Children and their families are welcome to gather on the mat in our cosy kid’s room to listen to three stories read by our brilliant children’s booksellers Marina and Kasey at 10am each Monday.

Reading a book is one of the loveliest ways to spend time by yourself, but reading together is a joy shared! We look forward to seeing you there.

Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo by Philippa Leathley

On her tenth birthday, as all children in her world do, Meticulous Jones receives her fate in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. While she hopes for an extraordinary fate and destiny, what she receives isn’t exactly what she had in mind. Her father’s disappearance a year later rips her from all that she knows and thrusts her into the magical world of New London where adventure and friendship abound and danger lurks at every corner. Magic, shadowy organisations and a strong and capable protagonist are everything that we love! This one is for you if you love the Nevermoor series, The Mysterious Benedict Society or The Midwatch.

Kasey

Meet Rosie

Our brilliant convenor of Chapter & Ink, Rosie loves picking books that will challenge, thrill and excite. Rosie studies at uni, works in fashion and listens to Taylor Swift.

Favourite Book of All Time: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I even chose to study it at school and I still somehow love it. 

Favourite Literary Character: Marianne from Normal People or Harold from A Little Life - I can’t choose! 

Favourite Food: Either pho or sushi! I went to Vietnam when I was younger and had pho for breakfast two weeks straight. 

A Little Fun Fact: I read the Harry Potter books so much when I was younger that the cover has fallen off on each and every one. 

INK & CHAPTER BOOK CLUB

This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern

Margot McGovern's homage to 90s horror films and final girls will keep you on the edge of your seat. Four girls share a cabin on their school retreat - in an abandoned town where the ghost of Smiling Jack is known to haunt the isolated campers. Shelley is the new girl with her own haunted past. Mack made things awkward by kissing her best friend. Priya thinks she's ready to take the next step with her boyfriend. Raffi has a flair for drama, and convinces them all to hold a seance. But when you call on the darkness, sometimes the darkness replies . . . 'Powerful, heartbreaking, hair-raising and absolutely terrifying. This feminist ode to the 90s slasher films is twisty, clever and frightening from beginning to end.' AMY DOAK, bestselling author of Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer.

THE MATILDA SOCIETY BOOK CLUB

Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton

From the bestselling author of The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton's Hidden Treasure is the phenomenal page-turning story of two children whose lives collide when they find an ancient treasure with the power to return to them the most precious thing they have ever lost.

For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back. Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo's dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which - when the pieces are reunited - holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost. But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now?

For fans of Katherine Rundell and Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, Hidden Treasure is a classic in the making, with a rip-roaring plot, spine-tingling twists and an unforgettable cast of characters.

MAGICAL MINDS BOOK CLUB

The Green Kingdom by Cornelia Funke

Caspia's summer is transformed when she discovers a bundle of letters containing ten botanical riddles in this enchanting adventure. Twelve-year-old Caspia hates big cities, especially one as busy as New York. So she isn't thrilled by the news that her parents are taking her to stay in Brooklyn. It's summer-devouring bad luck! But everything changes when Caspia discovers a bundle of letters, hidden in an old chest of drawers. They belonged to two sisters who lived there long ago. Each letter contains a 'green' riddle, with clues leading to a different plant. Caspia sets out to solve the riddles and, as she does, she meets friends she could never have imagined and discovers that anywhere can feel like home, if you are just brave enough to put down new roots.

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