For those that don’t know, Tom Fletcher first stepped onto the children’s books scene with the incredibly successful The Dinosaur That Pooped series with fellow McFly bandmate Dougie Poynter. Thanks to his cheeky humour and unforgettable characters, Tom quickly became a firm favourite of little ones, and his latter books – The Christmasaurus, There’s a Monster in your Book and The Creakers – have cemented Tom as an author with an enormous imagination who never fails to make kids laugh.
Tom has always been passionate about getting more kids reading, which is why he’s picked ten brilliant books to recommend to kids as part of his very first book club. The books are aimed at 7-11 year olds and include stories for a variety of reading abilities to make sure there’s something for everyone.
Commenting on the launch, Tom said, “I am delighted to be announcing my second book club with WHSmith. That’s right, it’s round two…BOOK CLUB – THE SEQUEL, BIGGER, BOLDER…BOOKIER (yes that’s a made up word!). As a parent I know how challenging it can be to identify the right books and how rewarding it can be when you do find the right fit. So I’ve selected ten brilliant books that I think tick all the boxes and will get your kids eyeballs away from those screens and into some great stories! I hope they’ll find their imaginations fuelled by the book club books and feel inspired to start writing and creating stories themselves.”
Alastair Aldous, WH Smith Books Business Unit Director, added: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the second Tom Fletcher Book Club, just in time for half term. The Book Club features ten children’s books that Tom has chosen for their humour, adventure and imagination. Tom Fletcher is one of the UK’s bestselling authors for children and his recent World Book Day Book Brain Freeze hit number one in the UK book charts. Tom’s passion for reading, combined with these ten fantastic stories, will ensure even more young readers get involved in our Book Club, get away from their screens, and enjoy a book this summer!”
And so to kick off the second Tom Fletcher Book Club, we have announced the 10 new titles chosen for book club 2 below. Click through the titles to find downloadable activity packs and lesson plans for schools as well as Tom’s very funny reviews and exclusive video content.
Below you can find Tom’s video introducing the first book club and the ten books he’d picked last September, and has even written a song performed in our very own Watford store.
I Swapped my Brother on the Internet by Jo Simmons and Nathan Reed
Everyone has dreamed of being able to get rid of their brother or sister at one time or another – but for Jonny, the dream is about to become a reality!
Jo Simmons began as a journalist. Jo lives in Brighton with her husband, two boys and a scruffy formerly Romanian street dog.
Nathan Reed has been a professional illustrator since graduating from Falmouth College of Arts in 2000. When he’s not illustrating he can be found with his two boys and a football on Peckham Rye Common
The Chocolate Factory Ghost by David O’Connell and Claire Powell
Archie McBudge must go on a delicious mystery full of weird clues, strange creatures, malevolent relatives and lots and lots of SWEETS!
David O’Connell is a writer and illustrator from South London. He likes stories about magic and monsters, especially if they’re silly monsters, and loves making comics too. His favourite sweets are fizzy cola bottles.
Claire Powell is an illustrator and designer based in London. Her short animation, The Scapegoat, won best short at the British Animation Film Festival in 2015…
Dave Pigeon by Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey
Dave Pigeon needs his story told. How he was attacked by Mean Cat and adopted by Human Lady. And the plan to oust Mean Cat and get permanent access to Human Lady’s biscuit cupboard. It’s a tale of daring, of commitment, of great plans…typed up by his long suffering best friend Skipper.
Swapna Haddow lives in London with her son, husband and Archie the Dog. She spends her time writing, and eating cake
Sheena Dempsey is a children’s author and illustrator who loves to draw animals. She lives in Folkestone with her partner, Mick, and their greyhound Sandy.
Iguana Boy by James Bishop and Rikin Parekh
One boy. One disappointing superpower. Can Dylan tame a bunch of hyper iguanas and come up with a masterful plan to save the WORLD? Yeah, probably … but he’s going to need a MASSIVE cheese pizza.
James Bishop was the runner up in the 2016 ITV Lorraine’s Top Tales competition. Inspired to write a comic-book style superhero book by his vast collection of comic books and by the birth of his newborn baby, James set to work writing about a boy with a rare superpower – Iguana Boy was born. Follow James on Twitter at @bishy14
Rikin Parekh is a children’s book illustrator based in North West London. He has an art degree from Camberwell College of Arts and the University of Westminster. His past jobs include working in a primary school and as a film production illustrator on monster movies. Rikin has a vast collection of comic books and comic art and he LOVES eating pizza … any time, any place! Therefore, you could say Rikin was a match made in pizza heaven for Iguana Boy! Follow Rikin on Twitter at @R1k1n
The 39-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Andy and Terry’s amazing treehouse has thirteen new levels, including a chocolate waterfall you can swim in, a volcano for toasting marshmallows, the world’s scariest roller coaster and a top-secret one that hasn’t even been finished yet! But what good is having all this stuff when Andy and Terry are trying to write their fastest book ever?
Andy Griffiths is Australia’s number one children’s author. He lives in Melbourne and travels around the world meeting fans of his internationally bestselling and award-winning Treehouse series.
Terry Denton is an award-winning writer and illustrator who lives by the beach with his family in Melbourne. He has illustrated over 100 books, including the Horrible Science series and the internationally bestselling Treehouse series.
The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt and Ross Collins
When Mabel Jones accidentally commits ‘The Deed’ she finds herself bundled into a sack and carried off to the pirate ship the Feroshus Maggot. Crewed by the strangest bunch of pirates you’ll ever meet and captained by the dreaded Captain Idryss Ebeneezer Split, the Feroshus Maggot whisks Mabel Jones off on the adventure of a lifetime.
Will Mabbitt is the writer of several illustrated fiction and picture books. He lives with his family somewhere in the south of England.
Eleven-year-old Zach has magical powers, but he’s having trouble controlling them. When a trick goes wrong, and with head mean girl Trisha plotting to bring him down, Zach’s got his work cut out if he’s going to survive year 7 and keep his dreams of becoming a master magician intact.
Zach King is a modern magician, wowing online audiences with his inventive, playful and mind-boggling stop-motion film-making. Every week a video made by Zach is viewed 27 Million times.
Nothing to See Here Hotel by Steven Butler and Steven Lenton
Welcome to The Nothing to See Here Hotel! A hotel for magical creatures, where weird is normal for Frankie Banister and his parents who run the hotel.
Steven Butler is the author of the bestselling The Diary Of Dennis The Menace and The Wrong Pong fiction series.
Steven Lenton works from his studio in London creating an array of charming characters for his picture books. Best known for illustrating the bestselling Shifty McGifty series.
Travels of Ermine Trouble in New York by Jennifer Gray and Elisa Paganelli
Ermine the Determined is off to explore New York. She can’t wait to visit Central Park Zoo, ride in a yellow taxi, and zoom to the top of the Rockefeller building! But when her suitcase is switched, Ermine finds some robbers are hot on her tail…
Ermine: one fabulously funny and furry heroine who can’t help but find adventure wherever she goes. First in a new series from best-selling and award-winning author Jennifer Gray, with gorgeous black and white illustrations from Elisa Paganelli throughout
Timmy Failure: Mistakes were made by Stephan Pastis
The hilarious and ever-optimistic Timmy Failure, and his sidekick polar bear, Total, create chaos as they attempt to make sense of the world in the first book in this series about the world’s greatest detective agency – Failure Inc.
Stephan Pastis is the author-illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Timmy Failure series, as well as the creator of the devoutly followed comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Stephan lives in Northern California, USA.
