A Prince and a Spy

Rory Clements

JUST days after two royal princes meet up for secret talks in wartime Sweden, one of them is killed in a mysterious air crash. The official story is that it was an accident but not everyone is convinced, and soon maverick Cambridge professor and undercover spy Tom Wilde will be undertaking his most dangerous mission yet to dig out the truth behind the tragedy.

Former national newspaper journalist Rory Clements (pictured below) is giving the likes of Robert Harris and C.J Sansom a run for their money with his thrilling ‘what if’ historical novels starring a half-American, half-Irish history don determined to do his bit for ‘peace and freedom.’

Not content to rest on his laurels after the outstanding success of his gripping John Shakespeare Tudor espionage series, currently in development for television, Clements has proved himself to be a consummate novelist of any chosen historical period with his acclaimed Tom Wilde books. Clements’ work is always underpinned by extensive research and rich period detail, and this wartime series has won an army of fans with its fast-paced international mysteries, full of menace and intrigue, and featuring a stunning mix of real and fictional characters.

Star player is undoubtedly Tom, an unconventional professor whose speciality is Sir Francis Walsingham and the Elizabethan secret service, and whose loves include his wife and young son, motorbiking, boxing, bird-watching … and 20^th century espionage. 

A Prince and a Spy is the fifth book in the series which has included Corpus, Nucleus, Nemesis and Hitler’s Secret, and sweeps us away to 1942 and deep into a perilous plot that goes all the way to the heart of the Third Reich… and the British monarchy.

The story was inspired by the real-life – some say suspicious – military air crash near Caithness in Scotland in 1942 which killed Prince George, Duke of Kent, the flamboyant youngest brother of wartime King George VI, and spawned various conspiracy theories.

In Stockholm in August of 1942, the meeting of royal cousins, Prince George and Prince Philipp von Hesse, a committed Nazi and close friend of Adolf Hitler, has one single purpose… to find out what each man wants and what he can offer.

They might be relatives but they are both wary because just one misplaced word, one misinterpreted expression could cause untold harm. As the meeting ends, any hope of an accommodation for peace seems as far away as ever and behind the men’s backs, the eyes of their aides meet. A few days later, Prince George is killed in a plane crash in the north of Scotland. The official line is that it was an accident but some remain suspicious, and there are even rumours that the Duke’s plane was sabotaged.

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Tom Wilde, who has left MI6 and is now engaged full-time with the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the fledgling American intelligence agency, is on his way home from London and eager to see his long-time love Lydia Morris and their two-year-old son Johnny for a spell of leave at

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Wartime terrors, a dreamland escape and a modern fairy tale

Meet three children torn apart by the Holocaust, share adventures in a world of dreams, head off on the trail of the evil Pied Piper, and meet a Valkyrie who makes ungodly mistakes in a super, sparkling selection of new children’s books

Age 11 plus
When The World Was Ours
Liz Kessler

THE heartrending story of three children torn apart by the Holocaust packs an extra powerful punch in an outstanding novel from talented author Liz Kessler. Based on her father’s experiences when he escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe, When The World Was Ours is an extraordinarily moving and insightful exploration of the unbreakable bonds of love, family and friendship, even in the cruellest and most hopeless of times.

In Vienna in1936, three close young friends – Leo, Elsa and Max – are spending a perfect day together to celebrate Leo’s birthday, unaware that around them Europe is descending into a growing darkness, and that events soon mean that they will be brutally separated. Leo and Elsa are Jewish, and Elsa's family are so fearful of political events in Austria that they are considering moving to Czechoslovakia in the hope of finding safety, but Leo’s family would rather stay in the country where they have worked hard and prospered.

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Meanwhile, Max is growing more and more troubled because his ambitious SS officer father, who is rising fast through the Nazi party’s ranks, has told his son that Jewish friends are forbidden in the new order. With their lives taking them across Europe – to Germany, England, Prague and Poland – will the three friends ever find their way back to each other, and will they want to?

Already hailed as a modern classic, and written from deep within the soul of Kessler’s own family history, When The World Was Ours is a tale of hardship, hatred and inhumanity, but also a beacon of love, hope and compassion in what can too often be the cruellest of worlds. This is a book that has to be read, a masterpiece of storytelling and real history which will certainly have an important place on the bookshelf of every school and library.
(Simon & Schuster, hardback, £12.99)

Age 10 plus
When We Got Lost in Dreamland
Ross Welford

THERE could be no better time to get lost in Dreamland! Youngsters seeking an escape from the uncertainties of the pandemic are guaranteed a cracking adventure when they join forces with two brothers who discover that sharing dreams takes them to worlds beyond their wildest imaginings.

When We Got Lost in Dreamland is the landmark, funny, moving and brilliant new novel from Ross Welford, a thrilling and ingenious storyteller, and one of the most critically acclaimed middle-grade authors in the UK.

Twelve-year-old Malky is struggling to cope after his parents split up but after a dare goes wrong, he and his younger brother Seb become the owners of a Dreaminator. You simply hang the Dreaminator over your bed and it lets you share your dreams. And soon, the brothers are sharing amazing adventures… from tree-top flights and Spanish galleons, to thrilling battles and sporting greatness, it seems like nothing is out of reach when you can share a dream with someone else.

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But, impossible dreams come with incredible risks, and after the boys share an adventure with storybook hero, Kobi the Caveboy, Seb won’t wake up and is taken to hospital in a coma. To save him, Malky is forced to leave reality behind and undertake a final, terrifying journey to the Stone Age to wake his brother…

When We Got Lost in Dreamland is a dream read for young readers who love adventure, fantasy and danger as Welford ramps up the action and the tension whilst neatly delivering some subtle, thought-provoking messages to young readers. Throw in a cast of colourful characters, some fascinating facts, and a moving exploration of the bond between siblings and the effects of marriage breakdown on children, and you have the perfect panacea for the time of Covid.
(Harper Collins Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 9 plus
A Vanishing of Griffins
S. A. Patrick

IF the medieval German legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelyn has always sent a shiver down your spine, then dive into an exciting and atmospheric children’s fantasy series which is thrilling and chilling a host of middle grade readers.

A Vanishing of Griffins is the second, enthralling adventure in the out-of-this world Songs of Magic series from S. A. Patrick, an author who may be more familiar to adult readers as Seth Patrick, creator of the thrilling paranormal Reviver trilogy which won him fans and accolades.

These deep, dark and epic books were inspired by the medieval German legend of the Pied Piper, the spine-tingling tale of a terrifying villain who stole the children from a helpless town. Long haunted by the centuries-old mystery, Patrick imagines a truly amazing world of dragons, sorcerers and bandits in which the Pied Piper is not a one-off but a rogue member of a larger group of magical but shadowy musicians who are summoned to help towns and villages in times of need. It’s a fantasy of immense imagination, breathtaking characters and captivating storytelling, and stars three accidental young heroes fighting not just to survive, but to save the world from a deadly enemy.

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And in A Vanishing of Griffins, the mesmerising, magical fantasy that began with the award-winning A Darkness of Dragons, we are swept back into the lives of Patch Brightwater and his friends, Wren Cobble, a girl cursed by a sorcerer to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff (a cross between a dragon and a griffin). Trainee piper Patch has discovered the deadly truth about the Piper of Hamelyn and the three friends – no strangers to danger – are ready to take peril in their stride as they seek out their evil foe… even though trying to stop his quest for power may end in a battle that will tear the three young heroes’ world apart.

Get ready for magic and music as the trio meet the Pirates of the Eastern Seas, marvel as they venture to the only city where dragons and humans live side by side, gasp as they journey high into the snowy peaks where the greatest secret of the griffins lies hidden, and tremble as they come face to face once more with the increasingly powerful and evil Hamelyn Piper.

This is adventure in the true sense of the word and an inspired reimagining of the Pied Piper legend… from thrills, spills and spine-tingling danger to soaring landscapes, awesome friendships, courageous heroes and magic aplenty, Patrick’s modern fairy tale is a magical experience from start to finish.
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
How to Be a Hero
Cat Weldon and Katie Kear

AN ungodly case of mistaken identity leads to madcap adventures and giggles galore in the first book of wonderful fantasy trilogy from debut author Cat Weldon. Superbly illustrated throughout by Katie Kear, this all-action, fun-filled tale of friendship and bravery is set in the comically convoluted world of the Norse gods.

Lotta is training to be a Valkyrie (a group of maidens who served the god Odin and are sent by him to the battlefields to choose which of the dead are worthy of a place in Valhalla) but the truth is she’s the worst-ever trainee. And when Lotta mistakes an unconscious, no-good Viking thief, Whetstone, for a fallen hero and takes him triumphantly to Valhalla, things are definitely not turning out to be epic or glorious.

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Having lost a precious talking cup, Whetstone is also desperate to cover up his mistake and the two embark on a quarrelsome journey to find it and regain their heroic status. But Loki the trickster God is desperate to get his hands on the cup with a plan to unleash chaos across the nine worlds. Can Whetstone prove himself a hero after all when it matters most?

Reluctant readers, slapstick comedy fans, and young adventurers are going to be in heavenly Valhalla as they share adventures with lovable Lotta and discover not just what it means to be a hero but also how weird and wonderful the Norse Gods really are!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus
The Perfect Parent Project
Stewart Foster

GIVE a boy a big, warm hug! That’s what you’ll want to do when you read this moving, sad and yet ultimately uplifting story from Stewart Foster, an award-winning author who has the gift of seeing the world through the eyes of a child.

The star of this unforgettable story is Sam, a boy who has spent most of his life in foster care and is desperately in search of the perfect family where he can stay forever and finally put down roots.

1. A mega mansion like the ones footballers live in 
2. A garage wall with a basketball hoop
3. No gerbils
4. Holidays to Disneyland

All Sam wants is a family of his own, a home instead of a ‘house’ and parents he knows will still be there when he wakes up. Because Sam has been in and out of foster care his whole life and he can’t imagine ever feeling like he truly belongs. Then his best friend Leah suggests that rather than wait for a family to come to him, he should go out and find one. So begins The Perfect Parent Project… but Sam may just discover that family has a funny way of finding you.

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Prepare to laugh, cry and have your heartstrings well and truly plucked as the adorable Sam – whose troubled life so far has seemed to be constant change and rejection – finally finds the new home he longs for, and learns the important lesson of how to trust people again. Authentic, richly perceptive, and packed with Foster’s trademark emotional intensity, The Perfect Parent Project is a funny, sometimes painful, sometimes joyful journey that readers young (and adult!) won’t want to miss.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)

Age 5 plus
Elliot and the Perfect Wave
Anthinula Tori and Jean Tori

FEAST your eyes and feed young imaginations with a fabulous picture book positively overflowing with colour, beauty, magic… and important messages about our endangered planet.

Elliot and the Perfect Wave is an inspirational story about a grumpy, beach-cleaning pig with ambitions to surf the ocean and comes from a collaboration between Jean Tori, a British-born artist who has been painting professionally since 1965 and lives in Italy, and her daughter Anthinula, a writer and designer. The mother-daughter partnership creates high quality, beautiful, collectable books, produced by Jean Tori Design Ltd and featuring Jean Tori’s stunning artwork, which is rich in both texture and meaning, combined with imaginative stories starring characters with strong voices. Themes of exploration, friendship, imagination and co-operation are featured in colour-filled, fascinating worlds while the breathtaking artwork creates a sense of wonder and endless possibilities.

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In Elliot and the Perfect Wave, we follow Elliot the Pig who is happy in his job as a beach cleaner but harbours a seemingly impossible dream… he wants to surf the perfect wave. The problem is that he doesn’t even know how to surf. With a lot of help from his friends, Elliot sets off on an adventure and learns how to surf and on his return, he invents a unique solution for all the plastic washed up on his beloved beaches. Oh, and he also learns that every wave is perfect in its own special way!

Young readers will love following Elliot on his quest in this wonderfully colourful and humorous story which speaks loudly about helping the environment and helping each other. Jean Tori’s stunningly multi-coloured, graphic and richly detailed artwork fills every page of this exquisite book and the all-action, magical story showcases a wide variety of creatures, locations and themes. Elliot and the Perfect Wave is guaranteed to enchant, inform and inspire youngsters to play their own small part in helping to save the Earth.
(Jean Tori Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 2 plus
Dinosaurs in Love
Fenn Rosenthal and Hannah Jacobs

FALL in love all over again with singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal’s viral, heart-melting song Dinosaurs in Love! When Rosenthal and his then three-year-old daughter Fenn Rosenthal posted their song at the beginning of 2020, it became an instant classic. Just as Fenn’s dinosaurs fell in love, so did the world and the two of them became an internet sensation overnight.

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The sweet and deceptively simple story about love, longing, and loss was written by Fenn and now readers, young and old, can enjoy her heartfelt, poignant lyrics again in this irresistible, sing-aloud picture book featuring bright, retro style illustrations from Hannah Jacobs.

At its core, this is a story about love and yearning, and grown-ups will enjoy the darkly humorous twist at the end while the charming illustrations and easy-to-follow story will capture the hearts of all little dinosaur fans. A perfect gift for Valentine’s Day… and for any budding palaeontologists!
(Orchard Books, paperback, £6.99)

The Silk House

Kayte Nunn

WHEN an Australian history teacher arrives to take up a new post in an exclusive boarding school in the English countryside, she starts to uncover centuries-old secrets of witchcraft and persecution.

The old Silk House has a dark and disturbing past, and ghosts from its days as the home and workplace of a wealthy silk merchant are determined to make themselves heard.

Kayte Nunn (pictured below), bestselling author of the acclaimed novel, The Botanist’s Daughter, returns to thrill and chill us with her new historical mystery… a gripping gothic tale which explores the murky world of silk weaving, embroidery, herbalism and witchcraft in the 18th century.

On a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Nunn was inspired by an extraordinary silk gown – woven with sprays of flowers and designed by renowned silk designer Anna Maria Garthwaite – and the seeds of her haunting and heartbreaking story were sown.

When Australian teacher Thea Rust arrives at Oxleigh College, an exclusive and historic boarding school in Wiltshire, she discovers a place that reeks of tradition, privilege and money, and a staff of mainly ‘crusty old men’ resistant to change and used to controlling all aspects of life there.

After 150 years as an all-boys school, the college has its first intake of girls and Thea will be in charge of the fourteen 16-year-olds at the Silk House, a dark and shadowy building with a long and troubled past hiding more mysteries than she could ever imagine.

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Wind the clock back to 1768 and we meet teenager Rowan Caswell who leaves her small village in Wiltshire to take up a post as maid-of-all-work in the home of English silk merchant Patrick Hollander and his wife Caroline. Born with a misshapen face and white blonde hair – which some believe is the sign of a witch – Rowan is thrust into a new and dangerous world where she sees shadows flitting around her and hears spine-chilling screeches, and where her talent for herbs and healing starts to attract attention.

Meanwhile, in London, 35-year-old Mary-Louise Stephenson lives with her widowed sister amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer, a job that is generally

A Crooked Tree

Una Mannion

IT'S a child’s worst nightmare… an angry, exhausted, single mother orders her argumentative daughter out of the car and on to the roadside, leaving her alone to walk the five miles home.

This spur-of-the-moment decision will have far-reaching and devastating consequences not just for 12-year-old Ellen Gallagher but for her four siblings, an unruly family growing up in the mountains of rural Pennsylvania in the 1980s.

Welcome to A Crooked Tree, the rich and atmospheric debut novel from Una Mannion (pictured below), a writer who was born in Philadelphia but now lives in County Sligo in Ireland, and who thrills us with this resonant, moving and gripping coming-of-age tale set in the days when playtime meant roaming free, and the obsession with technology had not started to erode childhood experience.

Written through the eyes of Ellen’s 15-year-old sister Libby, and with a tenderness and compassion that will take your breath away, this acutely perceptive and haunting story of domestic dysfunction captures all the uncertainty, emotion, frustration and yearnings of adolescence as a group of free-range youngsters are forced to peer into the cruel realities of the adult world.

It’s the last day of the summer term in 1981 for the five Gallagher children who live way up on Valley Forge Mountain in Pennsylvania, and as their mother drives them home from school, fighting breaks out on the back seat. Worn out after her work as a receptionist in a busy hospital A&E unit, and angered when Ellen’s arguing goes too far, their mother suddenly swerves over to the hard-shoulder and orders her daughter to get out of the car.

Ignoring the protests of the other children that it’s getting dark and they are still five miles from home, she accelerates away, leaving Ellen standing in her school pinafore and knee socks on the gravel verge in the fading light.

What none of the family knows, as they drive off leaving the diminutive girl to walk home, is what will happen next. But it’s her older sister Libby who looks back to see Ellen ‘facing away from us, looking down over the bridge, where columns of cars funnelled along the turnpike.’

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Nature-loving Libby is obsessed with The Field Guide to the Trees of North America, a gift her Irish immigrant father – who moved away from their home some time ago to live and work in New York City – gave her before he recently died.

Still grieving for him, Libby finds solace in The Kingdom, a stand of red oak and thick mountain laurel near her home, where she has a secret ‘fort’ tucked away off the beaten track and marked

The Tea Gardens

Fiona McIntosh

FLEE the winter chill and lose yourself in the heat and passions of 1930s India in the company of a young female doctor determined to set up a midwifery clinic for the women of Calcutta.

Fiona McIntosh (pictured below), who moved from Brighton to Australia when she was in her teens, sweeps us into the torrid life of a young and pioneering gynaecologist whose ambitions take her to the heart of a complex and compelling new world where she will be forced to make an impossible choice.

Love really does blossom in the most unexpected ways, and in the most unexpected places, in this moving, epic story which sees McIntosh – a writer noted for her breathtaking authenticity and immaculate research – on a thrilling journey from windswept England to sweltering Calcutta slums, and onwards to drama in the foothills of the Himalayas.

In London in late 1932, Dr Isla Fenwick has a life that most modern women of her time might envy. Her career as a gynaecologist and obstetrician gives her status and her comfortable, middle-class background gives her more personal freedom than many could dream of. Even though she will soon be thirty, Isla has little interest in marriage… until her childhood crush, Jovian (Jove) Mandeville, reappears in her life with a marriage proposal.  A respected MP and twelve years older than herself, Jove is charming, kind and funny, and she agrees to marry him on one condition.

Years ago, she promised her dying mother that one day she would help to eradicate disease in India, the place where her medic mother caught tuberculosis and which subsequently led to her premature death.

Jove shares Isla’s interest in India and gives his blessing for her to sail to Calcutta to set up a midwifery clinic and then return for their wedding within the year. But she also leaves England with another promise ringing in her ears… she has pledged to her fearful father that she will not seek out the sick and needy who are suffering from tuberculosis.

What Isla can’t anticipate is how India will test all those qualities of perseverance, endurance and determination that she relies upon, whilst challenging her professionalism and her loyalties. But it is Isla’s fateful meeting with the enigmatic, brilliant but forthright Professor Saxon Vickery, a world expert in tropical medicine, that will call into question what she trusts most about herself.

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And when Isla and Saxon travel to the Himalayas for a stay on a tea plantation outside Darjeeling, Isla will have to make the most important choice of her life. And at the roof of the

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: A magical rug, a medical mystery and a huge blue whale

Magic, mystery and comic mayhem take starring roles in a sparkling collection of new children’s books which are perfect for banishing the January blues

Age 9 plus
Tiger Skin Rug
Joan Haig

A WARM, endearing and mesmerising brand of magic is guaranteed to cast a spell over young readers in this enchanting tale of friendship and family.

Tiger Skin Rug is a finalist in the People’s Book Prize Winter 2020/21 competition and comes from the pen of Joan Haig who was born in Zambia before moving with her family to the happy isles of Vanuata in the South West Pacific and finally settling with her husband and children in the Scottish borders.

Featuring an old promise, a mysterious tiger and a magical adventure, it’s a thrilling tale steeped in cultural wonders and the author’s imaginative power as we enter the lives of two homesick brothers from India, now living in Scotland.

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Lal and his brother Dilip miss home. They don’t like drizzle, midges, or the tiger skin rug in their creepy new house. All they want is to go back to India. But that’s before they make friends with Jenny, and before the tiger comes back to life. The tiger tells them it will take them home in return for their help… because it cannot rest until it fulfils an old promise. Can Lal, Dilip and Jenny help the tiger on its quest? Who is trying to stop them and will they ever get back home?

From a Scottish village to an Indian mountain, from the back streets of London to the palaces and sewers of Mumbai, Haig explores the power of legends and stories, families and forgiveness in a beautiful story that speaks loudly about the importance of home and the extinction threat to tigers. Heartwarming, vivid and compelling, this is a story that makes you want to believe in magic!
(Pokey Hat, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus
Mark Anchovy: War and Pizza
William Goldsmith

NO youngster will want to miss a slice of the action when they get their hands on this second tasty tale of a pizza delivery boy who serves up a big portion of danger in his dual role as a private detective. Mark Anchovy: War and Pizza is the second book in a brilliant middle-grade series from talented writer and illustrator William Goldsmith and it comes packed with comedy, capers, tall orders, mouth-watering mystery… and food glorious food!

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Pizza delivery boy Colin Kingsley, aka Mark Anchovy, is on his second case for the Golden Spatula League, the greatest of all detective agencies and it only recruits children. Parachuted into Russia on a school exchange programme, he must find a missing casket of blingtastic egg cups, missing for over a century. His only lead is a frail 108-year-old ex-detective called Swirly Ben… who happens to be on the hit list of nasty jewel thief called Heidi Hyde High. On top of all that, crusty history teacher Mr Hogstein is directing the school play. Oh, and Colin’s sister Alicia has found out what ‘extra anchovies’ really means.

Goldsmith’s fully illustrated Russian adventure dishes up madcap action, super sleuthing, a winter wonderland of laughs, and more puns than a school text book on English grammar! Ideal for pizza and adrenalin addicts, and anybody aiming to follow in the footsteps of Agatha Christie, Mark Anchovy is a delicious favourite on the middle-grade reading menu.
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus
The Boy Who Met a Whale
Nizrana Farook 

IF your idea of adventure runs to shipwrecks, storms, sea monsters and buried treasure, then you’re in for a thrilling adventure set in faraway Sri Lanka. Nizrana Farook, who was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, but now lives in Hertfordshire, steals our hearts again with another exhilarating and atmospheric story set in the beautiful landscapes of her home country.

Her debut novel, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, was Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month in January 2020 and was previously shortlisted for the inaugural Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize. And now The Boy Who Met a Whale sweeps us away to fictional Sri Lanka for an adventure steeped in rich detail, wonderful storytelling, and jam-packed with peril, kidnap and a huge blue whale!

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Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side. Inside is Zheng who has escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure and Razi and his sister Shifa don’t know what to believe. But the villains who are after Zheng are very real and are soon they are after Razi and Shifa as well. And so begins an exhilarating adventure in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all...

Expect fast-paced action, a voyage full of fun, heroes and villains, and a flight of imagination all the way to a land of magical creatures!
(Nosy Crow, paperback, £7.99)

Age 10 plus
Robin Hood:
Piracy, Paintballs & Zebras
Robert Muchamore

HE might be a modern-day Robin Hood… but he’s still out to catch the villains who are cheating the poor and vulnerable! Welcome back to international bestselling author Robert Muchamore’s contemporary take on the old legend of Sherwood Forest in the second book of an enthralling series that began with Hacking, Heists & Flaming Arrows and delivers the same gripping formula of fun, action and thrills.

After its vast car plants shut down, the prosperous town of Locksley has become a wasteland of empty homes, toxic land and families on the brink.  And it doesn't help that the authorities are in the clutches of the profit-obsessed Sheriff of Nottingham, in cahoots with evil underworld boss Guy Gisborne.

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When his dad is framed for a robbery, Robin Hood and his brother Little John are hounded out of Locksley and must learn to survive in Sherwood Forest. But Robin is determined to do more than survive. Small, fast and deadly with a bow, he joins forces with Marion Maid and her eccentric family and harness his inimitable tech skills to strike a blow against Gisborne and the Sheriff. But when Clare Gisborne and Little John return to school after the Locksley Riot, there’s rebellion in the air and Robin Hood’s name is graffitied on every wall.

Power dynamics are shifting… now, instead of being a feared bully, the daughter of Locksley’s most hated criminal finds herself shunned by classmates and pelted with yoghurt and rotting fruit. Meanwhile at the abandoned Sherwood Designer Outlets, Robin has plans of his own. He is determined to hack Sheriff Marjorie Kovacevic’s office so that the rebels know her every move, and to work with animal rights activists to end a cruel trophy hunt inside the grounds of Sherwood Castle... Brimming with guts, gusto, gags and gripping adventures, this Robin Hood and his merry men as you’ve never before seen them… enjoy!
(Hot Key Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
A Double Detectives Medical Mystery: Diagnosis Danger
Roopa Farooki

HERE'S the perfect medicine for lockdown boredom blues… a thrilling medical mystery! London doctor Roopa Farooki returns with the second book in her excellent mystery series starring two sleuthing twins with attitude, aptitude, and an ability to diagnose danger.

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Twins Ali and Tulip have grown up with a surgeon mother and so have picked up lots of knowledge of first aid and medicine, and know all about being medics. They know something about being detectives too, which is a good job because there’s a new case that needs their skills. While their mum is brain-doctoring at the hospital during half term, a mysterious figure viciously attacks Momo, one of the twins’ friends, and then disappears. Without a minute to spare, Ali and Tulip are straight on the case. But will they find the culprit before it’s too late?

Farooki’s fresh and fun take on the detective genre is a delight for all mystery-loving readers, and – with its sprinkling of fascinating facts wrapped neatly inside the all the action – there is plenty of inspiration for youngsters who harbour their own medical ambitions. So if it’s fast-talking, quick-thinking, risk-taking, mystery adventure you’re after, look no further than an appointment with Ali and Tulip!
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus
Max and the Midknights:
Battle of the Bodkins
Lincoln Peirce 

KNIGHTS in shining armour don’t have to big, strong… and male! Meet Max… she’s 10 years old, has a team of fearless, foe-fighting friends, and they are always ready to take on the most vile of villains in whatever size, shape or form they may appear.

American cartoonist Lincoln Peirce rides back into the land of Byjovia with Max and the Midknights, his plucky troop of medieval warriors who deliver the same riotous mix of epic adventures, laugh-out-loud fun, and hundreds of dynamic illustrations in the second book in this outstanding series. Max really wants to be a knight and now she’s honing her skills at KSB – Knight School of Byjovia – but the land is under attack, and it’s up to Max and the Midknights to save the day! The quest is on as the Midknights set out to face the beastly Bodkins, powerful spells… and their greatest foes yet.

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Peirce is creator of the hugely popular Big Nate books which follow the adventures and misadventures of a rebellious schoolboy, and here he delivers giggles galore on every page as the mighty Midknights uncover mischief, magic and mayhem all the way in their battle with the Bodkins. With all the rapier wit we have come to expect from this talented author and illustrator, comic-style illustrations that fizz with playful fun, and madcap antics that move faster than a trusty steed, this series is the perfect fit for comedy fans and reluctant readers.
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus
Agent Weasel and the Robber King
Nick East

BANISH the January blues with another madcap adventure alongside Agent Weasel, the wonderfully wacky woodland super-spy. Author and illustrator Nick East is on his rib-ticklingly best form in this third, laugh-out-loud book in the Agent Weasel series in which our clueless but brave and lovable sleuth faces his greatest challenge yet as he confronts the villainous Rook King.  

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Spring has sprung in the United Woodlands, and the animals of Woodland Intelligence (WI6) are celebrating with a barbecue. But when a mysterious attack from the skies bursts Beaver Dam wide open, the woodland is flooded. The head of WI6 suspects foul play. It’s time to call Agent Weasel but can he manage a daring underwater rescue, will he notice the clues leading high into the treetops, and will he ever get over the disappearance of his favourite biscuits? Find out in this wild and watery tale.

Full of East’s wit, vibrant storytelling, and high-octane illustrations, this funny, frantic series is perfectly pitched for reading alone… or to share giggles with all the family!
(Hodder Children's Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 5 plus
Lottie Loves Nature: Bee-ware!
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.

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Lottie Loves Nature: Bee-ware! 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.

Lottie loves wildlife and dreams of becoming a nature show presenter like Samira Breeze, host of her favourite programme Every Little Thing. And in her second eco-adventure, Lottie has been reading about the decline in the number of insects in nature. With the help of her tech neighbour Noah, she decides to build a bug-hotel to encourage their return. But next door, there are bees nesting in the garden and the Boffins’ neighbour Mr Parfitt wants to get rid of them because the buzzing is putting him off his golf. Can Lottie help save the bees before the exterminator arrives?

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 this inspirational series. With nature and conservation tips and facts throughout the book, this is the perfect way to have fun while learning!
(Five Quills, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Big Words for Little People: Friendship 
Big Words for Little People: Calmness
Helen Mortimer and Cristina Trapanese

WORDS speak volumes when you’re growing up… Understanding emotions and words is all part of early development for young children and here are two clever, conceptual books from the boffins at Oxford University Press to help the youngest children explore their feelings by giving them the everyday words they need to express themselves.

Big Words for Little People: Friendship and Big Words for Little People: Calmness are the two latest picture books in an exciting series exploring big topics with young children in a way that feels warm and right. It has been created to help young children develop and understand how they can use their words to help them navigate emotions and first experiences. In Friendship, we learn how using carefully chosen words and phrases, such as ‘belonging’ and ‘be loyal,’ creates a special moment for grown-ups and young children to focus on what it means to be a friend and nurture friendships.

And in Calmness, words and phrases like ‘breathe,’ ‘pause,’ or ‘balance’ help young children to focus on what it means to be calm, to speak softly and cope with worries. Children can discover and understand the new words to help them to talk about the ups and downs of first experiences and new emotions with confidence, and adults can use the book to talk about feelings and explain them to the youngest children in an engaging and accessible way.

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The simple, appealing art style and fun characters make the books accessible and perfect to share, and each includes reassuring tips on how to encourage conversation and build language confidence. There are also ten ideas at the back which help parents and teachers to get the most out of the book. With their child-friendly focus on feelings, and clever use of words and ideas to aid understanding, these clever and thoughtful books deliver the kind of educational goodness that helps children to develop and grow. Perfect for reading and sharing together…
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £5.99 each)

Age 2 plus
All Aboard the Numbers Train 
All Aboard the Shapes Train
Illustrated by Sean Sims

YOU don’t need a ticket to ride when you hit the rails on a first-class journey of learning! Oxford University Press are waiting at the station with a brilliant new series which introduces key early learning concepts through beautifully illustrated and engaging stories which explore numbers, space and so much more. 

So hop on board with the first two titles in the series, All Aboard the Numbers Train and All Aboard the Shapes Train, and enjoy fun-filled lessons with a gang of playful youngsters.

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In All Aboard the Numbers Train, youngsters have 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 lift off as they shoot into space on a rocket train and learn about number recognition and counting as they zoom past planets and stars, and discover lots to learn, spot, count and talk about on every page. 

And in All Aboard the Shapes Train, children board a bullet train to stop off at the park, the playground, the boating lake and the funfair to spot circles, squares, triangles and patterns, and learn the key early skill of shape recognition. With Sean Sims’ vibrant, colourful illustrations perfectly pitched for pre-schoolers, and discovery and fun on every page, this unmissable new series offers fast-track learning all the way!
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99 each)

Age one plus
How Big is Love?
Emma Dodd

Before you came I did not know Just how big love can be. Love’s wider than the ocean, it’s deeper than the sea. Love never, ever changes, no matter what life brings. Love lifts you up when you are down, love helps you find your wings.

IF a book could give you a hug, this would be the one! Share the warmth and joy of award-winning author and illustrator Emma Dodd’s uplifting celebration of unconditional love as a delectable duck declares her love for her five irresistible ducklings.

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This beautiful and moving book, starring a family of ducklings who learn that love makes the whole world shine, features a delightful rhyming text which is ideal for reading out loud with little ones, and a gallery of stunning, foiled illustrations in an enchanting array of colours. Carefully crafted and brimming with mother love…
(Templar Publishing, hardback, £7.99)

Once You Go This Far

Kristen Lepionka

WHEN an experienced hiker dies just days after falling down a ravine in a city park in Columbus, Ohio, her daughter becomes convinced that it wasn’t an accident and turns to Private Investigator Roxane Weary to seek out the truth.

And despite her initial scepticism, Roxane soon discovers that what began as a suspicious death probe could become a case that is bigger and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined.

If you haven’t already met award-winning Kristen Lepionka’s (pictured below) tough-nut, down-to-earth detective Roxane, then the fourth book in this thrilling mystery series would be as good a time as any to jump on board and enjoy the ride. These crime-cracking, excitingly authentic stories feature brilliantly plotted mysteries and a charismatic lead player whose vibrancy and off-beat quirkiness has won the hearts and minds of thousands of readers.

Quick-witted, clever and with an emotional insecurity that renders her achingly vulnerable and likeable, Roxane’s personal life (a bisexual forever in the shadow of her recently deceased ex-cop father) is as complex as the cases she is called upon to solve.

Since the death of her retired cop father, PI Roxane Weary has done everything she can to lose herself in her work but she’s getting tired of the hangovers and avoiding her mother.  And now the troubled relationship with her girlfriend has ended with Catherine’s abrupt departure for the East Coast.

But when she is asked by Maggie Holmer from Detroit to investigate what she believes is her sixty-something mother Rebecca Newsome’s suspicious death, Roxane, who is always ‘hungry for the why’ in her cases, dives in with her usual dogged determination.

Junior-high school nurse Rebecca was a seasoned walker and although the police believe her fall from a trail in a Columbus metro park was caused by possibly tripping over her dog’s lead, Maggie is far from convinced and her mother’s ex-husband is her prime suspect. The self-opinionated Keir Metcalf is a well-connected ex-cop and Maggie is certain that is the reason no one will listen to her suspicions about her former stepfather.

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From a series of trips to Detroit and across the border to a casino in Canada, and strange calls from Rebecca’s home to a charismatic political candidate, to a women’s health organisation and

Coming Home to Brightwater Bay

Holly Hepburn 

BESTSELLING romantic novelist Merry Wilde has hit a brick wall in both her professional and private life…

Struck down for six months by a worrying case of writer’s block, and reeling from seeing her fifteen-year love affair cruelly ended in the space of one evening, Merry is offered a post as writer-in-residence in some of the furthest reaches of Scotland. But can escaping from London to the wild beauty and balm of the stunning shores of Orkney really help to unlock her lost creative powers, and her heart which remains stubbornly frozen?

If the pandemic is adding to your regulation January blues, join Merry’s search for love and inspiration amongst the ancient bays and bothies of a windswept corner of Scotland in the first book of Holly Hepburn’s (pictured below) enchanting new series which was first published as four ebooks. On paper, Merina (Merry) Wilde has it all… a successful career writing the kind of romantic novels that make even the hardest hearts swoon, a perfect merry-go-round of book launches and parties to keep her social life buzzing, and a childhood sweetheart, Alex, who thinks she is a goddess and has promised that he will always be at her side.

But Merry has a secret. The magic has stopped flowing from her fingers and she can’t summon up the sparkle that makes her stories shine. One day she opened her laptop and the words didn’t come. Since then, her writer’s block has ‘sucked the colour’ from every aspect of her life.

And as her deadline whooshes by, her personal life starting falling apart, too. Over what should have been a romantic dinner, Alex tells her that he wants something other than the future she had always imagined for them and Merry finds herself single for the first time since – well, ever.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Merry lands a six-month post as writer-in-residence with the Orkney Literary Society, a job which includes free accommodation at a traditional seaside Scottish croft. Her welcome to the windswept island is provided by Orkney’s librarian, Niall Gunn, a sort of Clark Kent figure who is not at all what she expected, and who promises that she will be working in the solitude of ‘a beautiful and magical place.’

Merry hopes that by locking herself away in her secluded clifftop cottage, her heart will heal and she will rediscover her passion for writing, particularly as her remit includes producing a piece of work featuring Orkney and its surrounding islands.

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But can the beauty of the islands and the kindness of strangers (not least the impossibly handsome local Viking Magnús Olafsson) help Merry to fool herself into believing in love again, if

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: A famous voyage, bewitching tales and nature’s twosomes

Step aboard HMS Beagle and join Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking voyage, meet some adventure-loving witches, discover the awesome power of sleep, and marvel at the wonder of nature’s unusual partnerships in a rich and varied collection of new children’s books

Age 9 plus
Darwin’s Dragons
Lindsay Galvin

JOIN a young cabin boy on the voyage of a lifetime in a brilliant new middle grade book from author and science teacher Lindsay Galvin who knows how to put the fun into learning.

Darwin’s Dragons – a history lesson of fascinating facts wrapped up in a thrilling fantasy adventure – sweeps us across the high seas alongside Syms Covington to the Galapagos Islands where English naturalist Charles Darwin made his groundbreaking, evolutionary discoveries.

Based on the real-life boy who made that famous voyage on Darwin’s ship, HMS Beagle, this wonderfully imagined and original rollercoaster ride of discovery across the rich habitat of the Galapagos is the ideal introduction to both Darwin and the concept of evolution. And there is the added joy of some child-pleasing magic, and an entertaining and informative glossary of information on the people and places mentioned in the book.

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Syms Covington has landed the job of a lifetime… cabin boy and fiddler on Charles Darwin’s mighty wooden ship Beagle. But when he falls overboard during a huge storm, he washes up on an unexplored island and his life takes a truly extraordinary turn. Because he has landed on a Galapagos island and it’s there that he makes a discovery that could change the world… and make his fortune. But should he share his find, or will it lead to the extinction of a legendary species? There is one person who could help, but he’s busy writing a book that will one day change the way we see the world. Extensive research, rich imagination and enthralling storytelling combine to make this an unforgettable learning adventure as fantasy, history and a fearless young hero prove to be utterly irresistible.

(Chicken House Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus
Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age
Amy Bond

BEWITCHED bothered and bewildered! A young witch with a penchant for robots is set to cast a spell over young readers as in a fresh, funny and original series from Irish librarian Amy Bond, an exciting new name in middle grade fiction.

Morgana Mage is a heroine for our times… a feisty, feminist, supernaturally powered girl who is ready to break boundaries by blending her love of science and technology with her gift for the world of magic. Morgana loves science and longs to attend robotics school in the shiny city. But she’s a witch, living in a magical woodland community and the closest she comes to technology is petting her ancient mechanical familiar, Kitty.

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Morgana simply doesn’t belong but when she finally finds a way to the city, she learns of a troubling secret hiding beneath its gleaming surface… a secret that threatens the balance of civilisation. Caught between two worlds, it’s up to Morgana to work out a solution… if she has the brains and the spells to do it. Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age is a thrilling start to this clever new series which delivers a full-on, high-energy, fantasy adventure as well as conveying important, contemporary messages about the co-existence of essential technology with more relatable, human concerns like friendship and acceptance. Science and witchery in perfect storytelling harmony!
(Chicken House Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus
Once We Were Witches
Sarah Driver and Fabi Santiago

WITCHES also take centre stage in a wonderfully spellbinding new middle grade adventure series from Sarah Driver, author of the critically acclaimed fantasy adventure trilogy, The Huntress. With the fantastic cast of characters brought to life by the atmospheric illustrations of Fabi Santiago, the Once We Were Witches books get off to a cracking start as we meet two sisters who discover they are witches in a world that sees them as wicked and dangerous.

Thirteen years ago, magic was banished and the witches were hunted. Sisters Spel and Egg are the daughters of witches, but they grow up in Miss Mouldheel’s School for Wicked Girls with no idea who they really are. Until the day the message arrives telling them to run… the message sends them to a funeral parlour in a faraway village, and their new guardian, the Undertaker, has a secret.

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Beneath the funeral parlour is a portal to the Other Ways… four worlds that lie parallel to ours. When Egg vanishes through the portal, Spel knows she must try to save her sister and that can only be done with the help of dragons, sailors, the souls of witches and a very grumpy undertaker. But no one can step between the worlds… or can they?

There is a magical mix of action, thrills, fun and friendship in this superb dual-world adventure which comes loaded with all those fantasy features that young readers love… dragons, ghosts, spells, curses and curious creatures. Expect emotions to run high and danger at every turn as you join Egg and Spel on their unforgettable adventure!
(Egmont Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 11 plus
The Awesome Power of Sleep:
How Sleep Super-Charges Your Teenage Brain
Nicola Morgan 

‘Innocent sleep. Sleep that soothes away all our worries. Sleep that puts each day to rest. Sleep that relieves the weary labourer and heals hurt minds. Sleep, the main course in life’s feast, and the most nourishing.’

SHAKESPEARE'S wise words on the importance of sleep are as relevant today (if not more so) as they were over 500 years ago. It helps you learn, it keeps you healthy and super-charges your brain… so why do teenagers so often struggle to sleep? Award-winning teenage well-being expert Nicola Morgan, author of bestselling Blame My Brain, The Teenage Guide to Stress and The Teenage Guide to Friends, grasps the thorny topic of sleep in this essential new guide.

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Late nights, addictive technology and minds racing with exam stress and friendship worries… it’s no wonder the teenage stereotype is tired eyes and sleeping through the weekend. Just like adults, teenagers are sleeping less now than ever before, yet sleep is crucial to our health and well-being.

An internationally renowned expert on the teenage brain, Morgan asks why teenagers so desperately need a good night’s sleep, exploring what a lack of sleep does to their developing brains, and explaining how to have the best sleep possible. Based on the latest science, youngsters can discover how to improve their sleep hygiene and find out what is going on in their sleeping brain to help make the most of the power of sleep. Authoritative, accessible and informed by the latest thinking, this is a fascinating and helpful guide for both children and adults, and could be just what you need for that good night’s sleep!
(Walker Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 7 plus
Made for Each Other
Joanna McInerney and Georgina Taylor 

YOU were made for me… Marvel at the wonders of nature in a beautifully illustrated book that explores symbiotic relationships between organisms. In the natural world, teamwork or an unexpected partner could make all the difference to survival, whether that is warding off predators, removing parasites or aiding reproduction.

Made for Each Other, written by Joanna McInerney and with stunning watercolour illustrations by debut artist Georgina Taylor, explores organisms that have learnt to adapt and co-exist in the wild.

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From the monarch butterfly that only exists on one type of plant, to the majestic bobtail squid that acquires its illuminating glow from bacteria that live on its skin, and the amazing partnerships between oxpecker birds and giraffes, clownfish and sea anemones, and woolly bats and pitcher plants, take a closer look at some of nature’s most fascinating symbiotic relationships. Taylor’s gorgeous botanical images capture these astonishing moments in the wild making this the ideal gift for both inquisitive youngsters and nature lovers.
(Big Picture Press, hardback, £15.99)

Age 7 plus
Freddy vs School
Neill Cameron

BEING different to everybody else at your school isn’t easy when you are the most super-amazing superhero robot ever… And when Freddy discovers that the deputy head is getting fed up of your super-strength, lasers and rocket boosters, and is threatening to expel you, the heat really is on!

Much-loved comics creator Neill Cameron turns on his own creative boosters in this fully illustrated new series which positively fizzes with fun, firepower and antics, but also cleverly celebrates unity, uniqueness and diversity.

‘Okay humans, listen up! My name is Freddy, I live with my Mum and Dad and I go to school. Oh yeah, the main thing is… I am an awesome robot with awesome robotic superpowers! But I’m hardly ever allowed to use them, and definitely not at school, which is going to be a problem...’

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Freddy’s unbelievably amazing robotic abilities are mind-blowingly cool but it turns out that teachers get really angry when you use your rocket boosters in class. And now it’s three strikes and he’s out! Freddy’s mishaps and misadventures are guaranteed to make readers of all ages laugh out loud whilst also providing a heartwarming and perceptive insight into diversity, and acknowledging that not all children are the same.

With its quirky, comic-strip style narrative and format, illustrations that zing with humour and energy, and two lovable and empathetic heroes, Freddy vs School is a clever, fun and fast-paced adventure, and ideal for your reluctant readers.
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus
Pizazz vs the New Kid
Sophy Henn 

AND there are more super-awesome laughs in the second book of award-winning author and illustrator Sophy Henn’s hilarious comic-book strip style series starring scintillating superhero schoolgirl Pizazz.

Classroom politics, friendship fails and laugh-out-loud humour are the hallmarks of this perfectly pitched series which has all the ‘powers and stuff’ that you expect from a superhero story but with the added delight of some very human characters and some very human dilemmas.

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Being a superhero is the best thing ever, right? Wrong! Hello, my name is Pizazz and I’m a superhero. You probably think that’s really awesome and while it can be, it’s also REEEEEEEAAALLLLY annoying. I guess it was sort of going OK (I say, ‘sort of’ – I still have to wear a silly cape and save the world all the time) until this new kid showed up, and started wowing everyone with their super powers. 

Yep, super – just what this town needs, another superhero who just happens to have the coolest name ever: Jett. And now, because of Serena and her gang of Populars, I have to compete against Jett in an almighty and ultimate super-off. But it’s fine. I mean, even if I lose, there’s space for two SUPERS in this school, isn’t there?! Expect raucous rivalries and some sassy schoolgirls as Henn serves up a verbal and visual feast of super-powered fun.

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
I Don't Like Books. Never. Ever. The End.
Emma Perry and Sharon Davey

ONE of life’s simplest but most rewarding pleasures is, of course, reading a book. But maybe you have a little one who doesn’t yet share that passion and just needs the gentlest (and most entertaining) of pushes to prove that books are actually fun. And what better way to kick off a lifetime of reading than author Emma Perry and illustrator Sharon Davey’s glorious picture book about the irresistible magic of stories.

Young readers, keen or reluctant, will be enchanted by the crazy adventures of the adorable Mabel who doesn’t like books Never. Ever. The End. and her incredible journey from book-hater to book lover. Mabel can’t be bothered with books. They’re fine for juggling, standing on to reach high shelves, and even bumpety-bumping down the stairs. But the stories inside? No thankyou! 

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Until one day, the books decide that they have had enough. They’ll show her! Mabel is plunged between the pages of the books that she has ignored and meets a whole host of characters who will change the way she looks at books forever…

This brilliantly devised and illustrated story by a top team celebrates both reading and the power of the imagination as Mabel’s salutary journey into a world of clever detectives, moon travel and daring knights proves that life is very, very dull with no stories and no adventures. Warm, wise and brimming with mischief and subtle messages, this is the ideal book to inspire a lifetime love of reading.
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Mr. Tickle: 50th Anniversary Edition
Roger Hargreaves

IT started with a tickle… Fifty years ago, successful copywriter Roger Hargreaves’ son Adam asked him what a tickle looked like and in response, Roger drew a small orange man with extraordinarily long arms that could reach anywhere and tickle anyone.

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The idea that a tickle could be a character in its own right sparked an idea in Roger’s mind… an idea that grew into a series of titles that would be an instant hit and become a favourite with generations of children… the Mr Men and Little Miss books. Roger Hargreaves died in 1988, but his son Adam took over the series, introducing new characters and exciting new adventures. As Roger once said, ‘I feel very happy to think that when the Mr Men and Little Misses are 100 years old, their readers will always be five.’ And now a new generation of little ones can enjoy the tale of Mr Tickle in this special 50th anniversary edition with its gold foil cover and bonus story about how the series began.

Mr Tickle is small and round and has arms that stretch and stretch. Extraordinarily long arms, perfect for tickling! Who will he tickle next? The perfect gift for fans of the Mr Men, and those new to this wonderful storytelling experience.
(Egmont Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Leo and the Octopus
Isabelle Marinov and Chris Nixon

IT'S hard for adults to fully understand the realities of living with Asperger’s syndrome so it must be doubly perplexing for young children. And so full marks to author and illustrator team, Isabelle Marinov and Chris Nixon, for this beautiful and sensitively created picture book story about a child with Asperger’s and the special bond he forms with one of the Earth’s most astonishing creatures.

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The world was too bright for Leo. And too loud. None of the other children understand Leo and he doesn’t understand them. ‘I must be living on the wrong planet,’ Leo thought. Leo struggles to make sense of the world. He doesn’t understand the other children in his class, and they don’t seem to understand him. But then one day, Leo meets Maya.

Maya is an octopus with changing moods and colours, and the more Leo learns about her, the more he thinks that perhaps he isn’t alone in this world, after all. With its mesmerising, thoughtful and gently humorous story, and enchanting illustrations in a muted palette of colours, Leo and the Octopus features authentic and perceptive descriptions of what it is like to have autism and the challenges it presents.
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £6.99)