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Joy Court - Editorial Expert
Joy Court is co – founder of All Around Reading, having previously managed the Schools Library Service in Coventry, where she established the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards and the Literally Coventry Book Festival, as well as being the Reviews Editor of The School Librarian and Chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. She now just concentrates on books and libraries as a freelance consultant while continuing to be an activist with the Youth Libraries Group and sits on the National Executive of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. She has chaired and spoken on panels at festivals and conferences around the UK as well as delivering keynotes and workshops.
She is a Trustee and member of the National Council of the United Kingdom Literacy Association, where she sits on the selection panel for the UKLA Book Awards, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of The English Association and an Honorary Fellow of CILIP. Author of Read to Succeed: strategies to engage children and young people in reading for pleasure (2011) and Reading by Right: successful strategies to ensure every child can read to succeed (2017) FACET.
The reimagining of the classic story of Peter Pan could not have been in safer hands than with the multi award winning Abi Elphinstone.
Wild magical adventures with real heart and a strong moral compass are her forté and she has crafted a wondrous tale which encapsulates all that is best of the original while removing some undeniably racist and sexist elements which are off-putting to modern generations.
Martha Pennyworth and her younger brother Scruff have come to live in 14 Darlington Road, which once belonged to the Darling family, and discover the permanently open window and mysterious golden dust ... View Full Review
Another powerful and hugely enjoyable feminist retelling of a traditional fairytale, following on the success of Poisoned and Stepsister which reworked Snow White and Cinderella respectively. Here Jennifer Donnelly turns her modern gaze upon Beauty and The Beast and encompasses a gender swap in the process, which enables her to explore themes like societal expectations, stereotypical gender roles and self-acceptance.
The original tale is thought by some scholars to have originated in 18th Century France as a cautionary tale to prepare young women for marriage to ‘beastly’ older men, as was so often the case.
Set in the ... View Full Review
This complex and twisty thriller has real psychological and emotional depth, with very authentic, relatable characters who simply leap off the page. Vividly voiced by Jo, a high school student, ostracized and slut shamed after stolen private photos of her are leaked to her classmates, she is unable to focus on schoolwork, consequently on academic probation and her parents completely fail to see her struggles.
What starts as an investigation into the disappearance of her one-time best friend Maddie, becomes a determination to reveal some much darker conspiracies and secrets and in the process to come to recognise what had ... View Full Review
Tom Percival’s award winning picturebooks have demonstrated his powerful capacity for empathy building and in this, his first full length novel, that skill is even more evident as he gives a painfully authentic insight into the shamefully growing problem of child poverty.
It is unlikely that you will read a more powerful and important book all year. It should be required reading for all politicians and for those eligible to vote. But young readers will just be entirely gripped by Will’s story, at the same time as gaining insight into what it is like to face ... View Full Review
Young readers will really relate to this hilarious tale of a bridge stand-off. One single carriageway rickety old bridge and two large animals determined that they should be the one to cross first. As they probe each other’s weaknesses and come up with ever more inventive insults, the reader will see the creaks and cracks which suggest impending doom for the foolish protagonists.
But just like the fabled Robin Hood and Little John standoff, they end as friends for life having rescued each other from the river far below.
Mark Chambers’ lively and characterful illustrations capture the ... View Full Review
Apparently taking inspiration from the ghostly sightings of wet figures following the 2011 Japanese tsunami, this astonishing and thought-provoking novel examines the impact of loss and grief on individuals and families and upon whole communities.
The former Children’s Laureate never writes the same book twice and this is a startlingly original concept: part a dystopian story of a climate affected future, part very creepy ghost story, part coming of age, part an agonisingly accurate portrait of a family under stress and ultimately a philosophical examination of how individuals and society handle death and grief. If this sounds a lot ... View Full Review
This is the third book from this author and illustrator partnership, after the acclaimed Through the Eyes of Me and Through the Eyes of Us, which focused specifically upon the world of the autistic child and were inspired by Jon’s daughter.
Here the scope has been broadened to look at all sorts of difference, both visible and invisible. Each spread is a delightful conversation with a child or children explaining what is different about them and what can be difficult, but most importantly focuses on the positives and what they enjoy and want to do. ... View Full Review
What a special treat to have a collaboration between three such greats in the world of children’s literature! Two internationally acclaimed prize-winning poets and a multi-award-winning illustrator. Satoshi Kitamura’s iconic artwork is the perfect partner to the witty and wise words that take us on such a wondrous poetic journey.
The poets alternate throughout, and the way they react and respond to each other seems truly conversational, with one idea sparking off a response. This is a masterpiece of anthologising since many of these poems have been published separately before, but here juxtaposed to show a ... View Full Review
Another wonderful book translated from the original Welsh by the Yoto Carnegie medal winning author, which demonstrates her beautiful economy of language, as well as her skill in portraying utterly convincing and relatable characters.
As one might expect from the title, the story has football at its heart, which will make it hugely appealing to football fans who might be reluctant readers (and the shorter length and the page turning hooks at the end of each chapter, will also appeal) but they will find themselves with an emotionally rewarding and empathetic read as well.
A true football fan and player, ... View Full Review
This is undoubtedly another winner from the much-acclaimed author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, demonstrating yet again her ability to create authentic characters that readers invest in and to tackle difficult topics with empathy and sensitivity.
Audrey at just 10 years old is one of the unseen, neglected army of primary age carers often living in great poverty. She has huge responsibilities caring for her disabled Mum and her young twin siblings who are as good at keeping their secret as she is. Audrey’s story is recounted in her own words and has the reader ... View Full Review
Mike Barfield excels at this humorous graphic style of non– fiction, having previously won the 2021 Blue Peter Award for a Book With Facts, with A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You. He has a real knack for selecting just the right sort of facts that will amaze intrigue and amuse young readers and really makes the most of all the opportunities the format provides for comic asides and speech bubbles.
The design of the colourful pages really helps the reader navigate around the detailed information. Divided into 8 themes relating roughly to buildings, travel, homes, ... View Full Review
In prose as rich and vivid as the glorious technicolour illustrations, Trish Cooke has given us an Afro-Caribbean homage to the traditional Rapunzel tale, with its themes of captivity and escape. The author tells us in the introduction, that this fable is also inspired by her ancestors struggle to survive slavery and find freedom and to celebrate the beauty of Black hair.
Older children will be fascinated to find out more about the true story of escape routes woven into the intricate braiding of enslaved girls’ hair. Younger audiences will simply be mesmerised by listening to the lyrical ... View Full Review
