Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A HAUNTED house set high on a dark, mist-shrouded hill might sound like the old trope for a classic, but somewhat hackneyed, horror story…

But there’s so much more than bumps in the night when you turn the pages of this heart-thumping thriller-chiller from exciting writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the Mexican-born author who took readers on a wild ride last year with her imaginative historical fantasy, Gods of Jade and Shadow.

Reading Mexican Gothic – which stars a young socialite discovering the unsavoury secrets of a decaying mansion in 1950s Mexico – is a crazy, mind-bending and visceral experience as Moreno-Garcia delivers a full-on horror story with an original feminist twist, and all the supernatural atmospherics of a dark fairy tale.

Ghostly shadows and hellish hallucinations abound as the isolated hilltop house ­– ‘sick with rot’ and brimming with evil – throws up some dirty, disturbing secrets dating back centuries, and a family history mired in cruelty, tragedy and untimely death.

GRIPPING STORY: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

At the age of 22, glamorous debutante Noemí Taboada is living the high life in Mexico City. Her father reckons she’s flighty but Noemí is a young woman ahead of her time; she might love and leave her suitors but she is ambitious and rejects the idea that she will simply move from debutante to wife.

When a frantic letter arrives from her newly-wed cousin Catalina, begging Noemí to save her from a mysterious fate, Noemí agrees to head off to Catalina’s new home at High Place, a house tucked away in the Mexican countryside.

Catalina’s desperate letter claimed her husband was trying to poison her and Noemí is not sure what she will find. Her cousin married 35-year-old, handsome Englishman Virgil Doyle after a brief courtship and Noemí knows little about either him or the region where he lives. With her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing, Noemí might appear to be an unlikely rescuer but she’s tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid of what lies ahead.

And she will need all her strength and courage at High Place, a brooding, forest-bound mansion with the ‘musty air of a place that had withered away’ which sits near a dilapidated former gold and silver mining town that still clings desperately to ‘the dregs of splendour.’

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Even more disconcerting are the Doyle family… the cold, imperious Virgil is both menacing and alluring, his father Howard, the ancient patriarch with the pallor of ‘an underground creature,’ appears fascinated by Noemí, and even the house itself, that ‘great, quiet gargoyle,’ starts to invade Noemi’s sleep with erotic nightmares and bizarre visions of gold dust, blood and weird

From Venice with Love

Rosanna Ley

‘A bridge, it seems to me, is a crossing point, 
a joining, a connection… the bond that you 
and I share is just such a joining in my 
mind and in my heart.’

IF heart-soaring romance, a century-old mystery, and some of the most picturesque locations in Europe stir your soul and set fire to your senses, escape to the sun alongside master storyteller Rosanna Ley and bask in her new summer sizzler.

Ley, author of a string of dazzling novels that have taken readers to some of the world’s most stunning locations, has the gift of blending enthralling family dramas with lush landscapes to deliver heaven-sent, holiday beach reads.

So if a break in foreign climes seems a world away at the moment, immerse yourself in this captivating and thought-provoking tale of two estranged sisters trying tentatively to reconnect, and a secret from the past that might just be the catalyst to mend their broken family bonds.

MULTI-LAYERED TALE: Rosanna Ley 

When freelance journalist Joanna Shepherd discovers that her husband of ten years has been cheating on her, she leaves London and returns home to the beautiful but dilapidated Mulberry Farm Cottage in rural Dorset where her unmarried sister Harriet is struggling to keep the farm afloat and cope with their eccentric 76-year-old mother Audrey.

The sisters’ father died seven years ago and Audrey has been growing increasingly needy and demanding. Joanna and Harriet, meanwhile, have always seemed miles apart in every way… prickly Harriet feels ‘clamped’ into the landscape around her with no way to escape, and Joanna, who had no real connection to Mulberry Farm Cottage, left home fourteen years ago to work, marry and have the freedom to do what she liked. With an uneasy atmosphere in the house, Joanna offers to look out some of her mother’s mementoes in the attic and discovers a bundle of love letters, written in Venice in 1912 by a watercolour artist named Emmy to her ‘heart’s love,’ a man called Rufus.

As one of Emmy’s paintings of a bridge in Venice still hangs in Joanna’s bedroom, she sets out to discover the true story behind the mystery woman, and is led to the picturesque alleyways and bridges of Lisbon, Prague, and the most romantic place of all… Venice, where a whole new magical world seems to unfold in front of her.

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Meanwhile, back at the farm, a mysterious prowler is adding to Harriet’s problems and interrupts her clandestine online search for the perfect partner. But will she ever find the true love she so

The Photographer of the Lost

Caroline Scott

WHEN the guns fell silent on the Western Front in 1918, it marked the end of hostilities… but for many, the anguish was far from over.

Inspired by her Lancashire family’s collection of postcards and photographs, Caroline Scott turns her historian’s eye and compassionate heart to a powerful poignant novel which explores the devastating aftermath of the First World War.

For many, the declaration of victory for Britain and its Allies was not the end of the pain and grief… thousands of soldiers lay dead amidst the chaos and ruins of France and Belgium, and their loved ones were desperate to find them.

Over one hundred years after the end of this most cruel of conflicts, Scott brings us an epic tale of forbidden love, loss, grief and renewal as we follow the journey of two people in search of the truth about the demise of a much-loved brother and husband who was recorded missing in action in 1917, but who may yet be still alive.

STUNNING NOVEL: Caroline Scott 

As they travel separately through a ravaged land full of nameless men ‘swallowed up by the earth, their identities gone, along with their futures,’ they must confront the past and their own sense of guilt as they finally meet, and find resolution, in a place far from the battlefields.

In the spring of 1921, families across Britain are desperately trying to piece together the fragments of their broken lives. While many survivors of the Great War have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie Blythe’s husband Francis has not come home.

He was reported ‘missing in action’ in 1917 but when the postman delivers an envelope containing  a mysterious photograph, obviously taken by Francis himself and pictured wearing civilian clothes, hope flares again for Edie and she leaves her Lancashire home to search for him in France.

Meanwhile, Harry, Francis’s brother and the only one of the three Blythe siblings to come home from the war, also longs for Francis to be alive because as brothers, they were ‘a fundamental and overlapping part of each other.’ But Harry has another guilty reason for wanting to find Francis… the chance to forgive each other for the last things they said.

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Both brothers shared a love of photography and it is this passion that sends Harry back to the Western Front. He has been hired by grieving families to photograph grave sites in battle-scarred France, gathering news for wives and mothers… and along the way he looks for evidence of his

The Other Passenger

Louise Candlish

TWO couples, a caustic friendship and a deadly trail of secrets, lies and betrayal...

Urban noir doesn’t come better than this nail-biting, mind-bending thriller from award-winning Louise Candlish, an exciting, incisive writer with the sharpest eye in the business when it comes to the complexities of human relationships.

In this twisting, turning new masterpiece, she sets her sights on the corrosive friendship between two oddly assorted couples to deliver a whip-smart, thoroughly contemporary exploration of how money, envy and obsession have the power to destroy lives.

Set against the simmering tensions and social dynamics of suburban London, and the Thames river buses which carry commuters into the heart of the city, The Other Passenger is a disturbing voyage into the darkest corners of the mind with a classic unreliable narrator sitting firmly at the helm.

IMPECCABLE PLOTTING: Louise Candlish

Jamie Buckby and his partner, Clare Armstrong, have been jostling along together in Clare’s upmarket Georgian house in South London for a decade, but now they are both ‘hurtling towards fifty’ and Clare reckons that embracing the new is the key to ageing successfully.

So a friendship with early thirties couple,  Kit and Melia Roper, who live in a more downmarket home in their area would seem to offer ‘youth, fun and freedom.’ The child-free couples, both marooned in a family friendly neighbourhood – seem to hit it off and Kit encourages claustrophobic Jamie to join him on the daily commute to work by riverboat.

With no more traffic gridlock and the company every day of the hedonistic Kit, Jamie is experiencing a lifestyle upgrade. But Kit and Melia are consumed with envy for Clare’s grand home and wealth, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. But a year later, on the first day back to work after Christmas, Kit isn’t on the morning boat and Jamie can’t help but notice that something is not right and when he disembarks, he finds the police waiting. Melia has reported Kit missing and another passenger witnessed the two men arguing on the last boat home after their pre-Christmas drinks.

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Police say Jamie had a reason to lash out at him, to kill him but surely Melia will vouch for him, and who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? Whatever coincidences might have occurred that night, Jamie is adamant that he is innocent… totally innocent.

A year of drama and deceit unfolds through the jaundiced prism of our unpredictable narrator

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Saving planet Earth, finding hope and pony magic

Answer a call to arms to save our world, find hope and comfort during a time of illness, meet a magical pony in its woodland home, and enjoy puzzles galore in Beanotown with a sunshine collection of children’s books

Age 3 plus:

Like the Ocean We Rise

Nicola Edwards 

and Sarah Wilkins

‘Like the ocean, we rise, 
and we promise to fight.’

AUTHOR Nicola Edwards and New Zealand illustrator Sarah Wilkins make a lyrical call to arms in an inspirational picture book which puts our increasingly endangered planet at centre stage.

Earth is vast and it’s beautiful too, but it needs our help… it needs me and it needs you. This timely peek-through picture book, with its raindrop-shaped cut-outs, explores the impact of humans on the planet and how we can all make a difference.

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Edwards’ all-encompassing and powerful poetry empowers children to think about how they can protect the planet, while Wilkins’ beautiful, rainbow-coloured illustrations cover a world of diverse landscapes and portray a cast of children from all continents. The intriguing peek-through element of the book allows young readers to contemplate how societies are interconnected and to understand the importance of collaborative efforts if we are to effectively tackle climate change.

A celebration of both the world around us and the international youth movement making waves to save our amazing planet, Like the Ocean We Rise is guaranteed to delight, inspire and educate.

(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

The Perfect Shelter

Clare Helen Welsh and Åsa Gilland

WHEN the going is tough, we all need to find a place to shelter where there’s hope, comfort… and safety. There has never been a more important time to help children understand and cope with serious illness, but it’s not just the current pandemic which focuses minds on this difficult and emotional subject.

Every day, families somewhere are told that a loved one has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and for young children, the news is both frightening and worrying. So here is a beautiful, sensitive picture book that offers a comforting space, and some gentle reassurance.

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Author and primary school teacher Clare Helen Welsh and Swedish illustrator Åsa Gilland combine a lyrical story and a heartwarming gallery of pictures as they explore the conflicting emotions engendered by illness, and offer solace through the joys of loving and just being together.

At first nobody knows why a young girl is so tired and then they learn that she is sick. Her little sister knows something isn’t right because people are crying and now she is too worried to sing or help her daddy bake. But after tears, anger and frustration, she watches her sister grow stronger and brighter, and knows that together they will ride out the storms. In the meantime, today is the perfect day to build a shelter, and be together.

Uplifting, honest, beautifully empathetic, and quietly powerful, The Perfect Shelter is ideal for any child struggling to understand why a loved one is ill.

(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £11.99)

Age 7 plus:

The Silver Pony

Holly Webb

WHEN it comes to animal adventures, much-loved children’s author Holly Webb certainly knows how to put the magic into storytelling! And who could resist this heartwarming story starring a lonely young girl who finds companionship with one of the wild ponies that wander freely in the New Forest in Hampshire.

Daisy loves watching ponies in the woods near her home in the New Forest. They are beautiful animals but she has always been afraid to get too close. Then one day, to Daisy’s amazement, a pretty silvery-white pony approaches her. Can it tell how much Daisy needs a friend? For the first time ever Daisy isn’t looking forward to the school holidays. She’s worried about her best friend Mara who is ill in hospital. But then, walking her dog Betsy in the wood, Daisy spots a group of wild ponies quietly grazing. She is especially drawn to a young silvery-white pony and, as she spends time watching the pony, she starts to feel less alone.

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Visiting the pony one day, Daisy runs into James from school. She’s worried he’ll tease her but instead he has some terrible news. The pony actually belongs to his dad and it’s James’ job to help look after her. Is Daisy about to lose her new friend?

Expect drama, the joy to be found in unexpected friendships, excitement and danger in this beautiful story filled with Webb’s natural warmth, compassion and storytelling magic.

With its heart-melting, atmospheric adventure – beautifully illustrated by James Brown – The Silver Pony is perfect for children just starting to read alone, youngsters who love to share a book with mum or dad, and any child who can’t resist the magical allure of ponies.

(Little Tiger, paperback, £5.99)

Age 7 plus:

Mermaids Rock: 
The Floating Forest

Linda Chapman and Mirelle Ortega

WELCOME back to Mermaids Rock, a super, sparkling sea-blue series which is simply rippling with fun and adventure. These thrilling illustrated stories about the natural wonders of the ocean, are brim full of environmental messages and warm friendships, and come from the pen of Linda Chapman, author of the much-loved Star Friends series.

Coralie is overjoyed when she visits a beautiful kelp forest where she meets adorable sea lions and otters, and finds a mysterious treasure map! After telling her friends, all members of their very own Save the Sea Creatures Club, they are also excited to search for the treasure, but when they arrive they find the forest has been destroyed. With no protection from the plants, the animals are in danger, and the friends must do everything they can to save the creatures before it’s too late…

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Newly independent readers will love making friends with the underwater mermaids, merboy Kai and a host of adorable sea creatures as they dive deep into the ocean, share exciting adventures, and learn about some of the important ecological issues now facing our planet.

And with all the action in the deep blue ocean brought to life by the enchanting black and white illustrations of Mexican-born artist Mirelle Ortega, this is the perfect way to swish, swim and swirl into a summer of sunshine reading.

(Little Tiger, paperback, £5.99)

Age 6 plus:

Beano Puzzle Book

Beano Studios Limited

JOIN those perennial comic favourites Dennis, Gnasher and a crowd of familiar Beano faces as they puzzle their way around Beanotown!

Classic Beano puzzles not seen since the early 1990s make a welcome reappearance in this fun activity book with a nostalgic twist. Made up of official archive material from the Beano Puzzle Books series, the book includes dot-to-dots, mazes, word searches, maths challenges, anagrams and comics and characters to draw.

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All the much-loved characters like Dennis, Gnasher and Minnie the Minx join old favourites such as Lord Snooty, Desperate Dan and Dinah Mo, making this the perfect puzzle book for a long journey or a rainy summer’s day. Draw your own comic strip punchlines, help characters find their way out of mischievous mazes, spot the difference and join the dots… there is a puzzle here to suit every taste and every whim.

You’ll soon be a billy whizz with words and gnash numbers quicker than Gnasher can chomp his sausages with these super cool and fun-filled puzzles. So grab a pencil, put on your thinking cap and get puzzling!

(Studio Press, paperback, £5.99)

Age 3 plus:

Impossible!

Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal

MANY youngsters dream of doing what seems to be impossible… So put them on the scent of this warm and inspirational story from award-winning author Tracey Corderoy which stars an adorable dog who is doggedly determined to beat the odds, whatever they might be… and finally see the sea!

Dog runs a laundry on a busy street in the city but it’s a noisy place even at night and he longs to visit the ocean. He has no hope of getting there, though, because it’s miles away. But after using a new washing powder called Ocean Magic, which offers seaside freshness with every wash, a crab appears and needs Dog’s help to get home. ‘Impossible!’ he sighs but Crab reckons it’s only impossible of you say it is. So will Dog take this chance to make his dream come true?

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Corderoy’s imaginative and fun-filled story takes young readers on an adventure through dark caves, across giant waterfalls and high up into the mountains as we learn that nothing is impossible when we are brave enough to follow our dreams. Tony Neal’s gallery of bold, colourful illustrations are packed with rich detail and humour, and bring added depth and vivid life to a story which will delight both children and grown-ups!

(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £11.99)

Age 2 plus:

No-Bot the Robot’s New Bottom!

Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet

THE bottom line is… Bernard’s bottom is broken!

Everyone’s favourite husband and wife picture book team Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet have resurrected their much-loved, bottomless No-Bot Robot for another super-silly, fun-filled adventure. The creators of super-bestselling series, Supertato, have lovingly put together a riotous new robot romp starring the creaking, crazy Bernard who won the hearts and minds of readers, young and old, seven years ago with his frantic antics.

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Here, we join Bernard as his tin bottom starts to make funny noises. When smoke and sparks start coming out of it, he decides it must be broken. So along with his friends, he sets off in search of just the right replacement. Children will love watching No-Bot try on all kinds of strange new bottoms, from a wheel of cheese to a large red sofa! Expect giggles galore, madcap mishaps and some unexpected eruptions as the wonderfully eccentric Bernard sets out to find the perfect bottom.

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £6.99)

Age one plus:
Where’s My Peacock?
Kate McLelland

WHERE'S my peacock hiding? She was here a moment ago. Can you find her? Help your curious little ones get interactive with this sturdy touch-and-feel board book which comes loaded with fun, discovery, word recognition development, and lots of visual and tactile appeal.

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A tantalising trail of footprints will lead children past a touch-and-feel owl, a lemur with a striking black-and-white tail, and a toucan with a very large orange beak as we go in search of the spectacularly shiny peacock. With Kate McLelland’s bright, appealing illustrations, discoveries on each spread, and a surprise flap ending, this enchanting series is ideal for young children. The perfect sharing book for babies and toddlers finding their way in the big, wide world!

(Little Tiger Press, board book, £6.99)

Liar

Lesley Pearse

IN strike-hit 1970s London, Amelia White dreams of being a reporter but has to be content selling advertising on a local newspaper.

All that changes when she stumbles upon the body of a young woman dumped in a rubbish heap on the side of the road near her flat. It might be the scoop of a lifetime… but it’s set to bring more danger than Amelia could ever have imagined.

For over twenty-eight years, Lesley Pearse – who left home at the tender age of fifteen – has been delighting her army of fans with gripping and emotionally powerful novels featuring tales of courage and adversity, and giving a voice to women from every walk of life.

Over ten million of Pearse’s books have sold worldwide, earning her a reputation as a master storyteller, and this new page-turner focuses on an era familiar to this gifted writer as she delivers a gripping and gritty story brimming with mystery, suspense, menace and the rich period detail that has become her trademark.

GRIPPING STORY: Lesley Pearse 

In 1970, the country is riven by bitter industrial unrest which has led to the three-day week, power cuts, and a landscape littered by stinking piles of rubbish because of a dustmen strike. In her Shepherd’s Bush bedsit, 25-year-old Amelia White hopes that her job selling advertising at the West London Weekly newspaper will bring her a step closer to being a reporter, or maybe even an author.

Amelia left home when she was eighteen after an unhappy childhood and her experiences at the hands of a father who terrified his family and was all too ready to use his fists on them. Ambitious and eager to escape her past, she hopes to find a worthwhile career and make more of her life.

And it’s just round the corner from her home one August morning that she makes a shocking discovery. Her eyes can’t help but spot a smart pair of white boots chucked on to one of the small mountains of rubbish… only to find that they are attached to a pair of human legs.

Shocked and distressed, Amelia calls for help and one of her neighbours, Max Creedy, comes to her aid. Soon the police and reporters descend and Amelia is horrified at their aggression and the assumptions and lies about Lucy Whelan, the young woman victim who worked at a nightclub.

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Determined to protect Lucy from the smears about her reputation and help her grieving family, she convinces her paper’s editor, Jack Myles – a bad-tempered ‘bulldog’ not noted for his kindness ­– to let her visit the family and write the true story about Lucy and who she was.

With her first front page story making news across the country and the prospect of a new romance to savour, life is looking up for Amelia but when another body is found and the police

Diamond Dogs

Glenn Hendler

By CRAIG FLEMING (flemingcraig@talk21.com)

YOU might think that you know everything about an album that you’ve been listening to for close on half a century. A case in point is David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs which topped the LP music charts for the whole of June 1974 and was then the basis for an extensive live tour of the same name.

Heavily influenced by the work of George Orwell, Bowie had one foot – or perhaps a paw in this case – in the dark dystopian world of 1984. His bold ambition was to create a musical theatre production of Orwell’s book but the author’s widow Sonia denied him the rights.

Undeterred, Bowie ploughed on with what became Diamond Dogs, with a storyline set in Hunger City, populated by post-human mutants. While working on the album he showcased his new song, 1984, in a TV special recorded at London’s famous Marquee club in front of an invited live audience of fan club members and celebrities.

LIFELONG FAN:
Glenn Hendler

It was an event coyly entitled The 1980 Floor Show, which – when screened in the United States (but never in the UK!) – fired the imagination of Glenn Hendler, who was then just twelve years old.

Today he is Professor of English and American Studies at New York’s Fordham University, and while the Diamond Dogs LP was his first ever schoolboy purchase, it is also the title of the latest book in the Bloomsbury Academic’s 33 1/3 series which offers each writer a fairly free rein on an in-depth look at their favourite album. 

The relatively short LP (clocking in at just 38 minutes 25 seconds) was preceded three months earlier by a teaser single, the glam rock anthem Rebel Rebel, but – as Hendler’s analysis confirms – fans who bought the album expecting similar sounds were bombarded instead by a whole range of musical styles and treated instruments, from straight-ahead rock to piano ballads, from Moog-based prog rock to the high-hat and waka-waka "Shaft-style" guitar of disco.

Hendler says: ‘Diamond Dogs as a whole is one of very few older albums that I play regularly not because of its familiarity but because it still holds surprises for me.’ Even so, he admits that he can think of few, if any, other albums ‘that are darker or convey a less optimistic view of the future.’

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Having disbanded his Spiders From Mars backing group on dropping his breakthrough Ziggy Stardust persona, Bowie played the bulk of the instruments himself on this LP, joined by a handful of seasoned session musicians. The frenzied crowd din heard as the title track gets underway is revealed by Hendler as cheers cheekily ‘borrowed’ by Bowie from a recent live album by chart rival Rod Stewart and his band The Faces!

Almost at the album’s close, 1984, with its pessimistic lyrics, is wedged between We Are The Dead and the penultimate track Big Brother, but Bowie was also in big bother for the controversial cover.

A painting by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert, it showed the musician as half-human, half-dog, a mutant mutt complete with genitals, which was quickly withdrawn by the record company and replaced by an airbrushed version, presumably to save the blushes of listeners!
(33 1/3, Bloomsbury Academic USA, paperback, £9.99)

The Gypsy Bride

Katie Hutton

BORN on opposite sides of a cultural divide, two star-crossed lovers must overcome the prejudice and hostility of their entrenched communities if they are ever to have a chance of finding happiness.

Inspired in part by her own great-great grandfather, who was Primitive Methodist preacher in a village in the Oxfordshire Chilterns, historical fiction author Katie Hutton brings us a moving saga featuring a young woman from a sheltered background and the tall, handsome gypsy who steals her heart.

But it was while browsing in a charity shop that Hutton stumbled across a book detailing the intrinsic part played by seasonal Romani Gypsies during the hop-picking season in Kent in the early decades of the 20^th century, and its depiction of them as the ‘warp and weft of the agricultural year’ set in motion this richly detailed cross-cultural love story.

In the Oxfordshire village of Chingestone in 1917 Ellen Quainton has been raised by her mother Flora and grandfather Oliver, a preacher with the local Primitive Methodists, a strict breakaway movement from the Wesleyan church which adheres to a simpler form of worship and is drawn mainly from the poorer strata of society.

ENTERTAINING DEBUT:
Katie Hutton 

Ellen’s life is already mapped out for her with her intended, Charlie Lambourne, a boy from the local village, currently fighting on the Western Front in war-ravaged Europe. But when Charlie is killed in action, Ellen is left heartbroken and lost.

She gives up all thoughts of marrying and instead finds a job as draper’s assistant at a shop in the village. Five years later, on her way home from work, she is rescued from a risky herd of stampeding cows by Sam Loveridge.

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Mysterious and unruly, Sam – with his dark good looks, laughing eyes and glinting gold hoop earring – is from a local gypsy community, and unlike anyone Ellen has ever met before. Sam notices things about her that nobody else does and before she knows what has hit her, Ellen is swept off her feet and shown a world of passion, excitement and true love. But Ellen’s conservative world can’t possibly understand or approve of their relationship. Her grandfather says ‘their ways are not our ways,’ and Ellen and

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Dragon magic, strange creatures and a roaring romance

Meet a boy with a tree that grows dragons, keep calm in a time of stress, discover some incredible sea life, and warm your heart with the tale of a love-sick lion as a glittering collection of children’s books hit the book shop shelves

Age 7 plus:

The Boy Who Dreamed of Dragons

Andy Shepherd and Sara Ogilvie

EVERYBODY knows that babies don’t grow on trees… but not many people (whisper it!) know that dragons really do grow on trees!

Welcome back to the fourth warm and wonderful book in Andy Shepherd’s exquisitely imagined and truly magical series about a little boy who has discovered a tree at the bottom of his grandad’s garden which hatches out the most amazing creatures on earth.

Shepherd’s debut, The Boy Who Grew Dragons, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2019, the Sheffield Book Award, and long-listed for the Blue Peter Book Award, and the series has captured the imaginations of both children and their parents. Illustrated by the award-winning and talented Sara Ogilvie, the books are packed with adventure, giggles and the joys of growing and nurturing, but also warm the heart and celebrate the strength that comes from family and friendship.

Eleven-year-old Tomas has a secret friend like no other… Flicker, a dragon with glittering eyes and scales that flicker from fiery orange to ruby red. But Tomas is also having to get used to Flicker being away, now that his dragon has gone back in the frosty North. Fortunately, adventure is never far away for Tomas when he finds out that another dragon has hatched on the dragonfruit tree at the bottom of the garden… and the dragon has quickly decided he is sticking firmly with Tomas!

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Zing is a tiny dragon with oversized wings, who causes havoc wherever he goes. When a new girl, Aura, starts at school, proclaiming herself to be a dragon expert, Tomas is thrown into confusion. He is the one with the dragons and the dragonfruit tree, after all!

Before he knows it, Tomas has blurted out his secret to Aura, and sets in motion a chain of events which will lead to yet more adventures and mayhem. Refreshingly original, reassuringly gentle, and brimming with fun and adventure, this is the kind of series that is loved by all generations of the family.

(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £5.99)

Age 7 plus:

Keep Calm!

Dr Sharie Coombes 

with illustrations by Katie Abey and Ellie O’Shea

COPING with the stresses and strains of the pandemic is hard enough for adults… so imagine how frightening and complex it must appear to children. As part of their successful and sensitively created Mindful Kids series, Studio Press have published, Keep Calm! a fully illustrated, self-care book to help young people both during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Written by Dr Sharie Coombes, a child and family psychotherapist, the carefully devised activity book shows children how to feel more comfortable with the current uncertainty, stay safe, enjoy the positives, find hidden advantages, look forward to the future, and talk to others about their concerns and worries.

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Children are encouraged to use their creativity to combat negative feelings and work out how to cope with these emotions through writing colouring, doodling, drawing, DIY and physical activities. From feeling isolated from friends and families, to missing out on experiences at school, many children will be feeling worried about the sudden change to their usual routine. To address these problems, the self-encouraging and simple activities and exercises tackle emotions and address anxieties which children may be experiencing.

The charming and quirky illustrations of Katie Abey and Ellie O’Shea keep young readers entertained and focused as they work through the book, or simply dip into the pages for ten minutes of calming activity. There is also a section at the back for parents, guardians and carers with important information on how to support children through this difficult and unprecedented time.

Other titles in this thoughtful and immensely constructive range of activity books for children from Studio Press include No Worries, Hello Happy, Stay Strong, Be Brave, Be Positive and Letting Go.

(Studio Press, paperback, £5.99)

Age 3 plus:

Ultimate Earth: Oceans and Seas

Miranda Baker and Gareth Lucas

TAKE a deep breath, dive into the ocean and discover the biggest, fastest, scariest, weirdest and most amazing sea creatures!

With super-sized action flaps, intriguing fold-outs and mind-blowing facts, Ultimate Earth: Oceans and Seas is packed with the most incredible sea life… and lets youngsters explore, discover and learn at every turn of the page.

Watch as weird and wonderful, dazzling and deadly creatures spring to life. From the terrors of the sea – saltwater crocodiles, poisonous puffer fish and deadly box jellyfish – to speedy swimmers like Gentoo penguins and flying fish, there are creatures here of all shapes, sizes and colours.

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Meet the butterflyfish which have a spot on their tail that looks like an eye to confuse predators,  marvel at the mysterious colossal squid which can be as long as a bus, and get a close-up of the giant manta ray, a gentle, intelligent creature which has the biggest brain of any fish.

With intriguing flaps to lift, fascinating facts to ignite young imaginations, and a world of colour, wonder, and hidden dangers, this is the ideal book to entertain, educate and enlighten both children and parents. You’ll never think of our oceans in the same way again!

(Little Tiger Press, board book, £9.99)

Age 3 plus:

The Happy Lion Roars

Louise Fatio and Roger Duvoisin

EVERYONE'S favourite lion finds a roaring good romance in a classic tale of love at first sight from one of the 20^th century’s classic picture book teams. The Happy Lion Roars, an enchanting, warm-hearted and timeless storytelling odyssey, is the work of Swiss husband and wife team, Louise Fatio and Roger Duvoisin, and was first published over 50 years ago.

  

Duvoisin was born in Geneva in 1900 and studied art in Paris. He married Louise Fatio, another artist from Switzerland, and in 1927 they moved to New York City. Duvoisin wrote and illustrated 40 books, and illustrated over 100 more by other authors.

This stylish new edition is the follow-up to the couple’s much-loved The Happy Lion which won the inaugural German Children’s Book Prize in 1956 and retains the retro feel that has enchanted generations of readers and inspired many other illustrators. Both books come from the stable of London-based Scallywag Press, a children’s book company which aims to publish work by talented newcomers as well as classic titles and the work of favourite authors and illustrators with established reputations.

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Here were find the Happy Lion decidedly sad and lonely because all his friends at the zoo seem to have a loving companion, and he is on his own. But when a beautiful lioness comes to town with a visiting circus, the Happy Lion pays her a visit and he instantly falls in love with her. Under cover of night time, the Happy Lion finds a way to release her and hide her in his enclosure. When she is discovered he won’t let anyone separate them. Fortunately his friend François takes up his cause and finally convinces the mayor to let the lioness stay.

The adorable Happy Lion has lost none of his Gallic charm in this elegantly written and illustrated story which champions the importance of freedom, and celebrates the warmth, joy and power of friendship. With its gentle sense of fun and mischief, beguiling French backdrop, tender portrayal of love, and a gallery of wonderfully expressive illustrations, this is a book which has stood the test of time and is the ideal gift for a new generation of readers.

(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

Meet the Grumblies

John Kelly and Carmen Saldaña

EASY come but not so easy go are the watchwords in this clever, comical and cautionary picture book from dynamic duo John Kelly and Carmen Saldaña. Meet the Grumblies – starring a hilarious group of Neanderthal characters – offers a bright, colourful and quirky lesson in teamwork to all young readers who like their stories to come with a big dose of fun and giggles.

The Grumblies – Grumble-Stick, Grumble-Rope and Grumple-Mud – live in the land of Grumbly where bread rolls grow on bushes, squidgy fruit hangs from every tree and the pond is full of fizzy juice. You’d think they would be happy because they have lots of spare time to sit around but all they do is argue! So when a huge, hungry Gobblestomp arrives in their village and chomps and slurps all their food and drink, they need to decide which little Grumbly will banish the beast?

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Kelly lets his imagination take flight for this fun-filled, slapstick tale of a combative clan who can’t stop arguing while Saldaňa uses her broad brush strokes and colourful palette to bring all their frantic antics to glorious life. Get ready to laugh out loud and fall in love with the warring Grumblies!

(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £11.99)

Age 3 plus:

A Friend for Bear

Steve Smallman and Caroline Pedler

NEGOTIATING the ups and downs of friendship is all in a day’s work for a busy little bear in a gorgeous picture book from top team Steve Smallman and Caroline Pedler.

If your little ones are bewitched and beguiled by reassuring and fun-filled adventures brought to life by a gallery of the most endearing illustrations, then A Friend for Bear will be their top pick at story time. A Friend for Bear is the work of award-winning Smallman, who has taken up writing his own stories after illustrating children’s books for over 30 years, and the very talented Pedler whose bold and yet tender illustrations melt the hearts of both children and adults.

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Here we find Little Bear waking up from his winter hibernation and in a hurry to smell the flowers, see the baby animals, climb trees and find a friend! But she’s so excited and frantic that she is in danger of not taking the time to enjoy it all. And will she realise that the friend she has been searching for has been with her all along?

This beautiful book of mindfulness ‘bears’ all the hallmarks of Smallman’s sharp eye for humour and youthful mischief and joie de vivre as he celebrates spring and new friendships with a cast of adorable animal characters. Brimming with fun, warm-hearted messages, and Pedler’s bold, vibrant illustrations (complete with that special ‘aaah’ factor!), this is destined to be a firm family favourite.

(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age two plus:

Mini Monsters: Can I Play?

Caryl Hart and Tony Neal

WHEN friends muscle in on a mini monster Sparkle’s show, the sparks really do begin to fly! If your own little mini monster is getting ready to start preschool, this cautionary tale – the first in an enchanting new picture book series – is guaranteed to teach valuable lessons in the most delightful way.

Mini Monsters: Can I Play? comes from the exciting pairing of bestselling Peak District author Caryl Hart and talented debut illustrator Tony Neal whose work is inspired by everyday life and its quirky realities. Set in a preschool for mini monsters, this educational and entertaining series stars four lovable characters who are learning important lessons about friendship and how to get along.

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In Can I Play?, Sparkle is getting ready to put on a magic show with her best friend, Arthur. But when Scout tries to join in, Sparkle loses her temper and cancels the show. Soon, however, she starts feeling sad and lonely and discovers that some games are much better when they are played with all your friends! This bright, bold and colourful tale of friendship, sharing and life lessons is ideal for little pre-schoolers learning to deal with big emotions, and will be a firm favourite on bookshelves both at home and in nurseries and preschools.

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £6.99) 

The Babysitter

Phoebe Morgan 

A FAMILY holiday on the north-west coast of France comes to an abrupt end for Siobhan Dillon when the police arrive to arrest her husband Callum on suspicion of murder.

Hundreds of miles away, the body of Caroline Harvey has been found draped over a cot in an Ipswich house… and the baby girl she was babysitting has disappeared. Who was Caroline, and how did Callum even know her?

Get ready to be bewitched and bamboozled as Phoebe Morgan, one of the smartest authors currently writing domestic noir thrillers, takes readers on a rollercoaster ride full of mystery, menace, and her trademark mind-bending plot twists.

Morgan, who edits commercial fiction for a publishing house by day and writes her own books in the evenings, has a gift for delving into the deepest, darkest corners of family relationships and this chilling story of secrets, infidelity and betrayals fulfils all the ingredients on any crime fan’s wish list.

SECRETS AND LIES: Phoebe Morgan

It should be a dream holiday for the Dillon family from Ipswich. Television executive Callum, his wife Siobhan and their 16-year-old daughter Emma are enjoying the delights of Siobhan’s sister Maria Wilcox’s luxury villa on the French coast as a heatwave grips Europe.

At the age of forty-six, Maria is unmarried and likes to be ‘the mistress of my own life’ while her younger sister is hugging a lot of secrets to herself and knows that this holiday is to be either the ‘sticking plaster’ that keeps her family together, or the catalyst to tearing it apart.

Meanwhile, Emma, whose grades and behaviour at school have been causing concern, is increasingly withdrawn and angry, even on a sunshine holiday, and Siobhan can’t help but notice that Callum, a man used to getting his own way, is full of nervous energy and has a ‘a pulse of unease’ that is troubling her.

Across the Channel, Caroline Harvey had been looking after baby Eve Geras for her friend Jenny and husband Rick after a close member of their family was taken ill. Caroline’s life is ‘a well of loneliness.’ Everything she wants seems to be out of reach, and Jenny and Rick represent everything that she hasn’t got.

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And when Caroline is found stabbed to death, baby Eve missing, and Callum facing a murder charge, Siobhan’s perfect family is soon torn apart by the media in the nation’s frantic search for the missing child.

On the case is DS Alex Wildy who will have to use all his skill and experience if he is to find out

The Summer We Ran Away

Jenny Oliver

WHEN a misplaced WhatsApp message lets the whole street know that Julia Fletcher fancies her neighbour’s husband, there’s only one thing she can do… run away!

Pack your bags, climb into an old camper van and head for the Gallic charms of summertime in France as Jenny Oliver whisks us away on an adventure full of laughter, tears, unexpected dramas, and self-discovery.

The Summer We Ran Away is an escapist odyssey in every sense… the tale of one woman’s desperate flight away from the sniggers and sneers of her charmless neighbours, and the perfect destination for a sunshine getaway in lockdown.

Feel-good, contemporary fiction is what Oliver does best and this heartwarming romp, with some acutely observed truisms tucked neatly into its pages, is one of the happiest and most uplifting books you will read in this unsettling year of crisis and pandemic.

It’s going to be the party of the summer… everyone in the Cedar Lane WhatsApp group is preparing for Queen Bee Lexi Warrington’s White Hot get-together. It’s a day when squabbles and petitions are put aside as neighbours sip Prosecco under the fairy lights and gather by the hot tub to marvel at Lexi’s effortlessly glamorous life with dishy husband Hamish and their perfect blonde-haired twin girls.

LAUGHTER AND TEARS: Jenny Oliver

For Julia Fletcher, it’s a chance to coax husband Charlie out of his potting shed and into a white shirt so they can have a welcome break from the hellish house renovation they have been wrestling with on a rapidly dwindling budget.

The smart house on Cedar Lane was supposed to be their dream home but the endless list of improvements needed has brought their cash flow to a standstill and Charlie would far rather be nurturing his seeds in the garden.

The party is also a chance for Julia to pretend – just for a night – that her life is as perfect as Lexi’s. Julia is far from stupid and she knows that Lexi is just using her for her own ends, but there’s something ‘magnetic’ about her and she has fallen in with her followers.

When one of Julia’s WhatsApp messages to a friend, confessing that she has erotic dreams about Lexi’s husband, is misdirected during the party, revealing her most intimate thoughts to the entire Cedar Lane group, things reach boiling point.

Now that all the neighbours know exactly what she’s thinking, the only one thing Julia can do is run away and her best chance of fleeing is with another of her neighbours, Amber Beddington, a woman who is everything Lexi isn’t… ‘all messy hair and snake skin’ clothes, and who doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks.

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Amber, who has a soft spot for Julia and recognises she is a cut above the Cedar Lane WhatsApp group, is off to France in an old campervan to buy antiques and she offers to take Julia with her on a long weekend trip. And when you feel you can’t look anyone in the road in the eye