CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Animal poetry, whispering wars and the wild wind

From verse to inspire you every day and adventures glistening with winter ice, to a beagle hound that builds rockets and a fun-filled farmyard of partying veggies, there is a children’s book for every taste in this fabulous autumn selection

Age 6 plus
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright! An Animal Poem for Every Day of the Year 

Fiona Waters and
Britta Teckentrup

TAKE an inspirational day-by-day journey through the seasons and the natural world with this beautiful and breathtakingly illustrated anthology of 366 animal poems from around the world.

Inventive publisher Nosy Crow has been collaborating with the National Trust on some exciting and inventive books to inspire youngsters to enjoy the great outdoors, and this stunning book of verse, cleverly compiled by acclaimed anthologist Fiona Waters and illustrated by award-winning artist Britta Teckentrup, proves the creative partnership is well and truly flourishing.

There is a whole world inside this glorious book which is the fabulous sequel to the poetry collection, I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree, winner of Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year 2018 and Red Magazine’s Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year 2019.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

The spectacular range of poems for children includes work by Roger McGough, William Blake, Dick King-Smith, Ted Hughes, Grace Nichols, Lewis Carroll, Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson. And as well as a poem for every day, this amazing introduction to nature and all our fellow creatures helps youngsters to get to know them better. From unforgettable classics to contemporary works from around the world, including poetry in translation, there are poems to read time and again, some you can learn by heart, and some to enjoy just for their sheer beauty.

Teckentrup’s lavish illustrations, which provide a riot of colour and animal detail on every spread, bring together all the richness and wonder of the animal kingdom while Waters’ eclectic selection of poems spans 400 years and 22 countries. With sumptuous finishes including cloth binding, and ribbon marker, Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright! is a thrilling gift for all generations to treasure, and sure to inspire a lifelong love of both poetry and wildlife.
(Nosy Crow, hardback, £25)

Age 9 plus
Owl and the Lost Boy

Amy Wilson

THE queen of wintertime Amy Wilson spreads out her special magic like a carpet of glistening, glittering snow in her exciting return to the world of Owl, daughter of the one and only Jack Frost. Wilson has made this time of year her own when it comes to chiller-thriller adventures and it’s always a pleasure to meet up again with Owl McBride, the star of A Girl Called Owl, the acclaimed debut novel which won this talented author a longlisting for the Branford Boase Award, a Carnegie Medal nomination and a raft of regional awards.

In this wonderful sequel, Wilson’s imagination moves into overdrive as she sweeps us into a winter wonderland of snow, ice, menace and mystery for a stunning adventure that conjures up Narnia-style magic with a modern twist.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Being stuck in an eternal summer is not fun, especially when you’re the daughter of Jack Frost, the icon of winter who spreads frost across the world. Owl's friend Alberic – who also happens to be the Earl of Autumn’s son – has gone missing and determined to find him and end the perpetual summer, Owl and her best friend Mallory embark on an adventure that will take them deep into the magical world of time itself. But Alberic’s disappearance is shrouded in secrecy, and there’s more going on than meets the eye. As an epic battle of the elements approaches, will Owl and Alberic be able to control their magic and restore the natural world?

There could be no better time to escape into this breathtaking story with its enticing age-old charm and enchantment, and a seductive, ethereal, ice-coated world, trapped in the mists of time and steeped in the very best traditions of adventure, folklore and mystery. A wintertime winner that will capture the hearts and imaginations of middle-grade readers, and the perfect Christmas gift for your young adventurers!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus
Daisy and the Unknown Warrior

Tony Bradman and Tania Rex

THE moving true story of the ceremonial burial of Britain’s Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey one hundred years ago is the inspiration behind a captivating story from Tony Bradman.

Bradman, a prolific author with a particular passion for bringing history to life for young people, has created a beautiful tribute to the war dead as well an unusual and compelling perspective on this momentous occasion and what it meant to the thousands of bereaved families. The story of one young girl’s struggle to come to terms with her beloved father’s death is complemented perfectly by Tania Rex’s atmospheric illustrations, and is a unique and heartfelt rewinding of the clock, ideal for Great War studies in schools.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

In November of 1920, the body of an unknown soldier is to be buried at Westminster Abbey. The war has claimed the lives of thousands of men whose bodies will never make it home, and the Unknown Warrior will represent them all. As hundreds of people crowd to Westminster Abbey on a cold and frosty morning, 11-year-old Daisy Robinson knows she has to make it to the ceremony. Because although they call the warrior ‘unknown,’ she is sure that he is her father who died in battle two long and sad years ago.

Daisy and the Unknown Warrior is a beautiful and heartfelt reflection on the terrible sacrifices of a generation, and has been specially created by publisher Barrington Stoke in a super readable format for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers. Lest we forget…
(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus
The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars

Jaclyn Moriarty and Karl James Mountford

WHISPER it loudly… the Aussie queen of fantasy novels Jaclyn Moriarty is back to cast a spell with a thrilling tale of unlikely friendship, unexpected magic and dastardly danger! The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars is the second whimsical and witty middle-grade novel from Moriarty and illustrator Karl James Mountford, the team who brought young readers the highly acclaimed novel The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone.

Set fifteen years before the first book, this standalone tale is packed full of quirky characters, amazing world-building and Moriarty’s trademark irreverent humour as two sets of children who are sworn enemies come together to defeat a much more dangerous foe in the Whispering Wars.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

The town of Spindrift is frequented by pirates, Shadow Mages and charlatans. It’s also home to the Orphanage School, where Finlay lives with Glim, Taya and Eli. Just outside town is the painfully posh Brathelthwaite Boarding School, home to Honey Bee, Hamish and Victor, Duke of Ainsley. When the two schools compete at the Spindrift Tournament, stakes are high, tensions are higher, and some people are out to win at any cost.

Before long, the orphans and the boarding school are in an all-out war. And then Whispering Wars break out, and Spindrift is thrust on to the front lines. Children are being stolen, Witches, Sirens and a deadly magical flu invade the town, and all attempts to fight back are met with defeat. Finlay, Honey Bee and their friends must join forces to outwit the encroaching forces of darkness, rescue the stolen children, and turn the tide of the war. But how can one bickering troupe outwit the insidious power of the Whisperers? And who are the two mysterious figures watching them from the shadows?

Moriarty uses her vivid imagination, storytelling skills and love of language to unleash another thrilling and epic adventure full of fantasy, fun and wickedly clever wordplay… and there is the added delight of a welcome appearance by the irrepressible Bronte Mettlestone. Funny, quirky, clever and outrageously entertaining!
(Guppy Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
Timeline Science and Technology: A Visual History of Our World

Peter Goes

ENJOY a pictorial history of the inventions, discoveries and technologies that have shaped our world in a fascinating follow-up to Peter Goes’ bestselling Timeline: A Visual History of Our World.

Timeline Science and Technology comes from New Zealand-based Gecko Press, an independent publisher of ‘curiously good’ children’s books which is on a mission to translate works by some of the world’s best writers and illustrators. And here we join Belgian illustrator and author Peter Goes for a visual introduction to our planet and society from the Stone Age to the present day, and from America to the Southern hemisphere and beyond, alongside the fascinating history of our greatest inventions and groundbreaking technology.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

In his signature playful style, Goes illustrates the most fascinating technologies, from the first tools to the most specialised IT, from medical breakthroughs to the creation of YouTube, and he also includes remarkable scientists and innovators and some lesser-known stories. This beautiful, large-format book is brimming with infographics and maps, and each spread shows major discoveries, inventions and technical breakthroughs for a time period in history. Ideal as a gift for all ages, and a superb reference book for children, and an invaluable resource for classrooms, this is the go-to book for all science and technology fans.
(Gecko Press, hardback, £16.99)

Age 6 plus
Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

CAN you ever be too young to fight for democracy? One question always leads to another when you are sharing adventures with the irrepressibly curious Questioneers! Sofia and her fellow Questioneers – Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Iggy Peck – love looking for problems to solve, and their quest to find the answers leads youngsters on a fascinating journey of discovery in Andrea Beaty and David Roberts’ brilliant series of fun educational books.

Problem-solving and the joy of scientific and technical experimentation are at the heart of these engaging chapter book stories which serve up adventure, humour and a cast of lovable characters. And just in time for the 2020 US election, we meet up again with Sofia Valdez, a little Mexican-American girl with big ideas who is determined to make the world a better place for everyone.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Teacher Miss Lila Greer announces it’s time for Grade Two to get a class pet, and she wants the kids to participate in choosing which one. After all, they will all have to share the responsibility of caring for it. The class narrows it down to two options… Team Turtle and Team Bird. Sofia is named Election Commissioner, in charge of overseeing a fair and honest election between the two teams, and there is a class-wide campaign, complete with posters, articles, and speeches. Then it’s time for the election. But when the votes are counted, there’s a tie, and one vote is missing. How will the class break the tie? And what happened to the vanishing vote? It’s up to Sofia and the Questioneers to restore democracy!

Beaty’s clever, inspirational and exciting books – ideal for children to read alone or with adults – come packed with Roberts’ richly detailed and humorous artwork, and are guaranteed to entertain, inform and empower young readers.
(Amulet Books, hardback, £8.99)

Age 5 plus
One Girl

Andrea Beaty and Dow Phumiruk

ONLY one spark is needed to set a girl on the path to a life of learning in a meditative and beautifully illustrated book from bestselling author Andrea Beaty and artist Dow Phumiruk. Enchanting, lyrical and moving, One Girl was inspired by the global movement to empower girls through education, and its simple but powerful narrative shows how books and learning can inspire change and help just one child to make a huge difference.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

One girl, one spark, faint and fading in the dark… a tiny ember, burning low. A sad young girl sits on her porch when suddenly a book falls at her feet like a shooting star. She reads the book and it lights a spark within her. She shares what she learns with her class, and the spark grows again. The girl is then moved to write her own story, which she shares with girls around the globe, and it ignites a spark in them in turn, eventually lighting up the whole world.

Brought to life by Phumiruk’s stunning, heart-warming illustrations, and with a message in the back of the book for girls about the precious and powerful nature of knowledge, and how it helps to lift them out of poverty, this simple tale speaks volumes to women in every corner of the world.
(Abrams Books for Young Readers, hardback, £11.99)

Age 3 plus
Wild is the Wind

Grahame Baker-Smith

WATCH in wonder as the world springs to glorious life in a stunning, wind-blown picture book from self-taught, Kate Greenaway Award-winning artist Grahame Baker-Smith.

Baker-Smith, whose love for drawing is a passionate and all-consuming activity, has created a breathtaking celebration of the extraordinary and majestic path of the wild wind around the globe through the simplest but most effective of stories and a gallery of dazzling illustrations in a veritable rainbow of colours.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Floating across the sky in her hot air balloon, Cassi watches a little swift dive and swoop through the still air. In the rising sun the world seems to be holding its breath. Then a small breeze stirs the leaves in the trees and, as the wind grows bolder, a whiff of danger sends small creatures running for cover. Across the ocean, the wind awakes with a fury, whipping the waves, cresting each one with wild, white horses. And further on, around the still eye of a hurricane, clouds are carved into a great spiral, howling with stormy power. And throughout, the wind in all its guises is witnessed by Cassi’s little swift as it embarks on its mammoth migratory journey, finally coming to nest on the other side of the world.

Packed with intricately detailed and atmospheric illustrations, coupled with a beautiful lyrical text, Wild is the Wind is both an ingenious learning tool and a voyage of magical discovery.
(Templar Publishing, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
It’s Only Stanley

Jon Agee

JUST like Stanley the beagle hound in American author and illustrator Jon Agee’s gloriously mischievous picture book, youngsters are guaranteed to fall in love with this tale of barking mad antics! A master of visual storytelling and zany humour, Agee’s rhyming adventure starring a dog who turns a house into a space rocket is brimming with canine comedy and read-aloud-and-share appeal for all the family to enjoy.

Mysterious noises keep waking up the Wimbledon family. That’s very odd, says Mr Wimbledon each time, but when he returns from checking on the sounds, he’s always reassuring. It's only Stanley; he’s fixing the oil tank. It’s only Stanley; he’s clearing the bathtub drain. But what genial genius Stanley is actually doing while his oblivious family goes back to bed is turning the house into a rocket ship to take all the family to another planet… and an unexpected and romantic alien encounter!

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Agee, whose books have won starred reviews and medals galore, uses bold, eye-catching illustrations with a wealth of rich detail and expressive genius as youngsters turn the pages and enjoy watching the ingenious Stanley slowly (and noisily!) build his rocket engine. With a rhyme that romps from start to finish, a feast of visual and verbal wit, an addictive sense of fun that imbues every page, and its warm celebration of family loyalty and togetherness, this is Agee at his quirkiest and playful best!
(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
Fish

Brendan Kearney

DIVE into an eco-adventure with Finn the fisherman and his dog Skip in a terrific, timely tale about ridding the ocean of plastic pollution. Fish is written and illustrated by Brendan Kearney, who lives by the sea in the south-west of England, and the idea for this enchanting picture book was born from his fascination with the ocean and the animals that live within it, and a constant awareness of the threats our oceans face from pollution.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

All Finn wants is to catch a nice, tasty fish for his dinner but, no matter how hard he tries, all he seems to catch at the end of his fishing line is other people’s trash. The longer he spends out on the ocean, the more crazy the objects he collects! Finn and his dog Skip go home each day with a full boat, but empty tummies. It isn’t long before Finn finds a way to reuse and recycle everything he has collected. Pretty soon he makes enough money to make a tasty dinner every day, and under his care the ocean becomes clean, bright, and full of fish again.

With a gentle, fun and engaging story, a gallery of fun and colourful illustrations, and uplifting messages about protecting our oceans and the rewarding results of recycling our rubbish, Fish is the ideal introduction to the important concept of environmental protection.
(DK Children, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Veg Patch Party

Clare Foges and Al Murphy

VEGGIES… are you readddy? From Clare Foges and Al Murphy, the bestselling picture book team that brought youngsters the fabulously funny Kitchen Disco, comes a fun-filled farmyard fiesta full of mud, rain… and boogie bean nights!

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

As the sun goes down on the farm, all of the animals close their eyes because it’s time for bed… but not for the vegetables. They start waking up, peer cautiously from their planted rows, stretch, rise and shine and prepare to get their veggie wiggle on. Yes, it’s veggie party time, and mud, rain and vegetables are a winning combination!

Teaming up Foges’ versatile veggie verse with the ever-popular Murphy’s big, bold, giggle-inducing illustrations proves the perfect combo for a zany, zinging double act which pays homage to big names like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and features a stunning silver holographic spread to add an extra layer of stardust. Glastonbury with veg!
(Faber & Faber, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus
I say Boo, you say Hoo

John Kane

THERE won’t be a dull moment when you open the pages of this madcap, interactive adventure! John Kane, who says he liked to make up stories for his little sister when he was younger, will have youngsters booing and hooing with this highly original and fun-packed, call-and-response picture book.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Boo is little ghost who lives in a haunted house… and he’s afraid of the dark. In I Say Boo, You Say Hoo, readers must help tell the story with a series of hilarious verbal and visual cues which will have them turning pages, shouting Boo and Hoo, and laughing out loud. Each page of this entertaining and energetic book is a kaleidoscope of colour and words, and the perfect book to read aloud and share with your little ones. But be warned… it contains stinky poos!
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus
What’s in the Truck?

Philip Ardagh and Jason Chapman

ALL aboard for the wacky races! Philip Ardagh, the children’s author who has been labelled ‘a national treasure,’ hits the road with a roaringly funny picture book romp starring a truck-driving dog-prince on a very special mission. With illustrator Jason Chapman as his co-driver, Ardagh takes little ones on a thrilling, high-octane ride as they enjoy journeying with a series of extraordinary vehicles that are revealed page by page and one by one.

‘Out glides a limo, as sleek as a plane, With big gleaming hubcaps as bright as champagne.’ 

Something is racing along the road! Is it a truck, a racing car, a motorbike, a scooter? Children will delight in this silly, surreal caper featuring the dog-prince in his truck on the way to the palace for Princess Maxie’s birthday. With each page turn, a new vehicle pops out of the last in the style of a Russian doll. 

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Ardagh’s hilarious, rhyming text is perfectly matched to Chapman’s richly detailed and energetic artwork in a brilliantly funny, top-speed road adventure that motors through to a super-sized finale. Perfect for your own little roadsters!
(Faber & Faber, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus
Ollie’s Lost Kitten

Nicola Killen 

JOIN a little girl and her cat as they enjoy fun and games amongst the autumn leaves. Nicola Killen is back to bewitch and beguile us with a playful new story in her warm and wonderful Ollie series which has captured the hearts of readers young… and not-so-young!

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

One crisp, windy autumn morning, Ollie and her cat Pumpkin are playing outside when they discover a little kitten. After lots of fun and games, Ollie learns from posters that the kitten is actually lost, and she must help him find his way home. But after returning the kitten to his rightful owner, she realises she has lost something very dear to her. This charming picture book with intriguing cut-outs for little ones to peep through and explore, enticing foiled illustrations in a limited, eye-catching palette, and a simple but magical story with a big, warm heart, is the perfect bedtime wind-down for young adventurers.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus
Who’s Driving?

Leo Timmers 

THE well-known fable of the tortoise and the hare gets a comical and contemporary twist in a board book from much-loved Belgian author and illustrator Leo Timmers. Creator of Gus’s Garage and Monkey on the Run, Timmers provides exciting illustrations alongside a question-and-answer text which encourage young readers to use their imaginations and interact with the story.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Solve the puzzles and get guessing as a menagerie of colourful animals prepare to drive their vehicles… who will get behind the wheel of a fire truck, a race car, a tractor and an aeroplane? It’s not always who you think! With a world of detail, activity and humour to share with curious toddlers and each page packed with interactive fun, this is the ideal book to share with grown-ups, and rev up the imaginations of even the youngest children.
(Gecko Press, board book, £7.99)

When I Come Home Again

Caroline Scott 

THE First World War remains one of the most devastating conflicts in history, particularly in terms of the scale and manner of deaths on the battle fronts.

But even after the guns fell silent in 1918, the bitter legacy of a cruel war lingered on for decades as those who were bereaved faced the terrible grief of losing their loved ones, and families coped with the devastating physical and mental damage wreaked on the broken men who made it back.

Historian and highly acclaimed author Caroline Scott, whose haunting novel, The Photographer of the Lost, contemplated the horrific aftermath of the Great War in the ruins of France and Belgium, returns to this emotive backdrop for a powerful exploration of the impact of the war on women, and the challenges faced by returning soldiers.

Inspired by her Lancashire family’s wartime memorabilia, Scott once again turns back the clock to the final months of the war when families were desperate to discover if their husbands, sons or brothers, who had been reported missing in action, were dead or alive.

HAUNTING NOVEL: Caroline Scott

Many of these tortured souls had clung on to hope in the face of years of uncertainty, dreaming, longing and even firmly believing that their loved ones only needed to be found. And it is this heart-rending dilemma that forms the backdrop to Scott’s moving story of a soldier who returns to England with no memory, no identity… and maybe no real desire to know who he is.

In November of 1918, the last week of the Great War, a uniformed soldier with no identity disc, pay book or service number, is arrested in Durham Cathedral after he chalks a phoenix rising from the flames on a tomb in the Galilee Chapel. When questioned by the police, it becomes clear he has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there. The soldier is given the name Adam Galilee and transferred to a rehabilitation institute at Loughrigg Hall in the Lake District where he draws a woman’s face again and again… he doesn’t know who she is but he senses that he misses her and doesn’t want to forget her.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

His psychiatrist, James Haworth, who served on the Western Front, is determined to ‘unravel’ who this man once was but Adam doesn’t want to be unravelled. Fearful that he might have a good reason to forget, and unwilling to relive the trauma of war, Adam has locked his memory away, preferring to look out at other’s ‘dramas and domesticities’ than find a way back to his own.

Meanwhile, James has his own demons to battle. Haunted by events during the war which involved the death of his wife Caitlin’s beloved twin brother Nat, James is under scrutiny too from his patient Adam who sees the doctor’s ‘resting face scribbled over by melancholy.’

Two years later and with James no nearer to knowing who Adam really is, a newspaper publishes a photograph of Adam and a feature on soldiers suffering from amnesia. Soon hundreds of women come forward, claiming that Adam is someone they lost in the war, but only three of them are plausible candidates. Suddenly Adam has people who urgently need him to remember. But does he believe any of these women, or is there another family out there waiting for him to come home?

When I Come Home Again is one of the most haunting novels of a year which has seen how lives can be turned upside down so drastically and catastrophically with the advent of one world-changing event. The end of the Great War brought with it a new social and political landscape in Europe, but in the immediate aftermath, a toxic mix of grief and guilt stunted the lives of many.

All the more powerful because it is based on true events, Scott’s tense and compelling mystery story – with so many broken lives at its centre – ­is a timely reminder that the repercussions of war are lasting, painful and tragic. Identity, memory, love and loss are explored with an observant eye, a warm compassion and a lyrical prose that digs deep into the anguish of the three women who are desperate to fill the void that blights both their present and their future, and whose plight encapsulates the suffering of thousands.

From Adam, fearful of what truths might lie beneath his amnesia, and James, torn apart by guilt over events on the Western Front, to the women who queued to claim the lost soldier as their own, these are characters beautifully drawn and so achingly real. But there is also hope and redemption in this resonant story; a reminder that love can heal, that guilt can be assuaged, that some memories never fade… and that new beginnings are possible, however impossible that may once have seemed.
(Simon & Schuster, hardback, £16.99)

Christmas with the Teashop Girls

Elaine Everest

AS a wave of German bombing raids hit the south coast of England in autumn of 1940, the war is now dangerously close to home for staff at the Lyon’s Teashop nestling on the seafront in Margate.

For the three good friends who work as famous Nippy waitresses in the cafe, the war years are bringing changes which they could never have imagined when they grew up together in this corner of the Kent coast.

Welcome back to the dangerous but warm-spirited and nostalgic world of wartime so vividly imagined by Elaine Everest whose bestselling series, The Woolworths Girls and The Butlins Girls, have made her one of the nation’s most popular saga queens.

Expect drama, secrets, romance and friendship as Everest, who grew up listening to stories of the war years in her home town of Erith, brings us a gripping Christmas visit to her Teashop Girls series which goes behind the scenes of the iconic Joe Lyon’s teashops which were a familiar sight in many towns during the Thirties, Forties and Fifties.

 ADDICTIVE SAGA: Elaine Everest 

These smart establishments were also noted for their neatly uniformed waitresses who were fondly known as ‘Nippies’ because of their speed as they moved around the workplace. And here we meet the three close pals from the Margate branch as they dig in for more heartbreak and hardships during the deadly Blitz.

In September of 1940, the ravages of war have reached across the Channel to the south coast of England but life and work goes on for manager Rose Neville and her staff at the Lyon’s Teashop in Margate.

Despite the harsh realities of rationing, the Nippies do their best to provide a happy smile, a hot cup of tea and a small measure of normality for their customers but when another heavy bombing raid targets the Kent coastline, Lyon’s is badly hit, throwing the future of the cafe into jeopardy.

The central figure in Rose’s life is her dashing fiancé Captain Ben Hargreaves, and she and her mother Flora are making plans for the couple’s Christmas Eve wedding. But Rose will also be taking on the care of two young step-daughters and she needs to get on the right side of her feisty and wealthy mother-in-law, Lady Diana McDouglas.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Meanwhile, Rose’s close friend from the teashop, Lily Douglas, will soon be leaving hospital with her new baby daughter Mary but unmarried, and still not ready to reveal the identity of Mary’s father, Lily may face tough times ahead. 

However, there is a glimmer of light for Rose when her half-sister Eileen makes contact and it seems that Rose’s dreams of having a sibling are coming true at long last. But Rose’s friends begin to suspect that something is not right between Eileen and her husband… just what are they hiding?

As the Christmas Eve wedding draws near, the bombings intensify in Kent and London, putting everything and everyone Rose loves in danger. Only one thing is for sure… it will be a Christmas she never forgets.

Everest’s festive-laced foray into the lives of Rose, Lily and Katie brings with it some moments of terrifying menace – and not just from the German bombing raids – but amidst all the uncertainty and surprises, both welcome and unwelcome, it’s love, loyalty, family and friendship that will see them all through the darkest days.

With fears heightened for loved ones fighting overseas, and worries and personal dramas unfolding on the home front, this is a truly addictive story and, as always, local history and the community spirit which held people together is evoked with the warmth, rich period detail and superb characterisation that we have come to expect from this master storyteller. A Christmas treat for all saga fans, and the perfect escape in the year of coronavirus.
(Pan, paperback, £7.99)

The Emmerdale Girls

Kerry Bell

FOR forty-eight 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 millions of viewers every week.

And now this enthralling and nostalgic saga series, which explores the fictional lives of Emmerdale’s much-loved families during wartime, including favourites such as the Sugdens and the Dingles, is capturing the hearts and minds of readers with its compelling stories of community, friendship and love.

In The Emmerdale Girls, the fifth book in the much-loved series, the Second World War has reached the dark December days of 1944 and the hard-pressed families of Beckindale are trying their best to cope with life on the home front.

ENGROSSING STORY: Kerry Bell

The success of the D-Day landings earlier in the year has brought some hope to the village but, after five years of drama, change, tragedy and turmoil, many can’t believe that they are heading for yet another wartime Christmas.

Click HERE for
Lancashire Post review
 

Against a backdrop of rationing, blackouts, evacuees and military training camps, the women of Emmerdale are navigating their own lives, loves and dreams and as the war draws to a close, they realise things will never be the same again. The Emmerdale girls are fast learning that things are rarely dull where love is concerned…

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 anxieties and uncertainties of wartime in a tightly-knit village community.

Beautifully written and researched by Kerry Bell, the pseudonym for Kerry Barrett, author of contemporary and time-slip novels, and filled with warmth, real-life dramas, rich period detail and fascinating characters, this is the perfect Christmas gift for both Emmerdale and saga fans.
(Trapeze, hardback, £12.99)

Victory for the Bluebird Girls

Rosie Archer

THE Bluebird Girls singing trio have been flying high for five long years of wartime… but as the conflict draws to a close, will the winds of change blow their lives off course?

Welcome back to the rollercoaster lives of three young women from Gosport, the Hampshire town with a long and distinguished naval and maritime history which has become familiar to an army of readers thanks to the wonderful novels of Rosie Archer, one of its proudest inhabitants.

After a series of compelling novels featuring the women who work on the south coast of England during the Second World War, Archer’s emotional Bluebird Girls sagas have been following a group of singers whose fates and fortunes play out against real-life events. 

And now the final chapter in the tumultuous lives of songbird trio, Bea Herron, Ivy Sparrow and Rainey Bird, is beckoning as the lights come back on across Europe, and a hard-fought victory and peacetime are finally in sight.

ON SONG: Rosie Archer

So much has happened over the years for the Bluebird Girls, but in 1944 they are back together and singing for the troops. The Allies are making one final push in Europe and Bea, Ivy and Rainey are travelling across the country to boost the morale of the troops and factory workers. After everything they have been through, it’s good to be singing again.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

In their rise to fame over the course of the war, the girls have faced down bombs and looked tragedy in the eye. They have also found love, created their own families and established careers that they never thought possible.

But now an end to the war is finally on the horizon… what will the new world order hold for the south coast’s favourite singing trio?

There is always a gritty edge of realism to Archer’s sagas and this final, drama-packed chapter for the tough and resilient young women is a stark reminder that wartime brings trials, triumphs and tragedies for those on both the battlefield and the home front. It was a time when death was only ever a heartbeat away, and daily life in industrial cities like Gosport was under constant threat from bombing raids. But wartime also saw communities come together, and friends, neighbours and family became the solid bedrock which helped many through the best and worst of times.

Over four compelling books, the trio of gutsy songbirds have won the hearts of thousands of readers as they keep smiling through the many hardships thrown at them.

With period charm and nostalgia on every page – whether that’s music, rationed food, the dreaded blackout or the wail of air raid sirens – Archer’s sparkling Bluebirds series ends on the high note we have come to expect from this much-loved author.
(Quercus, paperback, £6.99)

A Fatal Obsession

Faith Martin

FOR over 25 years, Faith Martin has been thrilling her readers with a raft of superb novels… written in four different genres and under four different pen names.

Perhaps best known for her smart and sassy DI Hillary Greene police series set in and around her home town of Oxford, Martin returns once more to the city of dreaming spires for a thrilling new police series starring an unlikely and excitingly original crime-fighting partnership.

Set in 1960 when male detectives were still dinosaurs and women detectives were regarded as superfluous to requirements, A Fatal Obsession pits a 19-year-old rookie policewoman and a middle-aged, old-school coroner against the force’s cynical top brass and a ruthless murderer.

The result is a thrilling whodunit, packed with Martin’s trademark labyrinthine plotting, stunning twists and turns, a delightfully eccentric detective and – without the help of modern technology –  some brilliantly entertaining, good old-fashioned detective work.

THRILLING NEW SERIES: Faith Martin

Probationer WPC Trudy Loveday has got her work cut out to convince her boss, DI Harry Jennings, that she is good for something more than just making the tea. Clever, enthusiastic and always underestimated, Trudy finds it difficult even convincing her mother that she should be in the police force.

In the hope of getting her out of the way, Jennings assigns Trudy to help 57-year-old coroner Clement Ryder as he re-opens the case of Gisela Fleet-Wright, a young woman who died five years ago under what he was sure – but couldn’t prove – were suspicious circumstances.

And Clement, who is secretly fighting to prevent anyone know that he is suffering from the slow onset of Parkinson’s disease, has a formidable reputation for digging out the truth. ‘On his watch, nobody got away with anything.’

As for Trudy, she knows that this could be her chance to shine but first she must prove to Clement – known to her colleagues as ‘the old vulture’ – that she is the right woman for the job… and that means learning to recognise when people are lying.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Meanwhile, the rest of the police force are busy investigating a series of threats and murders in the local area, and Clement can’t help but feel that they are somehow all linked to the death of Gisela. As Trudy and Clement form an unlikely partnership, are they going to be the ones to solve these crimes before the murderer strikes again?

Martin’s new series gets off to a cracking start as the feisty young policewoman and the wise ‘old vulture’ get to grips with each other… and a baffling case that unfolds sans mobile, sans internet and sans forensics. The developing relationship between the master and his new ‘pupil’ looks set to be one of the joys of this Sixties-set series as feisty, determined Trudy finds her feet and shows her mettle, Clement discovers his assistant is more than just a pretty, young face, and each of them battles their own personal hurdles.

Intriguing, clever and with bags of potential, the Ryder & Loveday mysteries look set to put Oxford on the crime map yet again!
(HQ, paperback, £7.99)

Inside Out

Chris McGeorge

JAILED for a murder she claims she didn’t commit, Cara Lockhart has resigned herself to a kind of ‘peace’ in the predictable routine of prison life.

But when she is bundled into a van in the middle of the night and transferred to a new high-tech jail where there are no windows, no clocks and no visitors, Cara starts to feel not just unsettled, but seriously unsafe.

Chris McGeorge, who wrote his first crime novel Dead Room as the thesis for his Creative Writing MA, is garnering much critical praise for his wickedly weird and wonderful stories which blend classic tropes with contemporary themes, and roll out lashings of intrigue and twists.

And after the success of his first two published novels, Guess Who and Now You See Me, McGeorge is back to play with our minds, confound our expectations, and set our hearts thumping with this dark and disturbing story set in a creepy, soulless prison where nothing – and nobody – is what it seems.

MASTER OF THE BIZARRE:
Chris McGeorge

After several years in a standard women’s prison, 23-year-old Cara Lockhart, who is serving a life sentence for murder, has been unceremoniously dumped at North Fern, the newest maximum security women’s prison in the country. Cara claims she is innocent but after almost driving herself crazy with thoughts that this wasn’t what her life was supposed to be, she has given up, accepted her fate and found some happiness, even if it is a happiness ‘soaked in grief.’

But this ultra-modern prison which has no windows, clocks, visitors or outdoor spaces, where the guards are almost prisoners too and the punishments are bizarre and cruel, has made Clara fear that this is also the place where she is fated to spend the rest of her days.

Her only friend is her cellmate, Stephanie Barnard, but one morning Cara wakes up to find Stephanie has been murdered… shot in the head with a gun that is missing. But the door was locked all night and that makes Cara the only suspect. Cara has been set up and she needs to clear her name but digging out the truth is difficult when an investigation is governed by the prison’s rigid timetable. As Cara starts to learn more about North Fern and the race is on to prove her innocence, she finds connections between the past and present which she never could have imagined. And it seems that her conviction and her current situation might be linked in very strange ways...

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

With mystery and menace oozing from every page, and a clever, complex plot that leaves readers constantly guessing, Inside Out dishes up sheer entertainment from the intriguing

The Siberian Dilemma

Martin Cruz Smith 

SINCE the 1981 publication of Gorky Park, the stunning first novel in Martin Cruz Smith’s much-loved Arkady Renko series, the wily, witty Russian detective has made only intermittent appearances. But the wait for eager readers – in this case, a long stretch of six years – has been more than amply rewarded with a full-throttle outing for the Moscow-based Investigator of Special Cases who has seen his country move from Communism, through Perestroika to the iron grip of Vladimir Putin.

The Siberian Dilemma is the ninth case for Renko and it’s a true thriller-chiller set in the frozen tundra of Siberia, a land where billionaire oligarchs are as menacing as bears, superstition is still rife, shamans are alive and well, and death by both natural and unnatural causes is only ever a heartbeat away.

Written with the literary flair, wry humour, gripping atmospherics and gritty realism that have become the hallmarks of this classic series, Renko’s two-pronged, danger mission to the frigid eastern Siberian city of Irkutsk and its picturesque neighbour, Lake Baikal, has all the thrills and spills that we have come to expect from this outstanding American author.

Investigative journalist Tatiana Petrovna has disappeared in Siberia and the editor of the newspaper where she works doesn’t seem to be taking it seriously enough for her part-time lover and Moscow detective Arkady Renko.

GRITTY REALISM:
Martin Cruz Smith

Renko hasn’t seen her since she left on assignment over a month ago and when she doesn’t arrive on her scheduled train, he’s positive something is wrong. Tatiana is known to disappear during complex assignments but he also knows her enemies and the criminal lengths these thugs will go to in order to keep her quiet.

Given the opportunity to interrogate a suspected Chechen assassin in Irkutsk, Renko embarks on a dangerous journey to Siberia to find the flighty, fatalistic Tatiana and bring her back, and along the way he obtains the invaluable services of a Mongolian factotum and shaman whose business card claims that he ‘does everything.’

From the banks of Lake Baikal to rundown Chita where tourists are a rarity, Renko slowly learns that Tatiana has been profiling the rise of political dissident Mikhail Kuznetsov, a golden boy of modern oil wealth who is known as the ‘hermit billionaire’ and is the first to pose a true threat to Putin’s rule in over a decade.

Although Kuznetsov seems like the perfect candidate to take on the corruption in Russian politics, his reputation becomes clouded when Boris Benz, his business partner and best friend, turns up dead.

In a land of shamans and brutally cold nights, oligarchs wealthy on northern oil, and sea monsters that are said to prowl in the deepest lake in the world, Renko needs all his wits about him if he is to get Tatiana out alive…

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Arkady Renko fans have a feast of vintage Martin Cruz Smith to enjoy in this spine-tingling, ice-cracking, blood-freezing adventure in one of the coldest corners of the world as our sardonic,

The Winter Promise

Rosie Goodwin

THERE'S an extra sparkle to the autumn days as Rosie Goodwin, one of Britain’s best-loved saga queens, conjures up more storytelling magic for her brand new Precious Stones series.

The star of each standalone story in this glittering collection will be named after a gemstone and follows on from Goodwin’s enchanting Days of the Week series which won her an army of readers and a fistful of accolades.

A former social worker and foster mother, Goodwin has penned thirty-eight 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, The Winter Promise – a gritty, drama-packed tale featuring 19^th century orphan girl Opal Sharp – delivers the same winning blend of romance, intrigue, fascinating characters, and richly detailed, authentic and atmospheric settings.

In the cold, snowy winter of 1850, 16-year-old Opal Sharp from Fenny Drayton finds herself and her younger siblings suddenly orphaned and destitute. Their mother died in childbirth nine weeks ago and now their father has succumbed to a fever.

GLITTERING NEW SERIES:
Rosie Goodwin

After being turned out of their cottage which was tied to their father’s work on a farm, the lives of Opal, 15-year-old Charlie, six-year-old Susie and two-year-old Jack have suddenly been reduced to no home, no parents, no money and no prospects.

Opal is determined to keep the family together and they find refuge in a derelict cottage in a wasteland of fields known as Rapper’s Hole. But just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, Opal and the two youngest children are struck down with the illness that took their father, and her brother Charlie is forced to make an impossible decision.

Unable to afford a doctor, he knows the younger children will not survive. So against the wishes of Opal who is too ill to realise what is happening, Charlie takes Susie and Jack to the workhouse where he hopes that at least they will be fed and cared for until he can return to take them both out. When she finds out the two children are in the workhouse, Opal is heartbroken and Charlie starts taking risks to try to support what is left of the Sharp family and earn Opal’s forgiveness. But his gamble fails and he finds himself in trouble with the law and on a convict ship for the long voyage to Australia.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

As heartbroken Opal is forced to say goodbye to the final member of her family, she makes a promise to reunite them all one day. Will she ever see her family again?

Unsurprisingly, Goodwin is one of the top 50 most borrowed authors from UK libraries and here she packs in all those recognisable people, events and dramas – births and deaths, loves and

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Thrills, spills and adventure for half-term reading

There won’t be a dull moment this half-term school holiday with an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction children’s books that are guaranteed to keep young minds entertained, amused and informed

Age 8 plus
The Wizard In My Shed: 
The Misadventures
of Merdyn the Wild

Simon Farnaby and Claire Powell

IF you and your family are down and out with the year of the pandemic, indulge yourselves in the shared joy of a simply wizard new middle grade series from Horrible Histories star Simon Farnaby.

Whether this hilarious story of a badly behaved, time-travelling wizard is read alone or aloud, there are guaranteed gags, giggles and great adventures on every page as Farnaby lets his imagination and storytelling skills run riot, and Claire Powell adds the finishing touches with her super-charged, richly detailed illustrations.

Merdyn the Wild is from the Dark Ages. He’s the world's greatest Warlock (don’t call him a wizard), banished to the 21st century for bad behaviour, and he is about to create a whole load of trouble for an unsuspecting 12-year-old girl called Rose Falvey. Rose is a totally ordinary girl and she is on a mission to mend her broken family since her dad died suddenly four years ago and her mum became permanently sad. Her brother Kris finds her embarrassing and Rose’s only friend at home is Bubbles, the guinea pig. But he just poos a lot.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

When Rose bumps into Merdyn in the woods and discovers what he is, she quickly realises that he could be just what she needs. Rose agrees to help Merdyn navigate the confusing ways of the modern world (things like, the lidded bowl in the bathroom is not a sink, it’s a toilet, so definitely don’t wash your face in it) if Merdyn gives her a spell to fix her family in return. Now they just need to hide him in the shed without Rose’s mum noticing, track down Merdyn’s magic staff and find a way to send Merdyn back through time to the Dark Ages. What could possibly go wrong?

Expect a big, bold cast of brilliant characters, fun and laughter all the way, an entertaining historical twist and a story with a warm and compassionate heart, and you have what promises to be one of the best middle grade series to grace our bookshelves.
(Hodder Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 8 plus
The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale

Ben Miller and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini

IF you thought supermarkets were boring, step inside a sinister store called Grimm’s where magic and danger are always just a heartbeat away!

Following the success of The Night I Met Father Christmas and The Boy Who Made the World Disappear, actor, comedian and bestselling author Ben Miller is back to blow young minds with a terrific tale set in a dark and forbidding fairytale world. Featuring the beautiful black and white illustrations of Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale is a thrilling story about stories, but it’s also about a brother and a sister finding their way back to each other through the power of imagination.

Lana loves stories, especially the ones she and her older brother, Harrison, share in their make-believe games. But when Harrison starts senior school and decides he’s too grown-up to play with Lana, she finds herself feeling lonely. Until something magical happens…

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Hidden in Grimm’s, the strange new supermarket which has sprung up from nowhere on the common, Lana discovers a portal to a fairytale world. But these aren’t the happy-ever-after fairytales that Lana knows, they are darker and more dangerous, and the characters need Lana’s help to defeat an evil witch. But she can’t do it alone. Can she convince Harrison to believe in stories again and journey to the world with her… before it’s too late?

This gorgeous gift book, with its stunning illustrations, warm heart, and all-action, thrills-and-spills adventures – laced throughout with Miller’s irrepressible wit – is set to become another classic for this exciting and inventive storyteller.
(Simon & Schuster, hardback, £12.99)

Age 8 plus
Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park

Ayisha Malik and Églantine Ceulemans

INSPIRE your youngsters to enjoy the wit, warmth and wisdom of one of England’s best loved and most celebrated authors with the fresh, funny and accessible Awesomely Austen series. Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, which is accompanied by a gallery of Églantine Ceulemans’ witty black and white illustrations, is given a delightful retelling by lifelong Londoner Ayisha Malik who has read and re-read Austen’s books throughout her whole life, and is perfectly placed to bring the classic story of Mansfield Park to a new audience.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Fanny Price is one of nine children, and her family are very poor. So when a distant relative offers to take her in – giving her the opportunity to grow up wealthy and comfortable – her parents jump at the chance. But money doesn’t always bring happiness, and Fanny struggles to settle into her new home, where the family are very cold towards her. Her only friend amongst them is Edmund, who tries his best to help her be happy. As she grows up, Fanny realises that Edmund is the most important person in her life. But will he ever see her as more than the timid little girl who arrived at his home so many years before?

Austen’s satire and wit spring to glorious life in Malik’s clever and appealing retelling as part of a bright and bold series which features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature and includes Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time…
(Hodder Children's Books, hardback, £9.99)

Age 8 plus
The Griffin Gate

Vashti Hardy and Natalie Smillie

IF mystery, monsters, maps and dangerous missions set your pulse racing, head off to a land called Moreland and join a crime-fighting girl on a fantastical adventure! Produced in a super readable format by innovative publisher Barrington Stoke, and especially suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers, The Griffin Gate is the first book of an exhilarating, fantasy-fuelled steampunk series from Blue Peter award-winning author Vashti Hardy and talented illustrator Natalie Smillie.

‘Warden Griffin at your service. Can I ask if you’ve seen a monster in the area?’ 

Grace’s family are wardens of the Griffin Map which was invented by her Great Grandma and is the most important piece of technology in the city of Copperport. The Griffins use the map – which shows the entire country of Moreland  – and its teleport technology to fight crime and keep law and order across the land. Although 13-year-old Grace is still too young, she longs to go on missions herself. After all, if her older brother, Bren, can do it, why can’t she?

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

So when Grace finds herself alone with the map when a distress call comes in, she jumps at the chance to prove she’s up to the task. But the map transports Grace to a remote village where nothing is quite as it seems. Has she landed in the middle of a treacherous scheme… and has she taken on more than she can handle?

Adventure is certainly the name of the game in this thrilling and inventive new series which has all the hallmarks of Hardy’s rich imaginative powers… a brilliantly created ‘other’ world, an inspirational heroine and her charismatic supporting cast , and a story full of twists, turns and big-hearted family values. Add on Smillie’s superbly detailed and evocative black and white illustrations which bring the story to life, and you have a reading treat for all fantasy-loving middle-graders.
(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus
Elsetime

Eve McDonnell

TRAVEL back in time to the Great Flood of London in a thrilling adventure story from Irish author Eve McDonnell, an exciting new voice in children’s fiction. Inspired by the devastating flood that engulfed the capital city in 1928 when a deluge of rain caused by thawing snow raised the level of the Thames beyond anything ever seen before, spilling freezing water into the homes of basement dwellers and trapping them, leaving fourteen people dead.

An epic and moving story of courage, determination, friendship and time-travel, Elsetime is published by Everything with Words, creators of high quality, innovative, engaging fiction for both children and adults.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

The story begins on January 6, the day before the Great Flood. There is a snowstorm raging over the city, the river is about to burst its banks and fourteen souls will be lost unless Glory Bobbin, a 12-year-old orphan with only one hand, her time-travelling friend Needle and Glory’s crow Fusspot can change the future. When Glory, who works at The Frippery and Fandangle Emporium creating jewellery, meets Needle, a mudlark scavenger boy who has done a spot of time travelling from 1864 to track down his father, they discover that they actually share ownership of the crow (known to Needle as Magpie) and that their destiny is linked to a terrible disaster that is threatening the town.

Can two children and a crow change the course of history and save the fourteen lives endangered by the flood? Is it possible to change the future?

Steeped in atmosphere and suspense, beautifully written, and full of superb historical detail and a finely drawn cast of eclectic characters, Elsetime is gripping, moving, and delivers a final, dazzling twist that will delight readers both young and old.
(Everything with Words, paperback, £8.99)

Age 8 plus
Climate Emergency Atlas: What’s Happening – What We Can Do

Written by Dan Hooke with
a Foreword by Liz Bonnin

THERE can hardly be a child who is not aware of the ongoing, urgent conversations about the climate crisis… but what exactly does that mean and how can we all help to save our planet? To answer these questions and much more, innovative publisher DK has created Climate Emergency Atlas, a unique graphic atlas – brimming with facts, figures and amazing illustrations and photography – to inform older children about climate change and show them how they can make a difference.

In her Foreword, science, natural history and environmental broadcaster Liz Bonnin says: ‘Each of us needs to play our part … and this book is full of information about why this is so important. Eating less meat, using green energy in our homes, and writing to our MPs demanding change sends out a clear message that we want to live differently, and it inspires others around us to do the same. Our voices are far louder than we might first imagine! We’re in this together, we can be the change the planet needs.’

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

And never has there been a more urgent time to take action against climate change. Young people have grown up with awareness of our endangered planet through the news, social media and even in the school curriculum, and some are even leading the fight against this global threat. Packed with facts and figures and more than 30 dynamic maps, Climate Emergency Atlas helps children gain a deeper understanding of the climate crisis, explaining how the Earth’s climate works, what causes climate change, its effects around the world, and what can be done about it.

Through clever, easy to understand graphics, the atlas illuminates complicated topics of urgent international importance. The specially commissioned illustrated maps show how countries compare on important metrics like population growth, fossil fuel emissions, deforestation, fast fashion consumption, extreme weather, renewable energy sources, and much more. And there is hope for the future as the book outlines what governments and individuals can do to halt the worrying climate trends.

The perfect visual reference book to engage children in learning about climate change… and a useful tool for teachers and families who are using remote learning this school year.
(DK, hardback, £12.99)

Age 9 plus
Timelines From Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies

Foreword by Mireille Harper

DISCOVER the unique, inspiring, and world-changing history of Black people in a revealing and timely new book which has been published by DK to coincide with Black History Month.

This has proved to be a momentous year in which one of the biggest global movements in history, Black Lives Matter, has shone a light on the injustices and inequalities that still exist in society today. So there could be no better time to use the amazing visual timelines in this book to explore the people and the issues that have shaped Black history.   

In her Foreword, award-winning editor and freelance writer Mireille Harper reminds readers: ‘Black history has been overlooked and minimised in every area of society, and even worse, often erased. Yet, the contributions of Black people to society influence every part of how we live, from the art and culture we consume, to the rights we have.’

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Timelines From Black History charts Black experiences across the ages but not only is it a celebration of that history for those who are Black, it is also a great entry point for anyone else who wants to learn about Black history. From Frederick Douglass and Oprah Winfrey and the achievements of ancient African Kingdoms and those of the US Civil Rights Movement, to Barack Obama and Stormzy, the book takes youngsters on an exceptional journey from prehistory to modern times.

Boasting more than 30 visual timelines, the book explores the biographies of the famous and the not-so-famous, royalty, inventors, writers and scientists. Learn about the trailblazers of today’s generation, such as activists Amariyanna Copeny and Marley Dias, as well as other notable people who have made groundbreaking achievements, including Doreen Lawrence who campaigned for police reform following her son’s murder.

Stacked with facts and visually vibrant, Timelines From Black History: Leaders, Legacies, Legends is an unforgettable and accessible store of information about the people and the issues that continue to shape Black history and inspire Black experiences today.
(DK, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
The 130-Storey Treehouse: Laser Eyes and Annoying Flies

Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

THE ‘wizards of Oz’ are back with their incredible, ever-expanding treehouse… and this time it has an incredible 130 storeys. Top Australian writer and illustrator team – Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton – have turned their zany adventure stories, featuring two young would-be publishing sensations (unsurprisingly called Andy and Terry!), into a real-life reading phenomenon.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

The success of the Treehouse series just won’t stop growing and the amazing creators are climbing higher than high in the bestseller lists with these wild and wacky, highly illustrated, laugh-out-loud books packed with hilarious antics, jokes and cartoons. So join Andy and Terry in their now 130-storey spectacular treehouse. They have added thirteen new levels, including a soap bubble blaster, a Grabinator (it can grab anything from anywhere at any time), a time-wasting level, a toilet paper factory (because you can never have too much toilet paper) and an extraterrestrial observation centre… which will come in handy when giant flying eyeballs from outer space come to grabinate us.

The 130-Storey Treehouse is the tenth book in this truly bonkers series. Easy-to-read, visually exciting and wonderfully entertaining, the pace is fast and the fun never stops. So what are you waiting for? Climb each level in fits of laughter in this glittering, gold-foiled hardback edition which is ideal for Christmas gifting. Simply brilliant and guaranteed to get even the most reluctant readers begging for more!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
There are Reptiles Everywhere

Camilla de la Bedoyere
and Britta Teckentrup

PULL on your sturdy boots and get ready to track down some of the world’s most amazing reptiles. There are Reptiles Everywhere is the third in a series of non-fiction books from bestselling artist Britta Teckentrup and teaches where in the world all sorts of reptiles can be found, and the weird and wonderful things about them.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Written by Camilla de la Bedoyere, who has an academic background in zoology, and sumptuously illustrated by Teckentrup, this big, beautiful book explores the world of reptiles and brings these wonderful creatures to life through fascinating facts and rich and vibrant colours.

There are reptiles everywhere. Some of them live in jungles, some of them in the savannah, and some may be in your back garden! Follow geckos through the Madagascan jungle, take a stroll to the beach to watch baby turtles hatch, and be ready to nip up a tree if a Komodo dragon catches your eye. The colourful world of reptiles is full of drama and surprises!
(Big Picture Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
Wild City: Meet the animals who share our city spaces

Ben Hoare and Lucy Rose

EVEN though more and more people now live in cities and towns, there is a whole world of exciting and often hidden wildlife in the urban jungles. So sit back and take an unforgettable armchair tour around the world to meet the creatures that share our city and urban spaces. From bears to bats, penguins to opossums and spiders to snakes, discover how they have adapted and thrived in this gorgeously illustrated gift book written by award-winning natural history journalist Ben Hoare and illustrated with the striking artwork of Lucy Rose.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Wild City travels the globe, exploring how animals have adapted to live alongside humans in busy cities like New York, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin, Stockholm, London, Alexandria, Singapore and Mumbai. Discover hawks by a world-famous shopping street, hamster havens in Viennese cemeteries, snakes slithering through city sewers, and penguins waiting patiently to cross the road. Each colourful spread takes a closer look at the animals, showing how some wander in plain sight while others hide away in our homes, and we meet wildlife heroes from around the world – ordinary people doing extraordinary things to make our wild neighbours feel welcome.

Hoare’s lyrical and factual text is perfectly complemented by Rose’s stunning illustrations. The beautiful cityscapes are full of rich and colourful detail with close-ups of the different creatures featured and there is something new to discover on every fact-packed page. Guaranteed to send animal lovers wild!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers and The Secret Explorers and the Jurassic Rescue

SJ King

WHEN there’s trouble afoot – whether that’s in the past or present – you can always depend on The Secret Explorers! DK, the publishers who pride themselves on creating books that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in, have two new exciting titles this autumn in a series launched this summer featuring a diverse team of curious kids who specialise in solving mysteries and problems whilst learning all about interesting non-fiction topics.

And after diving into undersea explorations and blasting off on outer space missions in The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales and The Secret Explorers and the Comet Collison, the club of eight children from all four corners of the globe – Tamiko, Gustavo, Ollie, Kiki, Connor, Roshni, Leah and Cheng, each with their own special expertise – must race back through the centuries on exciting, new adventures.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

In The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers, history expert Gustavo and engineering expert Kiki must stop the Cairo Museum from closing down. They travel back in time to Ancient Egypt and are soon drawn into a tense, thrilling adventure that involves breaking into pyramids, learning ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and stopping thieves wanting to rob treasure from the Pharaoh’s tomb. Throughout the mission, young readers will learn facts about the real-life Pharaoh Khufu and his treasures, ancient Egyptian religion, and how mummies were made.

And in The Secret Explorers and the Jurassic Rescue, dinosaur expert Tamiko and geology expert Cheng travel back to the age of the dinosaurs in an effort to rescue a dinosaur egg from destruction. However, to save the egg, the Secret Explorers must first use all their courage and skills to outsmart a fierce Allosaurus, rescue a baby Stegosaurus, and find a way to attract an Archaeopteryx. Tamiko and Cheng soon find that, to succeed, they need to come up with some unusual solutions.

These superbly informative, illustrated paperbacks are the ideal way to reinforce school curriculum topics whilst keeping youngsters glued to the page. With adventures to enjoy, fascinating facts to discover, lively, black and white illustrations, and reference sections including timelines, quizzes, maps and glossaries, these are a must addition to home and school shelves.
(DK, paperback, £5.99 each)

Age 5 plus
Lottie Loves Nature: Frog Frenzy

Jane Clarke and James Brown

NATURE isn’t just fascinating… it’s positively awesome! Join a girl who loves every little thing on our planet in this inventive and entertaining new children’s fiction series which makes learning an adventure full of knockabout fun and comes from Five Quills, a small independent publisher with big ideas about books for younger readers.

Five Quills is on a mission to fill its books with lively illustrations and carefully written stories, making them perfect for reading aloud and sharing with both new and experienced readers. Lottie Loves Nature: Frog Frenzy stars Lottie Boffin, twin sister of Al Boffin, the star of author Jane Clarke and illustrator James Brown’s brilliant Al’s Awesome Science series which explored science principles through fun stories and (often hilariously messy!) experiments.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Lottie loves wildlife and dreams of becoming a nature show presenter like Samira Breeze, host of her favourite programme Every Little Thing. Lottie decides to make a pond in her back garden to encourage local wildlife. She enlists her techy neighbour Noah’s help, but is distracted by his neat-freak golf-mad dad, who is determined to rid their garden of annoying ants. Suddenly Noah’s dad's golfing green is swarming with ants and a multitude of frogs… it’s hopping mayhem! Noah is convinced that escaping to Mars would be easier than facing his dad, but Lottie is keen to save the planet one creature at a time.

Expect lots of fascinating facts and plenty of mishaps and mayhem as Clarke works her storytelling magic while Brown’s charismatic black and white illustrations add extra comedy and energy to what promises to be an inspirational series. With nature and conservation tips tucked away at the back of the book, this is the perfect way to have fun while learning!
(Five Quills, paperback, £6.99)

Age 4 plus
Squishy McFluff: On with the Show

Pip Jones and Ella Okstad

SQUISHY McFluff the invisible cat takes star billing at the circus in the seventh book of Pip Jones and Ella Okstad’s enchanting series of romping, rhyming tales. Purrfectly created to bridge the gap between picture books and read-alone fiction, these highly imaginative stories are fast, funny and have a special appeal for any child who has their own imaginary friend.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Ava and Squishy, her invisible and very naughty pet cat, are off to see the circus which features Hank Honk, the world’s silliest clown, but when Hank can’t turn up, it’s up to Ava and Squishy to step into the glare of the limelight and save the day! Okstad’s quirky, characterful illustrations are the ideal match for Jones’ impish humour and jolly, jaunty rhymes which capture the zest of youth and feature all those zany antics that are guaranteed to win the hearts of young readers.
(Faber & Faber, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus
We’re Off To Find A Fairy

Eloise White and Cory Reid

JOIN a magical mystery tour for a flyaway fairy in an endearing picture book from Eloise White and Cory Reid. Publisher Owlet Press is on a mission to include incidental inclusivity and diversity into their stories so that children can see themselves represented alongside a whole range of other characters, and We’re Off To Find A Fairy is a new addition to their We’re Off To adventures which are ideal for children from all backgrounds.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

The family in this beautiful story includes mixed race and disabled characters and debut BAME illustrator Reid brings the story to life with his gallery of warm and colourful pictures. Explore different landscapes as the family searches for an elusive, fabulous and fluttery fairy and along the way, discover a fascinating natural world of bees, butterflies, beetles, squirrels, hedgehogs and even a sleepy glow-worm which all have a magic of their own.

Little ones will enjoy trying to solve the clues to identify the different creatures while White’s gentle rhyme and repeated key phrases keep the joyful and adventure-filled story moving to a conclusion that will leave a smile on the faces of both children and adults. And with subtle messages about taking care of our precious animal kingdom, this is a warm and winsome all-round winner.
(Owlet Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 2 plus
Marney’s Mix Up

Jane Rushmore and Sally Darby

ALSO from Owlet Press is the first autumn-themed adventure in a new Silly Squirrel Stories picture book series written by Welsh author Jane Rushmore and illustrated by Sally Darby.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Marney is a grey squirrel who is having a hard time finding his winter food and ventures to the far side of his home in the park where he meets another creature hoarding nuts who looks remarkably like himself… except that he’s red! Marney thinks the strange creature might be a monster but when he realises that in many ways he is like the red squirrel, the two become the best of friends. With illustrations in a gorgeous palette of autumnal shades and a story that speaks loudly about not misjudging others on their appearance, this is a clever and appealing story for all young readers.
(Owlet Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age one plus
Room on the Broom: A Push, Pull and Slide Book

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

THERE'S room on the broom this Halloween for even the youngest family members with a brilliant push, pull and slide board book. Based on the bestselling Room on the Broom picture book by Gruffalo creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the magical moving mechanisms in this inventive book let little ones meet their favourite characters and bring the story to life.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

Wiggle the witch’s broomstick to make her and her cat fly happily over forests, rivers and mountains. Push and pull the tabs to see what happens when they are joined by a dog, a bird and a frog who all want a ride and… snap, make the broom break in two. And then slide out the big tab on the last page to watch the witch and her friends fly off on their brand new truly magnificent broom… whoosh! A hands-on flight of fancy for all young Halloween fans!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, board book, £6.99)