Weekly Round-up 4th June 2026
- Anna Bond
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Hi Everyone,
Our summer reading list has arrived - ready to print, share with families, and keep reading momentum strong right through the holidays. It’s designed to make end-of-term planning easier while giving children real choice over what they read next.
In this edition, you’ll also find fresh KS2 recommendations like 'The Great Phoenix of London' and 'The Whisperwicks: The Vanished Key', our Pride booklist, our June book giveaway, key dates for the month, and a quick introduction to Matt, our Tech Lead, who helps power Pageticker behind the scenes.
Happy reading,
Nicola, Founder
“Empowering children to select their own books feeds their
self-esteem as readers and decision makers.” (Miller & Sharp, 2018)
Handpicked Suggestion
Our weekly handpicked suggestion for this week is The Great Phoenix of London by Lindsay Galvin. We’d recommend this book for children aged 9+.
When fire engulfs the city, eleven-year-old Gil is torn from his family. Left clutching only a strange stone that fell from the sky.
But this stone isn’t a stone at all. Instead, it’s a mythical bird's egg. And some will do anything to claim the legendary phoenix inside…
We loved the blend of history and mythology in this book.
Notable New Release
This week’s notable new release is the third in the Whisperwicks trilogy. The Whisperwicks: The Vanished Key by Jordan Lees, illustrated by Vivienne To. We’d recommend this book for pupils aged 8+. For this series, we recommend pre-reading the book, as the content can be a little scary for some children.
In this book, Manfred Tarr, the dark magus, is hunting for a long-lost key, one that can unleash terrible darkness on the world.
Benjamiah, together with his friends, embarks on a quest to find the legendary three sisters. Their journey leads them into the heart of the Weird Wood, filled with ragwitches and root folk, and towards a final battle that will determine the fate of Wreathenworld.
This book is a great choice for fantasy lovers, particularly fans of the Skandar series.
Upcoming Dates
June - Pride Month (see our booklist below)
5 June - World Environment Day
6 June - D-Day
11 June - Football World Cup begins
6-14 June - Great Big Green Week
8 June - World Ocean Day
22 June - Windrush Day
24 June - International Fairy Day
29 June-12 July - Wimbledon Fortnight
30 June - Asteroid Day
Take a look at the events for the National Year of Reading
Pageticker Booklist - Pride Month
This Pride Month, we're celebrating the books that help children understand themselves, each other, and the wonderfully diverse world around them. Whether the child is curious, questioning, or simply ready for a brilliant story, there's something on this list for them, because every reader deserves a book that makes them feel at home in who they are. 🌈
Pageticker Resources - New Resource Available
We’ve put together a ready‑made summer reading list you can use straight away - no planning, no extra workload, and plenty of choice to help children find books they actually want to read once term ends. Just click the button below to access the PDF.
May Giveaway winner announced!
Congratulations to Flanderwell Primary School in Rotherham for winning our May book giveaway! We hope your pupils enjoy exploring the latest additions in your brand-new library.
June Giveaway is open:
This month we have a selection of eight fantastic books for your school to win! Enter using the button below, the winner will be randomly selected. Good luck!
This giveaway closes on the 26th June 2026 (12 p.m. BST). Full T&Cs here.
Pageticker Spotlight - Insights from our data
This week, we’re introducing Matt Hooper. Matt is our Tech Lead and has been part of Pageticker since day one, helping to build it from its earliest stages. Matt makes sure the dashboard and app run seamlessly and is constantly thinking about new features and functionality to make things even better for our users.
At home, he’s a proud dad to two little ones and now knows more about picture books than he ever imagined possible!
“We like being able to explore other books we might read with our son
and scanning in the ones he has read” - Parent, App Store Review
Book a Demo
If you’d like to see Pageticker in action, you can book a short demo. In 20–30 minutes, we’ll walk you through how teachers track reading at home and in class, how families use the free app, and what the data looks like for reading leads and SLT. It’s also a chance for you to ask questions.
Pageticker is the UK's top-rated digital reading diary designed to help children develop habits that will fuel their curiosity and learning for life. Find out more.
Have a great week,
The Pageticker Team