WHAT dreadful books lie in wait in children’s schoolbags this year? Find out:
First Readers levels 1-9
Dog has ball! Dog drops ball. Yes says Sam. Aaargh says daddy.
Bear Finds A Friend
Chip the bear is a grumpy loner until he meets Archie the mouse hiding under a leaf from the rain! But can they learn to share? Guaranteed to convince mummy she should churn out this crap herself and make a fortune before lunchtime.
Princess Ponies
Join Madame Sparkle and her troupe of ballet mermaids as they sprinkle magic dust on Arabella the orphan pony’s necklace and have adventures in the land of unicorn centaur pegasus schools.
Great Women Who Built The World
Designed to show you that woman are great and invented stuff a hundred years ago, to counter 11-year-old girls’ growing fascination with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. When you then ask why your daughter loves Florence Nightingale, they say, ‘because she is so pretty.’
The Dark Fighterdom: Harrowing Angels
Brooding teen fantasy set in a dystopian future, full of fights to the death and the universal themes of human existence. Your child now only wears black and insists you call them Shadow Arrow.
Roald Dahl
Finally, great children’s classics, until mummy and daddy are suddenly fielding questions about grotesque violence, human-guzzling giants and vile, evil grandparents and let kids play on their phones instead.