Stacey and Laney are twins, but couldn’t be any more different. While Stacey hates breaking rules, Laney regularly skips schools to hang out with her boyfriend. So noone is immediately concerned when Laney goes missing,except for her twin. Stacey is convinced something is seriously wrong and is plagued by terrifying dreams of Laney. Can she […]
In a middle school in Oklahoma, a young boy tries to tell his story. His name is Khosrou, but everyone calls him Daniel. His classmates think he’s weird and usually don’t believe a word of what he says. Khosrou’s stories are full of beautiful moments from his family’s past, but also full of pain as […]
Calvin may seem like a normal 6-year-old living in suburban America with his family and stuffed tiger “Hobbes”. To Calvin though, Hobbes is very much alive and his best friend and companion. Named after two philosophers, the pair is regularly immersed in deep conversations, often humorously lacking in the childlike expressions you would expect. But, […]
Based on the musical of the same name, this film is set in 1933 New York City, in the midst of the Great Depression. 11-year-old orphan Annie has always dreamed of being part of a family. Living in an orphanage and being abused by her caretaker, Annie’s life is far from glamorous. Her whole life […]
In this time-flip novel, preteen Hannah Stern is sick and tired of her relatives’ stories about the past. But when she is transported back to 1942 to a village in Poland she faces the harsh reality of those stories. She, along with the village’s Jews, is abducted by Nazis. After being brought to a concentration […]
“A tale for young people of all ages” about self-reflection, the quality of mercy and social injustice. Tom is the youngest child of a poor family, living in London. One day, by coincidence, he meets Edward, the Prince of Wales. The two immediately notice their remarkable resemblance and are each fascinated by the life led […]
This wintery picture-only tale tells the story of a boy and his snowman, who suddenly comes to life. Together they travel to the north pole and meet father Christmas and his raindeers. Home again, the weather has changed and the boy’s friend begins to melt… The beautifully illustrated picture book gave way to an award-winning […]
Winterson showcases a new Christmas story, drawing pastiche-like on themes of love, myth and healing in the festive season. The narrator Mrs Snow one day suddenly finds a tall fairy standing in her garden, claiming to be the Christmas Fairy herself. In the rather unusual dialogue which ensues, hard-won truth waits after every twist and […]
A Christmas poem on peace, faith and diversity written for the tree-lighting ceremony of the USA’s White House in 2005. It paints the festive season as a time of harmony, an absence of hatred and calls on people from all kinds of backgrounds to take part in the peaceful calm of this special time of […]
Acclaimed fantasy author Tolkien composed these letters for his own children, spanning no fewer than two decades of Christmas celebrations. In each letter, either Father Christmas himself or one of his fantastic side-kicks tells the story of a new adventure from the North Pole.
Moore’s classic rhymes remind the reader of the excitement of having to wait one final night until Christmas Day, “when all through the house/Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”. The Night Before Christmas conveys the joy of looking forward to the festive season as well as it manifests nothing less than today’s […]
This collection of letters tells the story of the 12 days of Christmas with a twist. Accompanied by humuourous illustrations, the letters narrate the arrival of the extravagant gifts from the recipient’s point of view, Emily. She enjoys the lavish gifts of admiration at first, but as they become increasingly strange her gratitude lessens. However, […]
This illustrated book of Christmas carols offers a wide variety of songs suitable for all age groups. Ranging from Jingle Bells to We Three Kings, there’s something for everyone. It’s not only wonderful for the English classroom but can of course also be utilised in subjects such as Music or Religion.
A classic rhyming tale about the meaning of Christmas and commerce. The sheer thought of the nearing festivities so enrages the green monster everyone knows as simply the Grinch that he plans to steal the whole celebration in the middle of the night.
This annotated picture book provides instructions on how to attract a ghost, how to tell if he is real, how to play with him, what costume to pick, and how to trick-or-treat together. It is a colourfully illustrated children’s book showing that ghosts are not that scary and adds wonderfully to the Halloween mood in […]
Based on the actual events of a fatal police shooting, this movie drama tells the story of Oscar Grant’s last 24 hours – a young African American who was shot by the police during New Year’s Eve 2008/09. This movie might serve as a starting point for an interdisciplinary teaching project on #BlackLivesMatter.
A novel set in a town that celebrates an annual Pigeon Day, on which pigeons are released into the air and shot. Ten-year-old boys act as “wringers”, collecting injured pigeons and wringing their necks to put them out of their misery. Nine-year-old protagonist Palmer is pressured by his friends into becoming a wringer but finds […]
After surviving the adventures in the Harry Potter novels and triumphing over the evil Lord Voldemort, Harry, Hermione and Ron have grown up and find themselves on platform 9 3/4. Together with Rose, the daughter of Harry’s friends and Albus, Harry’s son they wait for the Hogwarts Express to take the children to Hogwarts for […]