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Alastair Chisholm @alastairc.com · 03/10/2026

It's my new book TINY VOYAGER, MIGHTY MISSION! 🤩🛰️ Beautifully illustrated by @shanetolentin0.bsky.social, it's the story of the amazing Voyager Space Probe, still going after 50 years at the very edge of our solar system. Launch date Feb 27 – I can't wait! #Voyager @moonandbirdbooks.bsky.social

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

My immediate thought was the Disreputable Dog from Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series. For a book where the focus is all on the dogs I would go for Anthony McGowan's Dogs of the Deadlands. Bren MacDibble's The Dog Runner is also great for dog lovers. #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Front cover of Lirael by Garth Nix. A young woman with long dark hair stands ready to fight with a sword in one hand and a knife in another. A large blue symbol like a triangle with the top of a capital T running across it intermingles with her image.

Front cover of Dogs of the Deadlands by Anthony McGowan. A longhaired white Husky-type dog is running over snow in a forest, a slip shorthaired grey dog with long hair on its ears runs to the left of the white dog. Behind them is a power station.

Front cover of The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble. The silhouettes of two sitting dogs contain an arid hilly landscape in reddish tones. Two young people are on a trike pulled by dogs. There are leafless trees and the sun is large in the sky but a river meanders into the distance. The title and author are also within the dogs silhouette in white text against the red background. Behind the silhouette the page is cream/white speckled with red.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Hi Lesley, thank you, yes that's fine with me.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Great Lives on BBC Radio 4 today was all about Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series. It featured some lovely clips and anecdotes. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... I had no idea of the popularity of the books in America!

bbc.co.uk

Great Lives - Ruby Tandoh on Brian Jacques author of the Redwall series - BBC Sounds

Ruby Tandoh picks the author of the Redwall series, Brian Jacques.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Happy publication day to Frances Hardinge's #TraitorsNest! It's an inventive fantasy story set in a world where castles move like chess pieces and peasants end up in control of one when pushed too far. Full review here: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2026/08/27/t... #NetGalley #KidLitUK

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Traitors’ Nest by Frances Hardinge

Traitors’ Nest has a fantastic opening. Frances Hardinge is an author whose work embodies why I love reading fantasy because it leaves you reading in wonderment at the imaginations that spark…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

These are some sequels I really enjoyed and that I felt were as good, or even better, than the first in the series. I love it when your expectations for a book are exceeded. #KidsBooksFriday #KidsLitUK #UKKitLit #KitLit

Front cover of The Forbidden Atlas by Sam Sedgman. A young person in a red t-shirt is crouched on a rooftop with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Front cover of Ghost Story Society by Phil Hickes. Four young girls in pyjamas stare fearfully ahead. They are in a library with an open book. One carries a torch and another a candle.

Front cover of I Am Raven by Alastair Chisholm. The title is in yellow capital letters on a light blue background. A raven in flight with outstretched claws takes up the left top diagonal of the cover.

Front cover of The Notorious Scarlett & Browne by Jonathan Stroud. A teenage boy and girl are silhouetted as they stare at a compound in a cave. There are spotlights but the whole place has an eerie purple light.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Spent the week converting my library's catalogue to MARC21 format and then mapping it to correctly import into the new Koha LMS. It took a fair bit of trial and error but all the records/items are now on there as I wanted them. Plus there's a fancy OPAC (with cover images!) the students can use.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Brian Jacques' Redwall series was so renowned for the descriptions of the food and feasts that they published a cookbook. I haven't read it myself but I remember loving reading about deeper-n-ever-turnip-n-tater-n-beetroot pie and all the other lovely foods mentioned in the stories. #KidsBooksFriday

Front cover of The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques, illustrated by Christopher Denise. Two cartoon mice wearing clothes and aprons are either side of a wooden table rolling out dough. There is a bowl of lemons on the table plus a jug of green herbs. The author's name is above them in red capital letters and the title and ilustrator's name below, all surrounded by a red outlined square. Above and below the square are images of ingredients such as honey, butter, fruits and vegetables.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

-The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann (for the animal perspective) - Save Our Forest by Nora Dåsnes (GN about activism) - The Beck by Anthony McGowan (appreciating nature and taking action to protect it) - Green Rising by Wren James (teen eco superheroes) #KidLitUK #KidLit #KidsBooksFriday

Front cover of The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann.

Front cover of Save Our Forest by Nora Dåsnes.

Front cover of The Beck by Anthony McGowan.

Front cover of Green Rising by Wren James.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

A few I've not seen mentioned yet: - Attica by Garry Kilworth - Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo - The Forbidden Atlas by Sam Sedgman - Twitch by M. G. Leonard #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit #EduSky

Front cover of Attica by Garry Kilworth.

Front cover of Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.

Front cover of The Forbidden Atlas by Sam Sedgman.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Spotted a frog in the pond I dug for them several years ago. Hoping there was more than one and there will be tadpoles before long. 🐸

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Diana Wynne Jones' The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Chris d'Lacey's The Last Dragon Chronicles, Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series and Jenny Nimmo's Children of the Red King series are my go-to recs. Plus the Worst Witch for those who prefer shorter books. #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Front cover of Conrad’s Fate by Diana Wynne Jones.

Front cover of The Fire Within by Chris d'Lacey.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Echoing the calls for any of Alastair Chisholm's works, likewise Jonathan Stroud's (especially The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne). But it's Garth Nix's Sabriel/Old Kingdom series I have waited the longest to see adapted. #KidsBooksFriday #UKKidLit #KidLitUK #KidLit

Front cover of Sabriel by Garth Nix. The title and author's name are in ochre letters over a white background. A fiery symbol resembling a T over an O is in the middle. At the bottom is a rocky landscape with a lone figure.

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Earlier this week, @alomshaha.bsky.social was chatting about how the message of loving each other should inform more public discourse (beyond religion). So, for #KidsBooksFriday this week what kids books help kids to understand the importance of love in all its forms? #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Book cover for Aalbert and Aalfred: A Love Story by Morag Hood

Book cover for What’s That in Dog Years by Ben Davis

Book cover for Another Kind by Cait May and Trevor Bream

Book cover for The Boy I Love by William Hussey

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Thanks to Toppsta for the review copy of The Monster in the Mines, the second in Jennifer Killick's Serial Chillers series. It arrived before the copy I ordered for the school library so I got to read this fun comedy horror early. snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2026/02/11/t... #KidLitUK #BookReview

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

The Monster in the Mines (Serial Chillers 2) by Jennifer Killick

This second title in the Serial Chillers series picks up just a couple of weeks after the events of The Witch in the Woods. Travis, Zayn, Dani and Seline are determined to uncover the corruption su…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

#TheGalileoHeist (No. 3 in Sam Sedgman's Isaac Turner Investigates) is a really fun heist story that makes good use of a solar eclipse. It opens with a great action scene and the pace rarely lets up. Out 12th Feb. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC. snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2026/02/08/t...

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

The Galileo Heist by Sam Sedgman

The Galileo Heist is the third book in Sam Sedgman’s Isaac Turner Investigates series. Once again Isaac and his friend Hattie are caught up in adventure with a mystery to solve. The book open…

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

My son is doing a refugees topic at school, which led to a great discussion round the dinner table about the books we’ve all read, at home and at school, that taught us about the refugee experience. What books would you add to the list? #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Book cover for When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Book cover for The Desperate Journey by Kathleen Fidler

Book cover for One-Button and the Sea by Sara Stanley and Vivian Schwarz

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

The Bone Sparrow by Zara Fraillon and Boy 87 by Ele Fountain are two I would add to the list. They portray the refugee experience through the eyes of a child and don't shy away from what this can mean. Especially The Bone Sparrow which might be best for older middle grade readers. #KidsBooksFriday

Front cover of The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon.

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Not doing a proper #KidsBooksFriday this week as I had surgery yesterday (all went well), and am libel to write utter nonsense today. So maybe let’s just have a free for all on any great kids books you’d like to recommend this week. #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Book cover for Medicine by Briony Hudson

Book cover for 100 Things to Know About the Human Body

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Alastair Chisholm @alastairc.com · 20/01/2026

So excited to share (with help from Whisky!) the third book of the I Am Wolf series – WE ARE DRAGON! It all ends here, and everything is cranked up to 11 as Rieka tries to save the world – but at what cost…? #WeAreDragon @nosycrow.bsky.social #KidLitUk #IAmWolf

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Reposting now Gaslit is available to buy. #BookReview #KidLitUK

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Echoing what others have said about Adventures on Trains, The Clockwork Conspiracy and Fleur Hitchcock's murder mysteries. I would add in MG Leonard's Twitch series, Thomas Taylor's Eeerie-on-Sea books and, for older readers, Ravena Guron has some great titles. #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #KidLit

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

We’re only just started the year and already things feel even more grim than they already were. So for #KidsBooksFriday this week, what books can we put in the hands of kids to encourage them question, challenge and think for themselves? #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Book cover for Question Everything: An Investigator’s Toolkit by Susan Martineau and Vicky Barker

Book cover for The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

Book cover for Drawn to Change the World by Emma Reynolds et al.

Book cover for Reek by Alastair Chisholm and George Caltsoudas

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

‪The Forest of a Thousand Eyes shows the importance of seeing things for yourself. Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One for empowerment and working together. Here I Stand shows how far we've come, yet how far there is to go. Frindle for the power of words and simple ideas. #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK

Front cover of The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge. The title is surrounded by lush vegetation and fungi. Creatures like toads, elk and weasels stare beyond the title where many pairs of eyes can be seen in the blackness.

Front cover of Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne. The title is written on the back of a girl's jacket and is surrounded by pin badges. The girl is holding a journal, with a pencil behind her ear and she is looking back over her shoulder.

Front cover of Here I Stand: Stories that speak for freedom. An anthology curated by Amnesty International. A sketched figure with closed eyes has broken free of two sets of chains.

Front cover of Frindle by Andrew Clements. A black ballpoint pen is held aloft in a clenched hand in front of a green background. The title is above the top of the pen. Sparkly gold lines burst out away from the pen top.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar is a suspenseful thriller with an unreliable narrator. It would be a good choice for younger readers and for adults wanting to recommend something still age-appropriate. Released 15 Jan 2026 Full review here: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2026/01/04/g... #BookReview

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar

This thriller would be a good addition to a school library. I get quite a few young readers wanting to read thrillers/murder mysteries but the content is often not suitable for them. Gaslit not onl…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Moorea Corrigan's #Thistlemarsh is a cosy romantasy set in a post-WWI England where the Fae were once part of life. Mouse is set an impossible task and finds herself making a bargain with a handsome, infuriating Fae. Out 23 Apr 26. Full review: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2026/01/03/t...

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan

A cosy fantasy with an interesting historical setting. Thistlemarsh is set in an alternate England, a few years after the end of the First World War. The difference between the book’s world a…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

I am very much looking forward to reading @alastairc.com's WE ARE DRAGON in 2026. Along with Jennifer Killick's The Monster in the Mines, Sam Sedgman's The Galileo Heist and @mglnrd.bsky.social's The Impossible Gladiator. #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit #NationalYearOfReading

Front cover of WE ARE DRAGON by Alastair Chisholm. Title is in yellow in front of a black dragon with yellow highlights. It is rearing up in front of a plain green background.

Front cover of Serial Chillers: The Monster in the Mines by Jennifer Killick. Four teenagers are trying to escape from clinging vines with an eldritch horror behind them at the top.

Front cover of The Galileo Heist by Sam Sedgman. A boy in glasses drives a moped as his female pillion passenger looks behind her at a car chasing them down a street.

Front cover of The Impossible Gladiator by M. G. Leonard. Two children are passengers in a Roman Chariot in front of an ampitheatre. They are in tones of red and gold, with music notes coming from the horse's chest and ppossibly flames from the back of the chariot. It seems to be coming through a portal,

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I've never bought any for the library but there were some when I took over and we keep getting them donated. Also some colleagues think they're great. Thankfully, W is near the end of the alphabet so no one questions them being on the bottom shelf shoved to the back. 😙

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I had intended to take this week off #KidsBooksFriday, but somehow I feel a sudden urge to celebrate funny, readable books by folk who are not despicable humans. Please do join me with your recommendations. #KidLitUK #UKKidLit

Book cover for Freddy vs School by Neill Cameron

Book cover for My Brilliant Plan to Fix Everything by Ben Davis.

Book cover for Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure by Alex T. Smith

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

I think #KidsBooksFriday might need a wee break for the next couple of weeks. So let’s use this week to celebrate our favourite kids book reads of 2025. Doesn’t need to be something published this year. Hope everyone’s bookish wishes come true this Christmas!🎄🎁 📚 #UKKidLit #KidLitUK #KidLit

Book cover for The Spick and The Span by Pil Van Martin

Book cover for Cabin Head and Tree Head by Scott Campbell

Book cover for Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Book cover for Away with Words by Sophie Cameron

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

It's been another great year for kids books. These are some of my faves: - The Beck by Alastair McGowan - The Witch in the Woods by Jennifer Killick - I Am Raven by Alastair Chisholm - The Legendary Scarlett & Browne by Jonathan Stroud #KidLitUK #KidsBooksFriday

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

The Wintermoor Lights is the 2nd in The Night House Files by Dan Smith, illustrated by Luke Brookes. Part Goosebumps, part X-Files & ideal for reluctant readers. Plus it's a @barringtonstoke.bsky.social dyslexic friendly read. Full review here: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2025/12/07/t...

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

The Night House Files – The Wintermoor Lights by Dan Smith. Illustrated by Luke Brookes

This book is part Goosebumps, part X-Files and ideal for reluctant readers. It’s the second in The Night House Files which has the pretext of a secret organisation trying to expose the truth about …

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Looking to buy someone 9+ a book this Christmas? Murder at Christmas by Fleur Hitchcock would be great for fans of mystery adventure. Published by @nosycrow.bsky.social. Full review here: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2025/12/07/m... Thanks to Toppsta for the review copy. #KidLitUK #BookReview

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Murder at Christmas by Fleur Hitchcock

An enjoyable Christmas mystery adventure for young readers that brings Home Alone to mind. The book opens as Grace is reunited with her mum and younger brother in snowy Bath. They live in Australia…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

The Witching Hour: Haunting Tales for Long Dark Nights? Waterstones had a sprayed edge edition.

Cover of the anthology The Witching Hour: Haunting Tales for Long Dark Nights.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

These are some of the books I have been recommending to parents this year. Thirst (and The Wintermoor Lights to a lesser extent) would be best for teenagers as it's quite gory and scary but they are all great reads. #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

New non-fiction book for the library: Ladult by Dr Andy Cope & Oliver Cope. Full of the science of why people (but young men in particular) respond the way we do and tips for a positive, productive mindset. Thanks to #Toppsta for the review copy. snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/l...

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Ladult: Navigating Safely from Boy to Man by Dr Andy Cope and Oliver Cope

I am not the intended audience for this book, being female and in my thirties, but I wanted to read it to see if it would be a good addition to my secondary school library. It is clearly written fo…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

I was a little late getting hold of a copy, but I really enjoyed Phil Hickes' newest book: The Last Day of October, illustrated by Oriol Vidal and published by @barringtonstoke.bsky.social. It is an eerie dyslexic-friendly read with a great ending. snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/t...

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

The Last Day of October by Phil Hickes

I am not usually a fan of scary stories but I really like Phil Hickes’ writing. His stories are wonderfully creepy and atmospheric but the horror is at a suitable level for children to read. …

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

I adored Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne and Rules for Vampires by Alex Foulkes, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie. Fabulous stories with great messages about making and maintaining friendships. #KidsBookFriday #UKKidLit #KidLitUK

Front cover of Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne. The title is written on the back of a girl's purple jacket. She has long, brown hair, a pencil behind her ear and a notebook in her hand as she looks back over her shoulder. Her jacket also has lots of pin badge.

Front cover of Rules for Vampires by Alex Foulkes, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie. The author's nameis at the top and the book title and illustrator's name at the bottom. A spindly young vampire is on a rooftop with a chimney in the foreground and more houses in the distance. A flock of bats seems to come from the girl's cloak and off into the distance, circling over a huge full moon surrounding her upper body.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Happy publication day to Brigands & Breadknives!. It's the latest in Travis Baldree's cosy fantasy Legends & Lattes series and I really enjoyed it. Full review here: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/b... Thanks to @netgalley.bsky.social and @panmacmillan.bsky.social for the eARC

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

Perhaps not quite so cosy as the preceding titles in this series, but no less enjoyable for it. This is a bit of a change from the books I have reviewed on this blog so far. The opening word of thi…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

I have finally had chance to read Reek by Alastair Chisholm. It's a cracking little sci-fi dystopian thriller set in the near future where climate change has led to the air turning toxic. One company controls all access to clean air. Full review here: snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/2025/11/08/r...

snarhookedonbooks.wordpress.com

Reek by Alistair Chisholm

This is a brilliant short book with a lot packed in. It takes place in the future, after an algal bloom created fumes (the Reek) which made the air toxic. At first it was ignored, as only birds wer…

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Yes, I have to remind myself to look at a book's dimensions when I'm browsing online! I might need a research trip to the nearest town with a bookshop to look at some in person. Thank you for the Very Short Introductions series recommendation. I think they'll be going on my wishlist.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

I think these are are all great non-fiction books. Plus the Usborne 'For Beginners' and '100 things to know about' series. #KidsBooksFridays #UKKidLit

Front cover of The Way Things Work by David Macaulay. The letters of the title are made up of a variety of drawings of items e.g a crane for T, a clamp for G, a zip for Y.

Front cover of Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.

Front cover of 'what if?' by Randall Munroe.

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Thank you very much. We do have some DK books, like the excellent The Way Things Work Now. They are just a bit big and heavy for students to carry around in their bags, unfortunately!

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Snarhooked @snarhooked.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

I would love to discover some recommendations for secondary non-fiction please. Anything that's proven popular with 11-16 year olds. Bonus points if it's about farming or dirt bikes as they are topics I definitely need more books on. #UKKidLit #KidsBooksFriday

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