Tom Tolkien

School Reading List

Arts EN ↓ 44 episodes

The School Reading List Podcast - presented by Tom Tolkien. In each episode, we recommend new and classic children's and young adult books.

Author

Tom Tolkien

Episodes

Episode 43 - What happens when children spend the book budget? 30.06.2026 47:07

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 43 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-43/ Part 1 Book post Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller by Amelia Tait Pop-Up Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell Bart is Different by Barroux Biguana: And His Best Friend Pinto by Michael Parkin Again! said Rabbit by...

Episode 42 - How to ensure reading can be unlocked by things children and teens already love 31.05.2026 51:43

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 42 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-42/ Part 1 Book post A Sister Like You by Sarah Hagger-Holt Nature is the Answer by Chris Packham Koroba: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn A Holiday for Bear by Duncan Beedie Ug Want Hug by Nancy Leschnikoff Seahor...

Episode 41 - Will the government's new reading assessments undermine the National Year of Reading? 30.04.2026 36:24

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 41 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-41/ Part 1 Book post Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy How to Question Everything by Susan Martineau and Vicky Barker The Dream by Gideon Sterer and Nik Henderson Camping in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland We Can Be Mermaids by...

Episode 40 - How to spot which books will appeal to 14-16+ year olds based on social media trends 26.03.2026 41:14

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 40 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-40/ Part 1 Book post I Am Ray's Imaginary Friend by Brian Moses Locked in the Museum by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe Mo's Stick by Fiona Lumbers Tick Tock Around the Clock by Ruth Brown Sea Safari by Julie Sykes and Emily J...

Episode 39 - “Only 10% of boys aged 14-16 read daily for pleasure.” 28.02.2026 50:31

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 39 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-39/ Part 1 Book post Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya Insectarium Junior Edition by Emily Carter and Dave Goulson When Tad Kicked Vlad by Julian Gough and Ross Collins Don't Do It, Doug by Maudie Powell-Tuck I Am Str...

Episode 38 - How Book Censorship Creeps into UK Schools and How to Respond 30.01.2026 42:32

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 38 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-38/ Part 1 Book post Small Poems for Big Imaginations by Neal Zetter, illustrated by Will Hughes How to Survive an Apocalypse by Coby Coonradt and Cameron Hardy, illustrated by Victoria Stebleva Tree Thing by Piers Torday, ill...

Episode 37 - How author visits benefit schools and reading for pleasure 30.12.2025 50:17

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 37 For transcripts, resources & show notes: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-37/ Part 1 Book post Hot Food Nice! by Michael Rosen What If Every Volcano Erupted at Once? by Emma Young Snow by Meera Trehan The Turtle Who Turned the Tide by Rachel Bright and Jim Field Harmony House by Monika Singh Gangotr...

Episode 36 - Using AI to help students with difficult GCSE set books and exam comprehensions 31.10.2025 36:44

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 36 For transcripts, resources & show notes, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-36/ Part 1 Book post Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen All About Antarctica by Marc Martin To Activate Space Portal Lift Here by Antoinette Portis The Bear Who Wanted to Dance by Stephanie Stansbie Squirrel and Bird b...

Episode 35 - A library in every primary: what £10m means 01.10.2025 47:13

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 35 For transcripts, resources & show notes, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-35/ Part 1 Book post Everything Amplified by Sarah Lippett and Ziggy Hanaor The Incredible Pop-up Frog by Ben Hoare Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury The Cave Downwind of the Café by Mikey Pleas...

Episode 34 - Books that rival screens and social media 31.08.2025 43:50

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 34 For transcripts & show notes see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-34/ Part 1 Book post Gloam by Jack Mackay There Are Amphibians Everywhere by Britta Teckentrup The Museum of Shapes by Sven Volker How to Catch an Idea by Forest Xiao The Coming of the Iron Man by Ted Hughes My Brother Is a Tiger by J...

Episode 33 - The UK National Year of Reading 2026 01.08.2025 34:34

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 33 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-33/ Part 1 Book post Super Goat Girl by Tracey Baptiste, illustrated by Dapo Adeola Domain by Rohan Gavin Dinosaur Desert: A Prehistoric Journey of Discovery by Dr Nick Crumpton Go Go Dodo! by Huw Lewis Jone...

Episode 32 - What are picture books, and why are they useful? 29.06.2025 41:13

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 32 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-32/ Part 1 Book post Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue The Great Pollination Investigation by Deborah Hocking Snarky Sharky by Bethan Clarke, illustrated by Nikolas Ilic I Hear the Trees by Zaro Weil Carnival...

Episode 31 - How reading between the ages of 11 and 16 can help teens get better jobs 30.05.2025 35:42

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 31 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-31/ Part 1 Book post A Flash of Neon by Sophie Cameron Volcano by Claire Saxby & Jess Racklyeft I’m going to make a friend by Darren Chetty & Sandhya Prabhat The Man Who Loved Libraries by Andrew Lar...

Episode 30 - Why Investing in Your School Library Can Boost Your School Inspection Grade 29.04.2025 33:36

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 30 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-30/ Part 1 Book post Under a Fire-Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean Our Tree by Jessica Meserve We are All Animals by Ben Hoare and Christopher Lloyd, illustrated by Mark Ruffle Real-life Mysteries: Tales of...

Episode 29 - Do Children Read More Than We Think? 31.03.2025 39:40

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 29 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-29/ Part 1 Book post Mr Norton's New Hat by Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert Into the Ice: Reflections on Antarctica by Alison Lester & Coral Tulloch Please Don't Read the Footnotes Please by R...

Episode 28 - Is It Time To Rethink Dressing-Up For World Book Day? 01.03.2025 43:22

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 28 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-28/ Part 1 Book post Diary Of A Future Billionaire by Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Wotto Surviving Vesuvius by Christopher Harrisson, illustrated by Beth Waters Paloma Flies Away by María J. Guarda I Real...

Episode 27 - Why teaching discrete subjects encourages reading for pleasure 31.01.2025 36:39

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 27 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-27/ Part 1 Book post Loverboy by Ben Tomlinson One Day: A True Story of Courage and Survival in the Holocaust by Michael Rosen and Benjamin Phillip The Really Beautiful Thing by Frances Tosdevin Guardians of...

Episode 26 - Why Discount Book Packs Are a Bad Deal for Schools 01.01.2025 35:30

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 26 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-26/ Part 1 Book post A Symphony of Stories by James Mayhew 2025 Children's Almanac by Collins Kids Traitors in Space: A Pick-Your-Own-Path Adventure by Tim Collins My Name is a Gift by Zeshan Akhter My...

Episode 25 - What Are We Reading For? 30.10.2024 45:47

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 25 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-25/ Part 1 Book post The Snowman Code by Simon Stephenson Can We Live on Mars? by Giles Sparrow Family by Patricia Hegarty, illustrated by Britta Teckentrup Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee We Can! by Alexa...

Episode 24 - Why DuckDuckGo is best for book searches 01.10.2024 46:40

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 24 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-24/ Part 1 Book post The Boy in the Suit by James Fox First Big Book of How by Sally Symes Serena and Laloolee Fly Away by Rosemary Clunie Clive Penguin by Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders Ivy Newt and the Va...

Episode 23 - Should mobile phones be banned in schools? 03.09.2024 38:53

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 23 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-23/ Part 1 Book post Sisters of the Moon by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick A Celebration of Evolution by William Spring Gina Kaminski Rescues the Giant by Craig Barr-Green, illustrated by Francis Martin Countdown...

Episode 22 - What to read in the summer holidays 01.08.2024 35:47

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 22 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-22/ Part 1 Book post The Virtue Season by L.M. Nathan Move, Mr Mountain! by Francesca Sanna Lifesize Ocean Animals by Sophy Henn Doggy Dance Off by Steve Smallman Becoming Brave by Jennie Cashman Wilson Watt...

Episode 21 - 2024 election and literacy: what are the main parties promising? 24.06.2024 33:29

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 21 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-21/ Part 1 Book post Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial by Kieran Larwood Galápagos Islands by Karen Romano Young, illustrated by Amy Grimes You Got This! by Rachael Davis Natterjack Toad Can't Believe It! by...

Episode 20 - Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) 31.05.2024 40:47

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 20 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-20/ Part 1 Book post Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing by Tanya Goodin Old Oak and the Wild Flowers by Elena Mannion and Erin Brown Where’s Mog? by Judith Kerr...

Episode 19 - Choosing children's books: how do adults pick new children's books? 30.04.2024 38:53

School Reading List podcast hosted by Tom Tolkien Season 1: Episode 19 For transcripts, resources, show notes and contact details, see https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/podcasts/series-1-episode-19/ Part 1 Book post Serena and the Little Blue Dog by Rosemary Clunie Moving Up: How to Ace Secondary School by Christian Foley Champ by Payam Ebrahimi and Reza Dalvand Pink Trucks by Sam Clarke Heavy Metal...