48
TEACH READING & WRITING
“I loved The No. 1 Car
Spotter because it was
so funny. The characters
were so deftly drawn
and I loved the upbeat,
feel-good ending. I
immediately went out and
bought all the other books
in the series.”
Lucy Porter
Winner
IMAGINARYFRED
(EoinColfer, ill. Oliver Jeffers, HarperCollins)
Many youngsterswill knowexactlywhat itmeans to have an imaginary friend – but what
must it feel like actually to be one? That’s the intriguing question explored in thismagical
book, which is the result of a collaboration between two of the best loved names in
children’s fiction. Sophisticated jokes are scattered throughout – both in Colfer’s
beautifully poised prose and Jeffers’ distinctive artwork; and there’s a reassuring
message about the ability of true friendship to survive inevitable progression and change.
Runner up
THENO1CARSPOTTER
ANDTHEBROKENROAD
(Atinuke,Walker)
Oluwalase Babatunde Benson is theNumber 1 car spotter in his
village – and quite possibly, theworld. He is also excellent at solving
problems; but when the only road that runs through the placewhere
he lives becomes so full of holes that cars can no longer drive on it,
meaning that there are no customers forMama Coca-Cola’s cafe, his
ingenuity is stretched to its limits. It’s still astonishingly rare tofind
contemporary, light-hearted stories for seven to nine year olds that
are set on the continent of Africa, so to have something as engaging,
accessible andwell-told as this is extremely pleasing.
KEYSTAGE1
FoxInvestigates
–aBrushWith
Danger
(AdamFrost ,
LittleTigerPress)
Confident readers
will love this
funny, clever story of dastardly
deeds and international
detection, featuring plenty of
naughtywordplay and slapstick
humour. The plot bounces
along at an impressive pace,
and there are cunning plans,
last-minute escapes and groovy
gadgets galore.
Superbot and
theTerrible
ToyDestroyer
(NickWard,David
Fickling)
This hugely
enjoyable
story of an amazing robot
with super skills who defeats
a toy-stealing baddie through
a combination of cunning and
compassion has all the instant
appeal and accessibility of a
graphic novel; with text that
will challenge but engage
struggling readers.
UncleGobb
andtheDread
Shed
(Michael
Rosen,ill.NealLayton,
Bloomsbury)
Teachers might
read this book
as a piece of biting satire
about what happens when
political ideology takes over
the development of a state
education system; children will
simply recognise the craziness
they see all around them, adore
the absurdity – and relish the
invitation to rebel.
Let’s
Play
(HervéTullet,
ChronicleKids)
Following
on from
the hugely
popular and original interactive
picture books PressHere and
Mix It Up comes anotherwork
of creative brilliance from
Herve Tullet. Share itwith your
touchscreen-savvy youngsters,
whowill be entranced at just
howmuch they canmake happen
in the absence of electronics.
“A moving tale of loneliness, growing up and
change and, in my view, told with sensitivity and with just
the right amount of humour.”
DavidMelling
Also shortlisted
