Nour. She lived in Manhatten and when her father (Baba) passed away, her entire family moved back to Syria to be closer to home. Nour has two sisters; Huda and Zahra who play an important role in making you relate and care about the world they live in. They witness and live through one tragedy after another, each escalating in severity at a rapid pace. What is a human capable of when no one is watching? When no one is able to take you to account? However, what the author so beautifully captures is the detail around the characters, that you feel you are a part of their world. Many times, I searched what a particular flower or building or street looked like and this continued to open the doors of discovery for me. This is only one part of the tale. The second takes place 800 years prior to the life of Nour and follows the story of Rawiya, a young Moroccan girl who lives in the village of Benzu, Ceuta. She has big dreams of travelling the world and knows of a mapmaker by the name of al-Idrisi. She disguises herself as a boy and becomes the mapmaker’s apprentice. She meets many characters on her journey with al-Idrisi to map the modern world for King Roger. The exquisiteness in detail that the author captures is second to none. When Rawiya is in the marketplaces in Syria you can feel the atmosphere and almost taste the air. The beauty of this story is that both Nour and Rawiya visit the same places but in different eras. Just when you think you’ve seen the untouched beauty of ancient Homs you witness the dangers that lurk around dark alleyways in its modern-day equivalent. Beauty is not just in the words printed in this story but also on the front cover. Can you spot it? Happy reading!

Recommended by Miss Yates “A Computer called Katherine” by Suzanne Slade This book is based on a true story about a little girl who loved maths! She worked extremely hard despite living in a world that didn’t think she would be able to do very much. Not only did Katherine prove them wrong but she went onto work for an amazing and inspiring company, NASA. Read this lovey book to find out what amazing things Katherine achieved and just how she did it.

Recommended by Mrs Kalatta “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: an African Tale” by John Steptoe and inspired by a folktale from Southern Africa. It is a wonderful Cinderella story written with a cultural twist. It promotes values, respect, kindness, strength and loyalty. It is illustrated beautifully with vibrant animated pictures that tell the story.                                       This is a story of  Mufaro who is the proud father of two beautiful daughters, Nyasha is kind hearted,  humble and hardworking while her sister Manyara is selfish, bad tempered and scheming  and treats her sister terribly. News arrives that the King of the land is looking for a wife. Manyara sneaks away to the kingdom immediately. On the way to the kingdom both sisters are confronted with several challenges in which their true personalities are revealed.                                                                                                            To find out more about the challenges that both sisters faced and how they reacted please read this wonderful African Tale which also happens to be one of my favourites.                                                                                   Who would be the worthy Queen?  What will be the fate for the sister remaining? This story teaches a powerful lesson that it is important to be respectful to every person you meet, because you never know how that person may impact on your life later on!

Recommended by Miss Khatun “The First Rule of Punk” by Celia Perez The First Rule of Punk by Celia Perez took me back to the kind of books I used to love reading back in primary school. The main character, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa) is forced to move from her home in Florida to live with her mum in Chicago. This meant she had to leave behind her punk rock father, who owns a record shop, and adjust to her new life. Her mum wanted her to embrace the Mexican side of her but the real Malú loves punk rock and skateboarding.  She struggles to navigate her identity and find a way to fit in with new friends at a new school, so she rebels! I loved reading about how she stands up for herself to express her personality as she explores what it means to be Mexican-American trying to fit into two cultures as well as her parents’ expectations. Malú is a relatable character with a lively and lovable personality and the author portrays that so well! An inspirational book that challenges you to be yourself, stand up for what you believe in, and values the importance of friendship.

Recommended by Miss Osafo “Noughts and Crosses” by Malorie Blackman The children’s author that I have chosen is Malorie Blackman. She held the position of Children’s Laureate from 2013-2015 and her books have been highly influential in children’s literature. One of her most popular books are the ‘Noughts and Crosses’ series. These books focus on racism in a fictional dysphoria, a topic that is very important in this day and age.

Recommended by Ms Razzak “Billy and the Dragon” -  by Nadia Shireen Billy and Fatcat are on their way to a fancy dress party, when suddenly Fatcat is swooped away by something big and mysterious.  Billy is not your conventional heroine with special powers but she does have the qualities of a hero, who is determined to get their friend back and is not afraid of any danger.  This picture book is not like your classic fairy tale and has an amusing twist at the end.  I think this picture book would appeal to KS1 children with it’s fantastic illustrations and humour.  Read and find out if Billy is able to rescue her friend and defeat the dragon.

Recommended by Mrs Ciobanu “The Secret Footprints” byJulia Alvarez, Author, and Fabian Negrin, Illustrator Renowned author Julia Alvarez reinvents the Dominican legend of the ciguapas, creatures who lived in underwater caves and whose feet were on backward so that humans could not follow their footprints. Although the ciguapas fear humans, Guapa, a bold and brave ciguapa, cannot help but be curious--especially about a boy she sees on the nights when she goes on the land to hunt for food. When she gets too close to his family and is discovered, she learns that some humans are kind. Even though she escapes unharmed and promises never to get too close to a human again. Julia Alvarez retells a wonderful folk tale that will charm and delight children of all ages. Her language, so full of imagery and magic, lets you feel the cool water and hot sun and hear the palms swaying in the breeze and the birds singing their favorite songs. Fabian Negrin's captivating, vibrant artwork compliments the story perfectly and takes you away to this very lush tropical island. I enjoyed this story about the Ciguapas of the Dominican Republic- a nice story of trust, friendship, respecting differences, and being kind to one another. This is a good read for teaching community and family values to young reader, as well as teaching about stereotyping and bias. The Secret Footprints is an enchanting tale, told by an accomplished storyteller and will make a wonderful addition to all home libraries.

Recommended by Mr Lea “Where the River Runs Gold” by Sita Brahmachari Kairos City was beautiful once, before the storm. Shifa and her brother, Themba, live in Kairos City with their father, Nabil. The few live in luxury, whilst the millions like them crowd together in compounds, surviving on meagre rations and governed by Freedom Fields - the organisation that looks after you, as long as you opt in. The bees have long disappeared; instead children must labour on farms, pollinating crops so that the nation can eat. However, Nabil remembers “before” and he knows that the soul needs to be nourished as much as the body so, despite the risk, he teaches his children how to grow flowers on a secret piece of land hidden beneath the train tracks. The farm Shifa and Themba are sent to is hard and cruel. Themba won't survive there and Shifa comes up with a plan to break them out. But, they have no idea where they are - their only guide is a map drawn from the ramblings of a stranger. The journey ahead is fraught with danger, but Shifa is strong and knows to listen to her instincts - to let hope guide them home. The freedom of a nation depends on it. As Shifa fights to protect her twin Themba, she constantly reminds herself of the rhymes her father used to sing to them both: “Step over the threshold, Be bold, Be brave, Hold true, To all that I have taught you.” This book is just one of many beautifully written adventures created by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Writer, Sita Brahachari.

Chapter Two: BAME themed non-fiction

Recommended by Mrs Narwall “Dream Big Little Leader” by Vashti Harrison Dream Big Little Leader is an inspirational non-fiction text aimed at younger children. It has a strong message of equality and lets children know from early on that they can be whatever they want to be. It is a beautifully illustrated board book and is a perfect choice to open up discussions about important women of the world and their successes in life. It encourages young children to believe in themselves and to dream big!

Recommended by Miss Yerosimou “Malala Yousafzai: warrior with words” by Karen Leggett Abouraya This is a nonfiction picture book about a young Pakistani girl, who believes that education is a basic human right.  This is the inspiring, true story of Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl who stands up and speaks out for every child’s right to education. Though she and two of her schoolmates were targeted by a Taliban gunman, a life-threatening injury only strengthened her determination. Malala spoke at the U.N. on her 16th birthday in 2013, nine months after she was shot. Malala’s story is more than a biography of a brave and outspoken teenager. It is proof that the power of education can change the world for boys and girls everywhere. Such an inspirational story to share with children to highlight global issues in an accessible format.

Recommended by Mrs Sharma “Fantastically Great Women who made History” by Kate Pankhurst It is very clear to see why the supremely talented Kate Pankhurst has written ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Made History’. Like its predecessor, ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World’ (number one best-selling non-fiction title in 2017), it comes highly recommended. I read this with my 7 year old daughter as we were transported back to a time when women did the most remarkable things. Kate Pankhurst is very clever in introducing us to a range of amazing women, many of whom I hadn’t heard of.  I particularly like the way these women demonstrate characteristics of inner strength, resilience, drive and determination. A clear message for our little ones, that becoming successful can often come with its own personal hardships. In this case, these incredible women had to fight traditional stereotypes, inequality, racism and sexism, as well as suffering from segregation and rejection, poverty and sadly, persecution. One of these inspiring women was Qiu Jin, a fearless lady who, at a very young age, travelled across to Japan to gain more respect than she was receiving in China. At the time, small feet were considered to be beautiful so young girls’ feet were broken and bound tightly, making them as tiny as possible. We can only imagine how painfully excruciating and unethical this foot binding was. She later rebelled against the government contributing to the revolution of equality and rights for women within the country. As a British Asian, it was very refreshing for me to introduce women of diverse cultures to my daughter. As a child, I used to find it difficult to identify with the characters of many books I read in the 70s & 80s (I’m showing my age now!). It’s therefore very important to me that my daughter is able to identify with the characters she reads about. I want her to aspire to and have the same determination as these amazingly great women.  The interactive nature of the book (e.g. 'follow the tracks’), speech bubbles, illustrations and glossary (Fantastically Great Words) will really engage young readers. I love the final page with its ‘Bookshelf of Brilliance’ ending in ‘How will you make history? ‘ A keeper for my book shelf at home and in the classroom, as well as ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World’ and ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Worked Wonders.’

Recommended by Miss Kang “Stories for South Asian Supergirls” by Raj Kaur Khaira This is a fabulous non-fiction book exploring the inspirational stories of 50 famous and under-celebrated women from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The book contains fabulous illustrations and biographies of various entertainers such as: Meera Syal, Jameela Jamil, Mindy Kaling, pioneering business leaders Indra Nooyi, Anjali Sud, Ruchi Sanghvi and a host of other, equally remarkable yet less well known, figures, including the British Muslim spy, Noor Inayat Khan, and fearless activist, Jayaben Desai. Read about Neelam Gill, who battled colourism and body-shaming in order to become a successful model, Deeyah Khan, a powerful filmmaker who despite receiving hate mail, refuses to be silenced and Kalpana Chawla, a pioneering astronaut who persevered and became the first Indian woman to venture into space. The stories featured empower young women to take risks in life and to have the courage to aim high and for the impossible. It is illustrated with gorgeous portraits by ten international South Asian female artists. The author, Raj Kaur Khaira has had a lifelong passion for gender equality, which led her to write this book, outlining some important women in south Asian culture who are great examples of breaking stereotypes. The stories accompanying each illustration are short but effective and give us a brief history as to why these particular women are of significance. Their stories are important and relevant in an era where we still need to continue to strive for gender equality. This is an amazing text for all children and adults, not just girls.

Recommended by Mr Hession and Miss Fan “Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World” by Vashti Harrison This book focuses on women across the whole world and it includes women of all races throughout history. All are scientists or in the arts. There are 35 full biographies, in which each subject gets a full-page of text and a portrait, and 18 shorter, snack-size biographies at the end. There are some profiles who are familiar however there are some that will surprise the reader. The book is a great choice to inspire girls and stretch their cultural horizons. The book opens with a short biography of Fatima Al-Firhri, who in the ninth century funded and oversaw construction of a large mosque in what is now Morocco. It functioned as "a madrassa -- a place for study" and became "a model for future universities." The second bio is of Wang Zhenyi, an 18th-century astronomer, poet, and mathematician in China, and emphasises the idea that science and poetry are interconnected. This inspiring bedside book of biographies of women in the arts and sciences is inclusive of many races and cultures. Each biography is accompanied by an illustration in the author’s signature style.