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Stephen Dilley

@stephenjdilley.bsky.social

360 followers 350 following 290 posts

English teacher & HoD, bookworm, UKLA Book Awards team, Just Imagine reviewer, primary school governor and very amateur musician. All views my own.

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · Jan 3

2025 books read:
1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Varghese
This month's Church Times Book Club pick - an epic family saga set in Kerala over eight decades. Intricately plotted and full of fascinating historical and medical detail.

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 1d

194. The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell
The second instalment in the Impossible Creatures trilogy is just as full of wonder, wit and wisdom as all her previous books - a magnificent read!
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 3d

193. Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
Beautifully written coming-of-age novel set in Jamaica for older teenagers, powerfully examining sexuality and differences in language and culture.

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 5d

192. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, illustrated by Akhran Girmay
Powerful co-authored novel which builds empathy and understanding by exploring racial prejudice and police brutality in America from two perspectives.

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 5d

The Climbers by Keith Gray is one of the most perfectly plotted stories I have ever read - and I've also loved Barrington Stoke titles by Katya Balen and Anthony McGowan.
Read Between the Lies by Malcolm Duffy offers a brilliant exploration of dyslexia.

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 6d

Today is #NationalPoetryDay but also exactly one year since my lovely mum Dr Sally Dilley died, so here are two of my favourite poems about mothers, shared with great love and gratitude.

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 7d

191. Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
One of my favourite YA reads of 2025 - this audaciously brilliant dystopian novel tells a deeply compelling and unsettling story which explores major political issues.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here:
justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 10d

190. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
A wonderfully idiosyncratic coming-of-age novel set in a Mennonite community with a highly distinctive narrative voice.

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 12d

Lots of my favourites have already been mentioned but here are a few that I have loved!

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 15d

Lovely to be at the announcement ceremony and thrilled to have three in common with the judges from this exceptional longlist - well done to all the shortlisted authors and special hurrahs for Flashlight, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, and The Land in Winter!

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 15d

Announcement due very soon…

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 15d

Very excited to be en route to the @southbankcentre.bsky.social for the live Booker Prize shortlist announcement! My top 6 were:
Endling
Flashlight
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Seascraper
Love Forms
The Land in Winter

But lots of other strong contenders too!

The Booker Prizes @thebookerprizes.com · 15d

📣 It's Booker Prize 2025 shortlist day!!!

A reminder to join our livestream from 7:30pm BST / 2:30pm EDT / 12am IST using this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6VO...

The Booker Prize 2025 Shortlist Announcement: Live Stream

YouTube video by Southbank Centre

www.youtube.com

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 16d

Have read Helm too and liked that as well. Endling and Flashlight are my top two from the longlist - looking forward to the shortlist announcement tomorrow!

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 16d

The Benefactors in particular is superb!

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 16d

189. Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
A gripping and hard-hitting thriller exposing the mistreatment of Native American children in foster care who have been taken away from their communities.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 16d

188. Under the London Sky by Anna Woltz, translated by @michehut.bsky.social
Another powerful story for KS3 readers weaving together untold stories from the Blitz.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...
@rocktheboatnews.bsky.social

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Reposted by Stephen Dilley

English and Media Centre @engmediacentre.bsky.social · 16d

So much fun researching a course. These for Bringing the Fiction Effect into Classrooms on 6/11 with me & @stephenjdilley.bsky.social . Cogsci suggests exploratory approaches best for English if we want learning to exploit how literature acts on the mind www.englishandmedia.co.uk/courses/e84d...

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 22d

Huge congratulations to @louis-p-hill.bsky.social @clarakiyoko.bsky.social @louisareid.bsky.social @bconaghanauthor.bsky.social @whusseyauthor.bsky.social @philipreeve.bsky.social and all our amazing longlisted authors!

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 22d

So incredibly proud of these incredible longlists (particularly the 11-14+ list which once again formed the bulk of the last few months' reading) and looking forward to working with our amazing teacher judges in Glasgow as they read and share these books with their classes!

UKLA @uklitassociation.bsky.social · 22d

Your 2026 UKLA Book Awards Longlists are here - the only national children’s book awards judged by teachers!

This year they feature books in translation, past winners, exciting debuts and a huge range of genres and themes.

Click here to see the full Longlists: ukla.org/ukla-book-aw...

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 24d

187. Role Model by Elle McNicoll
Another great middle-grade read about the toxic side of being held up as an 'inspirational' autistic role model - engaging and thought-provoking.
Read my review for @justimaginecentre.bsky.social here: justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 25d

I haven’t read them all (just the school ones plus Ready Made Family) but came to them thanks to Lucy Mangan’s description of them in Bookworm. Have really enjoyed them and will revisit!

Reposted by Stephen Dilley

UKLA @uklitassociation.bsky.social · 25d

#UKLALucky13th Discover the must-read narrative verse YA novel, Not Going to Plan by previous UKLA winner, Tia Fisher. An often hilarious, yet profoundly moving and beautiful novel that captures teenagehood, its pressures and its complexities. Members, RP for a chance to win 1/3 copies

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · 26d

Series fiction with characters you can fall in love makes great comfort reading. Hilary McKay's Casson series is hard to beat. I also love the Utterly Dark trilogy by Philip Reeve and the Marlows books by Antonia Forest, and when I was younger, the Mennyms books by Sylvia Waugh were my go-to choice.

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · Sep 7

186. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
A moving novel about small-town American life which follows two couples and their families through the turbulent middle decades of the 20th Century.

Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · Sep 5

A few favourites…

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Stephen Dilley @stephenjdilley.bsky.social · Aug 29

185. Gentlest of Wild Things by Sarah Underwood
Dark sapphic retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth - original and compelling.

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