Episode 44 - Reading for pleasure should be reading without surveillance, monitoring, or comparison

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien

Season 1: Episode 44

For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-44/

Part 1
Book post

• The First Works of Shakespeare by Adam Thompson
• Beacons of Light by Gemma Koomen
• Hell to Pay by Lora Beth Johnson
• Ziggy the Caterpillar's Zigzag Adventure by Beatrice Simpkiss
• Small Stanley's Big List of Scary Stuff by Angie Morgan
• The Sound of a Smile by Louise Greig and David Litchfield
• Duck Delivers . . . Cake! by Tom Tinn-Disbury
• Captain Sunshine by Alex Milway
• Cats! Cats! Cats! by Susan Martineau, illustrated by Vicky Barker
• The Wood Where Stories Sing by Andy Shepherd, illustrated by Ellie Snowdon
• They Sent a Cat to Saturn by Valerie Bloom, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
• Weather, Camera, Action! by Liam Dutton and Giordano Poloni
• Diary of a Number One Superfan by Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Gemma Correll
• The Summer My Wishes Came True by Radhika Sanghani
• The Silver Dwarf by Victor Kloss
• The Horse Dreamer by Holly Surplice
• How to Steal the Future by Christopher Edge
• Elfie’s Spellbook by Christophe Arleston and Audrey Alwett, illustrated by Mini Ludvin, translated by Anam Zafar
• Evie in Venice by Bruna De Luca
• Augusta Pine Does Not Exist by Emily Lloyd-Jones
• Local Gods by Melinda Salisbury
• Blood of Gods and Girls by Katja Kaine
• Where Lost Girls Go by Kody Keplinger
• Heledd's Song by Fiona Collins
• Thornbird by E. Kennedy 

Rundown - top 30 children's and YA books in August 2026

• A House Made of Books by Frankie Gritton
• The Handbook of Forgotten Skills... Outdoors by Iron Tazz
• Myths of Japan by Masako Carey
• Body by DK
• I Am Going To Jump This Log by Stephanie Stansbie
• Elementals: Peo Saves the Trees by Love Ssega
• We Became Wild by H. D. Carver
• Thorn by A.F. Harrold
• War by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
• Aviarium by Dominic Couzens, illustrated by Teagan White
• Then We’ll Be Happy by Alan Carrigan
• The Waking Wood by Alexi Francis
• Princess (Apparently) by Siren Knight
• My Bayeux Tapestry by Olivier Latyk
• Neverlast by Sue H. Cunningham
• The Flying Machine of Dreams by Kate Wakeling
• Bison Rule, OK! by Sarah Ziman
• The Green Child by Hollie Hughes
• The Sign of the Raven by Pippa Dunn
• A History of the City by Leo Hollis
• No Tune Ned by Oliver Lendon
• The Weirdest Thing of All by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Ed Vere
• The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell
• Cut Him Out in Little Stars by Lucy Strange
• Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent by Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie
• Traitors’ Nest by Frances Hardinge
• All the Queens’ Curses by Alyssa Hollingsworth
• Natural Selection by Clare Edge
• Revolution! by Dr Joan Lennon
• Into the Dark: Adventures of Night-time Animals by Saskia Gwinn
• Spindlewood by Freddie Kölsch

August 2026 books of the month

• Fiction: Traitors' Nest by Frances Hardinge
• Nonfiction: Aviarium by Teagan White and Dominic Couzens
• Picture book: The Waking Wood by Alexi Francis

Part 2

Books to read during school detentions

New book pitches: Reading Laughing Learning series by Thomas Heinrichs, Leo and the Dragon of Sound by Stephanie Thomas & Bibble Bobble Wibble Wobble by Terence Begnor

Part 3
Reading for Pleasure should be reading without surveillance, monitoring, or comparison

Credits & licensing
Sounds are licensed. Audit: https://bit.ly/3TFkwsl