Do you know what it takes to be a top footballer? Can you pick out the best moves? Find out in this guide to football skills. It will help children to understand how to study a football game and how to look for the skills of different types of players: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers. * Topaz/ Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. * Text type — An information book. * A reader response page provides lots of opportunities for speaking, listening, and writing. * Curriculum links — PE: Invasion games. * This title is paired with a story at the same level: Spider's Big Match by Alan Durant. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

So you want to be an Anglo-Saxon? Find out how to do it in just a few stages. From fighting the Vikings and praying to gods, to making books from animal skin — all is revealed in this fun non-fiction guide by Scoular Anderson. * Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. * An information book. * Curriculum Links; History: Why have people invaded and settled in Britain in the past: An Anglo Saxon Case Study * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Jack's mum is furious when he returns from the market with a can of baked beans rather than money, in return for their beloved cow. But their luck is about to change, as the beans are magic! Find out what mayhem ensues is a comic retelling of a traditional tale. * Topaz/ Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. * Text type — A modern play based on a fairytale. * Curriculum links — Citizenship: Choices; Respect for property. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Ruby and Tom love playing in the caves; that's before the Gang arrive. But they're not about to give them up without a fight. When a simple plan goes wrong, it looks like they might need the gang after all. Find out what happens in this exciting adventure story by Carnegie winner, Gillian Cross, and illustrated by Marilee Harrald-Pilz. * Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. * Text type: An adventure story. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Bored of spending all your holidays on Mars? Now you can travel further off the beaten astral plane with this fact-packed guide. • Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. • A travel guide to all the planets in the solar system on pages 54 and 55 makes it easy for children to recap what the key facts they’ve learnt. • Text type: A non-chronological report. • Curriculum links: Science; Geography; Citizenship. • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Where can you see rockets blast into space? Which is the driest place on Earth? Which is the world’s highest mountain? Find out the answers and many more facts in this amazing book about the planet we live on. • Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. • A world map with all the places mentioned in the text highlighted on pages 54 and 55 helps children to recap the different places they’ve learnt about and where they all are in the world. • Text type: An information book. • The book is paired with The Golden Turlte and Other Tales, a selection of short stories from other cultures. • Curriculum links: Geography: Passport to the world.

Trixie's hilarious diary, written by acclaimed children's writer, Ros Asquith, tells of her plans to be a world famous trumpet player, horse rider and first child president of the world. She is also determined to teach animals to read! But when her beloved puppy is sick, everything changes. Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Text type: A humorous recount.

Bungleman is Pickleton's very own local superhero. Dennis is his long-suffering son. When disaster strikes in Pickleton, it is Bungleman who everyone calls upon to save the day. Unfortunately, Bungleman is a rather useless superhero. When things go wrong, Dennis secretly always comes to his dad's rescue. * Topaz/ Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate. *Text type — A story with a familiar setting. * A reader response page provides lots of opportunities for speaking and listening and to scaffold writing. * Curriculum links — Art and design: People in action; Citizenship: People who help us — the local police; ICT: Writing stories: communicating information using text. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

There’s something different about Mark, the new boy. It’s not just that he only speaks through a monkey glove puppet. Soon Daniel finds out that his new friend is in trouble – but can he help him in time? • Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. •Storycards of the key events on pages 54 and 55 help children to recap what has happened. • Text type: A mystery story. • Curriculum links: Citizenship: Taking part — developing skills of communication and participation, Moving on. • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

What's it like to be a writer, radio presenter and performer? Read all about Michael Rosen's life and find out what he was like as a boy, what he got up to at school and how he became a famous poet in this fascinating autobiography. * Sapphire/Band 16 books books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * Text type: An autobiography. * The timeline on pages 54-55 track the major events of Michael Rosen's life that led to him becoming a successful writer. * Additional information retrieval devices such as a glossary and index can be evaluated for their usefulness as children develop critical reading skills * Curriculum links: History: What we can learn about recent history from studying the life of a famous person. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

What was the Big Bang? What was the Universe like just after the Big Bang? Who discovered the Big Bang? Stunning photographs and detailed information help to explain the answers to these and many other questions in this fascinating non-fiction information book about the Big Bang theory written by award-winning author, Andrew Solway. * Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * Text type: A non-fiction book. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Three folk tales from around the world retold by the wonderful storyteller Gervase Phinn. In the first, a golden turtle offers a kindly fisherman riches beyond his wildest dreams. In the secod, Amparo’s daughter looks sweet, but when she’s determined to do something nothing gets in her way. In the third, a naughty leprechaun gets a big shock! • Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. • A ‘wanted’ poster on pages 54 and 55 for the leprechaun in the last story helps children to recap all the naughty things he did. • Text type: Three stories from other cultures. • This book is paired with The Ultimate World Quiz, a non-fiction information book full of facts about our planet. • Curriculum links: Geography: Passport to the world; Citizenship: Choices, Living in a diverse world. • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

No one has a gran like Ellie and Morris. Gran has red hair, a leather jacket, and she's part of a motorbike gang. When Gran's lodger disappears with her motorbike, Ellie and Morris decide to take matters into their own hands. Find out what happens in this hilarious mystery, written by Carnegie nominee, Ally Kennen and illustrated by Mark Beech. * Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * Text type: A mystery story.

High in the Arabian mountains, Ali and Sameer gaze in wonder at a leopard. When the leopard roars with pain after being shot Sameer and Ali flee, terrified that they will fall victim to the leopard poachers. With stunning illustrations, readers follow Ali and Sameer as they escape in this action-filled adventure story written by Kathy Hoopmann. * Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * Text type: A story from another culture. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Heroes and monsters; gods and goddesses; adventure and excitement: all are to be found in this book, which contains four well-known myths and legends from Ancient Greece told in an accessible style. Find out how Theseus killed the minotaur, how Daedelus escaped from the maze and why Herakles longed for a rest! * Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * A humorous magazine interview with Herakles on pages 54 and 55 help children to recap the myth of The Labours of Herakles and examine how another text type might represent the material. * Text type: Three traditional tales. * Curriculum links: History: Who were the Ancient Greeks? How do we use Ancient Greek ideas today? * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

A quirky insight into how to live like an Ancient Greek – in twenty-five easy stages. • Sapphire/Band 16 books books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. • Text type: An information book. • Curriculum links: History: Who were the Ancient Greeks; How do we use Ancient Greek ideas today? • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Explore the fascinating life cycle of the salmon, from river life to the big oceans and back to where they hatched, in this highly photographic information book by Sally Morgan. Follow the fish from their very early stages through their journey to adulthood, and find out how other creatures' journeys through life compare. * Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. * An information book * An illustrated life cycle of salmon on pages 54 and 55 help readers to recap the stages of the life cycles that are shown in the book. * Curriculum Links: Science: Life Cycles. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Brave Tim agrees to look after Rosa's pets. He isn't afraid of vultures or wolfhounds, or even giant rabbits. But he isn't so sure about the gorilla, gargling in the kitchen! A comic story with a familiar setting, from Margaret Mahy. * Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. * Text type — Story with a familiar setting. * The reader response page consists of a story map to encourage children to retell the story in their own words. * Curriculum links — Citizenship: Animals and us; Music: Animal magic, exploring descriptive sounds. * This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Tiddalick was the biggest frog in the entire world, but his thirst was even bigger! One day, he was so thirsty that he drank up all the water in the land. Can the animals work out a way to make greedy Tiddalick give them back the water? Find out in this play based on an Australian Aboriginal story. • Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. • Text type — A play based on an Australian Aboriginal Story. • Curriculum links — Science: Solids, liquids and how they can be separated. • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Meet children who live on islands all over the world in this non-fiction book. They tell us how they live, what they do and what it’s like in their different communitites. Photographs dramatically capture the beauty of varied landscapes. • Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. •Text type — A non fiction recount. • A chart on pages 46-47 summarises information about each child and could act as a model for further research. • Curriculum Links — Geography: Knowledge and understanding of places: Describe and identify what places are like and where places are. • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.