BOOK OF THE WEEK
2 December 2025
Hello Bookworms!
We have more books for you to read over 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 Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant
‘Wildly inventive . . . full of laugh-out-loud humour, enchanting magic and rebellious hope. I loved it’ Catherine Doyle
‘Imaginative . . . entertaining, comical and breezy, and the settings are conjured in transporting detail’ The Times
Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia’s world, Making – crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients – is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.
When Cordelia’s father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.
It’s up to Cordelia to find out who, and why . . .
Featuring gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout by Paola Escobar.
‘An utterly charming adventure full of wildness, wit, magic and heart’ Anna James
‘Absolutely wonderful’ Emma Carroll
‘A cosy magical adventure peppered with charming detail’ The Bookseller
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
’This is an important first novel, important for us, for polar bears, for the planet. It is deeply moving, beautifully told, quite unforgettable’ Michael Morpurgo
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months. But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life …
This moving story will win the hearts of children the world over and show them that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference. The Last Bear is a celebration of the love between a child and an animal, a battle cry for our world and an irresistible adventure with a heart as big as a bear’s.
‘A dazzling debut … A magical, confidently told story – with beautiful illustrations by Levi Pinfold’ The Times
