We are currently reading Cosmic which is a funny, exciting and imaginative adventure novel by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The story follows Liam, a twelve-year-old boy who is extremely tall for his age and is often mistaken for an adult. Because of this, he gets the amazing opportunity to take part in a space mission. However, what starts as an exciting adventure soon turns into a much bigger challenge.

I enjoyed Cosmic because it combines humour, adventure and more serious themes. Liam is an interesting main character because, even though he looks older than he really is, he is still learning how to deal with responsibility. Throughout the story, he has to make difficult decisions and learn from his mistakes. This makes the book entertaining while also giving it an important message about growing up.

Another thing I liked about the book is the way the author describes Liam's experiences in space. The story is imaginative and sometimes surprising, which makes it easy to stay interested. There are also plenty of funny moments that make the book enjoyable to read.

Ruby : I would recommend Cosmic to readers who enjoy comedy, adventure and stories about unusual experiences. I think it is a great book because it is entertaining but also teaches lessons about friendship, responsibility and growing up.

Harris: The author, Frank Cottrell-Boyce makes the story exciting while still giving the reader something meaningful to think about.

My parents decided it would be a good idea to move house AND move me to a new school at the same time. As if I didn't have a hard enough time staying out of trouble at home, now I've also got to try and make new friends. What's worse, the class bully seems to think I'm the perfect target.

At least Eid's around the corner which means a feast (YAY) and presents (DOUBLE YAY). Well, as long as I can stay in Mum and Dad's good books long enough...

Kieran-John says it's fun and intresting.

Itahan says it's interesting and make me think about the rest of the world. 

Year 2 children have been loving reading Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, following along as clever Mr Fox uses his quick thinking to outsmart the three farmers and keep his family safe. The children have enjoyed the exciting adventures, funny characters and plenty of suspense along the way!

The Year 2 children absolutely loved Fantastic Mr Fox and were so captivated by the story that they kept asking to read on! They particularly enjoyed Mr Fox’s clever and daring adventures.

Isaac’s favourite part was when Mr Fox stole all the chickens, dug deep underground, set up a table and shared a feast with all the starving animals. Abigail especially enjoyed the exciting moment when Mr Fox’s tail was shot off by the farmers!

It was wonderful to see the children so enthusiastic about the story and eager to find out what would happen next.

"I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet...."

Our Nursery children love lifting the flaps to discover the animals the zoo has sent - a monkey, a lion and even an elephant! But will they ever manage to send the perfect pet?

We have been enjoying looking at the bright, bold artwork and joining in the catchy repetition.

The children have also joined in discussions about pets the might have at home!

Feeling lost and alone in a strange new city, Leelu wishes she could fly away back home – her real home where her dad is, thousands of miles away. London is cold and grey and the neighbours are noisy and there’s concrete everywhere. But Leelu is not alone; someone is leaving her gifts outside her house – wonders which give her curious magical powers. Powers which might help her find her way home . . .

Fly Me Home is an incredibly moving portrait of one family’s struggle to adjust to life in a new country. Full of friendship, family and magic, this stunning novel by Polly Ho-Yen, author of Boy in the Tower (shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award) and Where Monsters Lie, is a must-read for 9-12 readers.

Year 6 have loved exploring Fly Me Home during their guided reading lessons. This is what they thought of the first 6 chapters:

"I loved the magic items and how they helped Leelu." - Kardo

"I feel sorry for the family for having to leave their country and Dad, but I hope he joins them in London soon" - Charlotte

Our Year 3 class is currently reading Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. The children have been enjoying getting to know the wonderfully unique and adventurous Pippi, whose incredible strength, imagination and mischievous personality have already captured their attention! As we journey through the story together, we are exploring themes of friendship, independence, kindness and being proud to be yourself.

As part of our English work, the children will be creating their own character descriptions of Pippi. They will be exploring her appearance, personality and distinctive qualities, using ambitious vocabulary, descriptive language and carefully chosen details to bring her character to life. This will also give the children opportunities to consider what makes Pippi so memorable and why she is such an unusual and exciting character to read about.

“Something Else tries to be like the others. But he’s different. And no matter how hard he tries, he just doesn’t belong. Then something turns up and wants to be friends. But Something Else isn’t sure he’s like him at all…”

The children have loved exploring this book and learning about everyone’s differences. They have been so kind and respectful, and have found it fascinating to learn what makes us all unique! We are going to be doing an art project all about being different later in the term, and the children are very much looking forward to it!

Alena says, “I’m glad he gets a friend in the end. He was lonely at the start.”

Ayla agrees, “It’s nice to have friends that like you. We should all be nice.”

Kayden adds, “We should be able to just be us. We are all great!”

'Betty O'Barley & Harry O'Hay invite you to... the best wedding ever, the best wedding yet, the wedding that no one will ever forget!'

We are currently reading 'Scarecrows Wedding' after learning all about the farm last week! We have learnt lots about farm animals, what they produce and how we use these things every day! 

Kevin says: 'The author is Julia Donaldson.'

Skylar said: 'The farmer collects the eggs from the roost and cows make milk.'

Len said: 'Harry O'Hay is very kind.'

Our nursery children have been enjoying the traditional tale  of  'The Three Little Pigs.' Through this familiar tale, they have been exploring key themes such as perseverance, problem-solving, and the importance of making thoughtful choices. The children have particularly enjoyed discussing the different materials the pigs used to build their houses and predicting what might happen next in the story. Alongside their literacy learning, the story has provided meaningful opportunities to develop early maths skills. The children have been counting the three pigs, comparing the sizes and strengths of the houses, and using language such as bigger, smaller, stronger, and weaker. They have also explored sequencing by retelling the story in the correct order and identifying what happened first, next, and last.

We Are Currently Reading: The Invention of Hugo Cabret!

This week in class we started reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, and honestly, it already feels like stepping into a secret world full of clocks, mysteries, and shadows. The coolest part is that the book is half‑story, half‑pictures, but the pictures aren’t just decorations—they actually tell the story. It’s like watching a movie and reading a book at the same time, which makes me feel like a detective trying to piece everything together.

The story follows a boy named Hugo who lives inside the walls of a train station in Paris. He fixes clocks and tries to stay hidden so no one finds out he’s living there alone. There’s also this broken automaton (which is basically a robot but old‑fashioned and way creepier) that Hugo is trying to fix. I think the automaton is going to be super important later, because why else would it look so spooky and mysterious.

Everyone in class has different predictions, and some of them are honestly wild. Here are some of the things kids have said so far:

“I think the automaton is going to come alive and write a secret message that changes Hugo’s whole life.”

“The old toy shop man is definitely hiding something. I bet he used to be famous or magical or both.”

“The drawings in the book look like clues. I think we’re supposed to solve the mystery before Hugo does.”

“I predict the ending will be sad but also happy, like when you cry but in a good way.”

I love hearing everyone’s ideas because this book feels like anything could happen. One minute Hugo is sneaking around gears and machinery, and the next minute he’s getting caught by the toy shop owner who seems grumpy but maybe isn’t actually bad. I’m not sure yet. Grown‑ups in books always act mysterious for no reason.

Something else I really like is how the pictures zoom in and out, almost like a camera. Sometimes the drawings start far away and then get closer and closer until you’re staring right at something important. It makes me feel like I’m being pulled into the story, like I’m walking through the train station with Hugo, hearing the clocks tick and the trains screech.

My prediction is that Hugo is going to discover something huge about the automaton—maybe something connected to his dad—and that it will change everything he thought he knew. I also think the toy shop man is going to end up helping him, even though he seems annoyed all the time.

We’re only part way through, but I already want to keep reading forever. If the rest of the book is as mysterious and magical as the beginning, then I think this might become one of my favourite reads of the whole year!

Year 5 are currently reading Hidden Figures in our guided reading lessons. Hidden Figures tells the true story of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden and highlights their roles as African-American female "human computers" at NASA who overcame racial and gender barriers in the 1940s-1960s to assist in the space race. The children have only just started this book but are asking many questions and making great comparisons to our previous book "Black and British". 

"We like that the book represents women and it's a true story"- Lyla and Mary 

"I like books about people fighting their rights to find out how they face and overcome the challenges to succeed" - Kardo 

Tamrind and the Star of Ishta by Jasbinder Bilan. The story follows Tamrind, a girl sent to stay with relatives in India while her father goes on honeymoon. As Tamrind uncovers secrets about her past, the narrative weaves together themes of belonging, identity, and healing.

The author’s writing is vivid and atmospheric, especially in her descriptions of India and the magical elements tied to Ishtar. The pacing is steady and can be magical at times. Still, the emotional core Tamrind’s struggle with abandonment and her journey toward understanding her past and her connection to her birth mother’s family gives the story real depth.

Overall, Tamrind and the Star of Ishtar is an engaging and heartfelt read, meaningful for anyone interested in stories about resilience, culture, and self-discovery.

Aisha- The descriptions of India are very detailed, so I could imagine the setting clearly. Sometimes the story was a bit predictable, but I still wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

Leo-My favourite part was when Tamrind starts to understand more about her family and herself.

The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog is funny story about a boy named Trevor and his energetic dog, Streaker. Streaker isn’t an ordinary pet, she can run unbelievably fast, causing chaos wherever she goes!

The book follows the adventures or Trevor, Tina and Streaker around the town where they keep finding themselves in tricky situations, all of which are made worse by Streaker’s speed and unpredictability.

Mirral likes dogs and says she likes the illustrations of Streaker the dog.

Prince commented on how it made him laugh when the dog was causing trouble across the town.

Aiza liked it when Streaker went into the washing machine because it made her smile.

Levi says that Streaker goes “unbelievable fast” which makes her pull Trevor when they are walking.

Our Year 3 class is currently reading The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo. The children are already captivated by the story of Bertie and the extraordinary white lion he befriends. We are exploring themes of friendship, courage and belonging as we journey through this beautifully written book together.

As part of our English work, the children will also be creating their own journals written from Bertie’s point of view. They will be imagining his thoughts, feelings and experiences at key moments in the story, helping them to develop empathy, deepen their understanding of the characters and build their descriptive writing skills.

The Colour Monster, by Anna Llenas

“Today the colour monster is feeling very mixed up. He’s yellow, blue, red, black and green all at once. Can you help him?”

This lovely book has helped us to explore our feelings in a fun way, and has helped us to come up with strategies to move between the different zones. If we’re in the green zone and are feeling calm, we can do some stretches and plan our next steps to make sure we are ready to learn. If we are in the blue zone, we can move around to give us some energy. We know if we are in the yellow zone, we can do some calming breathing exercises, and in the red zone, we can use different objects to calm us down. The children have made spinners for their tables to show the adults how they are feeling at different times of the day.

This has been a fun and gentle way to explore our feelings and to understand what changes make us move from zone to zone. The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about emotions and how we can help ourselves each day!

Year 4 have started reading Malamander by Thomas Taylor. This book is about an Eerie-on-sea mystery where nothing is as it seems. In the basement of the Grand Nautlius hotel a mysterious girl crashes into Herbie Lemon's room crying 'hide me'. And out beyond the pier, something stirs. Could the legendary malamander have returned? 

Year 4 say they are 'intrigued' and 'excited to find out what happens' in this mysterious book!

Right now in class we are reading Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard, and I think it is awesome and a bit creepy (in a good way). The story is about a boy called Darkus whose dad disappears in a strange accident. Darkus goes to live with his uncle, but everything feels wrong and secretive. Then Darkus finds a giant black beetle in his room, and that is when the story gets really exciting.

The beetle is not like a normal beetle at all. Darkus can actually understand it, and they become friends. He also meets two kids called Virginia and Bertolt who love insects as much as he does. Together they start to investigate what really happened to Darkus’s dad. There is also a very scary villain called Lucretia Cutter, who loves beetles but in a mean and evil way. She really creeps me out.

My favourite part is how much the book teaches you about insects without it feeling like a lesson. I like how brave Darkus is, even though he is sad and confused. The book makes me feel tense because there are lots of secrets and close escapes.

I predict that Darkus will discover the truth about his dad and that the beetles will help save him. I also think there will be a big battle between the good beetles and the bad ones. I can’t wait to find out what happens next! 

In Nursery we are reading the story ' We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. The children have been enjoying the family's excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear!

"We're going on a bear hunt

We're going to catch a big one.

What a beautiful day!

We're not scared..."

Billy says: "I like splashing in the deep, cold river!"

Nour says: "We can't go under it and we can't go over it!"

Bonnie says: "I like running away from the bear!"

Alien in the Jam Factory by Chrissie Sains

An Alien in the Jam Factory, by Chrissie Sains, is a book about Scooter, a creative boy with cerebral palsy, who invents amazing recipes at his family's jam factory. Scooter really wants a friend and one day he gets one when a tiny alien, Fizzbee, crash-lands into the factory. They team up to stop their sneaky rival, Daffy Dodgy, from stealing the jam secrets!

Here are some of the comments from the Year 2 children:

Courtney says “I like this book because it was funny when Fizzbee tried the different jams and changed colour.”

Levi added on to this by saying how “crazy” Fizzbee became after she tried the blueberry jam because “she started bouncing like a tiny bouncy ball.”

Dennis liked how the alien “broke through the factory window and just appeared from nowhere!”

Prince said he liked how the alien had a “good plan to help Scooter make the edible bubbles.”