This list was curated by Bobby Joseph, Comics Laureate. Joseph created the list, supported by Arts Council England and distributed to UK libraries, to accompany the 2026 Year of Reading.

Find out more on The Bookseller.

Milk White Steed by Michael Kennedy 

Inspired by the folk tales and oral traditions from the Caribbean, Milk White Steed is a dreamlike venture into the messy truths of everyday West Indian lives: the abiding pursuit of the familiar and the vicious appraisal of their own otherness, all at once.

Phantom desires, unchecked reveries, and surreal visions of the future flood the page in full-colour as stories follows a series of individuals leaving the West Indies and attempt to find their footing in the damp dinge of England’s counties. 

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Bone Broth by Alex Taylor

In this coming-of-age queer thriller, the young transmasculine Ash begins his transition into adult life by landing his first job at a ramen-noodle shop in London, prepping the bone broth.

But as the financial landscape shifts under Ash’s feet, and after months of bonding with a series of challenging co-workers, everything suddenly stops dead. Literally.

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Sensory: Life on the Spectrum

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology by Bex Ollerton and others

Thirty Neurodivergent comic creators explore their experiences of living in a world that doesn’t always understand or accept them. 

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The Witch’s Egg by Donya Todd

It was a spiderweb moon. And the imps did wonder. What dark delights wouldst the cat-witch conjure.

By the Sardine Queen, by salt and the devil, by blackwormy earth, and by the deep, dark sea, the catwitch Urfi conjures an angel to love her.

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Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous

Mickey Monsoon and Astra Maxima are best friends… and maybe more.

That is, until Astra unceremoniously dumps Mickey to become a softball wunderkind at a private girl’s school in Switzerland.

Years later, Mickey is the hotshot pitcher for the Belle City Broads, and their team is poised to sweep the league this season. But Micky is thrown off their game when Astra shows up to catch for the Gaiety Gals, the Broads’ fiercest rival.

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Downlands By Norm Konyu

After the sudden death of his twin sister, 14 year old James Reynolds becomes obsessed with her tale of a black hound, a folkloric creature that is regarded as a portent of death.

Enlisting the aid of his elderly neighbour, who the local children call ‘The Witch’, he delves into the centuries of village history, folklore, and ghosts, until he uncovers a deeper secret beyond his darkest nightmares, beyond the sight of most, and beyond the mortal veil.

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Phenomenomix by Hunt Emerson

Comics pages about Unexplained Phenomena. Hunt Emerson has drawn these pages for Fortean Times magazine since the mid-1980s; they’re about the weird things that happen in the world – Vampires, Ghosts, Faeries, UFOs, Werewolves, Folk Beliefs, Miracles, Mystery Smells, Unknown Animals, Megaliths – all put through his comics filter.

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The Most Amazing Saturday Morning Rubbish Club by Bill Tuckey and Francisco de la Mora

Arthur, Finn and Uma are three neurodivergent children with SEN (Special Educational Needs) who start a litter-picking group. Defying low expectations, they use their unique skills to improve their environment, with the story highlighting inclusion, friendship, and real-life parenting experiences. 

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Coma by Zara Slattery

The world of Zara’s 15-day drug-induced coma, which she describes as ‘being trapped in a nightmare state that you can’t wake up from’ is rendered as a full-colour fantasy, with mythological creatures appearing out of nowhere as she battles to protect her three children against the forces of evil that threaten to engulf her.

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Silk Cotton by Colleen Douglas

Peter has always been told “the stories” like every child in the Caribbean. The tales of the ancients bound to the Silk Cotton tree, the Supernatural monsters of Myths and Legends, whispered in hush tones lest the speaker be heard and meet with an untimely fate.

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Ready for Pop by Lord Hurk

London, The mid-sixties. In what appears to have been a murder attempt, Britain’s greatest pop sensation ‘Vic Vox’ has been left a foot tall – the effects of the ‘shrink drug’ administered by assailants unknown.

Detective Chief inspector Ladyshoe and his team at Scotland Yard are out to find who did it, and why, but they are up against the clock.

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Who Are the Power Pals? By Duane Murray, Rob Jones and Ahmed Raafat

Washed-up actors Derek and Alex have been best friends ever since playing teen superheroes ‘Swallow’ and ‘Buzzard’ in the ’90s TV show Power Pals. Wait, you’ve never heard of it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone; it was cancelled after three episodes.

But that small taste of fame left them hungry for more, and they’ve been trying to get back on the Hollywood train ever since.

Borrow the Book

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This year The Roman Baths were delighted to work alongside Bath Welcomes Refugees (BWR) and the Bath & North East Somerset Council Resettlement Team on a collaborative project.

The resulting textile project will be touring Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Bath Libraries and Information and Advice Services until early October, following its display at Victoria Art Gallery during Refugee Week in June 2026.

The theme for the week this year was ‘Courage’ and hanging alongside it is an extract from Mir Abdullah Miri’s poem A Collective Mosaic of Courage https://www.bathwelcomesrefugees.org.uk/a-collective-mosaic-of-courage/. You can read Mir’s guest article which describes how the poem was developed.

Sewing sessions took place across the city with refugees and people seeking sanctuary in BWR social groups, at the Roman Baths and even at home. These relaxed, welcoming sessions brought people together to connect, learn from one another and create something truly special.

Everyone was welcome to take part, from children to adults, from beginners to experts. Together the group learned new stitches and shared stories. The finished artwork embodies knowledge sharing, collaboration and community unity.

The textile piece will be on display at Keynsham Information and Advice Service until 28th August, Midsomer Norton Information and Advice Service 3-18 September and Bath Central Library late September to 9 October.

Public libraries are welcoming and inclusive spaces, so we’re delighted to host the textile piece in our locations. If you’ve recently moved or resettled in Bath & North East Somerset Council, you can benefit from free library membership, access to our services as well as partner services. https://baneslibraries.co.uk/about-us/resettlement/

The post Collaborative Textile Project: Library Tour appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

My name is Mir Abdullah Miri. I am an Afghan refugee scholar and lecturer in education. I first came to refugee support because I needed it. Today, I contribute as an education adviser, community adviser and volunteer. Knowing support from both positions has left me with a question I cannot answer easily. When we call a refugee courageous, are we recognising what they have endured, or overlooking what they still need?

I did not want to answer those questions alone. I invited Afghans living in the diaspora to complete four unfinished sentences. ‘Courage sounds like…’, ‘Courage looks like…’, ‘Courage feels like…’ and ‘Courage needs…’. The invitation was anonymous, and people could respond in any language with one word or a short phrase. Fifty-three people took part, and their words became A Collective Mosaic of Courage.

When the responses arrived, I read each one more than once – some were in English and others in Persian-Dari. Their brevity did not make them simple. A few words could carry fear, work, family, loss or the effort of beginning again. Among them, one response changed how I read all the others. Courage needs ‘one person who believes you’. Courage was not only something a person had; it also depended on what happened between people.

While arranging the words, I often thought of Mawlana Jalaluddin Balkhi, known to many readers as Rumi. His poetry offered me a way of listening in which one voice could meet another without making either disappear. That was the kind of attention the poem required.

I made the poem independently because this subject is important to me. It was not a research study, did not follow a formal research process and did not receive institutional research ethics approval. I did not create it on behalf of any university, charity, public body or other organisation with which I work or volunteer. It represents my work alone and does not express the views of those organisations. The 53 responses also cannot represent every Afghan or refugee experience.

Even though this was not research, I was still responsible for how I invited, held and shared people’s words. Participation was voluntary, the form collected no names or email addresses, and it explained that contributions might be shared publicly. Care, trust, privacy and confidentiality guided the work from the start.

Then the answers began to arrive. Courage sounded like the sea, a shaking voice, the words ‘I need help’ and the promise ‘I will try’. It looked like rewriting a CV, taking a child to school and standing again after disappointment. It felt like fear and hope occupying the same body. The replies did not form a clear picture of courage. They challenged the familiar image of a fearless refugee who survives everything without needing help.

In the fourth prompt, when I asked what courage needs, people named time, patience, kindness, practical help, listeners without judgement and ‘one person who believes you’. The first three prompts described what courage might sound, look or feel like. The fourth turned our attention towards the people and support that help it continue. Courage may start within a person, but it rarely lasts there alone. It needs company.

When I placed the 53 responses beside one another, I could see why the piece had to be a mosaic. The voices belonged together, but I did not want to force them to agree. Courage could mean speaking or waiting, standing alone or asking for support. In a mosaic, each piece keeps its shape and the joins remain visible, while a larger picture comes into view.

People replied in Persian-Dari as well as English. Translation helped other readers understand the words, but I did not want English to replace the language in which a thought had begun. I therefore kept some contributions in both languages. One person wrote

موج‌هایی که به ساحل برمی‌گردند

Waves that return to the shore.

For someone forced to leave home, returning does not always mean going back across a border. It may mean finding a way back to language, work, trust, family, unfinished plans or, slowly, to yourself. Putting the original words beside the English allowed them to travel without taking them away from their first home.

As I put the responses together, I kept thinking that anonymous did not mean ownerless. People had lent me their words in trust, so I needed to use them with care and return with them. I shared the draft with some contributors, other refugees, colleagues in local authorities, refugee advocates and people working in charities. I asked them to point out where I had softened a contradiction or claimed too much. Their feedback transformed the poem as the words shifted from the community to the page and back again.

Bath Welcomes Refugees published the poem, and I shared it at several events during Bath Refugee Festival. After Refugee Week, I also shared it with refugee-support advocates and organisations. People responded warmly, but the conversations mattered most to me. The poem gave people a way to discuss courage without turning refugees into heroes or victims. The conversation moved away from expecting refugees to remain strong and towards the support that helps someone begin again.

An Afghan proverb helped me understand what the contributions were becoming.

قطره قطره دریا می‌شود

Drop by drop, it becomes a sea.

Each contribution was brief, but none was small. The words became something larger without losing touch with the people and languages from which they came. A sea is made of drops. In the same way, a collective voice has meaning only if each voice within it can still be heard.

Now the poem is making another journey into the library, where I believe it gives the poem a different kind of public life. Here, a reader may meet these voices without the noise of an event or the expectation of applause. I hope that meeting leaves one question behind. When we call someone courageous, will we simply admire them, or will we ask what might help them begin again?

Mir Abdullah Miri is a lecturer in education at the University of Bath. He volunteers with Bath Welcomes Refugees as an Education Adviser and member of its Community Advisory Group.

Read the full poem: A Collective Mosaic of Courage, or find out about the Collaborative Textile Project

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Hi I’m Will. I’m a member of the Bloodhounds Book Group. I work in disability advocacy and am lucky enough to be able to both proof and review books and audiobooks. This is a brief overview of the history of audiobooks and their place in society.

Audiobooks are incredibly important to me personally. But also I’m very lucky to be in the position where they have always been available to me. Be that through family being generous, trawling through charity shops, and being given tapes that couldn’t be sold because they were slightly broken. Because of how important they are to me on a personal level (they allowed me to consume literature, as due to severe dyslexia I only learned to read and write at the age of about 12) I’ve always been fascinated by the history of audiobooks.

It feels very special to be this close to the beginning of the history of something that is so central to my life and the accessibility revolution. I can’t contemplate what it would be like to be this close to the birth of the written word. This is the privileged position that we find ourselves in. The recorded word is really around 100 years old; the invention of the phonograph is a little longer (1877), but the recording of the spoken word being widespread and ubiquitous is incredibly recent.

The widespread publication of audiobooks only really started in the mid-70s with charities for the blind in America and the UK making recordings. These were much more niche, though, often being instruction manuals and more practical things, rather than fiction.

The strides made in the technology in the cassettes meant that libraries had an uptick in the amount of books on tape in stock. The cost of cassettes and the sheer number required to have an unabridged book meant that the price was extortionate (well into the 100s of pounds). The amount that it cost to produce an audiobook meant that it was cheaper and made more sense to produce abridged versions of the fiction that was eventually produced. This is because of the sheer expense of the tapes themselves, but also because it meant renting a studio and all that entails and doing all you could to lessen the amount of studio time was well worth it.

The recordings themselves were definitely less good, but it is also worth remembering that we are now hugely spoiled by the level of quality that is easy to attain in terms of audio, and at a fraction of the price. The thing that really did change everything is the access to recording equipment that happened over the years. There are so many places to record audiobooks, and editing and mastering is something that many more people can do. The movement from physical cassettes and CDs to digital files has also made it much cheaper to produce and to buy audiobooks. 

This is the thing that has made audiobooks so popular in recent years, particularly since the digitisation of audiobooks. Largely this has meant that the way that audiobooks are seen in society is completely different to how they had been, just because of mass availability. The ability to have hundreds of audiobooks on your phone in your pocket has completely changed the way that they are viewed, and the download model means there is space for more ethical companies in the same space.

For example there is Borrowbox, which is the app used by local libraries to lend out audiobooks, ebooks and magazines. The best Audible alternative I have found is definitely libro.fm, which works in the same way that bookshop.org does with physical books, as you can choose an indie bookshop to give the profit of your purchase to. There are also, of course, those indie publishers who have cut the costs to their customers by producing and distributing the audiobooks themselves.

This change in the way that audiobooks are sold has altered the way that they are viewed and the place they hold in society now. It’s interesting that they have now become a reading choice rather than simply a reading aid. It is this change that has really improved the quality of the production of audiobooks. It used to be the case that as long as the book was read, it didn’t matter what the listening experience was like, which is what has made a huge difference to the perception of audiobooks and those that use them.

I, for one, am incredibly glad that the attitude is changing. Of course there will be people who look down on audiobooks and all of us that use them, but in all honesty that’s their loss and they are missing out.

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For around 30 years between 1964 and the 1990s, Bath Central Library staff collected local newspaper articles concerning the library and museum services. These articles were stuck into scrapbooks and proved invaluable when research started on the Centenary Project for Bath Library in 2024.

Volunteers Gill, Kate and Lindsey are recording article details onto a database for future digitisation. They have come across a mixture of long-term library issues, for example, the problems of library buildings and a site for a ‘new’ library in the city centre; but also recurring annual themes, for example overdue fines; and individual stories about readers and staff.

Below are some of our favourites, click on a picture to find out more.

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As the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, BookTrust works with every local authority across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching millions of families with books, resources and support to help make reading part of everyday family life.

We’re proud of our partnership with BookTrust, which enables us to work with colleagues and partners across the authority to expand access to their fantastic resources. As a BookTrust Learning Zone partner, we’ve benefited from a focus on deeper, community-led engagement and pilot activity, including our Relaxed Storytime work.

From every newborn receiving a book pack via their Health Visitor, to targeted offers such as dual-language books and additional needs packs distributed through libraries, Children’s Centres and specialist partners, BookTrust resources help us build both new and lasting relationships that support children to develop a love of reading.

Read our May 2026 BookTrust Learning Zone Spotlight report, Working together to get children reading in Bath and North East Somerset, to find out more about the impact of this work.

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Our Libraries have a range of accessible resources to support and accommodate people with accessibility needs. One of our newest initiatives is our Relaxed Storytimes in Bath Central Library’s calming Sensory Space, designed for young children who are autistic, have sensory needs, or would simply benefit from a quieter environment.

The Victoria Art Gallery in Bath have also introduced a new Relaxed offering, introduced here by our colleagues at the Gallery:

Here at the Victoria Art Gallery we are very excited about our new Relaxed Hour sessions, designed for visitors who would benefit from a calmer environment, including those with sensory differences, neurodivergence, disabilities, children with SEND and their carers and families. We are passionate about making our gallery accessible to everyone!

On the first Saturday of each month we will open an hour early to a reduced number of visitors with adjustments made to create a more relaxed atmosphere, including access to the Modelling room which will be available as a quiet space. Our new Modelling Room is so calm, light and airy it’s great we’re able to make such wonderful use of it.

Our family area, which is also available during regular opening hours, is a real haven where ear defenders, fidget toys and sensory activities are provided. There’s even a few very cute cuddly cats to hold whilst trying to spot their painted counterpart on the wall! 

Our previous events held in the evenings after closing time provided a chance to relax and enjoy our incredible art works and, just as importantly, enjoy all the wonderful benefits being surrounded by art has on wellbeing. It’s wonderful to provide the opportunity to enjoy the full experience of visiting the gallery, from dressing up in our interactive areas to choosing a little souvenir in the gift shop, at a more relaxed pace.

The new timings will allow even more families to make the most of this opportunity  and we are still going to hold one Relaxed Evening a year for those who find an evening suits them better.

So if you or any one you know would benefit from a more relaxed visit to our fabulous gallery, Our Relaxed Hour is on the first Saturday of each month 9.30am-10.30am. Banes Discovery Card holders and Carers are free.  July and August’s sessions will include our Incredible Norman Ackroyd, Transience of Light exhibition. We look forward to welcoming you!

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‘Cozies bring order to a world that is currently very chaotic.’ – Margaret Loudon

In a world of social media, 24-hour news, climate change and political volatility, it is not a surprise that readers seek respite in reading.  It may be counter-intuitive, but this includes crime books, which I believe can be a form of comfort reading – in providing a ‘safe’ world in which good triumphs over evil.  This doesn’t mean that we don’t take world issues seriously, but that we all find our own way of processing worrying things and protecting our mental health. Regardless of the wider context, personal crises and tricky situations arise in every life – it’s just part of being human – and books that provide an escape are often much treasured.

During the pandemic, UK sales of all print books rose by 5% compared to the previous year, with fiction up 20% from 2 years before, propelled by 19% volume growth for crime and thrillers, 23% for science fiction and fantasy, and 49% for romance.*  True, we couldn’t get out and about then, and were looking for things we could do at home, which obviously included reading, but I also think that books helped us deal with the awful reality of those tricky times.

For a writer, crime novels can be a welcome refuge, too. I wrote the first draft of The Missing Checkout Girl, which started my Supermarket Mysteries series, in 2015 when my husband was very ill. I had publishing woes, too, as I was waiting to find out if a publisher wanted a young adult novel which I had rewritten several times (spoiler alert – they didn’t). In the middle of all this, I discovered a cast of characters which lifted me out of my prevailing gloom and worry. I got caught up in their story, and shared it chapter by chapter with my husband, emailing it to his Kindle when he had an extended hospital stay. It was such a special thing to be able to do, and I can honestly say that this book helped us both through a very difficult time. Words are powerful, make no mistake about that, and good-hearted story can have as much impact as a dark one.

The escape offered by crime books is not limited to cosy mysteries, though. I believe that most crime stories – including psychological thrillers, police procedurals, historical crime, spy thrillers, and gritty noir – bring a similar experience. They invite readers to delve into the darker side of human nature, consider a range of social, personal and political issues and, to different degrees, experience frightening situations with the promise that there will be resolution at the end, and, mostly, a sense of justice being done. The writer frames these stories with a beginning, a middle with twists and turns, and a satisfactory ending in a way that we can’t control real life.

It’s good to keep up with current events and have opinions on politics and the big issues facing us. It’s also fine to escape within the covers of a good book, and a crime novel may provide the perfect comfort we need.   

*‘UK Book Sales in 2021 Highest in Decade,’ Alison Flood, The Guardian online, 2022

N.B. If you are a fan of crime fiction, you will find plenty of books in your local library, or on audiobook via Borrowbox. You may also like to join the B&NES Libraries’ online crime book group, Bath Bloodhounds, who discuss a different book each month.

To find out more about Rachel and her work, visit: rachelwardbooks.com

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Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book, Large Print book, eBook

Age Group:

Adults

Genre:

Crime

I am not normally into murder mystery, but I was pushed to read this book by the Book Club I recently joined, and I am glad as this book is a real gem.

It is an easy read and the description of the English countryside with two opponent pubs and the psychological insight of the characters make it appealing for broader audiences. Jim Tiernan was murdered and detective Nicola Bridge is called to investigate.

Apparently, experts murder mystery readers can spot the murderer at the very beginning, but it is so well written that they felt compelled to keep reading the book.

Highly recommended.

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For Foster Care Fortnight we worked with the Alternative Care Team to curate this collection of recommended reads. This book list contains stories, memoirs, and advice from experts, for adults, older children, and younger readers.

Find out more from The Fostering Network

Books For Adults

My Name is Why by Lemm Sissay

At the age of 17, after a childhood in a fostered family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay.

He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth. This is Lemn’s story; a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph.

Sissay reflects on a childhood in care, self-expression, and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family, and the meaning of home.

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Borrow the eAudiobook

Looked After by Ashley John-Baptiste

The power of BBC journalist and presenter Ashley John-Baptiste’s book lies not only in sharing the harshness of his experience, but also in showcasing his extraordinary resilience in the darkest of times.

‘Looked After’ tells the story of the UK’s care provision from the inside in a visceral way – and acknowledges the importance of the key people who helped him turn his life around. This is a memoir written from the heart that pulls no punches.

It demonstrates that given opportunity and encouragement – and love – a cared-for boy can become a successful man, a loving husband, a proud father – despite the trauma of his childhood.

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Fifty-One Moves by Ben Ashcroft

It is a shocking fact that whilst just one per cent of young people enter care to be ‘looked after’ by a local authority, foster parents and in children’s homes, a whopping 27 per cent of prisoners have been in care at some time or another. Ben Ashcroft was one of these.

‘Fifty-one Moves’ is his vivid and telling first-hand account of his experiences in 37 different establishments.

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The Insider’s Guide to Foster Care by Kim Emenike, Caydin Jay, and Amy Baker

This essential guide brings the voices of care-experienced authors to the forefront, sharing their first-hand knowledge and advice for making a real difference.

From big-picture concepts like understanding healthy relationships to more practical things like scrapbooks as physical ways to hold onto happy memories, the authors discuss what really matters to children and young people in care.

They explore how their previous experiences and their carers’ approaches affected the way they felt and reacted during their time in care, providing vital context for carers and professionals.

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Super Parenting by Amber Elliott

Dr Amber Elliott explains why children who have experienced early trauma need something different – therapeutic parenting – a kind of everyday ‘superparenting’ which champions empathy over punishment.

Trying to parent children who have trauma-triggered behaviours is tough, and none of us are perfect. Taking this as a starting point, Dr Elliott provides you with a ten-step process to transform your parenting. From developing self-acceptance and ideas for building motivation through to creative ways to think about structure and routine, the book combines principles with practical advice and exercises you can try out at home.

Working together, you and your child can discover the secrets of superparenting and overcome trauma-triggered behaviours!

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Why Can’t My Child Behave by Dr Amber Elliott

Why Can’t My Child Behave? provides friendly expert advice on how to respond to difficult behaviours and emotions for parents of children with developmental trauma. Each chapter focusses on the common difficulties faced by carers or parents and features quick, applicable ideas with exercises and illustrations.

How do you react to a child’s difficult behaviour? How do you deal with your own negative emotions? How do you know when to be empathic?

The book looks beyond the traditional punishment/reward strategies and aims to provide an explanation for such questions whilst helping the child in the process.

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A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting by Sarah Naish

Parents of children with attachment difficulties, or who have experienced childhood trauma, need to parent differently to meet their child’s specific needs and help them start to make sense of the world.

This book is everything you need in order to therapeutically parent, with an easy to apply model of intervention, and an A-Z of practical advice.

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The Simple Guide to Child Trauma by Betsy de Thierry

Full of helpful information and advice, this is an introduction to child trauma for any adult caring for or working with a child who has experienced trauma.

It explains what trauma is, how it affects children and what adults can do to facilitate recovery.

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Why Love Matters by Sue Gerhardt

Why Love Matters explains why love is essential to brain development in the early years of life, particularly to the development of our social and emotional brain systems, and presents the startling discoveries that provide the answers to how our emotional lives work.

Sue Gerhardt considers how the earliest relationship shapes the baby’s nervous system, with lasting consequences, and how our adult life is influenced by infancy despite our inability to remember babyhood.

She shows how the development of the brain can affect future emotional well being, and goes on to look at specific early ‘pathways’ that can affect the way we respond to stress and lead to conditions such as anorexia, addiction, and anti-social behaviour.

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Books for Older Children and Young Adults

A Beginner’s Guide to Ruling the Galaxy by David Solomons

Perfect for 9-11 year olds

Gavin’s got a new neighbour and she’s really annoying. Niki follows him everywhere, bosses him about, and doesn’t care that her parents will obliterate Earth with their galactic warships if she doesn’t stop running away from them.

Can Niki and Gavin sort out the alien despots (aka Mum and Dad) and save the planet? Possibly. Will they become friends along the way?

Borrow the Book

Borrow the eBook

The Day My Dog Got Famous by Jen Carney

Perfect for 9-11 year olds

Meet Ferris Foster – the cartooning genius (if he does say so himself) behind the AUSTOUNDOG comic (available exclusively in Ferris’ school playground) and owner of the actual Aldo, quite possibly the world’s most average dog.

When Ferris’ totally annoying neighbour Destiny boasts about her popular YouTube channel, featuring her perfect pooch, Princess Foo Foo, Ferris foolishly claims that Aldo can easily become a BIGGER internet star. There’s just one problem: Aldo has about as much talent as a teaspoon.

Then Ferris and his new foster sister, Tia, accidentally film Aldo doing what looks like an amazing trick – will Aldo finally live up to name of his comic book alter-ego and wow the world with his skills or is this about to be the biggest EPIC FAIL ever?

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Snow Foal by Susanna Bailey

Perfect for 9-11 year olds

When eleven-year-old Addie goes to stay with a foster-care family on a remote Exmoor farm in the midst of a very cold winter, she is full of hurt, anger and a deep mistrust of everyone around her.

Until one day, when she rescues a tiny wild foal from the moorland snow and Addie discovers that perhaps she’s not so alone after all. And as adventure and unexpected friendship blossom, Addie is determined that both of them will know what is to be home again soon.

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The Star Outside My Window by Onjali Q Raúf

Perfect for 9-11 year olds

Following the disappearance of her mum, 10-year-old Aniyah suddenly finds herself living in foster care. With her life in disarray, she knows just one thing for sure: her mum isn’t gone for ever. Because people with the brightest hearts never truly leave. They become stars.

So when a new star is spotted acting strangely in the sky, Aniyah is sure it’s her mum, and she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to make sure everyone else knows too – an adventure that involves breaking into the Royal Observatory of London, a mischievous scurry of squirrels and the biggest star in Hollywood.

Told through the innocent voice of a child, this is a story that explores the subtle faces and endless impacts of domestic violence, and celebrates the power of hope and resilience.

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Borrow the eAudiobook

The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

Perfect for 9-11 year olds

Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside.

But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers about who she really is, a journey far beyond one that she ever imagined begins – from icy rivers to smouldering mountains meeting an ever-growing herd of extraordinary friends along the way.Blurb

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Borrow the eBook

Simone Biles by Sally Morgan

Perfect for 9-12 year olds

On a day trip to the local sports centre, Simone Biles discovered her natural talent for gymnastics. Despite a challenging start in life, Simone has gone on to become one of the world’s greatest athletes.

Find out how Simone toughed it out in training, went on to win seven Olympic medals and took the bold step of putting her mental health before people’s expectations of her.

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How to Save the World by Emma Shevah

Perfect for 9-13 year olds

Ivy believes she can talk to animals, while Nathaniel is obsessed with animal facts. They’re brought together by the arrival of a rare and wondrous sea creature: a giant leatherback turtle who lays her eggs in front of the world’s media.

Soon they’re on a mission to make a difference to the world – even if that’s one animal at a time.

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Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark-McGinnis

Perfect for 10-14 year olds

11-year-old December knows everything about birds, and everything about getting kicked out of foster homes. All she has of her biological mum is the book she left behind, The Complete Guide to Birds, Volume One, and a photo with a message: ‘In flight is where you’ll find me.’

December knows she’s truly a bird, just waiting for the day she transforms and flies away to reunite with her mum. The scar on her back must be where her wings have started to blossom – she just needs to practise and to find the right tree. She has no choice; it’s the only story that makes sense.

When she’s placed with Eleanor, a new foster mum who runs a taxidermy business and volunteers at a wildlife rescue, December begins to see herself and what home means in a new light. But the story she tells herself about her past is what’s kept December going this long, and she doesn’t know if she can let go of it.

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Always Angel by Kimberly Whittam

Perfect for 11-14 year olds

Angel finds school hard. She talks back to teachers, she storms out of lessons, and she’s had more detentions than any other Year 8 student – ever.

But really, Angel wants to be good. She wants to fit in, she wants to make friends, and she even wants to win the school baking contest. But it’s hard to be good when everyone expects the worst.

And with her mum not well enough to look after her, and Angel making more and more bad choices, she’s starting to run out of chances.

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Needle by Patrice Lawrence

Perfect for 12-13 year olds

Charlene is a demon knitter. It’s the only thing she enjoys and the only thing she believes she’s really good at. So when her foster mum’s son destroys her latest creation, Charlene loses it and stabs him in the hand with her knitting needle.

It damages a nerve and she gets sucked into the criminal justice system for assault. Charlene’s not sorry and she’s never apologised to anyone in her life. But people keep telling her that if she says sorry, they’ll go easier on her. Can she bring herself to say it and not mean it when her freedom’s at stake?

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I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson

Perfect for 12-16 year olds

Jemma knows who did the murder. She knows because he told her. And she can’t tell anyone. Fourteen-year-old Jemma has severe cerebral palsy. Unable to communicate or move, she relies on her family and carer for everything.

She has a sharp brain and inquisitive nature, and knows all sorts of things about everyone. But when she is confronted with this terrible secret, she is utterly powerless to do anything. Though that might be about to change.

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Books for Younger Readers

Sarah Naish Therapeutic Parenting Books for Children

Join William Wobbly, Sophie Spikey, Rosie Rudey and more in this series of therapeutic storybooks for children. Written by a mum who understands, and her daughter (who used to have a lot of difficult feelings), these insightful stories are for all children functioning at age 3-10, and will help the whole family.

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Maybe Days by Jennifer Wilgocki and Marcia Kahn Wright

‘Maybe Days’ is a straightforward look at the issues of foster care, the questions that children ask, and the feelings that they confront. A primer for children going into foster care, the book also explains the responsibilities of everyone involved – parents, judges and social workers.

Will I live with my parents again? Will I stay with my foster parents forever? For children in foster care, the answer to many questions is often “maybe”.

Maybe Days addresses the questions, feelings, and concerns these children most often face. Honest and reassuring, it also provides basic information that children want and need to know, including the roles of various people in the foster care system and whom to ask for help.

An extensive afterword for adults caring for foster children describes the child’s experience, underscores the importance of open communication, and outlines a variety of ways to help children adjust to the maybe days, and to thrive.

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My Bright Shining Star by Fatima Whitbread

The powerful story of a young girl growing up in care and searching for her forever family, based on the childhood of author and Olympic-medal-winner Fatima Whitbread.

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Delly Duck by Holly Marlow

When Delly Duck lays an egg, she is excited for it to hatch, but she doesn’t really know how to keep an egg safe, or how to look after her duckling when he hatches.

A concerned goose tries to help Delly to learn how to care for her duckling, but it becomes clear that she cannot provide the care he needs, so he is temporarily taken to some kind swans, who keep him safe while Caring Goose finds the right family to look after him.

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All About Families by Felicity Brooks and Mar Ferrero

Families come in all shapes and sizes and from all sorts of backgrounds. They speak various languages, eat different sorts of food, live in different kinds of homes and celebrate special occasions in a variety of ways.

This book lets children explore questions such as ‘What is a family?’, ‘What different sorts of families are there?’ and more.

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