World Book Day Books 2021

Image credit: Worldbookday.com

On 4th March, children all over the world will be dressing up in celebration of World Book Day 2021. Every year, schools hand out £1 vouchers which can be exchanged for a selection of specific books: these are the books on offer this year!

For younger children, the available books are: 

• There's A Wolf In Your Book by Tom Fletcher
• What The Ladybird Heard Story Play by Julia Donaldson
• Gigantosaurus Dino-spot by Jonny Duddle
• Luna Loves World Book Day by Joseph Coelho

The other books are:

1. Skulduggery Pleasant: Apocalypse Kings by Derek Landy

Since 2007 Skulduggery Pleasant has been one of the best-selling children's books, with a 14th book coming out later this year. In this story, three ancient gods are released from prison, with the intent to destroy the planet and everyone on it. To save the world, Skulduggery and Valkyrie Cain go undercover in a school, and must act completely natural. They must blend in like everyone else. After reading the first book in the series, I'm really excited for this one to come out!

2. Planet Omar: Operation Kind by Zanib Mian

One of Omar’s best friends, Daniel, is really worried about his sister Suzy, who has to go into hospital for operations a lot. So Omar, Daniel and their friend Charlie stage a plan: when they find out Suzy’s favourite author is in the UK for one day only, they’re determined to get a signed copy of the book for Suzy! The first book in the Planet Omar series came out in April 2019, and since then another 3 have been published, proving a bestseller with young readers. In 2019, the book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

3. Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

Author of A Good Girl's Guide To Murder (one of my all-time favourite books!), Holly Jackson, has released a brand new book for World Book Day - this time a prequel to her first two novels. Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t in the mood for her friends’ murder mystery party, at which they play a game which involves pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But as they play, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only the thing on Pip’s mind...

4. The River Whale by Sita Brahmachari

One day, Immy hopes to be a marine biologist, and tomorrow she takes the first step towards that goal: completing her entry level certificate in diving. But when she wakes up from a bad dream about a distressed whale, she realises that it wasn’t a dream at all. With the help of her friend Cosmo, can Immy use her diving skills to rescue the trapped whale? Written in a combination of verse and prose, this beautiful story focuses on plastic pollution and the consequences of the environmental crisis.

5. Football School: 20 Fantastic Football Stories by Alexander Bellos and Ben Lyttleton

Find out about 20 major events in football history in this entertaining book by Alexander Bellos and Ben Lyttleton! Stories include the amazing tale of women’s football and the secret of Lionel Messi’s incredible skills on the pitch. This exclusive book for World Book Day follows up the authors’ series Football School, which teach a host of different subjects through football.

6. Little Badman and the Radioactive Samosa by Humza Arshad and Henry White

Humza Khan, AKA Little Badman, and his two friends Umer and Wendy have narrowly dodged being hit by a giant rock from outer-space. What does get hit is a box of samosas, which somehow turn radioactive. The next morning, Humza, Umer and Wendy all wake up to find they have superpowers - in addition to the giant hamsters roaming around town. Can Little Badman save the day?

7. Protect The Planet by Jess French

Environmentalist Jess French shows how crucial protecting our world is in her new book Protect The Planet. She explains how no matter how small, you can make a difference, and that caring for yourself, others and the universe could have a huge impact. The colourful pages are really engaging for children, and I loved the illustrations from Aleesha Nandhra! 

8. Skysteppers by Katherine Rundell

Above the streets of Paris live the Rooftoppers, a secret gang of children who live among the chimneys. For Matteo and Mercedes, the excitement is only just beginning: they are caught up in a feud which threatens their existence, and set off on a hunt for treasure across the roofs of Paris and Versailles.

All in all, I think World Book Day is a great way to discover new books, and I love how it gives all children a chance to read and enjoy a book. There’s something for everyone, from fact to fiction, sci-fi to fantasy. Happy World Book Day!

Images Credit: Worldbookday.com