Another modern classic from Kate DiCamillo, Raymie Nightingale is a beautiful story about friendship. Raymie’s father has left her and her mother for a dental hygienist and Raymie concocts a foolproof plan to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire Competition so that her picture goes in the paper, her father sees it and returns. But in order to win the competition she needs to do a good deed and learn how to twirl a baton. This is a sweet, fun read that leaves the reader fulfilled and warm, with gentle prose and vivid, interesting characters. The backdrop of Florida in the 1970s is brightly realised in classic Kate DiCamillo style, and overall this is yet another feather for her already full cap of children’s books. I absolutely loved it and it really left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside!

Isobel Moore