Sparkling romance for the festive season

Love is in the air with a dazzling collection of winter-warming novels that were just made for fireside reading

The Christmas Wish List

Heidi Swain

LIGHT the fire, cuddle up close and escape into the magic of Christmas with much-loved belle of the baubles Heidi Swain. Author of a clutch of sparkling romantic novels for every season, her festive feasts include Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market, Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair, and Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland.

Swain has captured the hearts of thousands of readers with her enchanting stories set in Wynbridge, the fictional Fenland town where love blossoms whatever the season. 

Brimming with life and love, laughter and tears, and guaranteed to leave readers with that elusive sense of feelgood, these magical books are the perfect accompaniment for holidays, getaways, and especially winter nights.

Here we meet Hattie who, after being let go from her job in a swanky hotel just weeks before Christmas, is feeling lost, and even more so when her high-flying boyfriend Jonathan announces he has landed his dream job in Abu Dhabi and asks her to move with him.

ENCHANTING STORIES: Heidi Swain

Luckily, Hattie’s long-time friend Dolly (who just happens to be fifty years older and wiser than her) is on hand to help and invites Hattie to spend one last holiday in the small, quintessentially festive town of Wynbridge. She is determined to give Hattie a Christmas to remember… but does she also have another plan up her sleeve?

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When Hattie arrives, holiday preparations are in full swing but for Hattie, whose Christmas cheer has long since run out, it will take more than mince pies and mistletoe to open her heart to the season once more. 

Relishing the task of reigniting Hattie’s Christmas spirit, Dolly suggests they create a wish list of all the things the season can offer, and with the helpful hands of Wynbridge’s resident handyman, Beamish, Hattie works through the wish list and finds her frosty exterior is starting to thaw. As Wynbridge prepares for its most spectacular Christmas yet, will Hattie leave snowy England behind for life in a sunnier clime, or will she realise that her heart’s desire lies much closer to home?

The Christmas Wish List is the perfect reading treat with snowy landscapes, roaring fires, and gorgeous romance reminding us all that Christmas really is the time for fun, hope, friendship, festive cheer… and an extra-large helping of love!

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)

Emmerdale at War

Pamela Bell

FOR forty-seven years, TV viewers have been tuning in to share all the drama, joys and heartbreaks of the residents of Beckindale, a village tucked away in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Emmerdale Farm, or Emmerdale as this hit ITV series is now known, is the nation’s second-longest-running television soap opera after Coronation Street, and still attracts over seven million viewers six times a week.

And now Pamela Bell’s enthralling saga series, which follows the fictional lives of Emmerdale’s much-loved families, through the triumphs and disasters of the early decades of the 20^th century, is capturing the hearts and minds of readers.

Following on from Christmas At Emmerdale and Spring Comes to Emmerdale, the third saga finds Britain at war once again and the families of Emmerdale trying their best to cope with a new way of life. Rationing has been introduced across the country, two million more men have been called up for service, and blackouts, evacuees and military training camps have become the norm. In Beckindale, three young women are about to find their lives changed forever...

ENTHRALLING SERIES: Pamela Bell

Annie Pearson is working on Emmerdale Farm, while her love, Edward Sugden is at the front line. Lily Dingle has found purpose in joining the ATS, though she may get more than she bargained for. 

And Meg Warcup, now teaching at the local school, has taken in two children evacuated from Hull. They have adjusted to their new way of life until one day a German plane comes crashing down in the village... and changes everything in Beckindale.

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Will the nation's favourite village overcome adversity to deal with the loves and lives lost?

Just as in the TV series, family life is at the heart of this engrossing story as the personal dramas, passions, triumphs and disasters play out amidst all the turmoil and uncertainties of wartime in a tightly-knit village community.

Beautifully written and researched, and filled with warmth, nostalgia, rich period detail and fascinating characters, this is the perfect Christmas gift for both Emmerdale and saga fans.

(Trapeze, hardback, £12.99)

One Christmas Night

Hayley Webster

WHEN presents go missing from a row of Victorian terraced houses in a Norwich street, the dismayed residents fear that Christmas will be ruined. But there are secrets and, in some cases heartbreak, behind the doors of Newbury Street, and it’s going to take some serious soul-searching to get to the heart of the thefts.

It really would be a crime to miss Hayley Webster’s clever and compelling Christmas novel, a feast of mystery, emotions and feelgood festive spirit, written with warmth, insight and tenderness, and just perfect for the season of love, hope and giving. 

Community, relationships, and the bonds of kinship and friendship are all explored in this gentle, socially aware, and ultimately uplifting story about a group of people from all walks of life who are brought together to solve a troubling mystery.

MAGICAL FABLE: Hayley Webster

Christmas just won’t be the same in Newbury Street. Presents have been going missing from residents’ homes and there are rumours going around that it’s one of their own who has been stealing from the neighbours. Festive spirit is being replaced with suspicion and the inhabitants of Newbury Street don’t know who to trust. The police presence isn’t helping matters either, especially as they all have something to hide.

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But Christmas is a time for miracles... and if they open themselves up to hope and look out for each other, they might just discover the biggest miracle of all.

This festive fable about the disconnection between rich and poor, those who seem to have a lot and those who feel they have very little, is perfectly tuned to Christmas and its message of love, understanding and coming together.

Expect laughter, mystery, a few tears, high emotion and plenty of Christmas cheer as Webster delivers a magical gift for lovers of beautifully observant seasonal stories.

(Trapeze, paperback, £8.99)

The Wedding on Mistletoe Island

Sophie Pembroke

CHRISTMAS is a time of love, hope and friendship… so here’s a book that packs in those three emotive topics and sprinkles them with wintertime magic. The Wedding on Mistletoe Island is the perfect book to cosy up with as author Sophie Pembroke brings us the charming and thoughtful tale of a party of old friends sharing a week on a remote Scottish island as they count down to a Christmas wedding.

The snow is falling, the guests are arriving… and there is a whole decade of secrets to be revealed before the big day arrives. 

 THOUGHTFUL TALE:
Sophie Pembroke

Fliss’s friends have arrived for a week at Holly Cottage on the island of Mistletoe, off the western edge of Scotland, to celebrate her forthcoming wedding. It’s ten years since Fliss first came here with her university friends to celebrate their graduation and it seems the perfect way to kick off her new life… but is it?

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The problem is that Ruth wishes she was anywhere other than this remote island, Caitlin is keeping a secret from her friends, Lara is suddenly facing her ex-boyfriend Jon a decade after turning down his proposal, and even Fliss, the bride, has something to hide.

As the friends prepare for a week to remember, will Fliss’s dream wedding go off without a hitch, or will the secrets they have been hiding change everything?

Pembroke delivers so much more than just a Christmas romp. This is a story of
self-discovery written with warmth and insight, exploring how real life wreaks many changes, and revealing that friendships run deep… and that reunions sometimes spring more surprises about ourselves than we could ever have imagined! Christmas romance with a thoughtful edge…

(Orion, paperback, £8.99)

Snow Angels

Nadine Dorries

BORN and raised on a council estate in Liverpool in the 1950s and 60s, politician Nadine Dorries is fulfilling a childhood dream in her ‘second’ career as a successful novelist.

The MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, who now combines her high-profile job with writing nostalgic sagas set amongst Liverpool’s tight-knit communities of the city where she grew up, returns to St Angelus Hospital for a charming Christmas story in her popular Lovely Lane series.

Snow Angels is a beautiful festive treat set in a Liverpool hospital, not unlike the ones where she trained as a nurse before founding a successful childcare business, Company Kids, and then entering politics and winning election to the House of Commons in 2005.

FESTIVE TREAT: Nadine Dorries

In this Christmas special, Dorries invites her readers to spend the season of hope with the nurses of St Angelus where love, laughter, tears and heartbreak are never far away in the run-up to the festive season. Christmas is coming, but will the doctors and nurses of St Angelus get a chance to enjoy it? Sister Emily Haycock and husband Dessie are anxiously counting the days until the signing of final adoption papers for their precious baby Louis. But someone has got it in for them, and Emily is about to get caught out in a dangerous lie.

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Victoria Baker is now Mrs Davenport and heavily pregnant. But as the snow begins to fall, has she made a big mistake about her dates and put the life of her unborn baby at risk?

And who is the figure obsessively watching St Angelus from the shadows, and the mystery woman who turns up one dark, windy evening, begging for a room at Malcolm Coffey’s Seaman’s Stop bed and breakfast? Only one thing is certain... this Christmas season will be anything but peaceful.

Dorries writes with warmth, charm and insight, and readers will adore steeping themselves in the lives and loves of the doctors and nurses at St Angelus as more than a few surprises are guaranteed to keep the emotions high, the smiles on full beam, and the pages turning. The perfect cuddle-up book for the Christmas countdown…

(Head of Zeus, paperback, £7.99)

A Winter Hope

Sheila Newberry

A MOTHER of nine children and twenty-two lively grandchildren, Suffolk-born Sheila Newberry knows a thing or two about family…

Published most of her adult life, her family has certainly been her inspiration and this charming, Christmas-themed novel packs in all the warmth, wisdom and heartfelt emotions that have always been the trademarks of her writing.

Previously published as The Family at Number Five, A Winter Hope is set in London in 1932 as a family move into their new home, desperate to find a place of their own where they can live, love and thrive.

Number five Kitchener Avenue – in a row of sturdy, red brick Victorian villas – heralds the start of a new life for the Hope family. For pregnant Miriam it is a warm and safe environment to bring up her child. For her sister, fourteen-year-old Barbara (Bar), it means independence… and the company of boys. For Miriam’s husband Fred, the home provides the security he craves for his young family.

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In the lead up to Christmas, the Hopes settle in and start to make happy memories in their new home. But the Second World War is just around the corner, and their carefree life can’t last. Soon the family are split up. Bar, who wants to do her bit for the war effort, joins the ATS, while Miriam and her children are evacuated to the countryside, away from husband and father Fred. As the country is thrown into turmoil, can the Hope family come back together and find the happiness they had yearned for?

Newberry brings us a beautiful tale of life changes, sacrifice, separation, longing and wartime drama in this nostalgic and gently uplifting winter-warmer which is perfect for fireside reading.

(Zaffre, paperback, £7.99)

Entertaining Mr Pepys

Deborah Swift

ENGLAND'S Restoration period has long been a source of fascination for historians. With King Charles II restored to the English throne after the demise of Oliver Cromwell and his Parliamentarians, and the Plague and the Great Fire of London wreaking fear and death, this turbulent period was full of high drama and momentous change.

And one extraordinary man stood on the edge of history, recording 17^th century life in all its rich and vivid detail, and providing historians with an unforgettable portrait of what it meant to be alive during these momentous years.

But Samuel Pepys was famous for more than just his diaries… he also had a keen eye for the ladies. A respected naval administrator by day, he had a regular string of mistresses and engaged in casual affairs with servants, barmaids and companions as well as the wives, daughters and mothers of friends and colleagues, liaising with them in their homes, the backrooms of taverns, in carriages, in theatre stalls and even church pews.

Using the libidinous Mr Pepys as her lynchpin, Lancashire-based author Deborah Swift has been thrilling readers with a gloriously entertaining trilogy which focuses on some of the real-life women who flitted through his journals, and transforms them into stars of their own show.

RIP-ROARING SERIES: Deborah Swift

And following on from Pleasing Mr Pepys and A Plague on Mr Pepys, Swift’s final outing with the irrepressible diarist sweeps us away to 1666, the year of the Great Fire, and into the vibrant and colourful world of the capital’s theatres.

Swift, who lives in Warton, near Carnforth, used to work backstage in many North West theatres, including Liverpool Playhouse and the Duke’s Theatre, Lancaster, where she was responsible for designing scenery and costumes, and in Entertaining Mr Pepys, we see the world of the theatre through the eyes of Elizabeth Knepp, one of the first actresses ever to grace the stage. In London in 1559, 20-year-old Elizabeth ‘Bird’ Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music has always been her chief passion. When her widowed father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares her for the reality of life with Knepp at his ramshackle yard.

Her father, who is more interested in his new love Dorcas than his daughter, has betrayed her trust, because Knepp cares only for his horses. A tyrant and a bully, he allows Bird no life of her own and her only friend is her blackamoor maidservant Livvy. Five years after her marriage, Knepp goes away to visit his brother, Bird grasps her chance and, encouraged by Livvy, makes a secret visit to the theatre. Bird has always felt as if there was ‘a much bigger person inside her, bursting to get out, if only someone would give her the chance.’

Entranced by the music, the glitter and glamour of the King’s playhouse, and the free and outspoken manner of budding actresses like 14-year-old Nell Gwynne, she falls in love with the ‘colour and music and forbidden pleasure’ of the theatre and is determined to forge a path of her own as an actress. Through scheming, and some wheeling and dealing, Bird finds herself at the playhouse but life in the theatre isn’t going to be straightforward… a jealous young rival, Stefan Woolmer, aims to spoil her plans, and her husband won’t allow her to work there. Bird will have to use all her wit and intelligence to change his mind…

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The final curtain call for this rip-roaring series is a true thriller, packed with all the drama, tension and major events of London in the 1660s, and capturing not just the spirit of the people who lived through the rigours of 17^th century life, but the soul of the age itself.

Swift brings us her best novel yet as she breathes new and invigorating life into a young woman who must battle a scheming and disgruntled actor, a husband who thinks acting is only for whores, and the greatest disaster of the century… the Great Fire of London. Fusing romance and adventure with real history, Swift paints a remarkable portrait of London’s theatrical world, the people who worked and acted there, and the brave and irrepressible Bird’s rollercoaster road from loveless marriage to a star of the King’s playhouse.

But Bird’s journey is so much more than just a historical adventure… Swift’s atmospheric evocation of London and its often foul vapours and vicious citizens – and a dénouement set against the ravages of the Great Fire – encompasses hard-hitting themes like racism, domestic abuse, misogyny, slavery and prejudice with an unflinching eye.

Extensively researched, written with Swift’s exciting and imaginative flair for characterisation, drama and rich period detail, and full of unexpected plot twists, Entertaining Mr Pepys is historical fiction at its very best.

(Accent Press, paperback, £8.99)

Sorry for the Dead

Nicola Upson

THE tragic death of a young girl on the Sussex Downs twenty-three years ago comes back to haunt crime writer Josephine Tey when she is named as a suspect in what some are now claiming was actually a murder.

Sorry for the Dead is the eighth book in Nicola Upson’s outstandingly intelligent and atmospheric Josephine Tey Mystery series, set in England between the wars and inspired by the Golden Age of crime writing.

For those new to a name which shone brightly in this period, Josephine Tey was a pseudonym used by the enigmatic Elizabeth Mackintosh, a Scottish author best known for her mystery novels of the 1940s and 50s.

Virtually unknown today, Tey has been given a new lease of life as the lead character in Cambridge graduate Upson’s cleverly plotted novels which see the best-selling crime author and playwright turn detective to solve cerebral mysteries and give voice to the downtrodden silenced by both society and history.

SUPERBLY PLOTTED NOVEL:
Nicola Upson

Elegant, sophisticated and beautifully written, the stories blend fact and fiction, contrasting the stark realities of everyday life in the 1930s and 40s with the glamorous world of theatre and film, and exploring hard-hitting issues that are as relevant today as they were eight or nine decades ago.

Here, we find Josephine in 1948, busy directing one of her own plays at Cambridge’s newly opened Arts Theatre, only to learn that a national newspaper is running a story about the violent death of a 16-year-old girl at a learning centre in East Sussex in 1915 when Josephine was a teacher there.

Actress Elizabeth Banks is convinced that the death of her twin Dorothy Norwood was not an accident and wants to find the truth of what happened at Charleston Farmhouse, near Lewes, which was turned into a horticultural college for girls during the Great War. The house, now owned by Vanessa Bell, sister of Virginia Woolf, and Duncan Grant, was run by friends Georgina Hartford-Wroe and Harriet Barker, whose relationship set tongues wagging and brought terrible heartache for them both.

Pictures in the newspaper show Josephine, who was a keep-fit instructor at the college at the time of Dorothy’s death, making her a suspect in any new investigation. Fearing that her own same-sex relationship with partner Marta could be revealed by the newspapers, Josephine sets out to make her own enquiries.

But as past and present collide, and with murders decades apart, Josephine is forced to face the possibility that the scandal which threatened to destroy the lives of Georgina and Harriet hid a much darker secret.

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The inspiration for Sorry for the Dead, Upson reveals, was a visit to Charleston, the East Sussex country home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and it is against the unconventional lifestyle and big names of the famous Bloomsbury group that the story plays out.

But Upson’s compelling mystery is as much a piercing and emotional study of friendship, loyalty, grief, prejudice, and forbidden love as it is a fascinating murder mystery, slipping effortlessly between places, people and timelines as the dark truth of Dorothy’s death is slowly and shockingly revealed.

And there are many moving moments in this superbly plotted novel which brims with authentic dialogue, rich period detail and atmosphere, and portrays each character with such exquisite precision that the reader can almost peer into the workings of their soul. With its compelling fusion of fact and fiction, mystery and social insight, this is a series that grows in stature with every book. 

(Faber & Faber, hardback, £12.99)

A Precious Gift

Rosie Goodwin

WHO better to cosy up with this Christmas than Rosie Goodwin, one of the nation’s best-loved saga writers?

A former social worker and foster mother, Goodwin has penned over thirty beautiful, heartwarming novels exploring life and love in days gone by, and was awarded the rights to follow three of the late, great Tyneside writer Catherine Cookson’s trilogies with her own sequels.

And now she makes a welcome return with the sixth gritty, drama-packed saga in her enchanting Days of the Week series – which includes the page-turning novels Mothering Sunday, The Little Angel, A Mother’s Grace, The Blessed Child and A Maiden’s Voyage – and has won her an army of admirers and a fistful of accolades.

In A Precious Gift – a gripping tale which moves from the suburban streets of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to the busy heart of pre-Great War London and on to the battlefront in France – Goodwin brings us the emotion-packed tale of a young woman desperately seeking a family to love.

WONDERFUL STORYTELLING: Rosie Goodwin

In Nuneaton in 1911, eighteen-year-old Holly Farthing’s overbearing grandfather, Gilbert Mason, is trying to force her to marry Walter Dolby, a wealthy widower twice her age. For some unknown reason, her grandfather has never liked her and after he refuses to support Holly any longer when she turns down Walter’s marriage proposal, she flees to London, taking her best friend and maid, Ivy Massey, with her.

Just before she leaves, her mother Emma finally reveals that Holly’s father, Michael Farthing, had deserted her when she was pregnant with Holly because he realised that their runaway marriage meant Emma would not now receive her inheritance.

In the big smoke of London, Holly decides to search for the father she has never met and begins nurse training in a city hospital. There she meets the dashing Doctor Richard Parkin. Kind and compassionate, he is everything Holly has ever dreamed of.

When Richard proposes, Holly feels like she will finally have the loving family she has always longed for. But soon she discovers some devastating news that means they can never be together, and her life is suddenly thrown into turmoil. With the country now at war, she heads to France and throws herself into volunteer nursing on the front line. Can Holly ever find the happiness she so truly deserves?

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A Precious Gift is a gorgeous winter-warming drama, brimming with romance, intrigue, fascinating characters, and the richly detailed, authentic and atmospheric settings that have won the Days of the Week sagas such an army of adoring fans.

Holly’s turbulent journey from her sheltered Warwickshire home to the big city and the killing fields of the First World War is an emotional rollercoaster full of the wisdom, warmth and wonderful storytelling that we have come to expect from this much-loved writer.

So draw the curtains, sit back, enjoy the ride, and then tuck into the author’s own delicious recipe for Christmas sherry trifle… guaranteed to leave her readers hungry for Time to Say Goodbye, the final book in this enchanting series.

(Zaffre, hardback, £12.99)

Kitty Peck and the Parliament of Shadows

Kate Griffin

A GRISLY murder in one of her own ‘palaces’ isn’t the only dark shadow hanging over the life of Kitty Peck, owner of a business ‘empire’ and darling of the East End’s music halls. With a powerful and brutal cartel on her tail, and a rabid, ranting preacher determined to rain fire and brimstone on Kitty and all she holds dear, the settled future she longs for is looking decidedly perilous.

Welcome back to late Victorian England, a place of penetrating fog, ferocious villains, foul deeds and filth, and one that has been brought to vivid, visceral life in a gripping and atmospheric historical crime series by Kate Griffin.

Griffin was raised on her grandmother’s tales of London’s Limehouse in the 1890s, a tough suburb where Jack the Ripper had stalked the streets just a decade earlier, so it’s little wonder that she has been seduced by this area’s dark mysteries, and the fourth and final book in her gritty but exhilarating debut series returns to the murkiest and most malignant corners of the East End.

And no business could be more disreputable than the Paradise, the sprawling empire on the banks of the Thames left to teenager Kitty by her grandmother, Lady Ginger, a fearless, ferocious woman who turned out to be one of the East End’s Barons, an unscrupulous group of powerful people hooked up to ‘every foul trade and noxious game’ in the city.

TERRIFIC SERIES: Kate Griffin

In Kitty’s last performance, we find the young woman known as the Limehouse Linnet disillusioned with her grand schemes to make her three music halls ‘a cleaner place for the poor types who came with the dirty trades.’ She had thought she would be able to run her grandmother’s criminal empire her own way. 

What Kitty didn’t know was that her grandmother had also left her violently entwined with the Barons, a coterie of unsavoury characters in high places who will stop at nothing to gain power, and who have carried out a string of murders to frighten Kitty.

Spurred on by her friends and newspaper reporter Sam Collins, the man she loves, Kitty is still determined to do away with the dark underbelly of Paradise and to transform her music halls into the jewels of Limehouse. 

But as she begins her final assault on the evil Barons, a new threat appears in the form of the Reverend William Auchlyne-Doune, an eerily charismatic preacher on a crusade against ‘wickedness and vice’ and with his sights set on Kitty. Can she save Paradise from destruction, without losing any more of the people she loves?

Griffin’s hard-hitting gothic mysteries are brimming with breathtaking historical detail, and are the nearest a contemporary audience could get not just to the squalor and depravity of the city’s poorest quarters but to the people who lived there and plied their often dubious trades.

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And this terrific series signs off in fine form as Kitty, with her razor-sharp brain and wits, street-wise common sense and extraordinary courage battles to keep one step ahead of those who would willingly see her dead.

The cruel, dangerous and unforgiving world Kitty inhabits is evoked with thrilling authenticity and the richest period detail as her last offensive against the terrifying foes seeking to shut down her empire springs to life in an all-action, high-octane adventure. A brilliant last curtain call from an author with her feet planted firmly in the past…

(Faber & Faber, paperback, £8.99)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Dazzling Christmas offerings to delight young readers

Enjoy Santa Claus’s very own instruction manual, get hands-on with Alice in Wonderland, invent your own board games, marvel at Sleeping Beauty in colourful 3D, and meet some perfectly polite penguins in a fantastic array of children’s books

Age 5 plus:

Santa’s Christmas Handbook

Christopher Edge

IT'S a secret known only by the North Pole Christmas elves… Santa Claus is very, very accident-prone! And not only that, the cheery old man doesn’t get on well with gadgets and gizmos. 

So to stop him groaning about it being ‘that time of year again,’ and to make his life easier, his helpful little elves have written their very own handbook for Santa.

TIPS FOR SANTA:
Christopher Edge

Open the pages of this beautifully produced and presented book and enjoy discovering all the instructions he needs to head off on his magical (Speedster GT) sleigh and deliver presents to children around the world in just one night.

Packed with information to entertain and explain, Santa’s Christmas Handbook – which comes from the fertile imagination of award-winning author Christopher Edge – includes reindeer tips, reminders about presents, useful tools like Santa Nav, and the magical jingle bell that summons help.

Search out intriguing notes and messages, lift flaps to make fascinating discoveries, look what’s under Santa’s beard and inside his First Aid kit, play a spin-the-wheel game, and turn the miniature page to see what’s inside your very own North Pole passport.

A laughter-packed peek behind the scenes at the North Pole… and a thrilling Christmas gift for all youngsters who are curious about Santa!

(Templar Publishing, hardback, £16.99)

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Age 5 plus:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Written by Lewis Carroll and illustrated by MinaLima

FALL down the rabbit hole with Alice and make your own hands-on discoveries with this fabulous, interactive edition of Lewis Carroll’s eternally joyous books.

Carroll’s treasured, classic stories are reimagined in spectacular form in this deluxe illustrated gift edition with stunning full-colour artwork and fantastic interactive features designed by MinaLima, the award-winning design studio behind the graphics for the Harry Potter film franchise.

Originally published in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s exquisite Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass have remained revered classics for generations. The story of Alice, an inquisitive young girl who falls down a rabbit hole and into a whimsical world, has captured the hearts of readers of all ages.

Perhaps the most popular female character in English literature, Alice is accompanied on her journey of trials and tribulations by the frantic White Rabbit, the demented and terrifying Queen of Hearts, the intriguing Mad Hatter, and many other eccentric characters.

And now Carroll’s two stories, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and the crazy cast have been reinvented with thrilling interactive features including Alice with extendable legs and arms, the rabbit’s house which opens to reveal a giant Alice, the Cheshire cat with a pull tab that removes the cat and leaves the cat’s grin, a flamingo croquet club that swings to hit the hedgehog, and a removable map of the Looking Glass world. This keepsake illustrated edition is the sixth book in Harper Design’s imaginative series of illustrated children’s classics and is guaranteed to be treasured by families for years to come.

(Harper Design, hardback, £25)

Age 5 plus:

Board Games to Create and Play

Kevan Davis and Viviane Schwarz

YOU can never get bored with board games… particularly over the Christmas holidays! With board games firmly back in fashion, and board game cafes popping up all across the UK, they are no longer just for rainy days and holidays but a fun and social activity for every day of the year.

So here’s an ingenious, all-in-one creative board game kit which lets you invent hundreds of games of your own to play with friends and family. With over 55 boards to customise, Board Games to Create and Play is a doodle book in which every page is an unfinished table top game.

Learn the basic concepts and in half an hour, you and your family and friends can come up with a new game and create the next Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Ticket to Ride or Settlers. Simply decide on a theme for the game, pick a rule set from the book, agree on some variations, doodle on to one of many board game designs, and gather your dice and counters!

The book is packed with tips, tricks and mechanics on how to design the perfect game, including an introduction to how everything works, what you will need to play the games, a cheat sheet to get players started, and lots of suggested games to push you in the right direction.

Each board you create is easy to pull out of the book and can be played again and again, so whether you play video games, mobile games or want to have a go at designing the next classic table top games, this gift of a book really is a game changer!

(Pavilion Children’s Books, hardback, £22)

Age 7 plus:

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith

‘There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.’

FIRST published in 1908 by Scottish author Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows is still one of our favourite children’s books. The classic tale of a group of animal friends who enjoy fun and adventures in the countryside has a timeless charm which has enchanted readers for over one hundred years.

The exploits of Mole, Ratty (who is actually a vole!), Toad, and Badger are celebrated for their spirit of camaraderie, their joie de vivre and their evocation of bucolic delights, and all these elements are brought to glorious life in this new Templar Classic unabridged edition, lavishly illustrated by self-taught artist Grahame Baker-Smith.

Greenaway medal-winner Baker-Smith, whose love for drawing is a passionate and all-consuming activity, has created a breathtaking gallery of full-colour, exquisitely detailed and atmospheric illustrations to accompany Kenneth Grahame’s exciting and nostalgic story.

Join Mole, Ratty, Badger and the mischievous Mr Toad as they enjoy picnics by the riverbank, share adventures with upturned caravans and stolen motor cars, and battle to save Toad Hall from the wicked creatures from the Wild Wood. This stunning gift edition is the perfect gift for young readers… and a trip down memory lane for adults.

(Templar Publishing, hardback, £14.99)

Age 9 plus:

Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery

Lyn Gardner

IT might be Christmas but Victorian orphan Rose Campion has a mystery to solve before she can enjoy the season of goodwill!

Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery is the final book in a cracking middle grade trilogy from Lyn Gardner which has followed the fortunes and misfortunes of a foundling girl left as a baby by her mother at the door of Campion’s Palace of Variety and Wonders in London.

So sit back and enjoy the ride through the city’s murky streets and bright theatre lights as Gardner bows out of a series which has enthralled young readers with its tension, atmosphere and sparkling characters.

Although Rose loves her life at the variety hall with her many good friends, she never stops wondering who she really is. And as the pantomime season arrives, Rose has more to worry about than who will be filling the role of Cinderella. The Duchess – the deadly ruler of the London criminal underworld – has been released from prison, and she has her sights set not only on Rose, but also on a priceless emerald necklace that has just arrived in the city.

Meanwhile, Campion’s is playing host to the mysterious hypnotist Madame de Valentina, but how is she able to communicate with the souls of departed loved ones… before they have died? Brimming with danger, excitement, theatricals and friendship, this is an action-packed and thrill-a-minute final act that will have young readers clapping their hands with glee, and trying to solve the mystery right through to the last page! 

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £5.99)

Age 6 plus:

Princess of Pets: The Snowy Reindeer

Paula Harrison and Olivia Chin Mueller

HELPING animals in need can sometimes mean breaking the rules! If wintertime, magic, animals and princesses are the number one ingredients on your child’s must-have reading list, then this sparkling, snow-filled adventure could fit the bill this Christmas.

The Snowy Reindeer is the new book in the illustrated Princess of Pets Series which features fabulous stories starring animal-loving Princess Bea who just happens to live in a royal palace where no pets are allowed.

While visiting her cousins at the wintry Peruva Castle, Bea finds Marshmallow, a cold and hungry reindeer, hiding in the snow. But with party preparations keeping everyone busy, can Bea – who is supposed to be on her best behaviour – keep the little reindeer safe until she can find his family?

Written by best-selling children’s author Paula Harrison and exquisitely illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller, this is beautiful, heartwarming series full of kindness, caring, life lessons, and enchanting animals!

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £5.99)

Age 7 plus:

Oxford Roald Dahl Thesaurus

Quentin Blake, Susan Rennie and Roald Dahl

THE word is out… this is a spliffling thesaurus for all chiddlers, and even some adult human beans!

Enjoy a phizz-whizzing thesaurus of wonderful words invented by the late, great magical storyteller, Roald Dahl. 

It’s jammed full of words (both real and invented), Quentin Blake’s quirky illustrations, and language snippets to inspire children to write about anything… from witches and vegitibbles to outer space, food, giants and more.

From aardvark to zozimus, the Oxford Roald Dahl Thesaurus is a dictionary of everyday and unusual words, together with useful synonyms, related words and phrases, idioms and word origins. Cleverly organised into themes, young readers will find it is easy to find new and interesting words while they are writing.

Authoritative, engaging and accessible, and backed by Oxford’s language research programme and real citations from Roald Dahl’s children’s books, this inspirational and playful thesaurus includes Ringbelling Rhymes, Sparky Synonyms and Don't be Biffsquiggled tips to support creative writing.

A simply squacking Christmas gift for budding storytellers!

(Oxford University Press, hardback, £14.99)

Age 5 plus:

Christmas Is Coming! An Advent Book

Katie Hickey

COUNT down to the big day with this super-inventive picture book which features an exciting twist on the traditional advent calendar! Every day of December brings a delightful new Christmas tradition to discover in an advent book that will keep little hands busy. Each flap on the cover of the book reveals an illustrated clue to a festive activity that can be found inside the pages.

It might be a recipe for a delicious home-made treat, instructions for crafts to enjoy at home, a game to play, a carol to sing, jokes to make you giggle, or a beautifully illustrated story to share with the whole family.

Ideal for families who love to put their own spin on celebrating the holidays, Christmas Is Coming! delivers fun-filled activities that can be enjoyed together year after year, and is brimming with Cornwall-based artist Katie Hickey’s enchanting, colourful illustrations which bring the magic of Christmas alive. Hands-on entertainment in the run-up to Christmas!

(Chronicle Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

Sleeping Beauty

Katie Haworth and 

Dinara Mirtalipova

WATCH the magic and marvels of the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty spring to glorious life in a spectacular and inventive 3D pop-up picture book. This magnificent edition of Sleeping Beauty, richly illustrated by self-taught Uzbeksitan-born artist Dinara Mirtalipova, tells the favourite fairy story in a unique layered format with each page springing out into a three-dimensional paper-cut scene.

When a king and queen are delivered of their longed-for baby daughter, Briar Rose – named after the flowers that twist up the walls of their castle – they ask the fairies of their kingdom to bless her. But one of the fairies is not invited and she curses the girl who must now sleep for 100 years until she is woken by a prince.

A triumph of paper engineering, and with Mirtalipova’s wonderfully vivid, richly detailed and colourful artwork inspired by Uzbek and Russian folklore, this is a gift book to enchant, inspire and dazzle every lover (young or old!) of fairy tale magic.

(Templar Publishing, hardback, £14.99)

Age 2 plus:

Snow Still

Holly Surplice

ANIMAL lover Holly Surplice weaves her winter magic on a picture book full of fun, adventure… and snow.

Sprinkled throughout with glittering silver foil, Snow Still is a picture book just made for the warmth, beauty and cosiness of Christmas as an enchanting little fawn sets of on a snow-filled adventure through the countryside.

The fawn wakes up to discover that the world outside has changed after a fall of snow. As he takes his first faltering steps into this exciting snow-white world, he finds there’s so much to explore. But then it’s time to return home to the warmth of home, where his mummy and daddy are waiting for him.

Surplice, a gifted author and illustrator who grew up on a farm in Scotland, employs all her creative talents on this delightful picture book which combines the simplest of words with captivating illustrations to win the hearts of readers both young and old.

(Nosy Crow, hardback, £11.99)

Age 2 plus:

Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Frozen

WHAT do you get if you cross a narwhal with a reindeer?  A nardeer, of course! Award-winning illustrator Axel Scheffler, best known for his partnership with Julia Donaldson on international bestseller The Gruffalo, makes a welcome return with a new winter-themed book in his much-loved Flip Flap series.

This new surprise-packed, flip-the-pages masterpiece features amazing combinations to create a book full of crazy mixed-up creatures with wonderfully bonkers names. 

The ingenious split pages are the catalyst to turn familiar creatures into some very strange – and hilarious – birds, sea creatures and animals! With a clever rhyming text and brilliantly cheeky and characterful illustrations from Scheffler, little ones will love simply flipping the pages to create some seriously silly creatures that live in our planet’s coldest climates.

Youngsters will love crossing a penguin with a beluga to make a penuga, or mixing a puffin with a polar bear to create a polfin! With over 121 possible combinations, silly names and strange noises to make you giggle, this stylish and imaginative new Flip Flap book from the master of illustrative disguise is a quirky and entertaining Christmas gift.

(Nosy Crow, hardback, £8.99)

Age 2 plus:

Winnie and Wilbur: The Santa Surprise

Laura Owen and Korky Paul

THE countdown to Christmas has never been more fun as Winnie and Wilbur conjure up some magical mayhem!

The madcap adventures of Winnie the Witch and her black cat have provided spellbinding, bite-size stories for over three decades and now the two much-loved stars take centre stage again for a fantastic festive tale which sees the wily witch on a very special mission.

This action-packed, fun-filled new story comes in a handy-sized, chapter book format for young readers ready to move on to a longer story, but still packed with Korky Paul’s distinctive and stylish colour illustrations.

Here we find Winnie and Wilbur setting off an epic quest to make sure that poor old Santa gets a present too.

Everyone knows that Santa brings presents at Christmas but who gives Santa his present? It’s a question that suddenly pops into Winnie’s head and she is determined to make sure that this year, Santa is going to get a Christmas surprise. It just needs a plan, a plan that includes getting presents, wrapping presents and delivering presents to Santa, and then arriving home in time to open their stockings on Christmas Day. Nothing could possibly go wrong…

Winnie and Wilbur’s escapades are always mad, bad and dangerously hilarious, but scatterbrained Winnie is not as simple as she seems with her comic capers and special brand of frantic fun often delivering some important life lessons for young readers. Little children will love Paul’s highly detailed and playful illustrations while Laura Owen's sparkling festive story is guaranteed to cast a spell over all the family this Christmas!

(OUP, paperback, £5.99)

Age 3 plus:

Perfectly Polite Penguins

Georgiana Deutsch and Ekaterina Trukhan

GET ready to laugh out loud when a naughty little penguin starts a madcap rebellion!

Penguins are always perfectly polite. They wait their turn, they share their toys and they never forget to say please or thank you. But then Polly the not-so-polite penguin decides that being polite is boring! And when the other penguins start to agree… Uh oh! It’s chaos!

Find out what happens when Polly’s bad manners start rubbing off on the whole penguin clan. Can chaos be averted for the sake of baby Peter who just wants to be quiet?

With amusing characters, including the naughty but irresistibly funny Polly, Ekaterina Trukhan’s bold, bright and simply picture perfect illustrations, this warm-hearted, enchanting and playful story speaks loudly about minding your manners and respecting the wishes of others. The ideal cautionary tale for you own little mischief-makers!

(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus:

The Christmas Extravaganza Hotel

Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal

IMPROVISATION is the order of the day at the calm and cosy Extravaganza Hotel!

Award-winning children’s author Tracey Corderoy and illustrator and Tony Neal work their Christmas magic in this beguiling picture book about a cheery little Frog looking for a supersonic festive season at the Extravaganza Hotel, and ending up in exactly the wrong place!

Bear is ready for a quiet, simple Christmas in his cosy cottage in the countryside when a little Frog turns up on his doorstep ready for a tinsel-tastic season filled with lights, a tree, flying reindeer and a supersonic sleigh ride. But the hotel he booked into is on the other side of the world… can Bear put the glitter back into Frog’s Christmas?

The joys of creating and discovering the unexpected take centre stage in this extravaganza of festive fun, twinkling frost and iced pastries as Corderoy makes us smile and laugh, and Neal brings us lively illustrations, full of detail, and bursting with colour and capers. The perfect for cosy fireside book to share with your own little cubs...

(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus:

Pip and Posy: The Christmas Tree

Axel Scheffler

AWARD-WINNING author and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s funny, festive and cautionary tale starring his much-loved animal friends Pip and Posy delivers an extra sprinkling of Christmas magic.

The delightful Pip and Posy picture books deal with the dramas of pre-schoolers. The little mouse and rabbit are best friends and have fun but sometimes, just like any other toddler, they get cross, sad and do naughty things. It takes friendship, sharing and understanding – and a cuddle – to make things better.

Here we find Pip and Posy busy decorating the tree with candy sticks, biscuits, and a beautiful sugar star. But the strange thing is that every time Posy goes out of the room, she returns to find one less decoration on the tree. Eventually, there are no decorations left at all… oh, dear! Little readers will enjoy the moment when Posy finds Pip lying on the sofa, feeling sick from eating too many sweets… but will they guess how she decides to tackle Pip’s naughtiness?

Scheffler is on top form in this festive cracker as the illustrator of The Gruffalo teaches gentle lessons about learning from mistakes, forgiveness… and the benefits of brushing your teeth!

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus:

Mouse’s Night Before Christmas

Tracey Corderoy and Sarah Massini

CHRISTMAS wishes come true in a cute, cosy and utterly enchanting picture book story from the much-loved wordsmith whizz Tracey Corderoy.

Mouse’s Night Before Christmas, a heartwarming twist on Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, puts kindness and friendship first as a lonely little mouse sets out on a snow-filled adventure just when we all thought not a mouse was stirring!

It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is fast asleep… except for a sad little mouse who lives in the grandfather clock and would dearly love to have a friend to give gifts to. But when Santa arrives, lost in a blizzard, Mouse is the only one who can show him the way and together they embark on a magical sleigh ride, delivering presents all around town. And the best present of all is for Mouse… a special friend to share his Christmas Day!

This rhyming Christmas odyssey, filled with extra colour and magic by Sarah Massini’s beautiful illustrations, embodies all the warmth, wonder, joy and love of the season, and will find a special place in the heart of all young readers.

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus:

Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift

Rebecca Harry

FRIENDSHIP proves to be the greatest gift of all in a gorgeous new picture book filled with the stunning illustrations of Rebecca Harry.

Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift, a touching tale about a little bunny with a big heart and the true gift of friendship, is part of the Christmas Classics Series and with enchanting illustrations, a warm, cosy story, and eye-catching silver foil on every page, this is a truly sparkling gift.

Little Snow Bunny loves nothing better than playing with her friends in the wintry forest. Every day holds the promise of adventure for Snow Bunny, Fox, Bear and Mouse. But one freezing day, no one wants to play because it’s so cold and Snow Bunny is left all alone. Whatever will she do? With a little luck and a lot of imagination, she makes cosy winter gifts for all her friends… just in time for Christmas Eve.

With a host of baby animals to meet, resonant message of kindness and friendship, Harry’s endearing illustrations, and an irresistible silver glow, this is a magical gift for your little ones.

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus:

Little Robin Red Vest

Jan Fearnley

A FRIEND in need is a friend indeed in a timeless tale about the joy of giving. Award-winning author-illustrator Jan Fearnley pulls on our heartstrings in her beautiful picture book which blends a story of selflessness and kindness with stunning illustrations steeped in colour and atmosphere.

One frosty evening, a week before Christmas, Little Robin washes and irons seven warm vests for the chilly nights to come. As the days go by, he comes across lots of shivering animals and kindly offers them his vests to wear. But by Christmas Eve, Little Robin is cold, alone and far from home with no vests left. That is, until a very special someone arrives to reward all his kindness!

With a silver-foiled front cover, rich and expressive illustrations, and a story to warm the cockles of every reader’s heart, this is the perfect snuggle-up Christmas book to share with your little ones.

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Age one plus:

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Britta Teckentrup

ENJOY an exciting, brand-new look at one of the most traditional festive season songs, The Twelve Days of Christmas, with this wonderful peep-through board book featuring a pair of playful elves.

One of children’s books most talented and prolific illustrators, Britta Teckentrup is on song as her vibrant pictures and an ingenious cut-out design take children on a magical trip through the verses of the well-loved refrain. 

The holes in the pages reveal each new Christmas gift, creating a stunning layered effect and bringing the words to life. Little ones will delight in seeing the gradual appearance of swans a-swimming, geese a-laying, maids a-milking and all the other amazing creatures and characters featured in the song. Immaculately produced and packed with innovative ideas, this is the perfect gift for your own little elves!

(Little Tiger Press, board book, £6.99)