The Lonely Lunch Club (Your Next Read Silver) (Maddy Mara, illus Laura Stitzel, Affirm)

The Lonely Lunch Club, written by Maddy Mara and illustrated by Laura Stitzel, is the first title in the Your Next Read Silver series. Benji and Alice both drift to the school’s most neglected bench at lunchtime for their own reasons. Here, they meet Felix, who becomes the third member of the Lonely Lunch Club. When the trio discovers that the bench is about to be removed, they work together to save the home of Mabel, the “alien butt spider” who lives underneath it. This warm and engaging chapter book for readers aged 5 to 8 gently explores themes of loneliness, fitting in with peers and making new friends. Mara’s approachable text is presented in an easy-to-read layout and paired with Stitzel’s simple, text-supportive illustrations that echo the action on the page, making the story easy for emerging readers to follow. A helpful feature of the series is its user-friendly keyword taglines that guide children toward stories they’ll enjoy, such as: “Do you like FRIENDSHIP, SCHOOL and FUNNY STORIES? Then this book is YOUR NEXT READ.” The series, developed by the creators of Your Kid’s Next Read, features short, approachable stories to build reading confidence. Judging by The Lonely Lunch Club, it’s off to a strong start and will be a welcome addition for parents, teachers and librarians who want to support children on their reading journeys.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Sarah Roberts has a background in teaching in the UK and has been working in public libraries in South Australia on Kaurna Land for over 10 years. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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