@stephenjdilley.bsky.social
English teacher & HoD, bookworm, UKLA Book Awards team, Branford Boase Awards 2026 judge, Just Imagine reviewer, primary school governor and very amateur musician. All views my own.
51. The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King by Harry Trevaldwyn
Final book on the #BranfordBoase Award longlist - a laugh-out-loud funny queer romantic comedy with a flawed but lovable narrator and a totally believable self-absorbed narrative voice.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social
50. Odd Girl Out by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid
Powerful and illuminating YA novel from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist, exploring identity, belonging and Islamophobia through the experiences of a 16-year-old girl who moves from Dubai to Essex.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social @dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social
49. The Doughnut Club by @krahim.bsky.social
Sweet and heart-warming story from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist which sensitively explores the experiences of donor families and children.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social @nosycrow.bsky.social
48. Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
Re-read for book club - Heiny writes the best sentences and offers more laughs per page than almost any writer I can think of, but this is also a beautifully warm and poignant novel.
Last chance to support #ReadItForward today! Stock up on great books and support @booktrust.org.uk & @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social with @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social π#booksky
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47. Gloam by Jack Mackay
Brilliant middle-grade horror story from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist - genuinely TERRIFYING but full of bravery and heart too.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social @rocktheboatnews.bsky.social
Looking through some old PowerPoint slides to prepare for a workshop in a couple of weeks, I came across this - which I rather like
27.02.2026 16:57 β π 2 π 1 π¬ 1 π 0I like this too - gets to the heart of what is important when teaching fiction, similar to our more recent discussions about the fiction effect.
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Love Forms - Claire Adam Flashlight - Susan Choi Cape Fever - Nadia Davids The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - Kiran Desai The Benefactors - Wendy Erskine Chosen Family - Madeleine Gray The Pretender - Jo Harkin Minbak - Ela Lee A Family Matter - Claire Lynch A Guardian and a Thief - Megha Majumdar Ripeness - Sarah Moss Celestial Lights - Cecile Pin Endling - Maria Reva Good People - Patmeena Sabit Jamaica Road - Lisa Smith A Private Man - Stephanie Sy-Quia
I'm very excited about the #WomensPrize for Fiction longlist announcement next Wednesday. Here are 16 books I've read and loved in the last year which I hope will make it!
@womensprize.bsky.social
Applications to become a Teacher Judge for the UKLA 2027 Book Awards are now open! This year we're looking for teachers within travelling distance of MANCHESTER!
Interested? Follow the link to find out more.
ukla.org/ukla-book-aw...
46. Gone for Good by @sarahcrossan.bsky.social
Another superb offering from the doyenne of YA verse novels - this is a psychological thriller inspired by America's Troubled Teen industry that will be hugely popular with teenage readers.
45. As If by Isabel Waidner
Bizarre, surreal novel about two doppelgΓ€ngers who swap lives with each other which explores identity, performance and the roles we all play. The novel is rather fittingly set in and around the confusingly labyrinthine Barbican Estate.
44. Your Life Without Me by James Meek
A strange, beguiling and engrossing novel which is ostensibly about an attempt to blow up St Paul's Cathedral but is primarily a devastatingly sad and tender family drama about loss and silence. Read in a single sitting and will definitely stay with me!
And secondly, this beautiful reinvention of Time Stands Still by @nicomuhly.com, sung by the wonderful Iestyn Davies with the Aurora Orchestra: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8ao...
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In (slightly belated) honour of the John Dowland 400th anniversary, here are two of my favourite versions of his music.
Firstly, phenomenal recorder pyrotechnics in this rendition of Can She Excuse My Wrongs by the Vivid Consort: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9U...
43. Minbak by Ela Lee
A stunning and riveting novel about the choices and sacrifices made by three generations of Korean women, alternating between South Korea in 1985 and London in 2008.
42: To Exist As I Am: A Doctor's Notes on Recovery and Radical Acceptance by @gracespencegreen.bsky.social
Another excellent title from the #WomensPrize for Non-Fiction longlist - a powerful and honest account of the author's experiences of disability.
@womensprize.bsky.social
41. A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello
A reflective and poignant novel in which a 45-year-old woman from Ireland looks back on her past decisions and relationships and the effect these have had on her. The novel includes interesting explorations of Islam and of Jungian psychology.
40. Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska
Longlisted for the #WomensPrize for Non-Fiction, this is a fascinating, compelling and moving history of Paris before, during and after WW2 telling the story of one hotel and three different groups of exiles.
@womensprize.bsky.social
39. Shadow Thieves by @peterburnsauthor.bsky.social
Terrific adventure story from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist - brilliant world-building, death-defying escapades, genuine emotion and written with such swagger and brio.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social @farshorebooks.bsky.social
Not necessarily for assemblies, but all of these picturebooks have something to offer secondary readers as well as primary.
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38. The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni
Compelling YA fairy romantasy from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist drawing on Welsh history and folklore in very interesting and original ways.
37. Grumpfort by Jamie Hammond
Entertaining adventure story for younger readers from the
#BranfordBoase Award longlist, featuring the world's worst monster hunter and some very cute and silly monsters, with a lovely message about learning to embrace our differences.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social
36. Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread by Penny Boxall
A fun historical adventure from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist in which a foundling girl embarks on her own Grand Tour through 18th Century Europe in order to outwit a master forger!
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social
35. The Misadventures of Mina Mahmood: School Trip by Farhana Islam, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh
Highly entertaining story from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist with some hilarious dialogue and great representation of diverse voices
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social @farshorebooks.bsky.social
34. Marty Moose: First-Class Mischief by Claire Powell
Laugh-out-loud funny chapter book for younger readers from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist, following a day in the life of an eager young postmouse, with delightful illustrations!
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social
33. The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren
Cleverly plotted YA romantasy from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist with an intriguing premise - how would you avoid having your heart broken if your life depended on it?
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social
32. Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin
A haunting and thought-provoking novel about space exploration and the human cost of ambition, narrated by an astronaut on a ten-year mission to Europa. Beautifully restrained writing that often reminded me of Ishiguro.
31. The Girl Who Raced the World by Nat Harrison
An exciting and highly assured retelling of Jules Verne's classic from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist in which an orphan girl joins Phileas Fogg and Passepartout on their journey around the world in 80 days.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social
30. Run Away With Me by J. L. Simmonds
A propulsive YA page-turner from the #BranfordBoase Award longlist - an American road trip thriller with two great heroines and a touching sapphic romance at its heart.
@branfordboaseaward.bsky.social