Louis Sachar - Holes

Stanley Yelnats has, like his ancestors, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether or not this is the result of his great great grandfather's legendary actions is besides the point, the fact is he has a choice to make. Prison or camp. Coming from a low-income family and subsequently never having had the chance to go to camp before, it's an easy choice.

Needless to say, Camp Green Lake isn't your regular summer camp. A juvenile correctional facility, Stanley is soon to find his time taken up with holes. one hole for each day. As you start to learn more about the Yelnats' history, the purpose of these holes also becomes clearer..

Holes weaves together two histories, one of modern day Stanley Yelnats, and the other from 100 years previous. Exactly how these two link up is cleverly and slowly weaved together until the histories resolve each other. The book is very clearly and unfussily written, making it very easy to read. The story is uncomplicated, with the monotony of Stanley's life being broken up through intrigue and the interspersing of the second story. A solid story with good characterisation, I would recommend this for upper KS2 children. The only thing I was a bit put-off by was the annex of the Survival Guide, which seemed a little unnecessary at the end of the book.

Mary Hoffman - Grace & Family

Grace and Family confronts the issues of split or non-conventional family set ups and the impact they can have on young children. Grace is a young girl who lives with her ma, nana and cat, with her father living back in Africa. She develops anxieties surrounding her family as it does not conform to the standard family unit of a mum, dad, brother and sister as set out in the books she reads, leaving her feeling that her family is not quite right. 

The book helps confront hard issues such as split parenting and estrangement as well as new cultures not to mention the difficult acceptance of step-families. The writing is clear and simple, helping to portray typical sentiments surrounding these problems and how the non-standard family unit has its own value. Grace and Family reassures children that there are alternatives out there and that although their families are different, they are by no means less than anyone else's.

This book is a refreshing read giving a voice to children who are looking for relateable material when dealing with difficult situations which they might not otherwise voice. A good read for ks1 to discuss what are families and also to investigate different cultures.

Lydia Monks - Aaaarrgghh, Spider!

Aaaarrgghh, Spider! Is the story of a household spider trying to find her place and be accepted into her chosen family. The spider's efforts are somewhat in vain as each attempt to impress them leaves them horrified and squealing "aaaarrgghh, spider! Out you go!". The spider finally does win their respect through dazzling them with its wonderful webs.

Lydia Monks' illustrations are vibrant and bold, perfect for capturing the heats and attention of ks1 pupils. The glittery spider webs probably go some way to help too. The text is very simple and the repetition of phrase patterns helps to build sentence structures for children whilst introducing new vocabulary. The chorus of "out you go!" Is also great for giving the kids something to latch on to and participate in the storytelling.

Overall a gleeful book full of punch and colour, and of course children and going to love it when they can squeal at little beasties! Who knows, maybe it will make them think a little before stamping on them...