November Recommended Reads


Hello to all of you in search of new books to add to your shelves! We've got a wonderful collection of bestselling titles that will keep you reading until you've turned the last page. Keep reading to see our recommendations for each age group, all available at MILK bookstore!

0-5 years

ERNEST by Catherine Rayner

Ernest is a rather large moose with a rather large problem. He is so big he can't fit inside his book! Luckily, Ernest is also a very determined moose, and he and his little chipmunk friend aren't going to give up easily. With some tape, odd bits of paper, and plenty of enthusiasm, the pair constructs an enormous gatefold page by themselves, and everything fits together in the end.

  • Winner of the COVENTRY INSPIRATION BOOK AWARDS 2011
  • Winner of the THE ENGLISH 4-11 AWARDS FOR THE BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF 2009
  • Shortlisted for the CILIP KATE GREENAWAY MEDAL 2011
  • Shortlisted for the Pre-school Award at the BOOKTRUST EARLY YEARS AWARDS 2011
DRAGON POST by Emma Yarlett
A fiery story about friendship and asking for help from award-winning author-illustrator Emma Yarlett.
One day Alex finds a dragon living in the cupboard under the stairs. Luckily he knows just what to do. He writes letters to lots of different people - including the fire brigade and the butcher- to ask how he should take care of his surprise visitor. Children will love opening the five envelopes and reading the hilarious letters to Alex and then following his magical adventure with his new fiery friend.

6-8 years

A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle
A WRINKLE IN TIME is a classic sci-fi adventure for children by bestselling US author, Madeleine L'Engle and is now major new motion picture from Disney films.

When Charles Wallace Murry goes searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for his lost father, he finds himself on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'. How Charles, his sister Meg and friend Calvin find and free his father makes this a very special and exciting mixture of fantasy and science fiction, which all the way through is dominated by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels known as Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which.
  • Winner of the highly prestigious Newbury Medal.

    CHINESE CINDERELLA by Adeline Yen Mah
    Chinese Cinderella is an autobiography for children based on the bestselling Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah. Jung-ling's family considers her bad luck because her mother died giving birth to her. They discriminate against her and make her feel unwanted yet she yearns and continuously strives for her parents' love. Her stepmother is vindictive and cruel and her father dismissive. Jung-ling grows up to be an academic child, with a natural ability for writing. Only her aunt and grandfather offer her any love and kindness. The story is of survival in the light of the mental and physical cruelty of her stepmother and the disloyalty of her siblings. Jung-ling blossoms in spite of everything and the story ends as her father agrees to let her study in England.

     

    9-12 years

    THE COLOUR OF THE SUN by David Almond 
    A darkly twisted detective ghost tale, from the winner of the Guardian Children's Book Prize.

    Davie travels his small town in search of a supposed murderer. But the landscape soon starts to blur into something dark and twisted.

    He must make sense of the landscape, if he has any chance of finding answers. The people he encounters on his travels don't seem entirely real either. Then he meets the victim of the murder ... but, is he dead, or alive?

    GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM by Michelle Magorian

    Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian is the unforgettable story of young Willie Beech, evacuated to the country as Britain stands on the brink of the Second World War. A sad, deprived child, he slowly begins to flourish under the unlikely care of grumpy old Tom Oakley. But then his new-found happiness is shattered by a summons from his mother to come back to London. As the weeks pass by Tom begins to worry when William doesn't answer his letters, so he goes to London to find him, and there makes a terrible discovery.

    • Winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award

    13+ years

    THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo

    Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

    But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers--especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

    With Mami's determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she doesn't know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can't stop thinking about performing her poems.

    Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

    • Winner of the CILIP Carnegie Medal
    • Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature
    • Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award
    • Winner of the Pura Belpré Award

     

    WHERE THE RIVER RUNS GOLD by Sita Brahmachari

    Two children must risk everything to escape their fate and find the impossible . . . bold adventure, timely climate change themes and breathtaking writing, from award-winning author Sita Brahmachari.

    'Lavishly written and full of love of the natural world.' - Sunday Times

    Shifa and her brother, Themba, live in Kairos City with their father, Nabil. The few live in luxury, whilst the millions like them crowd together in compounds, surviving on meagre rations and governed by Freedom Fields - the organisation that looks after you, as long as you opt in.

    The bees have long disappeared; instead children must labour on farms, pollinating crops by hand so that the nation can eat. The farm Shifa and Themba are sent to is hard and cruel. Themba won't survive there and Shifa comes up with a plan to break them out. But they have no idea where they are - their only guide is a map drawn from the ramblings of a stranger.

    The journey ahead is fraught with danger, but Shifa is strong and knows to listen to her instincts - to let love guide them home. The freedom of a nation depends on it . . .

    Any of these titles catch your eye? Shoot us a message on our WhatsApp - 0778165319 - to get yourself a copy now!

     

     

     


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