The Haven
Simon Lelic
Hodder Children’s Books, £7.99
ISBN: 978-1444947601

The Haven is Simon Lelic’s first venture into children’s literature. I gave this book to pupils in my creative writing group and it wasn’t long before I was hit by a stream of superlatives. They all wanted to know if there was going to be a follow-up.

Most felt it was very original and they emphasised that the characters were realistic; almost three dimensional; with one or two twists in the tale.

They all thought it was something that would appeal to upper KS2 and KS3 pupils.

Robert Eves is a teacher at St John’s Green Primary School, Colchester.

The Haven is very attention-grabbing and hooks the reader in. When Simon Lelic describes something, it creates a clear image in the reader’s mind. I would suggest this book to my friends because it is packed with action.

Arhant Ghodeswar, Year 6

A Manifesto for Excellence in Schools
Rob Carpenter
Bloomsbury Education, £19.99 ISBN: 978-1472946348

In this wide-ranging and ambitious book, Rob Carpenter offers an alternative, ultimately more humane approach to school improvement. He provides a vision of school leadership that focuses primarily on people and relationships, rather than systems and structures. It is the story of how two struggling schools came together to form an unlikely partnership to achieve transformational change. Carpenter provides a refreshingly honest account of leading a school that was judged to require special measures within just three weeks of his arrival. He is candid about how vulnerable it made him feel. Anyone interested in school improvement would benefit from reflecting on the core messages that underpin his manifesto.

James Bowen is director of policy at the NAHT heads’ union and director of NAHTEdge