Books aimed at Children
Children aged 7 to 10
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Style: Good
Attitude: Positive
Ninny, an 8th century boy, leaves with the people he has grown up with when their land is flooded.
Historical
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
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
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
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
Style: Weak
Attitude: Positive
12-year-old Lucy returns to Hagworthy to stay with her aunt.
Magic, Spooky
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
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