A Month with Barrington Stoke

In the past year, here are some of the books I’ve read:

This list isn’t to show-off, if you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll know I’ve not always been a reader but it did get me thinking. These books are wonderfully varied, cover ages from 5-teens and I really enjoyed all of them.

And they’re all published by Barrington Stoke.

Eighteen months ago, if you’d have asked me about Barrington Stoke then I probably wouldn’t have had a clue who or what they were. Luckily, now I do.

So, who or what is Barrington Stoke? Let’s look at the website:

Barrington Stoke is a small, independent and award-winning children’s publisher. For over 20 years we’ve been pioneering super-readable, dyslexia-friendly fiction to help every child become a reader. From our specially designed font to the colour of our paper, accessibility is at the heart of everything we do.

It’s hard not to fall in love with them from this paragraph alone, but here’s the extra kicker – their books are consistently challenging, creative and, simply, brilliant.

I looked at what we had in school – our brilliant reading lead (@AmieC53) has created a reading spine where every class reads a Barrington Stoke in Autumn 1 -  and my own (ever-growing) TBR pile and saw that I had more than enough to spend the whole month reading lots of Barrington Stoke books.

So I did.

And here’s how it went.

Week 1 – Seven Ghosts by Chris Priestley, Sterling and the Canary by Andy Stanton and illustrated by Ross Collins, Keeper by Alan Gibbons and illustrated by Chris Chalik, Grandpa Bert and the Ghost Snatchers by Malorie Blackman and illustrated by Melanie Demmer 

Seven Ghosts is a cracking read. The ghost stories get creepier and subtle hints are given as to where the story is going. Twists abound and this would be a knockout read on a Y6 residential, as has been pointed out quite a few Barrington Stokes would be. I would love to see the faces on the children’s face when the final twist is revealed. A perfectly pitched ghost story for primary school.

I’d previously used Sterling and the Canary a few years ago in guided reading and remembered liking it a lot. I was right. It’s genius. It really is. The main character is hopeless and the real hero of the story has one of the best names to ever appear in children’s literature. UKS2 will be howling at this from start to finish.

Grandpa Bert and the Ghost Snatchers is a glorious read for KS1. I read most of it to a Y2 class who were near silent (enraptured) apart from laughing or enthusiastically commenting on the glorious illustrations by Melanie Demmer. A typical Little Gem – bang on the money for KS1 children and a great introduction to chapter books.

I’d come across Keeper in a Y6 class and the blurb had me hooked. I’d played a bit of football when I was younger and the character of Mick was all too familiar. What was powerful about the book was the direct effect toxic masculinity has on teenage boys and how there is no place for it. Kindness and empathy are much more powerful tools in this world and the book showcased that superbly.

Week 2 – Anna Gain and the Same Sixty Seconds by Guy Bass and illustrated by Steve May, The House of Clouds by Lisa Thompson and illustrated by Alice McKinley, The Puffin Portal by Vashti Hardy and illustrated by Natalie Smilie

Anna Gain and the Same Sixty Seconds is great fun. It’s basically Groudhog Day for LKS2. Guys Bass is one of my go-tos for this age group as his style and humour is perfect for them. Accompanied with some superb illustrations from Steve May, which perfectly capture the chaos and stress of Anna’s predicaments, this was a big slice of fun from start to finish.

I really enjoyed The House of Clouds. An intriguing set-up gets a sucker-punch halfway through and it’s another great example of Barrington Stoke books completely capturing how lost and alone children and teenagers can feel sometimes. And yet more proof that everything Lisa Thompson writes is stonking.

I’d read The Griffin Gate to my daughter and we’d both loved it. She’d since read The Puffin Portal (and again, loved it!) and she was so excited when I started reading this. Vashti Hardy takes her love of all things steampunk and has created a fabulous series centering around the Griffin family – wardens of Moreland. I love the mystery element to these stories and the clues Vashti Hardy places here and there which are perfectly pitched for LKS2 kids to play detective. Bring on The Raven Riddle.

Week 3 – Swan Song by Gill Lewis, A Dangerous Game by Malorie Blackman, Tragedy at Sea by David Long and illustrated by Stefano Tambellini, The Moonshine Dragon by Cornelia Funke and illustrated by Monica Armino

Swan Song is a wonderful book. Dylan is an angry young man, excluded from school and lost in so many ways. Going to stay with his grandpa who he has no relationship with, a swan will change his life forever. I absolutely loved this book. The character of Dylan is so perfectly written and the message of finding hope in nature is a timely reminder to us all about how beautiful and precious the natural world is.

A Dangerous Game by Malorie Blackman was the first book I’ve read with a character with sickle cell front and centre. You know something is going to go wrong - the inevitably of the boys being either mean or foolish is overwhelming -  and Malorie Blackman ramps up the tension throughout the first half of the book until, inevitably, disaster strikes but is eventually overcome when true strength is revealed. An empowering read.

Tragedy at Sea by David Long and illustrated by Stefano Tamellini blew me away. As soon as |I finished it I knew I need to read more non-fiction. This book is so accessible for KS2, especially with the full length illustrations of the ship and is an essential companion for any Titanic unit. There was so much I didn’t know about an event I’ve known about for so long. I loved how the background to the making of the Titanic set the scene for what was to come and there were so many brilliant facts such as the level of craftsmanship and opulence available on board. It truly was a fascinating insight into a time past -  the Ladies’ Writing room on board? Oh crikey…

 You really can’t beat Little Gems for KS1 reads and The Moonshine Dragon was another perfect example of this. There’s always such a great pace to Little Gems and this was no exception. An intriguing, magical premise, a cracking villain and a nice bit of human-dragon teamwork made this a really fun read. Again, the illustrations are perfectly matched to the story. I’ll be reading this to my daughter very soon and she’ll love it.

Week 4 – Monster Slayer by Brian Patten and illustrated by Chris Riddell, Ghost Stadium by Tom Palmer, The Beast of Harwood Forest by Dan Smith and illustrated by Chris King, Freeze by Chris Priestley

I realised I should have kept Seven Ghosts for the last week to coincide with Halloween but still had these 4 belters to finish the month with.

Monster Slayer by Brian Patten and illustrated by Chris Riddell was spectacular. Page after page of beautiful description would give so many opportunities for fantastic discussion and opportunities for writing and art – there could be some incredible double-page spreads created on this. It also really doesn’t scrimp on the gore, which I liked - you can’t water down Beowulf as it does it a disservice. No such problem here. And Chris Riddell's illustrations are the perfect match for the gruesome and merciless Grendel.

I absolutely loved Ghost Stadium by Tom Palmer. Genuine scares as three boys decide to camp out in an abandoned football stadium. But they’re not alone. Short chapters help to ramp up the tension - the bit outside the tent! -  and for Y6 this would be a cracking read. I wouldn’t go any lower than that, though, it really is scary. Three of us read it one day and all agreed it was superb.

The Beast of Harwood Forest by Dan Smith and illustrated by Chris King was a perfect mash-up of teenage peril and dodgy government experiments (what's not to like there?).  Right from the outset the creeps and chills build up to a very, very satisfying ending where the young trio realise what the true dangers of this world are. The Invasion of Crooked Oak will be purchased very soon!

I finished the month with Freeze by Chris Priestley and boy did it finish it in style. Another fantastic premise where our main character has a worryingly close affinity to the creepy stories being told in class. Excuse the pun but there were genuine chills in this! Your worry for main character Maya grows as each story is told until a dark history is revealed. Wonderful stuff again. I'll be checking out more of his work.

So, what do I think after reading all these?

1.     Barrington Stoke books are essential for an inclusive, exciting reading provision in schools. In every Key Stage their books will enhance any school or class library

2.     Their books are so varied, but they have a special knack of getting their young and teenage characters absolutely spot on in a variety of genres

3.     Their books are fearless – and isn’t that a wonderful trait to encourage in children?

What a month, Barrington Stoke, I cannot wait to delve deeper into your treasure troves.

Yours sincerely,

A huge fan.