BOOK OF THE WEEK
27 February 2026
Hello Bookworms!
We have more books for you to read this week!
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.
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpungo
A heartwarming tale of courage, set against the backdrop of the Second World War, about a deserted village, a lifelong friendship and one very adventurous cat!
‘A master storyteller at his best’ Sunday Times
It’s 1943. Lily lives in a seaside village and her life is scarcely touched by the war. Until one day when the villagers are all told to move out of their homes.
Soon, the whole area is out of bounds, as the allied forces prepare to invade France. But Tips, Lily’s cat, has other ideas – and returns to the forbidden area. Lily decides to enter the danger zone to look for Tips herself . . .
Dark Lord: The Teenage Years by Jamie Thomson
Winner of the 2012 Roald Dahl Funny Prize!
Thirteen-year-old schoolboy, Dirk Lloyd, has a dark secret – in fact he is a dark secret. Dirk – according to his own account – is the earthly incarnation of a Dark Lord, supreme ruler of the Darklands and leader of great armies of orcs and warriors, intent on destruction and bloody devastation. Following a colossal final battle between the forces of good and evil, the Dark Lord was defeated and hurled by his arch-foe’s spells into the Pit of Uttermost Despair. At the bottom of the Pit lies…a supermarket car park in the municipal town of Whiteshields, somewhere in modern day England. And when he is found, and tries to explain that he is the Dark Lord, people think he means Dirk Lloyd. The fact that he’s trapped in the puny body of a schoolboy doesn’t help.
And so begins Dirk’s battle to recover his dignity, his power, and his lands… Along the way he faces the inconvenience of being fostered by a do-gooding family, the Purejoies; the torture of endless hours of drudgery at the Whiteshields Brainwashing Centre (aka school); a vengeful Headmaster; two interfering Psychotic Persecutors (psychotherapists); and constant laughter and disrespect when he attempts to marshall his lackeys and lickspittles (friends) to do what he wants them to.
Dirk makes friends with the son of his foster family, Christopher, and the local Goth Girl, Sooz, and together they attempt to cast a spell that will transport Dirk back to his homeland. Inevitably, not everything goes to plan… But that’s for book 2
