In The Post
Tales by Mail |Reading Recommendations
From a quest to deliver a letter that will save a kingdom, to magical creatures working to retrieve lost mail, this reading list encapsulates the power of the written word in all sorts of ways!
1 | TWELVE MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT BY CHRISTOPHER EDGE:
Thirteen-year-old orphan Penelope Tredwell is the anonymous author of The Penny Dreadful: Victorian England’s most beloved magazine filled with utterly grisly stories – until one letter changes everything. When the governor of Bedlam writes to her, she’s faced with a very strange story indeed: the governor’s patients have been waking up at twelve minutes to midnight, every night, without fail, to write mysterious prophecies. Can Penelope solve this horrifying mystery?
2 | THE LETTER FOR THE KING BY TONKE DRAGT:
Tiuri, a young squire, is tasked with sending a letter to the king on the other side of the mountains – a letter both secret and important enough to change the fortunes of the entire kingdom. He embarks on a long and dangerous journey of utmost importance, with the future of the realm resting on him alone… first published in 1962, this classic Dutch novel has recently become a major Netflix series!
3 | WISHYOUWAS BY ALEXANDRA PAGE:
Penny Black lives a lonely existence in 1950s London, missing her mother and staying with her too-busy uncle at the post office. That is, until, she meets Wishyouwas: a strange little creature that appears to be stealing a letter! Then, Penny discovers the world of the Sorters: overseers of lost mail who live in tunnels under London, ensuring the right letters get to the right people… and avoiding the Royal Mail Rat Catcher!
4 | LETTERS FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE BY EMMA CARROLL:
Twelve-year-old Olive’s life is turned on its head when she and her brother are forced to leave their home in London and be evacuated to a lighthouse in Devon, kept by the solitary Mr Ephraim. Olive works as his post-girl, imagining the letters she passes on to the villagers are secret messages. It becomes not so imaginary, however, when she finds a coded note relating to Sukie, her missing older sister, who seems to be connected to Olive’s new home after all…
5 | THE OTHER SIDE OF TRUTH BY BEVERLEY NAIDOO:
As the young daughter of a journalist who has spoken out against Nigeria’s military regime, Sade’s life is not easy – least of all when her mother is tragically killed. For their safety, Sade and her little brother Femi are sent to England, only for them to swiftly be abandoned at Victoria Station. Having to navigate both the alien environment of London, and what it means to be a refugee, Sade longs for home but finds solace in the memory of her late mother.
For more great reads, sign up for Tales by Mail
Inspire your adventurous reader with a bi-monthly delivery of books, author exclusives, activities and surprises! Choose between a Hatchlings subscription for 5-8 year olds & a Tales by Mail subscription for 8-12 year olds.Click here to view our subscription options...
