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 immensely excited to announce my book club with WHSmith. There are so many incredible children’s books out there but every child is different and finding the right book is tricky! Get the wrong one and it can turn someone off reading for life and they might end up joining a band or something horrendous like that! So here are ten books that I think are pretty awesome. They range from brilliantly bonkers to heart-warmingly wonderful and I hope there’s a book in this selection that will inspire children whether they are new to reading or fully-fledged bookworms. Happy reading!”
Frankie Adams, WHSmith Books Business Unit Director, added, “We are delighted to launch the new Tom Fletcher Book Club across our stores. By combining the brilliant Tom Fletcher with some of the most fantastic, leading children’s authors we’re confident we will get more kids reading and enjoying books.”
As the book club gets underway, we’ll be sharing Tom’s reviews, extracts from the books, and lots of exclusive bonus content from the authors, including short stories, deleted scenes, author guest posts and much more. We cannot wait to get things started and to hear your thoughts on all the exciting books Tom has chosen.
And so to kick off the very first Tom Fletcher Book Club, Tom has put together a video introducing us all to the ten books he’s picked, and has even written a song performed in our very own Watford store. Watch the full video to find out more about the Book Club, and let us know which book you’re most excited about in the comments box below.
Kid Normal – Greg James and Chris Smith
When Murph Cooper rocks up to his new school several weeks into the beginning of term, he can’t help but feel a bit out of his depth. And it’s not because he’s worried about where to sit, and making friends, and fitting in, or not knowing where the loos are. It’s because his mum has enrolled him at a school for superheroes by mistake. And unlike his fellow students, who can all control the weather or fly or conjure tiny horses from thin air, Murph has no special abilities whatsoever.
But just because you don’t have superpowers, it doesn’t mean you can’t save the day. Let’s hope Murph realises that, and quick – because not far away is a great big bad guy who is half man and half wasp, and his mind is abuzz with evil plans …
A Place Called Perfect – Helena Duggan
Violet never wanted to move to Perfect. Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time?
But Violet quickly discovers there’s something weird going on – she keeps hearing noises in the night, her mum is acting strange and her dad has disappeared.
When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have been stolen away… and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!
Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth – Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Blythes are a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm and sometimes foster children. Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word. Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik. As Prez dithers on the doorstep, Sputnik strolls right past him and introduces himself to everyone in the household. Prez is amazed at the response. It seems they all think Sputnik is a dog. It’s only Prez who thinks otherwise.
But Prez soon finds himself having to defend the family from the chaos and danger unleashed by Sputnik, as household items come to life and Prez is going to have to use his voice to explain himself. It turns out that Sputnik is writing a guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, and he takes Prez on a journey to discover just those ten things. Each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by. But they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever . . .
Clarice Bean, Utterly Me – Lauren Child
Clarice Bean loves reading the adventures of Ruby Redfort, ace girl detective and secret undercover agent. Ruby is always going on exciting missions. Whilst all Clarice gets to do is go to the local shop on her own . . .
But when Clarice and her best friend, Betty Moody, decide to do their school project on the Ruby Redfort books, they suddenly start finding mysteries everywhere. Like why are all the coats on the wrong hooks at school? Where has Grandad disappeared to? And just what is going on in the garden shed?
Darkus is miserable. His dad has disappeared, and now he is living next door to the most disgusting neighbours ever.
A giant beetle called Baxter comes to his rescue. But can the two solve the mystery of his dad’s disappearance, especially when links emerge to cruel Lucretia Cutter and her penchant for beetle jewellery? A coffee-mug mountain, home to a million insects, could provide the answer – if Darkus and Baxter are brave enough to find it.
When Fran the Fabulous Fairy turns up in Tiga Whicabim’s shed to tell her she’s a witch, Tiga doesn’t believe her. Or at least not until Fran points out that TIGA WHICABIM is actually an anagram of I AM A BIG WITCH and magics her away down the drainpipes to compete in Witch Wars – the competition to crown the next Top Witch of Ritzy City.
Filled with silly spells, delectable dresses, ridiculous riddles and a serious shoe problem, Witch Wars is a witch story like no other. Although if you enjoyed The Worst Witch, you’ll love this too!
George and Harold have created a new hero who digs into deception, claws after crooks, and rolls over robbers. When Greg the police dog and his cop companion are injured on the job, a life-saving surgery changes the course of history, and Dog Man is born. With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound has a real nose for justice. But can he resist the call of the wild to answer the call of duty?
This new series from Dav Pilkey may use conventional spelling but it is still full of all the same humour and fun of George and Harold’s previous graphic novels!
You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum! – Andy Stanton
Mr Gum is a complete horror who hates children, animals, fun and corn on the cob. This book’s all about him.
And an angry fairy who lives in his bathtub. And Jake the dog, and a little girl called Polly and an evil, stinky butcher all covered in guts. And there’s heroes and sweets and adventures and EVERYTHING.
My Brother is a Superhero – David Solomons
Luke is a comic-mad eleven-year old who shares a treehouse with his geeky older brother, Zack. Luke’s only mistake is to go for a wee right at the wrong time. While he’s gone, an alien gives his undeserving, never-read-a-comic-in-his-life brother superpowers and then tells him to save the universe.
Luke is massively annoyed about this, but when Zack is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, Luke and his friends have only five days to find him and save the world.
Barry Loser: I Am Not a Loser – Jim Smith
‘I’ve never minded that my name’s Barry Loser because my coolness has always cancelled it out, but ever since Darren Darrenofski joined school with his horrible little crocodile face he’s been completely ruining my life about it.’
Follow Barry as he tries throw off his loserness, take revenge on the terrible Fronkle-burping Darren Darrenofski, and finally becomes a winner.
St Ives Primary in Dorset have started following and reading the WHSmith Tom Fletcher Book Club and we are all so excited to get through the books! Thank you WHSmith and Tom Fletcher for a wonderful idea.