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