1booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz

Your guide to Bookbuzz 2021

2

What’s in your guide?

A message from BookTrust

Bookbuzz in six easy steps p 3 Key dates for your diary p 4 What’s in my launch pack? p 5 Launching Bookbuzz in your school p 6 Ideas to introduce Bookbuzz to your students

Your guide to the Bookbuzz books pp 7–15 Everything you need to know about the 17 brilliant Bookbuzz titles Keep the buzz going pp 16–17 What to do after students get their books

More great books pp 18–19 A selection of books that will keep students hooked About BookTrust p 20

Thank you for taking part in Bookbuzz, an incredibly important part of BookTrust’s work to get children reading for pleasure. This programme is the ideal opportunity to help you bring reading to life in your school. With a list of 17 fantastic titles to choose from, every student will find something they love whatever their interest or ability.

Bookbuzz is here to support your students at an age where reading frequency often declines. Reading regularly has a strong impact on children’s well-being, imagination, language, and don’t forget - it’s fun! We want to encourage children to keep picking up books, helping them to discover what exactly keeps them turning the pages and inspiring a lifelong reading habit.

We hope that Bookbuzz can contribute to student well-being, spark open conversations and help every child find a book that transports them to another world.

So let’s get started!

3

Bookbuzz in six easy steps

Get ready for BookbuzzMake sure your students know about Bookbuzz so they can spread the word and help generate real excitement about reading in your school.

Launch BookbuzzThere are lots of ways to launch Bookbuzz: you can showcase the Bookbuzz film, run a session to give students a taste of the books or invite students to discuss what they like to read with their peers.

Collect students’ choicesAsk your students to mark their choices on their bookmarks and hand them back to you.

Place your orderOnce you are ready to order, log in to your account on the Bookbuzz website (booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz). All you need is your username (this is your email address) and password, and how many copies of each book you want.

Once we have your order, we’ll deliver the books to you as soon as we can. We’ll send an email to let you know when they’re on their way.

Your books arriveThis is the fun part. You can give out the books in lesson or host a special event such as a Bookbuzz breakfast or festival!

Keep the buzz goingThe buzz doesn’t have to stop when the books arrive – this guide has lots of ideas to keep that love of reading going after Bookbuzz has finished. Find out what other schools are up to on page 17, check out the More great books section on page 18, and use the BookTrust website to find the Bookbuzz challenge, competitions and quizzes.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Contact usVisit the Bookbuzz FAQ page on our website to help answer any queries you have.

If you’re still not sure, then please contact us at bookbuzz@booktrust.org.uk

Key dates for your diaryOrdering opens

Early Bird ordering deadline

Books arrive

Extra student deadline

Final ordering deadline

Monday 13 September From this date, you can order your students’ books via our website: booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz.

For help placing your order, visit the Bookbuzz FAQ page on the BookTrust website.

Friday 22 October Order online by this date and get a free set of children’s books (while stocks last).

In the spring termAs long as you order your books by Friday 5 November, you’ll receive your books no later than mid-Feburary.

Friday 1 October If you need to add more students to your order (minimum of five), please contact bookbuzz@booktrust.org.uk by this date. Payment must be received for all students, including extra students, before we can take your order.

Friday 5 November You must order your students’ books by this date to guarantee they receive their chosen book.

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5

2021 Bookbuzz book collectionYour launch pack contains two copies of this year’s Bookbuzz titles to help your students choose their book and create eye-catching displays in your library or classroom.

BookmarksThere’s a bookmark for each student to keep and enjoy once you’ve taken their Bookbuzz choices. On each bookmark are tick boxes so students can make a note of their chosen book.

PosterThis bright and colourful poster can be used to create an engaging display in your classroom or library to get your students excited about Bookbuzz!

What’s available online?Visit the coordinator area to find everything you need to run Bookbuzz in your school. The Bookbuzz film is a quick and easy way to launch the Bookbuzz lesson and can help your students decide which book is right for them. You’ll also find a letter template, so you can tell parents and carers that their child is taking part in the scheme, and an infographic, which shows some of the benefits of reading for pleasure. booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz.

Students can head to the student zone on the Bookbuzz website and find quizzes, competitions and blogs from featured authors. The BookTrust website also has a wealth of book recommendations, resources and ideas to help you inspire your students to get reading.

What’s in my launch pack?

booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz

#MyBookbuzz

Which is YOUR

favourite?

7

To support you in helping

students make their choice,

here’s some information

on each of the Bookbuzz

titles. This includes a short

description of the book, key

themes and who it might

appeal to. There are also

some recommended reads

to help your students find

their next book.

With help from a panel

of school librarians,

teachers, children’s

booksellers and

specialists, we’ve

carefully selected 17

books for this year’s

Bookbuzz programme

that we think students

aged 11 to 13 will love.

Your guide to the

Bookbuzz books

Summary

Left on the orphanage doorstep as a baby, Fly

doesn’t know anything about her past until she

meets the tiger. Stolen from his homeland and

locked in a cage, instead of eating Fly he tells

her she has royal blood. She doesn’t believe

she’s a princess, but vows to free the tiger

and help him get home. But something dark

is following Fly and her past is about to catch

up with her. With the tiger’s help, she must put

right a dreadful wrong and save their homeland

from a terrible curse.

If your students like this, they might also like:

� The Way Past Winter

by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

� Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

� Nevertell by Katherine Orton

Genre: Adventure, Magic,

Animal, Quest

Key themes: family mystery,

travel, cursed ruby, legends,

homelessness

Perfect for: readers who

love adventures, especially

those with animals and a

little magic

Pages: 240

Tiger Heart

By Penny Chrimes, illustrated by Levente Szabo

little magic

6

• To get your students talking about the books, create a display in your libraryusing the poster and books in your launch pack.• Get to know the Bookbuzz titles by reading this guide and watching the Bookbuzz fi lm in the coordinator area of the BookTrust website so that you can help students choose the book that’s right for them.

• Share the Bookbuzz books with your colleagues to spread the word about Bookbuzz. You can even encourage staff to put up a ‘The Bookbuzz book I’m reading is…’ sign in their classrooms.• Tell parents and carers that your school is taking part in Bookbuzz. A template parent and carer letter can be downloaded from the coordinator area. You can even make Bookbuzz a part of your school’s parents’ evening to inspire a love of reading at home.

Bookbuzz is all about inspiring students to choose a book they think they’ll enjoy reading.Top tips to help students be choosy:• Show your students the Bookbuzz fi lm,which includes a short introduction to each book. You may want to pause between each book and ask the students to discuss what they’ve seen.

• Let students fl ick through the Bookbuzz books so they can get an impression of the look and length of each title.

• Encourage students to focus on what they like, helping them to match their interests and reading habits to one of the 17 books.

Launching Bookbuzz in your school Bookbuzz is a great way to get your students excited about books and reading.

Preparing for Bookbuzz

Launching Bookbuzz

booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz#MyBookbuzz

Full name

Form/class

The Bookbuzz book I choose is:(please tick)

Tiger HeartPenny Chrimes,illustrated by Levente Szabo

✔

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie YatesJenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph

✔

The Middler Kirsty Applebaum

✔

Star SwitchAlesha Dixon

✔

When Life Gives You MangoesKereen Getten

✔

The Infi nite Patience Agbabi

✔

booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz#MyBookbuzz

Full name

Form/class

The Bookbuzz book I choose is: (please tick)

Tiger HeartPenny Chrimes,illustrated by Levente Szabo

✔

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie YatesJenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph

✔

The Middler Kirsty Applebaum

✔

Star SwitchAlesha Dixon

✔

When Life Gives You MangoesKereen Getten

✔

The Infi nite Patience Agbabi

✔

booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz

#MyBookbuzz

Which is YOUR

favourite?

6

• To get your students talking about the books, create a display in your library using the poster and books in your launch pack.

• Get to know the Bookbuzz titles by reading this guide and watching the Bookbuzz film in the coordinator area of the BookTrust website so that you can help students choose the book that’s right for them.

• Share the Bookbuzz books with your colleagues to spread the word about Bookbuzz. You can even encourage staff to put up a ‘The Bookbuzz book I’m reading is…’ sign in their classrooms.

• Tell parents and carers that your school is taking part in Bookbuzz. A template parent and carer letter can be downloaded from the coordinator area. You can even make Bookbuzz a part of your school’s parents’ evening to inspire a love of reading at home.

Bookbuzz is all about inspiring students to choose a book they think they’ll enjoy reading.

Top tips to help students be choosy:

• Show your students the Bookbuzz film, which includes a short introduction to each book. You may want to pause between each book and ask the students to discuss what they’ve seen.

• Let students flick through the Bookbuzz books so they can get an impression of the look and length of each title.

• Encourage students to focus on what they like, helping them to match their interests and reading habits to one of the 17 books.

Launching Bookbuzz in your school Bookbuzz is a great way to get your students excited about books and reading.

Preparing for Bookbuzz

Launching Bookbuzz

7

To support you in helping students make their choice, here’s some information on each of the Bookbuzz titles. This includes a short description of the book, key themes and who it might appeal to. There are also some recommended reads to help your students find their next book.

With help from a panelof school librarians,teachers, children’sbooksellers andspecialists, we’vecarefully selected 17books for this year’sBookbuzz programmethat we think studentsaged 11 to 13 will love.

Your guide to the Bookbuzz books

Summary Left on the orphanage doorstep as a baby, Fly doesn’t know anything about her past until she meets the tiger. Stolen from his homeland and locked in a cage, instead of eating Fly he tells her she has royal blood. She doesn’t believe she’s a princess, but vows to free the tiger and help him get home. But something dark is following Fly and her past is about to catch up with her. With the tiger’s help, she must put right a dreadful wrong and save their homeland from a terrible curse.

If your students like this, they might also like: • The Way Past Winter

by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

• Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

• Nevertell by Katherine Orton

Genre: Adventure, Magic, Animal, Quest

Key themes: family mystery, travel, cursed ruby, legends, homelessness

Perfect for: readers who love adventures, especially those with animals and a little magic

Pages: 240

Tiger HeartBy Penny Chrimes, illustrated by Levente Szabo

8

Summary Elle is a Leapling: born on 29th February with the ability to leap through time. She’s about to take her first official leap on her twelfth birthday to visit the Time Squad Centre, a time-travelling crime-fighting organisation. But before she leaps Elle receives a cryptic SOS text message sent from someone in 2048. It’s clear something is wrong in the future and not everyone at the centre can be trusted, so it’s up to Elle to figure out who’s in trouble, and how to save them before she runs out of time.

If your students like this, they might also like: • Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll

• Storm by Nicola Skinner

• A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynn Jones

Summary Freddie’s plan is simple: pretend he’s staying at his mate’s, then get the train to Cardiff and find his biological dad. He loves his adoptive dad, but when Grams dies and leaves Freddie a letter revealing the name of his birth father, curiosity takes over. But things do not go according to plan… Accidentally embarking on a madcap adventure across Wales, Freddie and his best friends leave a trail of chaos and increasingly hilarious incidents behind them, from onion-eating competitions to superhero exploits. But what awaits them at their final destination?

If your students like this, they might also like: • Stick Boy by Paul Coomey

• That Time I Got Kidnapped by Tom Mitchell

• Noah’s Gold by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Genre: Adventure, Time-slip, Science-fiction, Mystery

Key themes: being different, bullying, the environment, friendships, anxieties, changing the future

Perfect for: readers who’d enjoy something very different, a time-travelling adventure combined with crime mystery

Pages: 272

Genre: Adventure, Humour, Quest

Key themes: adoption, bereavement, comedy, family, food, friendship, identity

Perfect for: anyone who’d like a laugh-out-loud road trip with three best friends

Pages: 304

The InfiniteBy Patience Agbabi

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie YatesBy Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph

9

Summary In the small community of Sycamore Hill, everyone knows everyone else’s business, but there are plenty of things nobody will talk about. Something happened last summer – something big – but Clara cannot remember what. She’s fallen out with her best friend Gaynah because of it, and Clara feels like she’s a problem everyone is trying to fix. But when magnetic, outgoing Rudy arrives and shakes things up, her friendship helps Clara begin to unlock her buried memories. Can Clara work out what happened? And if she does, can she handle what it will mean?

If your students like this, they might also like:• The Secret Summer by Ali Standish

• Tamarind and the Star of Ishta by Jasbinder Bilan

• The Hungry Ghost by H.S. Norup

Genre: Mystery, Drama, Real-life

Key themes: amnesia, bullying, family secrets, friendships, small communities

Perfect for: those who like stories about the ups and downs of friendship and family, and stories with a surprising twist

Pages: 224

When Life Gives You MangoesBy Kereen Getten

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie YatesBy Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Rob Biddulph

Summary In Fennis Wick, it’s great being an eldest child. You get all the good stuff: prizes, parties and recognition. But Maggie’s a middler: almost invisible, never listened to and never really seen. She’s sick of it. So when Maggie meets a wanderer – someone from outside Fennis Wick – she reckons that if she can catch them that will make her a hero. But why is it forbidden to talk to wanderers? And where exactly do eldest children go when they turn 16? Fennis Wick is hiding a terrible secret – and Maggie is determined to uncover it.

If your students like this, they might also like: • Between Sea and Sky by Nicola Penfold

• The Last Human by Lee Bacon

• Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari

Genre: Dystopia, Mystery

Key themes: secrets and lies, friendships, sibling rivalry, independence, alternative societies, jealousy

Perfect for: readers who enjoy a page-turning mystery packed with suspense, secrets and world-shattering discoveries

Pages: 272

The MiddlerBy Kirsty Applebaum

10

Summary When Aidan receives a surprise parcel with ‘Top Secret’ scrawled on it, obviously he opens it. But it’s just a jar of sweets, so why all the secrecy? Answer: they’re sweets that give you superpowers. Now he can light his hands on fire and blow smoke rings from his bum! Aidan and his best friends Sadie and Hussein find all sorts of fun things to do with their new-found abilities. But the man who sent the sweets is on their trail – and will do anything to get them back…

If your students like this, they might also like: • The Impossible Boy by Ben Brooks

• The Great Dream Robbery by Greg James and Chris Smith

• The Lightning Catcher by Clare Weze

Genre: Action, Humour

Key themes: superpowers, family, fire, mystery, the circus, comedy, bullying

Perfect for: anyone who enjoys a super-powered action comedy

Pages: 384

Fire BoyBy J.M. Joseph, illustrated by Samuel Perrett

Summary Ruby loves to sing and dance but is too shy to tell anyone other than her best friend about it. It’s her dream to be Naomi, her favourite pop star. But while Naomi may be a famous pop star at just fifteen years old, every minute of her life is micromanaged by her manager-slash-mum. She’s tired, bored and acting out. So what will happen when – by some weird, magical jinx – Naomi accidentally ends up in Ruby’s body and Ruby in Naomi’s? Stepping into each other’s shoes could open up all sorts of possibilities …

If your students like this, they might also like: • Amber Undercover by Em Norry

• Sister Switch by Beth Garrod

• Oh My Gods by Alexandra Sheppard

Genre: Coming-of-age, Drama, Humour

Key themes: anxiety, body swap, friendships, family, music, pop stars, performing, self-confidence

Perfect for: anyone looking for a super-fun story about friendship, growing up and following your dreams

Pages: 320

Star SwitchBy Alesha Dixon

11

Summary When Arthur, Ren and Cecily enter an abandoned house to rescue a trapped dog, they unknowingly step through a portal into the future and a galactic ‘in reality’ adventure game, Wonderscape. To get home, they need to find game-creator, Milo Hertz, who has a special time-key that will open the gateway back to 2021. That means navigating the Wonderscape, solving the puzzles and completing challenges. But there are bigger problems: Milo’s been missing for three years, and they only have 57 hours to find him before a game reset turns them into slime…

If your students like this, they might also like: • SkyWake Invasion by Jamie Russell

• The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski

• The Last Zoo by Sam Gayton

Genre: Action, Adventure, Quest

Key themes: gaming, challenges, time travel, working together, world-building, ethics, friendship

Perfect for: readers who love an action-packed adventure with lots of gaming elements and plenty of peril

Pages: 352

WonderscapeBy Jennifer Bell, illustrated by Paddy Donnelly

Summary The worst thing about seeing a ghost is that nobody believes you… Aveline loves ghost stories. She’s staying with her aunt for October half-term and has found a book of local ghost stories at the nearby second-hand bookstore. But the book’s previous owner, Primrose Penberthy, has completely crossed out the final story, making it unreadable. Why? What’s in the story? And what happened to Primrose? Determined to find out, and as Halloween draws near, Aveline soon finds herself starring in her own real-life version of a ghost story.

If your students like this, they might also like: • The Ghost of Gosswater by Lucy Strange

• Seven Ghosts by Chris Priestley

• Evernight by Ross MacKenzie

Genre: Ghost/Horror, Mystery

Key themes: ghost stories, fear, local legends, the supernatural

Perfect for: anyone who loves a spine-chilling ghost story that will keep you on the edge of your seat

Pages: 224

The Haunting of Aveline JonesBy Phil Hickes

12

Summary When three strangers arrive on her island home, everything Neoma thought she knew about the world is turned upside down. The strangers’ actions set off a series of events that threatens Neoma’s peaceful community and results in her best friend, Jaguar, being kidnapped. Determined to get answers and rescue Jaguar, Neoma sets out alone across the sea to find the mysterious Valley of the Sun. Set in a future where rising sea levels have decimated the land, can Neoma survive the dangers of the ocean, escape capture and save her best friend?

If your students like this, they might also like: • Melt by Ele Fountain

• Where the World Turns Wild by Nicola Penfold

• My Name is River by Emma Rea

Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Quest

Key themes: bravery, environmental catastrophe, secrets, friendship, kidnap, different perspectives

Perfect for: anyone who loves a page-turning adventure, a mystery to solve and daring characters

Pages: 288

Across the Risen SeaBy Bren MacDibble

Summary Slick is an android – but no one knows that, not even him. What he does know is that it’s important to have the coolest clothes, the best tech, and be friends with the popular kids. But when he meets Danny – who is definitely not popular – Slick starts to wonder whether true friendship is about more than just popularity. Danny realises there’s something different about Slick, but when he uncovers the truth, the worst thing imaginable happens. Now Danny needs to outwit Slick’s creators and save the only real friend he’s ever had.

If your students like this, they might also like: • TrooFriend by Kirsty Applebaum

• Drone Racer by Andy Briggs

• How to Be a Human by Karen McCombie

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Key themes: artificial intelligence, friendships, gaming, school, being popular

Perfect for: those who would enjoy a page-turning story about AI, gaming and friendship

Pages: 320

Slick By M.M. Vaughan

13

Slick By M.M. Vaughan

Summary Al is finally out of foster care and back living with his mum. She’s made four important promises to help them stay together, but trouble is just around the corner and Al is devastated when she’s arrested again. It’s clear whose fault this is, though: the grumpy man from the flat downstairs, Mr Brayker, who’s hated his mum since they moved in. Now Al is going to make him pay for what he’s done. But what will be the best way for him to get revenge?

If your students like this, they might also like: • The Humiliations of Welton Blake

by Alex Wheatle

• I Am the Minotaur by Anthony McGowan

• No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

Genre: Drama, Real-life

Key themes: personal/social issues, fractured families, feeling alone, prejudice, foster care, blame, pet rats

Perfect for: those looking for a shorter, super-readable story about real-life challenges

Pages: 152

RatBy Patrice Lawrence

Summary Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise were over 200,000 miles from Earth, in a rocket on the way to the moon, when a faulty wire caused a disastrous explosion. With compromised life-support systems and one oxygen tank completely destroyed, their survival was on the line. This is the true story of the famous Apollo 13 mission: how it happened, the extraordinary bravery and pioneering creativity of the people involved, and the life-threatening challenges the astronauts faced as they tried to get home.

If your students like this, they might also like:• A Life Story: Katherine Johnson

by Leila Rasheed

• 100 Things to Know About Space by Alex Frith et al.

• Real-Life Disasters by Susan Martineau and Vicky Barker

Genre: Non-fiction, True Story

Key themes: Apollo 13, bravery, real-life challenges, space travel, innovation

Perfect for: those who’d like a shorter, super-readable true story about breaking boundaries and overcoming challenges

Pages: 96

Survival in Space: The Apollo 13 MissionBy David Long, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini

14

Summary World-famous cupcake chef Gustavio Mustachio has disappeared without trace, and top alligator investigators Mango and Brash have been assigned the case. They’ll be going undercover in Gustavio’s bakery to begin their investigation. But there are lots of dirty dealings going on in this town and soon there are multiple mysteries to solve, including an explosion at the science factory and a missing money-stealing gadget. Can Mango and Brash stand the heat of the kitchen, find Gustavio and figure how out how – or if – all the cases are connected?

If your students like this, they might also like:• Real Pigeons Fight Crime

by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood

• Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey

• Mac B, Kid Spy by Mac Barnett and Mike Lowery

Summary Jack’s favourite things are his dog, Finn, and playing war-themed videogames with his dad, who’s a reserve soldier. He’s always admired war heroes, and is excited about the school trip to Normandy. But when he’s asked to research D-Day soldier Emile Corteil and learns about what happened to him and his dog, Jack’s idea of war is turned inside-out. And now his dad’s been called up. As the school trip approaches, Jack has to try and figure out his feelings on war and soldiers and what it all means.

If your students like this, they might also like:• Edgar and Adolf

by Phil Earle and Michael Wagg

• Swan Song by Gill Lewis

• When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle

Genre: Graphic novel, Humour, Mystery

Key themes: crime, gadgets, comedy, baking, detectives

Perfect for: anyone who loves comic-style storytelling with wacky plots and absurd capers

Pages: 208

Genre: Real-life, Drama

Key themes: World War II, different viewpoints, refugees, soldiers, friendships, empathy, personal/social issues

Perfect for: readers who like stories that make you think and that reflect real-life challenges; super readable

Pages: 208

InvestiGatorsBy John Patrick Green

D-Day DogBy Tom Palmer, illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole

15

Summary Smile… you’re on camera! In these candid and hilarious photographs, lots of different animals have been caught in the act of doing the silliest-looking things. There’s a laughing leopard, polar bears having a boogie, even a Komodo dragon practising kung-fu. Short captions for each photo reveal the story behind the image and give a fascinating insight into each creature’s life within the animal world – like why a bobcat is perched on top of an enormous cactus or why a fox has its head buried in the snow!

If your students like this, they might also like:• Myth Busters: Animal Errors by Clive Gifford

• It Can’t Be True! Animals! by DK

• 100 Crazy Questions: Creatures by Ben Grossblatt

Summary You shouldn’t believe everything you read in this imaginative and inventive ‘guide’ to anything and (almost) everything related to school and teachers! From the different types of teachers and what they might get up to in the staffroom to unique ways of getting to school and the things they don’t teach you, this laugh-out-loud book can be read however you like (though probably not upside-down). It’s full of very silly things, but there are some real facts in there too if you can find them!

If your students like this, why not try: • A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You

by Mike Barfield and Jess Bradley

• Danger is Everywhere by David O’Doherty and Chris Judge

• The Day the Screens Went Blank by Danny Wallace and Gemma Correll

Genre: Non-fiction

Key themes: animals and wildlife, humour, nature, photography

Perfect for: those requiring a more accessible book; it can be dipped in-and-out of or enjoyed cover to cover

Pages: 144

Genre: Humour

Key themes: school, teachers, comedy, facts (though not all these ‘facts’ are necessarily true!)

Perfect for: those who love silly ideas, or books you can dip into and read in any order you choose

Pages: 208

Animal AnticsBy Dorling Kindersley

The Funny Life of TeachersBy James Campbell, illustrated by Rob Jones

16

Waiting for anything can feel like a lifetime, especially when students are keen to get reading.

Here are some top tips to keep the enthusiasm going while you wait for that exciting delivery:

Invite students to choose other books with the help of our BookTrust Bookfinder, available at booktrust.org.uk/bookfinder

Ask students to find out more about their chosen Bookbuzz author by using the blogs and videos on the website

Download the Bookbuzz challenge from the coordinator area, with ideas of activities for students

‘Bookbuzz is the highlight of our reading calendar for year 7 and the students are so excited about it. They love watching the students in the film talk about the books before deciding. The buzz continues between making their choices and the books arriving and there isn’t a day when students aren’t asking if their books are here yet!

Students are keen to chat about their choices and we often have students agreeing to swap their books once they’ve read them. I think the great thing about Bookbuzz is that it generates such spontaneous excitement around reading.’Chantal Kelleher, Librarian at Herne Bay High School

While you wait…

17

To stave off the “Are they nearly here yet?” questions, we promote other books by this year’s authors and Bookbuzz selections from previous years as well as highlight the brilliant “If you liked this, try…” suggestions for each Bookbuzz title.

Where the books link to curriculum areas, we enlist subject teachers to read and champion the titles from the free sets provided so our teachers are all set to enthuse students about the relevant books when they arrive in school.

Eileen Armstrong, Librarian at Cramlington Learning Village

I want to encourage students to read and finish their Bookbuzz books and discuss them with one another. We are going to do this by running a series of book groups in the library.

I will be recruiting members of staff from around the school to run lunchtime sessions for a title I ask them to read. I will then invite the students who have picked that Bookbuzz book to join them, with permission to bring their lunch!

Whenever we have staff and students discussing books together in an informal and relaxed environment, it is really powerful.

Abbi McInnes, Librarian at St Mary’s Catholic High School

Keep the buzz going

To see more ideas in action, visit the Bookbuzz website

booktrust.org.uk/bookbuzz or check out #MyBookbuzz

on Twitter.

Your books are here! So, what’s next?Here’s how Eileen & Abbi will keepthe buzz going this year.

More great booksWe’re sure that this year’s Bookbuzz selection will get your students buzzing about books. But that’s just the start of the adventure. Here are some suggestions for what to choose next.

The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh Helen Rutter

Something I Said Ben Bailey Smith

Worst. Holiday. Ever. Charlie Higson

Special Forces Cadets: Assassin Chris Ryan

Hide and Secrets Sophie McKenzie

Ali Cross James Patterson

The House of Clouds Lisa Thompson

The List of Things That Will Not Change Rebecca Stead

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow Benjamin Dean

The Boy Who Met a Whale Nizrana Farook

Children of the Quicksands Efua Traore

Wave Riders Lauren St John

Tragedy at Sea David Long

Sports Legends Rick Broadbent and James Davies

The Weirn Books, Vol 1 Svetlana Chmakova

18

Amari and the Night Brothers B.B. Alston

Dragon Mountain Katie and Kevin Tsang

Fashion Conscious Sarah Klymkiw and Kim Hankinson

Friends and Family

Non-fiction Action/Thriller

Fantasy/Magic

Adventure

Comedy/Humour

19

Corpse Talk: Dead Good Storytellers Adam and Lisa Murphy

No Country Patrice Aggs and Joe Brady

When the World Was Ours Liz Kessler

Boy, Everywhere A.M. Dassu

Moon Dog Jane Elson

Twitch M.G. Leonard

Waiting for Murder Fleur Hitchcock

Freeze Chris Priestley

19

Donut the Destroyer Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins

When Stars are Scattered Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Crater Lake: Evolution Jennifer Killick

The Girl in Wooden Armour Conrad Mason

Welcome to My Crazy Life Joshua Seigal

Rumaysa Radiya Hafiza and Rhaida El Touny

City of Rust Gemma Fowler

For more great book ideas,

check out the BookTrust

Bookfinder to find the perfect

read for your students:

booktrust.org.uk/bookfinder

Mystery

Horror/Ghost

Something Different...

Graphic Novels

Real-Life

20

BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity.

We are dedicated to getting children reading because we know that children who read are happier, healthier, more empathetic and more creative; they also do better at school.

Each year, we reach 3.9 million children across the UK with books, resources and support to help develop a love of reading. BookTrust gets children reading in lots of different ways, but our priority is to get children excited about books, rhymes and stories.

Each month, we send out an e-newsletter dedicated to education professionals in a secondary school setting. It features the latest resources, activities, book reviews, campaigns, fundraising activities and programmes relevant to all those who work with secondary school-aged children.

To sign up, please visit booktrust.org.uk/newsletter

BookTrustG8 Battersea Studios80 Silverthorne RoadLondonSW8 3HETelephone: +44(0)20 7801 8800 query@booktrust.org.uk

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