Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
Best books for kids who love comics
Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin & Giovanni Rigano
(£10.99, Hodder)
Media coverage of the plight of refugees is at an all-time, high, but is hard to find reading material suitable to use in the classroom that explores this issue sensitively and with context. Illegal does: telling the story of one boy's epic journey to Europe, it portrays the scope of the refugee crisis in such a powerful way and will resonate with readers of 10+. Moving and thought-provoking, you won't find another comic book like this.
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Hilda and the Troll by Luke Pearson
(£7.99, Flying Eye)
Suitable both for younger and older readers! Hilda is an strong-minded, energetic character who is at one with nature. When fantasy and imagination collide in a world populated by an equally creative cast of supporting characters, her adventures are about to begin... If you enjoy this first book in the Hilda series (which you might even more than your children!), you'll be happy to hear there's a Netflix series in the works, too.
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
(£7.99, Puffin)
Astrid is always hand-in-hand with her best friend Nicole; they do everything together. So imagine Astrid's surprise when she falls in love with something that is the complete opposite of what Nicole wants to do: roller derby. Will she go it alone and manage to stay on her feet or will she keep crashing down? An energising graphic novel that shows that you can do anything if you just believe in yourself.
El Deafo by Cece Bell
(£8.99, Amulet)
Author Cece Bell became deaf at the age of four. This graphic novel. suitable for both younger and older readers. chronicles her struggles with fitting in at school and the way that everybody makes a fuss of her hearing aids. It shows her triumphs, too, and is a great read about what makes us different from each other and what we have in common. Heartwarming, compelling and full of empathy, this should be on every bookshelf at home and in school.
Lost Tales (The Phoenix Presents) by Adam Murphy & Lisa Murphy
(£8.99, David Fickling Books)
This is like a world atlas of comic book tales, myths, fables and folk tales combined in a one-of-a-kind collection. As thought-provoking, intriguing and guaranteed to spark lots of interesting discussions.
Bunny vs. Monkey: Let the Mayhem Begin (The Phoenix Presents) by Jamie Smart
(£8.99, David Fickling Books)
Think comic books are all full of superheroes saving people and lots of action? Think again! Think FUNNY, because Bunny vs. Monkey is a wildly brilliant zipwire in to a world of mayhem. Children will be itching to try more from these publishers, The Phoenix, who produce some of the best comics in the business.
Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez Gomez
(£14.99, Nobrow)
Illustration in a comic book doesn't come any finer than this. It's the first thing that'll catch your eye when you open this stunning book (and you may never want to close it again). A true thing of beauty, Nightlights is the story of Sandy who creates creatures from the stars she catches outside her window and recreates them the next day in her drawings. That is until the day when Morphie, who knows more about Sandy's drawings than anyone else, arrives... A (sometimes creepy!) visual feast.
Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd Stanton
(£12.99, Flying Eye)
From the brilliantly successful stable of illustrator Joe Todd Stanton (Arthur and the Golden Rope, The Secret of Black Rock) comes a sequel story. With Arthur now a famous adventurer, it falls upon his daughter Marcy to follow in his footsteps – but does she have the desire to want to explore? When her father doesn't return from one of his own explorations, it's up to her to go and find him – but can she rescue him?
Can I Build Another Me? by Shinsuke Yoshitake
(£8.95, Thames and Hudson)
My absolute favourite on this list: aunique look at life in comic-book style. Wanting to not do his chores, the child in this book sets out to find a robot who will, but there's one catch – the robot doesn't know what makes him, him! From his likes and dislikes to the smaller details like what he thinks his dog thinks about him, the child shares information about himself. Recently used in the first week of a new school year to help to get to know the children in my class better, this is a book that's enhanced by lots of discussion and will get children talking in the most fascinating ways. You won't look at each other the same way again!
Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo
(£7.99, Orion)
Tintin in the Land of the Soviets by Hergé
(£8.99, Egmont)
There can't be a list of best books for kids who love comics that doesn't include two of the most iconic comic books for children there have ever been! Introduce your children to the classics with Asterix and Tintin and watch them become obsessed!
Flash Facts by Mayim Bialik
(£7.99, DC Comics)
Comics don't have to be pure fiction! We love this anthology of science stories which demonstrate various STEM principles through the exploits of Batman, the Flash, Supergirl, Cyborg and more DC Super Heroes, and was guided by educational experts to ensure scientific accuracy.
