Book-based Resources

Year 1 & 2

Resources to support teaching texts in Key Stage One

The Great Kapok Tree

Ranforest animals react to the threat of damage to their special tree in this picture book by Lynne Cherry.

Lila and the Secret of Rain

Lila sets off on a quest to save her village in this picture book by David Conway and Jude Daly.

Year 3 & 4

Resources to support teaching texts in Lower Key Stage Two

Beowulf

Beowulf travels to Denmark to fight the monster Grendel in this epic poem retold by Michael Morpurgo.

The Boy Who Grew Dragons

A boy looks after dragons in this hilarious book by Andy Shepherd.

The Butterfly Lion

A boy befriends a lion cub in this inspirational tale by Michael Morpurgo.

Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte the spider sets out to save her pig friend in this story of friendship by E. B. White.

Christophe’s Story

The refugee Christophe tells his story of escape in this novel by Nicki Cornwell.

A Dangerous Game

Sam’s school trip turns out to be more dangerous than he had imagined in this novel by Malorie Blackman.

The Day I Was Erased

Maxwell, a boy who is always in trouble, finds himself erased from his life in this hilarious book by Lisa Thompson.

The Firework-Maker’s Daughter

Lila, the firework-maker’s daughter, goes on a quest to achieve her dreams in this book by Philip Pullman.

Flat Stanley

In The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery by Jeff Brown, Stanley is posted to Egypt to help find ancient treasure in the pyramids.

The Hodgeheg

Max the hedgehog tries to understand how humans cross the road in this tale by Dick King-Smith.

How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup the young Viking tries to pass his tribe’s initiation test in the first book of the funny fantasy series by Cressida Cowell.

The Ice Palace

A boy goes to rescue his little brother who has been stolen by the evil Starjik in an exciting adventure book by Robert Swindells.

The Iron Man

A giant man made from metal mysteriously arrives in the English countryside in this science fiction story by Ted Hughes.

Journey

A girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and escapes into a world of wonder, adventure and danger in this beautiful picture book by Aaron Becker.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

A family move in to an old Victorian house and begin to discover its magical secrets in the first of a series of books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

Stig of the Dump

A boy called Barney falls into a chalk pit and meets Stone Age Stig in this story of friendship by Clive King.

Stone Age Boy

A boy trips and falls and finds himself in the Stone Age in this picture book by Satoshi Kitamura.

The Twits

A nasty married couple who play tricks on each other and are cruel to animals get their just deserts in this hilarious book by Roald Dahl.

Varjak Paw

Varjak the cat must learn to fight to save his family in this exciting fantasy adventure novel by S.F. Said.

Year 5 & 6

Resources to support teaching texts in Upper Key Stage Two

The Boy at the Back of the Class

A group of children befriend a new boy and refugee in this novel by Onjali Q. Raúf.

Carrie’s War

Two young Londoners are evacuated to a Welsh mining village during the Second World War in this novel by Nina Bawden.

Children of the Benin Kingdom

In the ancient forest four children uncover a dangerous secret in this historical novel by Dinah Orji.

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

A girl called Chaya leads her friends on an adventure through the Sri Lankan jungle in this novel by Nizrana Farook.

Goodnight Mister Tom

A young boy who is evacuated to the countryside during WWII develops a relationship with an old man in this prize-winning book by Michelle Magorian.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

An orphaned boy joins a boarding school for wizards in this popular book by J. K. Rowling.

Holes

A boy called Stanley is sent to a juvenile detention boot camp in the desert for a crime he did not commit in this novel by Louis Sachar.

The Midnight Fox

Tom, a city-boy, takes a lonely vacation to the countryside and forms an unlikely connection with a fox in this story by Betsy Byars.

The Nowhere Emporium

An orphaned boy runs into a magical shop called the Nowhere Emporium and becomes the owner’s apprentice in this story by Ross MacKenzie.

Oranges in No Man’s Land

A ten-year-old girl risks death to make a life-saving dash through war-torn Beirut in this story by Elizabeth Laird.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

12-year-old Percy discovers that the Greek gods of Olympus are alive and living in modern-day New York in this novel by Rick Riordan.

The Ship of Shadows

Aleja goes on a voyage with a group of female pirates in this fantasy adventure book by Maria Kuzniar.

The Silver Sword

A group of Polish children search for their parents in the chaotic aftermath of World War Two in this historical novel by Ian Serraillier.

Skellig

A boy named Michael finds a mysterious creature in his garage in this award-winning novel by David Almond.

Stormbreaker

After the suspicious death of his uncle, Alex Rider secretly becomes a teenage spy for MI6 in the first of the popular series of books by Anthony Horowitz.

Street Child

Street Child

Jim, an orphaned boy in Victorian London, must fight for survival in this inspiring tale by Berlie Doherty.