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Books aimed at Children

Children aged 7 to 10


The Amber Cat

Style: Good

Attitude: Unobjectionable → Positive

The imminent arrival of Robin's uncle Charley during Robin's bout of chicken pox causes his mother to reminisce about the days she spent with Charley, Nick and the slightly mysterious Harriet.

A combination of ghost story and family fun.

Family, Humorous, Spooky

Astercote

Style: Good

Attitude: Unobjectionable → Fairly Positive

Peter and Mair Jenkins come to live in a village when their father becomes headmaster of the school there.

Intriguing, mixing semi-supernatural with modern superstition.

Coping with, Spooky

The Battle of Bubble and Squeak

Style: Good

Attitude: Fairly Positive

Sid Parker is given two gerbils by an emigrating friend.

A short book, pithy and true-to-life.

Coping with

Black Hearts in Battersea

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

This novel is set at the beginning of the 19th century in an England plagued by wolves and revolutionaries.

Set in nineteenth century England, Black Hearts in Battersea is an enthralling tale of intrigue, conspiracy and suspense where the young characters must face cases of mistaken identity, revolutionary plots, hungry wolves, a shipwreck and attempts at kidnap and murder to save each other, the duke and duchess, and the King of England. It is a great read.

Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship, Growing-Up, Historical

The Borrowers Afloat

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Pod, Homily and Arriety are forced to leave the house they share with their relatives because the humans who live there are going.

Classic, Family, Fantasy

The Borrowers

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Pod, Homily and Arriety Clock live under the floorboards of a house, borrowing from the humans to clothe, furnish and feed themselves.

Classic, Family, Fantasy

Copper

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Copper Beech is sent to the Marble Mountains to rejoin her family whom she has never met; when she gets there she learns that her father and mother both disappeared 6 years ago.

Fantasy

The Demon Headmaster series

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

There are five ? books in this series: The Demon Headmaster; The Prime Minister's Brain; The Revenge of the Demon Headmaster; The Demon Headmaster Strikes Again; and The Demon Headmaster Takes Over.

Fantasy, Friendship

The Demon Headmaster

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Dinah Glass joins the Hunter family as foster child to initial disapproval from Lloyd & Hunter who don't want a girl in the family.

Fantasy, Friendship

The Fire Within

Style: Good

Attitude: Unobjectionable

David, a student, takes lodgings in the Pennykettle household, looked after by Liz, mother of 10-year-old Lucy.

Lightweight and quirky style. Slightly odd family situation. Easy acceptance of an outsider.

Animal, Humorous, Magic

Five Children and It

Style: Classic

Attitude: Positive

Cyril, Robert, Anthea, Jane and their baby brother find a Psammead (a sand fairy) in a gravel pit and it promises them one wish a day, whose effects will vanish at sunset.

Historical, Magic

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

James Harrison's family have recently moved into a cottage in a village.

Magic

The Great Piratical Rumbustification

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Three young boys are left in the charge of a rather piratical babysitter when their parents go out to a business dinner.

Humorous

Horrendo's Curse

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

As a baby Horrendo has a curse put on him by the old Wise woman because she is fed up of the constant fighting and swearing which goes on in the village.

Simple and enjoyable story, painting a picture of how good manners and good cooking can overcome vice and evil.

Adventure, Fantasy, Humorous

The Night-Watchmen

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Henry has been ill and wanders around the town while convalescing until he meets two unusual tramps: Josh and Caleb.

Magic

Ninny's Boat

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Ninny, an 8th century boy, leaves with the people he has grown up with when their land is flooded.

Historical

Time Stops For No Mouse

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Hermux Tantamoq is a watchmaker living a quiet and comfortable existence until an attractive and dashing lady fails to return for her repaired watch.

A gently entertaining book, without originality, but with charm.

Adventure, Humorous

The Time Witches

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

The head of the Light Witches, Sir Chadwick Street, is about to marry Hilda Bluebell when she is carried back in time by the evil Wolfbane.

Over simple; emphasis on simple pleasures, loyalty and generosity

Fantasy, Magic

Voyage to Valhalla

Style: Average

Attitude: Unobjectionable

Davy was always the submissive one in the gang, always happy to follow the more boisterous Chris and Paula, until the discovery of an old human skeleton in a chilling wood sparked off haunting and hallucinations for Davy.

Not too much character development and too abrupt an ending; Viking paganism and some ghostly and tragic events.

Magic, Spooky

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Colin and Susan, brother and sister, who have grown up in a city go to visit friends of their mother in a rural part of Cheshire not far from Macclesfield.

Adventure, Fantasy, Magic

The Wild Hunt of Hagworthy

Style: Weak

Attitude: Positive

12-year-old Lucy returns to Hagworthy to stay with her aunt.

Magic, Spooky

The Wild West Witches

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

As the Light Witches prepare for the Pageant of Merlin's Sword, Wolfbane and his family are attack them to steal the Sword, forcing Abby and her friends to flee to the American Wild West a century before.

Simple Good & Bad tale with undemanding and mildly comic style.

Fantasy, Humorous, Magic

The Worst Witch

Style: Good

Attitude: Positive

Mildred Hubble, in her first year at Miss Cackle's Academy, must overcome her tendency to mess things up and not disgrace the school when they put on a public broomstick display.

Classic, Magic