BOOK OF THE WEEK
31 March 2025
Hello Bookworms!
Here are 4 more exciting books you can enjoy on your Easter holiday! Take a look and maybe one of these books will become a favourite!
Do take a look at our Lion Print magazine, under our Further Resources tab. Here are some of the stories our younger pupils have written at the beginning of the magazine and give you inspiration for your own writing. There is also some incredible art work from our pupils.
If you’d like some more ideas of great books to read, do check out our Reading List.
Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
Look, I never asked to be the son of a Greek god. I was just a normal kid. . . until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher.
12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers that the Greek gods of Olympus are alive and living in modern-day New York, and that his true father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. At Half Blood Hill, a summer camp dedicated to training demigods, Percy learns that his fate is to undertake a dangerous quest across the United States to retrieve Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and avert a War of the Gods. Along the way Percy must face a host of mythological enemies determined to get in his way.
‘Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a terrific tale of friendship and heroism!’ – The Guardian
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller.
‘Full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is to be alive’ Sunday Times
As young Thomas Peaceful looks back over his childhood from the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life deep in the countryside.
But the clock is ticking, and every moment Tommo spends remembering how things used to be, means another moment closer to something that will change his life for ever.
‘A deeply moving portrayal of camaraderie and courage, innocence and brutality’ Telegraph
‘[Tommo’s] journey from agricultural labourer to cannon fodder is movingly told . . . Morpurgo is expert at getting through to his readers. He writes here about events that should never be forgotten nor forgiven, and does so most effectively’ Independent
‘Full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is to be alive’ Sunday Times
‘The best novel he’s written since The Butterfly Lion’ The Times
‘Deserved to last as an insight into the First World War in the same way as, say, The Silver Sword or Goodnight Mr Tom’ Telegraph
‘A poignant, elegiac novel’ Daily Mail
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
It is 1939. In Nazi Germany, the country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier – and will become busier still.
By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed forever when she picks up a single object, abandoned in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, and this is her first act of book thievery. So begins Liesel’s love affair with books and words, and soon she is stealing from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library . . . wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times, and when Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, nothing will ever be the same again.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
Lark by Anthony McGowen
Nature’s fury tests a brother’s courage and a dog’s loyalty in this Carnegie Medal winning ending to the story of the beloved brothers of the Truth of Things series.
Things are tense at home for Nicky and Kenny. Their mum’s coming to visit and it will be the first time they’ve seen her in years. A lot has changed since they were little and Nicky’s not so sure he’s ready to see her again.
When they head for a trek across the moors to take their minds off everything, a series of unforeseen circumstances leaves the brothers in a vulnerable and very dangerous position. There might even be a chance that this time not everyone will make it home alive…
