Marceline, Defender of the Sea: Band 17/Diamond (Collins Big Cat) Jen Campbell 9780008541798

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available.

Nearly everyone in Marceline's class is going away for the holidays, but she has to go into hospital for an operation instead. However, Marceline loves books and she has lots of stories to keep her company. She learns all about the history of fairy tales and thinks about how she would retell a fairy tale herself.

Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.

Pages 54 and 55 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall.

Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Jen Campbell is a bestselling author and award-winning poet. She has written twelve books for adults and children, spanning non-fiction, fiction, poetry and picture books. Those titles include the Franklin and Luna series, and The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers. She is also a book reviewer and disability advocate, and she gives talks on the history of fairy tales across the UK.

Like Marceline, the author, Jen Campbell, also has EEC Syndrome, a form of Ectodermal Dysplasia. Jen would like to dedicate this story to her parents.