The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures

Holly Hepburn 

STILL recovering from the death of her husband after just five years of marriage, Hope Henderson has left London to make a fresh start in her home city of York. But after more than a decade away, and undecided about exactly how she will shape a new future for herself, Hope soon discovers that learning to live and love again involves making some tough decisions.

Originally published in four ebook novellas – Starting Over, Secret Loves, Broken Promises and Christmas Wishes – this is the tale of The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures brought together in one bright and beautiful book from Holly Hepburn (pictured below), author of fabulously ‘feelgood’ fiction like Coming Home to Brightwater Bay and the much-loved Star and Sixpence series.

So if the pandemic is adding to your regulation January blues, join Hope’s search for friendship, kindness and love amongst the ancient streets and picturesque shops of York’s stunning Shambles in this enchanting and uplifting story.

When Hope lost her husband Rob nearly two years ago, her world fell apart and she feared her happiest days were already behind her. With her only connection to London now broken, she has decided to go back home to York to be near her family and to try to build a new life.

But her family’s love and attentiveness is proving to be a little overwhelming for Hope and her ‘bruised’ heart can muster little enthusiasm for her sister Charlotte’s suggestion that Hope should start looking for a new love via dating apps.

It’s when she is wandering down the city’s historic streets that Hope sees a job vacancy sign in the window of an antiques shop called the Ever After Emporium, a place that instantly recalls happy memories of her childhood and awakens an unspoken desire to ‘get away from who she had been before, to try something new.’ And the Emporium, it seems, holds more treasures than Hope had ever imagined. The shop’s owner, James Young, is happy to have her on board and soon Hope finds herself crossing paths with two very different men.

Will Silverwood, who owns a jewellery shop in the Shambles, has recently become the guardian to his four-year-old niece, Brodie, after the tragic death of her parents and he impresses Hope with his warmth, sincerity and caring. And then there’s handsome hunk Ciaran MacCormack, the

The Visitors

Caroline Scott

FIVE years after the end of the Great War, Esme Nicholls has still not come to terms with the death of her beloved husband on the battlefields of France in 1916.

But now she has a chance to spend the summer in Alec’s home town of Penzance in Cornwall where she hopes to fill the ‘gaps’ in his story, understand what happened to him, and finally learn to accept that she is no longer a wife but a widow.

The First World War remains one of the most devastating conflicts in history, particularly in terms of the scale and manner of deaths. 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 the broken survivors coped with the devastating physical and mental scars..

Historian and highly acclaimed author Caroline Scott (pictured below) – whose haunting novels, The Photographer of the Lost and When I Come Home Again, contemplated different aspects of the aftermath of war – returns to this emotive backdrop for another powerful exploration of the challenges faced by returning soldiers, and the personal struggles of one woman finding her voice and choosing her own path into the future.

Inspired to write about this pivotal period by her Lancashire family’s wartime memorabilia, Scott sweeps us away to the summer of 1923 and the sunlit beauty of Cornwall alongside Esme, a war widow from Huddersfield who is currently working as housekeeper to Mrs Fenella Pickering.

Being ‘in service’ is a long way from the challenging and stimulating job Esme had been taught to expect as a grammar school girl but Alec’s death has left her a woman of limited means and restricted options. Mrs Pickering’s artist brother Gilbert Edgerton has a rambling seaside home, Espérance House in Penzance, where he lives a bohemian existence with some former soldiers of his wartime regiment, and Esme is accompanying her employer for a three-month visit. Esme’s memories of journalist Alec’s face are fading to his ‘photograph smile’ and, as he grew up in Penzance, she is hoping to learn more about the man she loved and lost, but about whom she knows surprisingly little. Finding out more about Alec could make it easier to accept being his widow.

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Meanwhile, Esme is fascinated by this community of eccentric artists and comrades in Gilbert’s home and, as she gets to know the men and their stories, and becomes aware that the heat, colour and scents of Cornwall are awakening her senses, she begins to feel this summer might

Aaron Slater, Illustrator

Andrea Beaty and
David Roberts

AARON wants to be a writer… but how do you tell your story when words are nothing more than a squiggle?

The most common of all neuro-cognitive disorders, dyslexia affects about 20 per cent of the population and represents between 80 and 90 per cent of all those faced with learning problems… so say hello to Aaron Slater, a hero for all dyslexic youngsters!

This bright, colourful and quietly powerful book – printed in the Dyslexie typeface specially designed for dyslexics – is the fifth book in Andrea Beaty and David Roberts’ outstanding Questioneers picture book series.

Questions and problem-solving lie at the heart of this enchanting and educational series which is beautifully written by Beaty (pictured below) and gloriously illustrated by Roberts, and features stories and adventures with the irrepressibly curious Questioneers, including Iggy Peck, Rosie Revere, Ada Twist and Sofia Valdez.

And this new outing – ideal for young readers aged five and over – was inspired by Roberts’ own struggles with dyslexia, and the life and work of African American painter, naturalist, muralist and graphic artist Aaron Douglas who was an important figure in the literary and artistic movement of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 30s.

Aaron Slater loves listening to stories and dreams of one day writing them himself. But when it comes to reading, the letters just look like squiggles to him, and it soon becomes clear he struggles more than his school friends. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can’t get a single word down. He is sure his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach… until inspiration strikes, and Aaron finds his gift for illustration enables him to spin a tale in a way that is uniquely his. Aaron Slater, Illustrator delivers an uplifting tale about the power of art, finding your voice, and telling your story even when you feel like you’re out of step with other children of your age.

Beaty’s empowering and imaginative story – written in child-friendly rhyming verse – is perfectly paired with Roberts’ richly detailed, empathetic and heartwarming artwork, and speaks loudly and reassuringly to youngsters who are struggling with the everyday challenges of dyslexia.
(Abrams Books for Young Readers, hardback, £12.99)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Gothic intrigue, shadow lands and a monster hunt

Curl up on dark nights with a magical selection of children’s books which are guaranteed to chase away winter gloom

Age 9 plus
Sisters of the Lost Marsh
Lucy Strange

WHAT better time of year for a mesmerising, magical tale full of gothic intrigue, dark superstitions and nail-biting suspense, all set in the midst of a mysterious and malign marshland? Sisters of the Lost Marsh – a fabulously spooky and gothic thriller-chiller – comes from the pen of master storyteller Lucy Strange, author of the critically acclaimed The Secret of Nightingale Wood, Our Castle by the Sea, and The Ghost of Gosswater.

Gripping from first page to last, this brilliant new novel is perfect for reading in a fireside chair on dark nights and stars cruelly overworked farm girls Willa, Grace and Freya, and their three younger sisters. The six motherless sisters live and work in fear of their cruel father and the superstition that obsesses him… the Curse of Six Daughters. With the arrival of the mysterious Full Moon Fayre, there’s a chance for the eldest girls to steal a moment’s fun but the day the fayre moves on, Grace vanishes.

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Willa goes after her, following a trail that leads into the dangerous Lost Marsh, where it is said a will-o’-the-wisp lures lost souls into the dark waters of the mire. If Willa is to survive and reunite her family, she will need to unravel the secrets her father has kept hidden, and face her own deepest fears. Strange is a master of atmospherics and this memorable, magical realist tale simmers and shimmers against a truly eerie and irresistible backdrop. With its messages about female empowerment, sisterhood, bravery and self-discovery, this is a true classic which is destined to be read and enjoyed by all generations. 
(Chicken House, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
Shadow Town
Richard Lambert 

IMMERSE yourself in a thrilling land of shadows and dreams in an exciting and evocative new fantasy from Richard Lambert, acclaimed author of The Wolf Road. Shadow Town – which stars a boy who tumbles into an alternate world in which everything seems possible but dangerous – is the first book in a stunning new series for middle-grade readers. Toby, whose parents are divorced, leads a quiet and unhappy life in London until a mysterious shadow appears in the garden and in his dreams, and then takes him into a hidden world. The dangerous land of Balthasar is enslaved by a cruel Regent and an absent and mysterious queen. It’s a place where the Dreamers have the magical power to turn dreams into reality. But there’s a price to pay. Toby meets Tamurlaine, a strange and otherworldly girl who has lost her memory. To uncover the mystery of her identity and get Toby back home, the pair must go on a thrilling journey to the heart of the kingdom, and right into the castle of the Regent. With its gothic vibes, air of mystery and intriguing cast of characters, Shadow Town is an imaginative blend of thrilling fantasy, alluring mystery and playful humour… the perfect combo for all adventure-loving readers!
(Everything with Words, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
Following Frankenstein
Catherine Bruton

INSPIRED by her own childhood fascination with Mary Shelley’s famous masterpiece, Catherine Bruton brings young readers a thrilling sequel to the epic story of Frankenstein’s Monster and the result is this epic adventure full of action, danger and discovery. Sometimes Maggie Walton is jealous of a monster. Her father has dedicated his life to a single pursuit… hunting down the monster created by Victor Frankenstein. She has grown believing he cared more for the monster than he did for her and it has cost Maggie and her family everything. All his wealth has gone and the family have been forced to live in rooms near London’s docks. But now a stranger has arrived to speak to her father who has agreed to stake everything on one last voyage to the Arctic to finally track down the monster. What he doesn’t yet know is that Maggie is a stowaway on board the ship on a voyage that will take her across the Arctic Tundra to a shocking discovery… Frankenstein’s monster has a son. Bruton builds on the wisdom and compassion of Shelley’s original story to explore what it is to be ‘different’ and friendless, and how abandonment and ostracism can be overcome by the power of friendship and your own difference. Brimming with excitement, mystery and a deep understanding of what it is to be an ‘outsider,’ this is historical adventure with a message that speaks loudly today.
(Nosy Crow, paperback, £7.99)

Age 7 plus
My Father’s Dragon
Ruth Stiles Gannett 
Illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett

INTRODUCE a new generation of young readers to a fabulous fantasy adventure from a creative family collaboration between illustrator Ruth Chrisman Gannett and her stepdaughter Ruth Stiles Gannett. First published in 1948, My Father’s Dragon – an American classic and the first book of a fun trilogy – was included in an all-time children’s novel survey published in 2012. A highly illustrated chapter book, the story is narrated by the son of the hero Elmer Elevator, inviting readers to believe the childhood tale of a wild adventure to rescue a captive baby dragon. After striking up a friendship with an alley cat, Elmer learns that the baby dragon is being forced to serve as a ferry for the selfish animals of Wild Island. Elmer is determined to free the dragon and, with advice from the savvy cat, he arms himself with chewing gum, lollipops, rubber bands and other unlikely items. With these tools and his own sharp wits, Elmer faces hungry tigers, cranky crocodiles and lots of other challenges! Full of wit, thrilling action and timeless charm, My Father’s Dragon is soon to be a new Netflix film from the Oscar-nominated Irish animation studio behind Wolfwalkers, the Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea.
(Swift Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 4 plus
Little Narwhal, Not Alone
Tiffany Stone, Ashlyn Anstee
and Marie Noël

BASED on the true story of a remarkable friendship between a narwhal, who was more than 600 miles from his home in the Arctic, and a group of beluga whales, this moving and playful picture book is a delight for young readers. With the poetry of Tiffany Stone and the adorable illustrations of Ashlyn Anstee, Little Narwhal, Not Alone speaks loudly about acceptance and overcoming obstacles. When little narwhal sets off on an adventure to see new sights, he finds himself far from home, too far to return on his own. Scared and alone, narwhal looks for other narwhals but finds a pod of belugas instead. They don’t speak his language or eat the same foods, but when the belugas begin to play, little narwhal knows exactly what to do! With a summary of the little narwhal’s amazing and inspirational story by marine biologist Marie Noël, and a beautiful rhyming tale about a surprising inter-species friendship, this clever picture book delivers important lessons about overcoming difference to readers young and old.
(Greystone Kids, hardback, £12.99)

Age 4 plus
Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest
Ole Könnecke 

ENJOY the warm and witty tale of a brave – and very capable – little girl who defies a witch’s evil spell to rescue her father. Newly fledged readers will love sharing adventures with daring Dulcinea in a delightful illustrated fairy tale from Swedish-born author and illustrator Ole Könnecke. Dulcinea has known since she was small not to enter the dangerous magic forest where the witch lives in a castle. But her father hasn’t come home from collecting blueberries for her birthday pancakes, and she is worried that the witch has cast an evil spell on him. She must brave the dark forest and sneak into the witch’s castle to steal the spell book and free him. After all, her father would hardly have named her after the brave Dulcinea if she couldn’t break a witch’s spell to celebrate her birthday with him! With miles of smiles and madcap antics on every page, and Könnecke’s charming and characterful, two-tone comic-style illustrations, this is a magical read for fun-loving youngsters.
(Gecko Press, hardback, £11.99)

Age 3 plus
Group Hug
Jean Reidy and Joey Chou

IF there is one thing we’ve all missed during the pandemic, it’s a hug! Award-winning American author Jean Reidy captures the poignancy of getting close together again with friends and family in this charming, cheering picture book. ‘There was once a slug needing someone to hug. Along came a beetle, a lonely ol’ bug. ‘You need a hug? I have one,’ said Slug, ‘to keep your heart snug!’ And so begins the slug’s round of hugs with (among others!) a lonely beetle, a grumpy mouse, a smelly squirrel and an over-worked beaver. With its fun, feelgood vibes, the warmth and joy of human contact radiating from every page, the bold and brightly coloured illustrations of Californian artist Joey Chou, and resonant messages about empathy, kindness and inclusivity, Group Hug is both an endearing bedtime read and the perfect celebration of friendship, community affection and togetherness. A book hug for all the family to enjoy!
(Scallywag Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
Who’s Got a Normal Family?
Belinda Nowell and Miša Alexander

IS there such a thing as a ‘normal’ family? That is the question at the heart of a fun and clever picture book from Aussie author and illustrator team Belinda Nowell and Miša Alexander. Baby Emma is Alex’s brand new foster sister and he can’t wait to tell his friends at school. But when one of his classmates tells Alex, ‘You don’t have a normal family,’ Alex’s happiness quickly evaporates. ‘Are we normal?’ he asks mum that night and mum gives him the brightest smile. ‘Absolutely NOT… but why don’t we find out who is?’ And it turns out that none of the children in his class has a ‘normal’ family… some have two dads, some are looked after by their grandparents, and some have no dads. It seems that there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ family after all! This perfectly pitched and gently reassuring picture book – packed with Alexander’s beautiful illustrations – is a colourful celebration of the unique and diverse quality of families today and the ideal teaching tool for use at home, in nurseries and at school.
(Little Steps Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Under the Mistletoe

Sue Moorcroft 

THE past catches up with a young woman at a crossroads in her life in a sparkling, snow-dusted Christmas tale of romance, family and new beginnings from award-winning author Sue Moorcroft.

The perfect accompaniment to your festive tipple and mince pie, Under the Mistletoe is guaranteed to lift the spirits and chase away the winter gloom as Moorcroft (pictured below) – much-loved for her enthralling feel-good fiction – packs everything you could possible want from an escapist read into this emotionally-charged, bright and beautiful story.

Set in Moorcroft’s now familiar picturesque village of Middledip, this enchanting new trip to rural Cambridgeshire brings us her trademark exquisitely and richly detailed cast of characters (both new and touchingly familiar) as we meet 35-year-old artist Laurel Hill who is rediscovering the place where she grew up.

Christmas is a time for family and friends and Laurel is feeling adrift after leaving her ex-husband in London. Her marriage to Will recently ended in divorce because of Laurel’s infertility and now she is returning to her home village of Middledip to stay with her older sister Rea Grove and her 14-year-old niece, Daisy. Rea has problems of her own… her agoraphobia has recently become so bad that she hasn’t left the house for months, and lively teenager Daisy has been truanting from school. Laurel is happy to just enjoy a quiet time in the countryside and to help them both until she decides what to do with her future.

But life in Middledip turns out to be far from straightforward and time stands still when she meets up with her old flame Grady Cassidy. Laurel and Grady had once been ‘a bit of a thing’ and it has been nineteen years since she last saw him.

Very soon, it seems as if they’ve never been apart but, through her happiness, Laurel is still haunted by a painful secret… an event which took place one dark night nineteen years ago involving Grady’s once-wayward brother, Mac, and forced her to leave the village at the tender age of 16. Mac is now a teacher at Daisy’s school but can Laurel learn to forgive and forget… or will her chances of Christmas under the mistletoe with Grady remain just a dream?

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Moorcroft employs all her natural warmth and empathy as she steals our hearts and conjures up all those magical Christmas vibes in this enchanting festive concoction of memories, family bonds, community spirit, and rekindled passion. As the past she tried so hard to forget finally

All or Nothing

Ollie Ollerton

REVENGE is a dangerous game and no one knows that better than battle-hardened war veteran and ex-Special Forces soldier Alex Abbott. Already waging a losing battle against the booze, Alex is facing a new life-and-death war… against an enemy who might be closer to home but is just as ruthless as the foe he daily confronted in the Middle East.

Welcome back to a perilous world of murderous villains and gut-wrenching crime, and a flawed and fascinating hero in the second explosive adventure in a thrilling, all-action debut series from Ollie Ollerton, the former Royal Marine Commando and Special Boat Service team leader who magically morphed into the bestselling author of Scar Tissue, and non-fiction titles Break Point and Battle Ready.

Ollerton (pictured below), who was also one of the founding Directing Staff on Channel 4’s hit show SAS: Who Dares Wins, is using his post-military life to help others and, tired of reading about ‘heroes who never put a foot wrong,’ he brings us instead an all-too-human and likeable anti-hero that we can all relate to.

Alex Abbott, a troubled veteran of war zones, is estranged from his family, making a living as a hired gun, and is far from perfect. A once-promising student, he drinks too much, can’t hold together relationships with women, and makes big mistakes, but he’s also a man with heart and decency, always ready to risk his life for those he loves and make sure that justice is done.

Still haunted by the recent death of his teenage son Nathan in Iraq, Alex drinks to dull the pain of his memories, not least the tragic death of his young brother Chris in an accident that tore apart the family and led Alex into juvenile crime. He found new purpose when he joined the Royal Marines who managed to instil in him both discipline and organisation, but now his life is on a downward trajectory again and only one woman, Tess Lacey, the ‘love of his life,’ can stop the slide.

But lawyer Tess is married to someone else and when Alex meets up with her, she has a bombshell revelation about the truth behind the death of his brother all those years ago. Not only that, Alex has a lead on the killer of Chris and he’s determined to follow it… if only he can stay off the booze long enough to hunt it down. 

But the skeletons in Alex’s closet are mounting up faster than the bodies in their bags, and he needs to get his focus back if he's going to get his revenge.

His pursuit takes him to his home town of Burton-on-Trent where Alex infiltrates a local gang and is forced to carry out jobs to maintain his cover. As he gains their trust, he ventures deeper into the organisation, uncovering a long-established international

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Tower drama, the magic of trees and calming bedtime tales

Blackpool Tower takes a starring role, a lonely boy finds a polar bear in his mum’s freezer, a girl discovers that the magic of trees could save the world and a suitcase is home to an exciting box of tricks in a fabulous selection of children’s books

Age 8 plus
Gracie Fairshaw and the Trouble at the Tower
Susan Brownrigg

THERE'S plenty of drama at the tower – the world-famous Blackpool Tower no less! – in the second book of Lancashire lass Susan Brownrigg’s brilliant middle-grade thriller series. The star of the Christmas show is amateur sleuth Gracie Fairshaw who lives with her brother and parents in a resort boarding house in the 1930s, and finds that mystery and skulduggery are never far away.

In this exciting new adventure, Gracie becomes embroiled in a series of suspicious events at the real-life Blackpool Tower professional Children’s Ballet Company which delighted audiences for decades, and leads us behind the scenes of the equally real Blackpool Gazette’s newspapers offices.

The Tower Ballroom was home to a professional children’s ballet between 1902 and 1972. Girls would queue around the block to audition for a place, with some dancers going on to find fame and fortune. Brownrigg, who set her first book in the series, Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest, against the backdrop of the 1935 Blackpool illuminations, fills her stories with such rich authentic detail and beautifully drawn characters that you can almost taste the fish and chips, smell the sea salt in the air and hear the trams rolling down the promenade.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post reviews

In December of 1935, Gracie is delighted to get a sneak preview of the Children’s Ballet’s Christmas spectacular. But from the moment the curtain rises on the new show, things start to go horribly wrong for the young dancers. Accidents, pranks and a poison pen letter make Gracie wonder if someone is trying to spoil the show. Can Gracie, her brother George and their friends, Tom and Violet Emberton, stop the saboteur before their final, dastardly act?

Gracie is an inspirational lead player…. a girl with a mild disability, the heart of a lion and big ambitions who is fearless in her pursuit of truth and justice. Add on Brownrigg’s nostalgic and exhilarating evocation of the North West’s most famous resort in its heyday and you have one of the best children’s mystery series currently on the shelves.
(UCLan Publishing, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus
The Bear who Sailed the Ocean on an Iceberg
Emily Critchley 

WHAT do you do when you find a huge polar bear in your freezer? Delight in the fun, humour and reassurance of this heartfelt story about a lonely boy who overcomes difficult family problems with the help of a polar bear. This moving tale comes from Carnegie-nominated author Emily Critchley and tackles serious issues of friendship, bullying, divorce and bereavement with a warm, gentle and comic touch. So how did Monty get in Patrick’s parents’ freezer? And who is Monty (official name, Wilbur Ambrose Cedric Reginald Montague, the Third, or Monty to his friends)? He talks like he might have swallowed a dictionary as well as a library – he has read more books than Patrick knew existed – and his stomach is always rumbling. How is Patrick going to feed him on his pocket money that does not stretch much further than a few tins of sardines? And how will he protect Monty from neighbours like Mr Crankly who might report him? And if that isn’t enough, Patrick is taking care of his mum who suffers from depression, and his dad isn’t there. But, fortunately for Patrick, there’s always Monty. With Christmas vibes running through its pages, and with a story full of hope and heart, this surreal adventure starring a larger-than-life polar bear who can quote from classic books is a true wintertime winner!
(Everything with Words, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
The Girl Who Talked to Trees
Natasha Farrant and Lydia Corry

BELIEVING in the magic of trees could save the world! That is the message which speaks loudly and clearly in a sumptuous gift book from the Costa Book Award-winning team of author Natasha Farrant and illustrator Lydia Corry.  Featuring magical interlinked stories about what one girl learns from talking to trees throughout time and from around the world, the companion volume to the empowering book Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror reminds us all of the importance of trees in our lives. Olive’s best friend is a 400-year-old oak tree, and it’s in danger. As she tumbles into its magic world, she makes it a promise. From deep roots to high branches, a Persian garden to an underwater forest, from tulip trees to wild apple and a vengeful box, she listens to the trees telling stories for all time. And she keeps her promise. With a serious conservation message and facts about tree science alongside the magic and wonder of seven beautifully imagined original stories, this full-colour gift book will enchant and inspire young readers.
(Zephyr, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
Flember: The Glowing Skull
Jamie Smart

IF your youngsters like laugh-out-loud comedy and lots of madcap action, then gift them the third book in extraordinarily talented illustrator and author Jamie Smart’s ingenious Flember illustrated novel series. Packed with all the outrageously comical, addictive and high-energy action we have come to expect from Smart’s work, this series certainly hits the mark with middle grade readers. Here we meet up again with boy-inventor Dev, who has a strange and mystical power called Flember, and his best friend Boja, a huge red robot bear. The two chaotic adventurers have found the super hi-tech, mega-modern city of Prosperity but everything there is really weird. People are battling it out for control of magic Flember power in epic races, the sewers are disgustingly stinky and Boja discovers he has superpowers. Will they ever get home? Smart has proved to be a comic genius and there are snorts and sniggers to enjoy on every page of this gloriously anarchic story.
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus
Anisha, Accidental Detective:
Show Stoppers!
Serena Patel and Emma McCann

ANISHA Mistry’s larger-than-life British-Indian family steal the show AGAIN in the latest baffling mystery for everyone’s favourite (accidental!) detective. Award-winning author Serena Patel and illustrator Emma McCann are back with a new case in their brilliant detective series starring reluctant sleuth Anisha and her best friend and fellow investigator Milo. Anisha is so busy… her class is putting on a musical and they only have one week before curtain up. And, as it’s nearly Diwali, Granny Jas is cooking non-stop and Auntie Bindi is determined to bring the bling. Anisha is leaving the theatrics to Milo but as the director’s assistant, she has loads to do... especially now everything is going wrong. Even Molly the cat is forgetting her cues! Miss Jive believes the show is cursed but Anisha thinks someone is trying to stop the production. Time for Anisha, the Accidental Detective, to step into the spotlight. Join Anisha and Milo as they take to the stage in the search for the scheming showstopper, and share all the fun, action and mystery that always seem to appear when the madcap Mistry family are in the spotlight!
(Usborne, paperback, £5.99)

Age 5 plus
At the Height of the Moon: A Book of Bedtime Poetry and Art
Edited by Alison Baverstock , Matt Cunningham and Annette Roeder

HELP your children to drift off to sleep – and inspire in them a lifelong love of art and poetry – with this stunning bedtime book which draws on centuries of artistic and literary traditions from around the world. Pairing works of art with poems and short fiction, At the Height of the Moon is divided into eight thematic sections and features dozens of double-page spreads that families will enjoy as part of their bedtime routine. The carefully chosen, diverse selection of art includes works by John Singer Sargent, Georgia O’Keeffe, Utagawa Hiroshige, Edgar Allen Poe and Henri Le Sidoner among many others, all beautifully reproduced in luminous colour. Accompanying these artworks are poems, mediations and short fiction which range from light-hearted verse and passages from Shakespeare to lullabies and spooky folktales. Together the words and pictures create meaningful impressions that children will treasure and remember as they drift off to sleep… and hold on to for the rest of their lives. With its ribbon marker, fabulous illustrations, wise words and high quality production, this is a gorgeous gift book for both youngsters and adults.
(Prestel, hardback, £18.99)

Age 4 plus
Inside the Suitcase
Clotilde Perrin

EVERYONE will be in a flap when they turn the pages of this brilliantly inventive lift-the-flaps adventure which offers the magic of a fairy tale, the surreal atmosphere of Alice in Wonderland, and the interactive fun of a puzzle book. There are a host of intriguing flaps within flaps for little ones to get their hands on as French author and illustrator Clotilde Perrin casts a spell with her tale of a boy travelling the world with a suitcase full of tricks and treasures. Away behind the hills you’ll find a charming little house. Who’s inside… knock, knock! Look, there’s a boy packing his suitcase. Lift the flaps to see what he takes with him and then join him as he travels over oceans and mountains, under water and into the forest. Delve deeper into each page to see its hidden secrets and, whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off the suitcase! This timeless tale of travelling the globe and making memories is brimming with mystery, atmosphere and discovery. The simple but richly evocative illustrations, and the joy of multi-layered discoveries on every page, are all guaranteed to delight curious youngsters. A voyage of adventure that children will want to experience time and time again!
(Gecko Press, hardback, £16.99)

Age 4 plus
The Smart Cookie
Jory John and Pete Oswald 

ENJOY food for thought as bestselling author and illustrator team, Jory John and Pete Oswald, turn up the heat for another tasty and inventive picture book! This entertaining new romp in the Food Group series features a cookie whose life hasn’t always been a cakewalk. The problem is that the cookie never felt like a smart cookie, no matter how hard she tried, and especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery where she lives. So will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren’t the only ingredients for being clever? This terrific top team can’t put a foot wrong when it comes to conjuring up child-friendly stories with important life messages, all carefully baked to perfection inside John’s warm and witty wordplay, and Oswald’s captivating, high-energy artwork. Get ready for giggles galore as youngsters gorge on the antics of some cute cookies while learning valuable lessons about confidence and self-esteem.
(HarperCollins, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
Lily Takes a Walk
Satoshi Kitamura 

THE unspoken fears of childhood are confronted with wit, warmth and smiles in this welcome new outing for Japanese author and illustrator Satoshi Kitamura’s classic picture book which won hearts and minds back in the 1980s. Republished in an enlarged format with extra artwork, Lily Takes a Walk stars a little girl and her pet dog Nicky who, in an ironic twist, possesses an outrageously overactive imagination. When Lily takes a walk with Nicky, she notices many lovely things like the sunset, a friendly neighbour and the ducks on the canal. But poor Nicky only sees monsters, snakes and fierce creatures lurking in every corner and at every turn. So which version of the walk is true… Lily’s, Nicky’s or both? Kitamura’s eternally popular, funny and gently scary story helps children to confront nightmares and fears with confidence whilst delivering an entertaining twist in its fold-out last page. Imaginative and inventive, this is a picture book for every generation to treasure!
(Scallywag Press, hardback, £10.99)

Age 2 plus
The Lights that Dance in the Night
Yuval Zommer 

AUTHOR and illustrator Yuval Zommer spreads his own special glow over the festive season with a bright and beautiful picture book celebrating the wonder of the Northern Lights. The Lights that Dance in the Night – with its sparkling cover, beautiful rhyming text and atmospheric illustrations – is a gentle and colourful reminder of the threats to our fragile planet. During long, dark winters, the Northern Lights dazzle in Arctic skies and here Zommer imagines their fleeting journey from space to Earth and how they weave a welcome magic for the animals and people living in the frozen lands below. With an ethereal beauty to both the words and the illustrations, heartfelt messages about the peace that comes from togetherness, and the dangers of global warming radiating subtly from the pages, Zommer puts the living world at the heart of his powerful storytelling, bringing the very youngest children a lyrically written, resonant and utterly charming story. A verbal and visual treat to treasure for yourself… or as a memorable gift for others.
(Oxford University Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age one plus
Zoom: Farm Adventure
Zoom: Building Site Adventure
Susan Hayes and Aviel Basil

ENJOY a day on a busy farm and find out what goes on at a building site with two exciting and innovative board books which were specially created for all young adventurers. Zoom: Farm Adventure and Zoom: Building Site Adventure are two new titles in a board book series from What on Earth Publishing which specialises in non-fiction children's books. 

These sturdy, informative Zoom books, with their intriguing peep-holes and cut-outs, and a final, fabulous fold-out surprise, deliver fascinating facts about the world around us through exciting, colourful adventures and fun-filled, hands-on discoveries. In Zoom: Farm Adventure, written by Susan Hayes and illustrated by Aviel Basil, we join Bo as he gets to work on his very own farm, including raising alpacas, milking cows and bringing in the peanut harvest. Watch Bo collecting honey from the beehive, picking juicy tomatoes and collecting eggs from the chickens. And in Zoom: Building Site Adventure, written by Susan Hayes and illustrated by Susanna Rumiz, we meet Maxie as he drills, scoops and digs to build his dream skyscraper from the ground up. Share adventures as drives a crane, clears the site with his bulldozer and takes away rocks on a gigantic dumper truck. With their bold, interactive features, vibrant illustrations and fun story, these books are the ideal gift for curious children.
(What on Earth Publishing, board books, £10.99 each)

The Christmas Murder Game

Alexandra Benedict 

FOR the first time in twenty-one years, Lily Armitage has the chance to discover the truth behind her mother’s untimely death. But it means returning to creepy Endgame House in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales to play a dangerous Christmas game with her fractured family… a game that will see her fighting a life and death battle.

If a classic festive murder mystery rings your jingle bells, then settle back in your armchair and enjoy a brilliant claustrophobic crime caper – complete with wicked word games – that will test both your pulse rate and your little grey cells.

Award-winning writer Alexandra Benedict (pictured below), who also pens critically-acclaimed gothic novels – bewitches and beguiles us with a locked-room, Agatha Christie-style whodunit dished up with a contemporary twist and a delicious side-serving of anagrams and puzzles.

Lily Armitage, a costume maker who lives in London, never intended to return to Endgame House in rural Yorkshire, the grand family home where her mother Mariana died in the middle of the garden’s intricate maze twenty-one Christmases ago. Her vow to never go back is finally broken when she receives a letter from her mother’s sister, Aunt Liliana – who adopted Lily after Mariana died – asking her to return to the house to take part in what has become her family’s annual tradition… the Christmas Game. The challenge is to solve twelve clues and find twelve keys, and the prize this year is the deeds to Endgame House. ‘Endgame has kept our secrets for half a century, now it’s time for it, and its secrets, to have a new owner,’ she writes, adding that the answers to Lily’s questions about who killed her mother will be there in every clue of the game, ending all that has haunted the family for twenty-one years.

Click HERE for Lancashire Post review

So, for the twelve days of Christmas, Lily must stay at Endgame House with her estranged cousins and unravel the riddles that hold the key not just to the family home, but to its darkest secrets. However, it soon becomes clear that her cousins all have their own reasons for wanting