Every child eventually starts to read on their own, and will inevitably find their way into chapter books and middle grade fiction once they start moving on from picture books. In some cases though they still want plenty of awesome illustrations and doodles in their books, and they also want characters they can relate to.

I know that up to now we've concentrated largely on picture books in our #Booky100Keepers series of articles, but I would be hung up by my hamstrings if I didn't also include the mighty "Dork Diaries" books by Rachel Renee Russell.

Without a doubt, these are C's "Go To" comfort reads, taking up a huge amount of shelf space in her collection. She's read them all so many times she must know them off by heart, yet I still find her curled up with one from time to time when she's been told off for too much screen time, and she just wants to lounge around reading something easy.

The story of Nikki Maxwell, self-professed "Queen of the Dorks" is chronicled in this huge collection of books, covering just about every aspect of a tweenager's life, from a new school and new crushes, to the arch-frenemies Nikki picks up along the way. Rachel has a knack for writing stuff that girls C's age can just relate to, written in a voice they understand, and of course riddled with chortlesome humour that transposes quite well from its native US - so the setups and scenes though American-centric are just as funny for us stiff-assed Brits.

Rachel's other series, "Max Crumbly" attempts to bring the same sort of middle grade mayhem home for boys, yet C also loves this series (not as much as DD - I think Max secretly annoys her but she still kept all the books and still loves to read these as a quick read.

They're fun, highly illustrated and extremely funny. When asked directly for her opinion on Rachel Renee Russell all C would say was "She's the best. I want to be able to write like her one day" and that's pretty much a solid gold endorsement if ever I've heard one.

Original Review Links: 

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week: Week Ending 22nd November 2019: "Dork Diaries: Spectacular Superstar" by Rachel Renee Russell (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 26th July 2019: "The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Masters of Mischief (Max Crumbly Book 3)" by Rachel Renee Russell (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

ReaditDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 23rd June 2017 - "The Misadventures of Max Crumbly - Middle School Mayhem" by Rachel Renee Russell (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 16th November 2018: "Dork Diaries: Birthday Drama" by Rachel Renee Russell (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 15th June 2018: "Dork Diaries: Crush Catastrophe" by Rachel Renee Russell (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 17th March 2017 - "Dork Diaries: Skating Sensation" by Rachel Renee Russell (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book Roundup - March 2016, especially for Dorks and Superstars

https://readitdaddy.blogspot.com/2017/01/readitdaddys-chapter-book-roundup.html

We've always given C a good grounding and a firm belief that girls (even Princesses) can do anything they want to do, and one of the first books that she really took to with this idea as a core theme was the fantastic "The Worst Princess" by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie.

Princess Sue rather loves her life but there's a huge weight of expectation on Princesses. They should be ladylike, they should wear fancy frocks, preen and primp themselves up for the delectation of any handsome Princes that might come along and ask them to marry them.

Princess Sue is having absolutely NONE of it, and when a would-be suitor decides to rescue her from a fearsome Dragon, Sue has other ideas - why not elope with the Dragon for a high adventure (and some cracking cups of tea) instead!

Around the same time as C was getting increasingly bored with some of the 'drippier' Princess books, this one came along like a bolt from the blue and she has loved it ever since she was 2 - and it still gets read today, that rare beast - a picture book that her mum loves and approves of (Mrs ReadIt has a very dim view of quite a few of the picture books we've received, read and reviewed over the years). So if you think getting your book past a kid is the peak of winning over a tough critic, getting my wife's approval is like finding a stream of pure gold.

Zany, brilliant and Sara's illustrations are always top notch in anything she illustrates, so this is irresistible.

Original Review Link: 

https://readitdaddy.blogspot.com/2012/04/worst-princess-by-anna-kemp-and-sara.html

One of the saddest things about the current lockdown is the fact that we are all missing our friends, and in these days of social distancing, a reassuring children's picture book about friendship feels like it's needed more than ever, as kids are missing their school buddies and play dates.

"I'm Sticking With You" by Smriti Halls and Steve Small has just been released, and it's exactly the sort of cuddly book that is perfect for reassuring kids that even though they're distant from their friends, they are still there, and they're still the best of pals.

Bear and Squirrel are best friends, and even though they don't always see eye to eye (quite literally, I mean bear is up THERE and squirrel is down THERE) they are still there for each other through thick and thin.

With bouncy rhyming and a heartfelt core message, this is perfect for little ones.

Let's have a closer look at those gorgeous spreads inside.

"I'm sticking with you" by Smriti Halls and Steve Small is out now, published by Simon and Schuster (kindly sent for review).

Out in the deepest darkest depths of space, a lone individual discovers the wonder and marvel of friendship in a gentle piece of storytelling that's perfect as a wind-down story before bedtime.

"Ori's Stars" by Krystyna Litten begins with Ori creating a single star.

Soon she realises she can create more, and begins to build amazing starscapes and shapes in the inky blackness.

As they begin to light up the sky around her, figures far and wide begin to flock to the stars and soon Ori realises that she isn't alone after all. She has found a whole family of friends!

Beautifully illustrated with engaging characters, and even some rather awesome nods to learning more about the night sky, "Ori's Stars" by Krystyna Litten is out on 16th April 2020, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Stand by for action as two unlikely allies team up for an awesome and pacy picture book story!

"Superkitty vs Mousezilla" might sound like a titanic kaiju movie but this little book is about something we could all do with learning about - how to work together to achieve awesomeness!

It's the day of the picnic party and the residents of Big City are busy making preparations, when disaster strikes!

Being merely the 'blog minion' half of ReadItDaddy is sometimes tough. For example the conversation that began when Alice McKinley's hilarious and fantastic "Nine Lives Newton" arrived for review went something like this.

"Yeah but dad we don't review picture books any more, they're for BABIES!"

(Parental note: Dads of the world, there will be a day when you will cease to be Daddy and you will become Dad - and then weirdly you might revert back to becoming "Daddy" later on, no I can't figure it out either)

I dug my heels in...I am good at that.

"Yes, but this one's GOOD! It's really funny, and the art is excellent!"

So for once I managed to win a board room argument, and we sat down to read "Nine Lives Newton" - which as I said, is exceedingly funny, looks brilliant, and feels fresh and original.

Devil may care when it comes to a bear? Rare!

Sharp-eyed amongst you may have already spotted that there is a cat on the cover of this book - and a large floppy-eared and rather daft looking dog. Newton is not the cat, which may - along with the title - give you an indication of how the story begins to unfold. After completely misunderstanding a pair of billboard ads, Newton (the dog, just to underline that) believes he has nine lives. Not one, not two, but NINE whole lives - which is like learning you're practically immortal and can throw caution to the wind.

Newton's best buddy, a well-meaning moggy, tries to point out Newton's error but it's too late. He's hell-bent on testing out his newfound powers of indestructibility in a hilarious number of different life-threatening ways.

I think this is our fave spread, just because it reminds us of the fab natural history museum in London (and the one just down the road from here too!)

Will Newton's purry pal prevent him from perilous pulverisation? Well we're obviously NOT going to give away the ending - but I'm glad I stuck to my guns, and recognised a great picture book from the outset - and you know what, even my grumpy boss had to agree that this is hilarious and brilliant stuff.

Sum this book up a sentence: Like all the best situational comedy, Newton's misunderstanding about the number of lives dogs have leads to absolute chaos and hilarity, beautifully brought to life in this fantastic picture book from Alice.

"Nine Lives Newton" by Alice McKinley is out on 3rd March 2020, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Phew! Can you believe this is book 14 in Rachel Renee Russell's amazing and hugely successful book series?

The whoop of glee from C that announced the arrival of "Dork Diaries: Spectacular Superstar" could probably have been heard right across the Atlantic - as we once again join Nikki Maxwell and her school chums for another round of craziness, Maxwell style!

Nikki and her bandmates are looking forward to an AWESOME time on tour as the opening act for the world famous Bad Boyz! 

Everyone's fantastic favourite inventor is back, but this time in "Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention" by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie, Izzy won't be the only creative kid competing to become top inventor-type-person.

Along with her mechanical-winged sidekick and fantastic Grandad, Izzy sets off to Technoff Isle, location for the annual kid inventor's convention.

There's a top prize at stake for the most creative, inventive and brilliant brain but Izzy is competing against the creme de la creme, and one girl in particular seems hell-bent to use every means (fair or foul) to win.

Thankfully Izzy's best pal Fixer the Crow is on hand to help her realise that sometimes the answer to a tricky problem lies in a bit of inspiration, as the book does a fantastic job of weaving in some serious eco-creds into the story as Izzy discovers brilliant alternative forms of energy to power her tool-fixer-upper machine.

Technoff Technoff Technoff Technoff!

Pip and Sara are a dream team, once again coming up with an engaging way to spin an eco story into a true spectacle of an adventure for Izzy.

The path to true greatness is often rocky, little one!

Izzy and Fixer look to nature to provide the power for their amazing machine!

There are so many neat little details in the story, inspirational stuff to show kids that there are so many ways we can harness what we've got around us.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A quirky and imaginative story of a very inventive little girl, who uses wind, water and solar power to show kids that there are greener ways to power our planet.

"Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention" by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie is out now, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

This is definitely one of the most stylish books we've seen in a long while, gorgeous in its slip cover, and equally gorgeous underneath, all picked out in green baize with gold foil.

Melissa Castrillon's "The Balcony" is a simple, largely wordless tale of a girl who absolutely loves her countryside home. She loves plants, and animals - but her world is set to be turned upside down as mum accepts an important job in the big city.

The family has to move house from their adorable little cottage into a high-rise flat in the city.

But the girl is determined to bring a little nature into this cold and sterile place.

A little nature in the form of a seed.

What will the seed grow into?

This story is beautifully conveyed with sparse text, giving the luxurious illustrations time to intertwine and bring the real heart of the tale to the fore.

We could all do our bit for the environment, planting something that can give our world the chance to breathe. But Melissa also describes more than this - the sense of community lost in many of our cities can be regained through a shared experience that is pleasurable and nurturing - such as enjoying the huge jungle of gorgeous flowers and plants that springs from that girl's humble seeds.

A blissful life in the countryside is interrupted by an important letter one morning...

Absolutely lovely this!

A little girl's life is turned upside down with a move to the big city. But that won't stop her doing something amazing...

Sum this book up in a sentence: An utterly beautiful largely wordless story book telling the tale of a little girl's determination to bring life back to the urban landscape.

"The Balcony" by Melissa Castrillon is out now, published by Simon and Schuster (kindly supplied for review). 

Kid-friendly biographies are definitely a growing trend in the children's publishing market that we're really happy to see. One of the major criticisms we've had in the past is that these books don't often cover the folk that kids actually want to know about. But in this case, for our Chapter Book of the Week this week, Simon and Schuster have published something that's bang on the nail  and timely.

"Greta's Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went On Strike to Save the Planet" by Valentina Camerini, with illustrations by Moreno Giovannoni and translation by Veronica Carratello details the amazing young girl who has a lot of folk rattled - but folk who need to be rattled, shaken out of their greedy excess, and given a thorough wake up call - that our planet is dying, and we're doing very little to stop it.

Greta Thunberg, at 15, began a movement that has now gained traction worldwide. She started to stage protests in her home country of Sweden, striking one day a week and protesting outside the Swedish parliament buildings in order to raise awareness of climate change and ecological issues unfolding not just in her own country but across the globe.

Since then, Greta has become a measured and brilliant spokesperson for an entire generation of kids who are fed up to the back teeth with what complacent adults are doing to their world. Greta's heartfelt speeches and her appearances in public and on media networks have become a rallying cry as children not only stage their own school strikes and protests in many countries across the world, but also have been doing their bit to make the planet a better place to live in, staging activities from planting trees to picking up litter, and to telling their parents to be a bit more conscious about plastic waste and recycling.

She's a hero - and we love the fact that she upsets big fat white businessmen who seem to think it's their place to criticise her methods. Whenever she speaks, I'm always reminded of a tiny scene in Christopher Nolan's last Batman film where Catwoman says "How did you think you could get away with having it so good for so long, without consequence". This biography is inspirational stuff, giving kids even more reason to admire and respect this diminutive but mighty young girl.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A truly fantastic chronicle of Greta's struggle to make her voice heard in a world that needs to listen to her, and her generation a lot more when it comes to environmental and ecological issues.

"Greta's Story" by Valentina Camerini, Veronica Carratello and Moreno Giovannoni is out now, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (Kindly supplied for review). 

Our Chapter Book of the Week elicits the sort of hugely soppy satisfied grin across C's chops, that it's impossible not to love these books.

Rachel Renee Russell, best known as the author of the superb "Dork Diaries" series (which C absolutely ADORES TO BITS!) also has a male dork hero for girls and boys, in the shape of Max Crumbly and in "The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Masters of Mischief", Max's third outing once again sees him teaming up with best buddy Erin for more mystery solving.

That's assuming of course that Max can survive the machinations of school life, from missing homework to being locked in your own locker, left to become a skeletal dust-covered dork remnant.

At the end of "Max Crumbly: Middle School Mayhem" young Max and sidekick (wait, SIDEKICK?) Erin had just foiled the plans of three bumbling burglars.

We're always excited to see new work from one of our all-time favourite children's book illustrators, so we're delighted to see Kate Hindley's new range of storybooks.

The fabulously named "Treacle Street" series is absolutely perfect for little ones who love stories that pique their curiosity, and in these gorgeous board-bound lift-the-flap tales, there's plenty of excitement and adventure, and the opportunity to see what's tucked in and hidden within those pages.

"Prima's Missing Bunnies" sees some truly mischievous little scamps hiding throughout the story. Are they in the wardrobe? Perhaps they're inside the piano! Can you help Prima find those little tikes? We bet you can!

There's also the brilliantly titled "Marcel's Parcels" with the postie elephant beginning his very busy round for all the animals who live in Treacle Street.

We know you won't be able to resist seeing who all the parcels are for - and perhaps taking a peek inside at what they're getting through the post (after all, opening parcels is the BEST THING EVER, right?)

This is such a great pair of little books for busy littlies who love discovering hidden details and playing with their books as well as reading them.

"Treacle Street: Prima's Missing Bunnies" and "Marcel's Parcels" by Kate Hindley are both out today, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Ever had one of those friendships that you thought would last forever? Or one of those summers that seemed to stretch on for ages, every day bringing some new adventure or amazing thing - to be enjoyed with someone really special?

In "Paper Planes" by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones, you'll find the gorgeously lyrical and beautifully told story of two such friends, Mia and Ben.

They're neighbours, living on the shores of a huge lake, and having the most amazing time together as they sail and swim. But their favourite hobby is making paper planes.

They have a grand project in mind - to build a plane that's big enough and strong enough to fly right over the lake. But before they can put their grand design into action, the two friends are separated as one moves away.

At first Ben reacts badly, smashing the plane they were working on together. But then Ben realises that there are other things you can do with paper - like write a letter that really needs to be written...

This is beautifully told. Though we've seen so many books talking about kids and their friendships, this is the first one that's actually felt quite genuinely touching and affecting, particularly in the way the story shows kids how to deal with their bestie moving away. Richard's illustrations are gorgeous too sweeping you into that lakeside world with ease, then up into the air as Mia and Ben's plane takes flight finally.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Lovely, absolutely lovely, and not just your usual "kids book about friendship" - this one's genuinely moving and affecting.

"Paper Planes" by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones is out now, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Pretty sure anyone who's ever wrestled with a plateful of tiny veg will identify with this jolly little tale, perfectly pea-tastic for younger readers.

"The Runaway Pea" by Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore is the entertaining story of a rogue pea. You know the one, it's always ready to spring from your plate or your fork, to disappear somewhere beneath the kitchen table, only to be found when you accidentally step on it in stockinged feet, to feel that horrible wet 'squish' beneath your toes. Ugh.

The rogue pea in this story thinks he's the most amazing energetic vegetable in the world.

It's not time to be eaten, it's time for a party!

Pea shoots, flings and bounces across the kitchen as he embarks on his perilous adventure - but will he find the fun he is looking for or is the kitchen a scarier place than he thought?

This quirky caper from debut duo Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore will show you just what can happen when you take your eye off your dinner for a second!

Fresh from learning all there is to know about Unicorns, it's time for a new adventure for a curious little girl who has acres of confidence and self-belief

"Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius" by Morag Hood and Ella Okstad picks up Sophie reassuring us that criminals don't stand a chance when she's around.

There's only one girl who can unpick the threads of any complicated mystery. But Sophie might not be quite the great detective she's cracked up to me - and anyone (as old as me) that remembers "Hong Kong Phooey" might recognise the setup here, when Bella the dog actually turns out to be a zillion times better at solving and preventing crime than her "Boss".

While Sophie is focused on the case of the missing lion's tale, she misses a far more nefarious crime taking place at the hands of three inept burglars. Thankfully Bella, the "Good dog" is on the scene to avert a near disaster.

C actually didn't get on with this book at all, but I thought it was quite a neat little switch-around of characters - and certainly great for kids who might know a Sophie-like character themselves.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A great little detective romp from a dynamic and creative kidlit duo.

"Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius" by Morag Hood and Ella Okstad is out now, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Children's irrational fear of the dark, and comforting books about how to allay those fears are as popular as ever, and in our time on this blog we've seen quite a few.

But there's always room for another truly beautiful one, so step forward Marie Voigt's utterly gorgeous "The Light in the Night".

The story introduces Betty, a little girl who loves her night-time stories, especially the one about Cosmo the bear. 

Dog lover? Completely won over by cute little poochies? Look no further, your dream picture book is here...!

Day 18 of our Booky Advent Calendar and we're ensuring that older kids get a look-in as well, with another fantastic middle grade book to tempt you during the festive period.

"Hamish and the Terrible Terrible Christmas" is a special festive-flavoured outing for Danny Wallace's reluctant hero.

Hamish soon discovers that even though every single shop is playing "Merry Christmas Everybody" by Slade, and all the ad breaks are showing holiday or rotten perfume ads, the task of saving the world hasn't gone away just because there's a smattering of snow on the ground.

In this three-story compendium, Hamish Ellerby and his friends in the PDF will have to deal with rotten sweetie salesmen with a hidden agenda, unexpected christmas eve visitors (don't you just HATE those!) and some nefarious creatures who want to put Starkley on the map - of DOOM!

Written in Danny's blisteringly paced and brilliant humour (psst, don't tell David Walliams but C actually prefers Danny's books to his!) this is a christmas corker that's even better than an ugly christmas sweater in the 'coolness' stakes. 

Our Booky Advent Calendar Day 6 entry isn't really that festive or Christmassy, but we couldn't resist including a new Albie adventure in our yuletide roundup (and isn't snow a bit more festive than the drizzle we're likely to get around the 25th?)

Here's "How to Ride a Polar Bear" by Caryl Hart and Ed Eaves.

When Albie and his mum go to the museum, Albie has no idea what is in store for him. He know that museums are fusty and dusty and full of smelly things, but what he doesn't expect are igloos, wolves and a real life polar bear!

Here's an awesome Booky Advent Calendar book that comfortably covers two holidays, as it'd also be great for Halloween as well as Christmas.

"Jingle Spells" by James Brown is the fab little story of Trixie the Witch.

Trixie’s friends think she’s batty as a vampire, so she needs Santa’s help to spread the Christmas joy.

But when she visits Lapland HQ, Santa is nowhere to be seen, the elves’ shelves are empty and ALL WITCHES are on the Naughty List!

Luckily, Trixie knows a spell or two that just might save Christmas for everyone.

Join Trixie, Rudy the cat, LOTS of elves and witches . . . and even Santa himself in this beautifully illustrated picture book by James Brown.

Are you counting down the days yet? We most certainly are!

Trixie is such an adorable character, and we love all the cool little details in James' illustrations.

Gotta love a Halloween-Christmas Mash-up!

"Jingle Spells" by James Brown is out now, published by Simon and Schuster Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).