The Man in Black

Lynn Shepherd

IT'S the shocking story that Dickens would have liked to tell but, held back by the powerful forces of his hard times, could only hint at. Welcome to Victorian London’s rotten underbelly... and a crime mystery that exposes corruption in the highest echelons of society, depravity so base that it must be hidden at all costs, filthy streets, child prostitution and slaughtered babies.

Inspired by Bleak House, Charles Dickens’ masterpiece, The Man in Black (originally published as The Solitary House and Tom-All-Alone’s) is literary mystery writer Lynn Shepherd’s (pictured below) glorious but grimly realistic pastiche novel, a riveting tale which takes us deep within those 19^th century city haunts and shows us places which the celebrated novelist was forced to draw with a pen blunted by form and convention.

With no such constraints and an omniscient narrator who helps us to see the past, present and future, 21^st century readers can walk once again with the likes of ruthless lawyer Edward Tulkinghorn, wily Inspector Bucket of Scotland Yard and the mysterious Lady Dedlock to reimagine their lives and times. And it’s a brave author who takes up the reins of a Dickens novel, throws in some characters from Wilkie Collins’ best-seller, The Woman in White, and uses the pioneering studies of Victorian social philanthropist Henry Mayhew to recreate London’s stinking, rat-infested streets.

This is Shepherd’s second foray into a murder mystery set amidst a world familiar to readers of the literary classics. Her first book, The Mansfield Park Murder (originally published as Murder at Mansfield Park) – which introduced her ‘thief-taker’ detective Charles Maddox – takes some entertaining liberties with Jane Austen’s heroes and heroines, and now Dickens take centre stage.

The result is an intelligent and gripping post-modern crime novel. Beautifully written and cleverly plotted, it plunders the best of Dickens without trying to ape his genius, maintains a sense of artful playfulness amidst its gross themes, and refuses to be sidetracked by fears of literary vandalism.

At the dark heart of the story is Tom-All-Alone’s, the notorious disease-ridden slum described in Bleak House, as well as one of the titles Dickens originally considered for the novel. The pivotal discovery of dead babies in the slum’s long-deserted graveyard sets the tone for Shepherd’s crime puzzle which runs parallel to the chronology of Bleak House and The Woman in White, but creates a thrilling whodunit combining motifs from both.

At his elegant chambers in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the formidable lawyer Edward Tulkinghorn has powerful clients to protect, and a deadly secret to hide. But that secret is now under threat from an unseen adversary, one who must be tracked down at all costs before it’s too late.

So who better for such a task than young Charles Maddox whose great uncle of the same name was the famous ‘thief-taker’ involved many years ago in the murder mystery at Mansfield Park.

Other People’s Husbands

Elizabeth Noble

FOR over twenty years, they have been a ‘gilded’ group of friends…  a close-knit club of six couples who bonded at the nursery school gates and have shared holidays, high days and low days ever since. But the discovery an affair acts like a hand grenade, blowing apart relationships and friendships, and forcing every member of the group to consider whether a line has been crossed that can never be mended.

Elizabeth Noble (pictured below) – whose debut novel, The Reading Group, became an instant hit, and has followed it up with a raft of bestsellers including Richard and Judy picks Between a Mother and her Child, and Love, Iris – casts her sharp eye over the complexities of families, friendships and marriage in another riveting domestic drama. 

Brimming with the emotional insight and wisdom that we have come to expect from this intuitively clever author, Other People’s Husbands is a gripping exploration of how couples live, love, work and play, and how the fall-out from a betrayal exposes cracks in a previously unbroken circle of friendship.

When Georgie and Phil Cooper met five other couples on their son’s first day of nursery, they knew they had found friends for life. Georgie and Phil, Sarah and Dom, Natalie and Kit, Annie and Rupert, Flick and Andrew, Vanessa and Ross may have all been very different but that didn’t mean they couldn’t form a strong and reliable bond.

Over dozens of playdates, cups of tea and Christmas fairs, the women slowly but surely became firm friends and formed a gang, while the men easily fell into a quick, easy and ‘matey’ friendship.

And over the last twenty or more years, they have celebrated, commiserated, laughed, raised their children and grown older together, with one of the highlights being their annual trip to the Lyme Regis holiday home of Annie and Rupert, the ‘grandest’ and wealthiest couple of them all. And this year, the May bank holiday weekend in Dorset is looking set fair for their annual getaway, but what they don’t yet know is that it’s just the start of a year that will put their friendship to the test. These six couples thought they

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Ghosts galore, vaulting ambition and bad brothers

Enjoy the first story of a simply spooktacular new adventure series, meet a boy whose ambitions reach to the moon and back, learn all about the science behind plants, head off to Paris for daring escapades and immerse yourself in a wonderfully murky, carnivalesque world of magic and mystery in a summer holiday selection of children’s books

Age 8 plus
Dead Good Detectives
Jenny McLachlan and Chloe Dominique

BRACE yourself for magic, danger, pirates, giggles, and ghosts galore, as Jenny McLachlan – author of the critically accalimed Land of Roar series – returns with a simply spooktacular new adventure series. Epic, exciting, and extraordinarily funny, Dead Good Detectives – brimming with the fabulous black and white illustrations of Chloe Dominique – was inspired by the author’s visit to an alleged ‘pirate graveyard’ in Dorset where headstones had engravings of skulls and crossbones.

It was just ‘the bones’ needed to set McLachlan’s prodigious imagination whirring and the result is a gorgeously ghostly tale that delivers the perfect balance of comedy, capers, thrills, spills and some fascinating nuggets of history.

Twelve-year-old Sid Jones loves hanging out in the graveyard with her best friend Zen – they are desperate to see a real-life ghost! But when Sid accidentally summons a 300-year-old pirate from the dead (AND his shouty parrot!), it opens the door to the Halfway House, a magical inn full of lost souls from across the ages, all trapped there by a sinister landlord. There are more ghosts than Sid could ever have imagined… and they’re all sure Sid is there to save them! (Sid’s equally sure there’s been some kind of mistake.) But someone else is watching, and they are not happy about Sid helping the ghosts. Tick, tock… time is running out!

With magical mysteries to solve, a story full of spooks and spine-tingling fun, a cast of adorable characters you’ll love to meet again, and a gentle reminder that being one of life’s worriers can have unexpected advantages, Dead Good Detectives is more than just a dead good read… it’s a gripping, rip-roaring, unmissable adventure!
(Farshore, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
I Want the Moon
Frann Preston-Gannon

‘Working late at his desk in his office one night, the man raised his head as the space filled with light. Moonbeams and memories flooded the room as did his longing of owning the moon…’

MEET a boy whose ambitions reach to the moon and back in a stunning, rhyming picture book from award-winning author and illustrator Frann Preston-Gannon. An over-indulged little boy grows into a very wealthy man who has everything he could possibly want on Earth. There is only one thing left that he MUST have… the moon he coveted as a child. Plans are drawn, machines built and factories sent spluttering into the air. Giant towers grow up and up and up. Soon the moon is nearly within the man’s grasp… but someone else wants it too. Their tug-of-war ends in disaster when the moon shatters into a thousand pieces and now it’s up to the children to come to the rescue...

I Want the Moon is a richly-detailed and mesmerising story, written with lyrical beauty, and with an important message about greed, happiness, and where NOT to look for it. Filled with Preston-Gannon’s trademark textured illustrations, with their eye-catching use of colour and bold, distinctive design, and beautifully capturing the retro atmospherics of the past and the contrasting, diverse nature of the contemporary world, this wise and cautionary tale speaks loudly to readers both young and old.
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 5 plus
Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files:
All About Plants!
Andrea Beaty, Dr Theanne Griffith
and David Roberts

HOW do plants grow? It’s a mystery, it’s a riddle, a puzzle, a quest! Learn all about the science behind plants with the second book in the fantastic Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files series, a welcome full-colour, non-fiction early reader addition to the bestselling Questioneers series and the new Netflix show. A scientist to her very core, Ada Twist asks why again and again, and her questions always lead youngsters on a fascinating journey of discovery in Andrea Beaty and David Roberts’ brilliant The Questioneers books.

Here the author and illustrator team join forces with brain scientist Dr Theanne Griffith to guide youngsters through the wonderful world of plants. What do plants eat, why do some plants have flowers and others don’t, and what’s the tallest plant out there? Discover how plants use their roots to soak up water and nutrients, learn about their stems which hold leaves up to the sun, and be amazed at how a plant dust called pollen helps to make more plants. Filled with fun, facts and fabulous illustrations, Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files is the perfect non-fiction resource for all children who love asking question, and enjoy learning along with Ada. Designed in a scrapbook format, these books combine art from the show, illustrations and photography to bring simple science concepts to life. And with two experiments to do at home, All About Plants! is the ideal book to entertain, educate and empower the scientists of tomorrow.
(Amulet Books, hardback, £9.99)

Age 9 plus
The Unexpected Tale of the Bad Brothers
Clare Povey 

PRENEZ garde! Buckle up for more thrills, spills and truly villainous villains in the second book of Clare Povey’s French-flavoured, literary adventure series starring orphan boy Bastien Bonlivre and his daring escapades in 1920s Paris. Povey, who fell in love with France as a child and was inspired by stories in her local library, won the Waterstones Children’s Book of the month with her brilliant debut, The Unexpected Tale of Bastien Bonlivre, and she returns with another epic mystery for  Bastien and his friends. Bastien is in trouble again. His sworn enemy, Olivier Odieux, has escaped jail and is after Bastien once more. Meanwhile, trouble is also brewing in Paris. Fires are burning, and danger lurks at every corner. Who could be behind this? As clues start piling up, Bastien and his friends Theo, Alice and Mathilde must set off on a risky treasure hunt to track down the answers they so desperately need. Because if they don’t find them, it won’t just be Bastien who is in danger… The sights, sounds and smells of Paris spring to vivid life in this suspense-packed, moving and empowering tale of friendship, staying strong, standing up to bullies, and the triumph of good over evil. A summer reading treat from an author with a gift for magical storytelling.
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
The Extraordinary Voyage of Katy Willacott
Sharon Gosling

JOIN a daring and ambitious Victorian girl on a voyage of discovery in a thrilling new adventure from Carlisle author Sharon Gosling. Steeped in the spirit of adventure, and exploring environmental themes, and the harsh realities of South America’s colonial history, this story of women doing extraordinary things is both thrilling and inspirational. Katy Willacott lives among the flowers and ferns of Kew Gardens in London, where her Grandpa Ned is one of Kew’s private constables and her mother Mary is a botanical taxonomist, working in the herbarium, preserving and identifying plants sent back from expeditions across the globe. But Katy has always dreamed of more… of the sky and the stars and the sea. Unfortunately for Katy, her father Josiah doesn’t understand. He says young girls should be content to stay at home, not go off gallivanting around the world. So when news reaches London of a meteorite falling in the faraway land of Brazil and an expedition aboard the SS Alerte to find it, Katy knows it’s her chance to follow her dreams and prove her father wrong. And winning a place on the trip, by disguising herself as a boy, is just the start of Katy’s extraordinary voyage, across oceans and through the jungle, on the trail of a fallen star. Danger, derring-do, a compelling blend of history and mystery, a leading young lady full of guts and gusto, and all the fun of an epic adventure make this a must-read for the long days of summer.(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
Carnival of the Hunted
Kieran Larwood and Sam Usher

TAKE one of most exciting, contemporary children’s authors and a multi-talented illustrator, and what do you get? A middle-grade series from superstars Kieran Larwood and Sam Usher that is so steeped in the atmospherics of a steampunk Victorian London that you can almost touch the grime and grit, smell the muck, and feel the miasma of choking smog! Carnival of the Hunted – the follow-up to the fantastic Carnival of the Lost – sweeps us back into the wonderfully murky, carnivalesque world of intrigue, friendships, magic and mysteries that has won an army of young fans. Stars of the carnival show are an unusual troupe of performers that includes Sheba the wolf girl, Pyewacket, a witch’s imp, and Sister Moon, a knife thrower. And in this new adventure, something sinister is going on in the stinking slums of London. Sideshow acts are going missing, and men wearing animal masks and eye goggles are hunting them down and killing them for sport. But who are this fiendish Hunters’ Club and what is the reason for their cruel game? Sheba and Pyewacket know all about life in a sideshow but now they are the Carnival, private investigators working to help unusual people like them. Teaming up with new recruits half-cat Inji, her extraordinary brother, the armadillo-like Sil, and Glyph the psychic, it’s a race against time to track down the mask-wearing villains, before anyone else comes to harm! There is so much for youngsters to love and enjoy in this full-on, immersive adventure… humour, originality, page-turning thrills, danger and daring, and all brought to life by Usher’s gorgeously gothic and characterful illustrations. Middle-grade writing and illustrating at its best!
(Faber& Faber, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
Bodies, Brains and Bogies
Paul Ian Cross and Steve Brown

BEWARE… this book may contain a bathtub of saliva, a farting rhinoceros, an eardrum-bursting volcano and a pile of bacteria even bigger than you! Enjoy learning all you need to know about the gross but glorious human body in a brilliant and fascinating, revolting and remarkable book from Paul Ian Cross, a microbiologist who loves introducing children to the wonders of science. Bodies, Brains and Bogies takes readers on a whirlwind tour of everything that is disgusting, unusual and amazing about the human body. Find out everything about poo, pus and bogies, discover how many creepy creatures live on your skin, and why you make seven litres of mucus every week, while learning a whole lot about how our bodies work hard in hundreds of ways to keep us alive. With tons of Steve Brown’s hilarious and informative illustrations which bring medical science to life, the book features Cross’s trademark laugh-out-loud humour, in-depth knowledge and infectious optimism. The perfect funny and accessible way to discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the human body, but were too afraid to ask!
(Welbeck, paperback, £5.99)

Age 7 plus
Cursed Tales:
The Pharaoh of Asco Express
Jake R. Wilson and Sian James

HISTORY, mystery, chills and thrills! Archaeologist Jake R. Wilson – who is currently leading excavations across the south-east of England – harnesses his own considerable knowledge for a rip-roaring adventure set in Ancient Egypt for the first book in Cursed Tales, an exciting new illustrated series which brings to life scary stories from the ancient world. Whatever happens, no matter what, do not step into Asco Express because you might just end up leaving with more than you bargained for! When eleven-year-old Wesley stops by at a mysterious local shop to buy a drink, he doesn’t realise the trouble he is getting himself into. Cursed by the fiendish Pharaoh Akahten IX, Wesley and his friends, Marishana and Aiden, must solve the evil spell quickly or be trapped for  all eternity! Expect zany zombies, fiendish pharaohs and monstrous mummies as Wilson and his partner-in-past-crimes, aka illustrator Sian James, work their ancient magic on this funny, and yet fascinatingly informative, Cursed Tale. With fun, facts and foul deeds on every page, young readers will love having their spines tingled and their detection skills tested as they head for the pyramids and dig up the past!
(New Frontier Publishing, paperback, £8.99)

Age 3 plus
Too Heavy, Elephant!
Hop on Top, Mouse!
Tony Neal

GETING the hang of the weighty subject of maths isn’t always easy for pre-schoolers. So let them enjoy the highs and lows of learning the mathematical concepts of weight and height with two fabulously fun and cunningly clever books from author and illustrator Tony Neal. In Too Heavy, Elephant!, Elephant is too heavy to play with Mouse on the seesaw. Their friends can help, but will it be enough to get Elephant’s feet off the ground? A great deal (of Elephant) hangs in the balance in this hilarious introduction to weight.

And in Hop on Top, Mouse!, Mouse is hungry, but that tasty cake is just too high! Is it a stretch too far, or will Mouse find his way to the top? It’s a big problem for a small mouse in this laugh-out-loud caper which gives an introduction to height. Employing his multi-coloured and engaging artwork, Neal brings us a cast of comical animal characters and all-action, swings-and-roundabouts capers which deliver maths lessons so subtle that little ones won’t realise they are learning as they laugh along with the animal friends. 

Who said maths had to be boring?
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
The Elephant Detectives
Ged Adamson

LIVERPOOL-BORN Ged Adamson has lots of over-sized fun with a lost elephant in a charming and heartwarming picture book that will have tiny tots doing their own detection work! This talented and inventive author and illustrator certainly lets his imagination take flight as we meet Alan who is having the perfect kind of day… until his elephant goes missing! Luckily for Alan, Edie is an Elephant Detective and she knows exactly where to look. Together they examine doughnut shops, investigate dinosaur bones, visit the cinema and even search the skies from a cable car, but they can’t find him anywhere! Will Alan EVER find his elephant? And might he find a new friend along the way? Adamson puts heart, humour and a few fascinating elephant facts into his deliciously funny story brought to life by a gallery of gorgeous illustrations. With a ton-weight of appeal for both girls and boys, a free ‘Stories Aloud’ audio recording when you scan the QR code, and the fun of joining Edie and Alan as they search on every spread for their missing elephant (who is always closer than they think!), this is destined to be a family favourite!
(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Solo
Adam Beer 

WHEN you’re a dog called Solo and used to having the place to yourself, can you ever be part of a pack? Adam Beer – illustrator of picture book Mammoth, written by Anna Kemp – goes solo himself in his warm, wise and beautifully illustrated author/illustrator debut featuring a dog learning that sharing is much more fun than going it alone. So meet Solo the dog and his island… he will happily tell you how busy he is scratching, sniffing and snoozing, and show you his things and his humans. So when a group of other dogs turns up with their island tourist humans, Solo doesn’t like it, not one bit, and he tells them so quite firmly. He doesn’t want to share his things and he thinks they are running out of control (although he has to admit that it does look quite fun). So much so that, once the others have gone, Solo finds that he misses his new friends and races to get them back. Will Solo come to see that no dog is an island, and that some things are just better with friends? The joys of sharing and making new friends are celebrated in style with a wise and playful story, and a fabulous gallery of charismatic canine stars. Perfectly created for little ones and dog lovers of any age, this irresistible picture book is fun to read and a delight to behold!
(Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Queen of the Classroom
Derrick Barnes and
Vanessa Brantley-Newton

STARTING pre-school is a big milestone… but one excited little girl is ready to become queen of the classroom! The exuberance of early childhood shines through in this life-affirming, warm and wonderful picture book which is the work of talented American author and illustrator duo Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton, and the companion book to King of the Classroom. Here we meet a confident little girl called MJ who can’t wait for her first day at kindergarten. With her hair freshly braided and her mum’s special sparkly tiara on her head, she knows she’s going to love the day ahead. But the tiara isn’t just for show… it also reminds her of all the good things she can bring to the class, like her kindness, friendliness, sharing, her ability to brighten up a room and, last but not least, her impressive soccer skills! Newbery Honour-winning author Barnes’ empowering and inspirational story is full of lyrical beauty and resonance, and will give children new to nursery or pre-school a reassuring confidence boost and a gentle lesson in how being kind to others and joining in all the activities makes everyone feel good. Brantley-Newton’s endearing, multi-coloured illustrations bring the story to vivid life and perfectly portray all the natural enthusiasm and optimism of youth and new beginnings. The perfect book for any child getting ready to start school and set out on the journey of life!
(Scallywag Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 2 plus
Wooolf!
Stephanie Blake

A TWIST on the classic cry wolf story has naughty schoolboy rabbit Simon running for cover in a tale full of knockabout fun from Stephanie Blake. Wooolf! is the hilarious new escapade starring Simon the cheeky rabbit… the cuddly creature who won everyone’s heart in Poo Bum, first book in Blake’s best-selling picture book series which has proved a big hit all over the world. US-born author Blake, who now lives in France, is the author and illustrator of dozens of highly successfully children’s books. In Blake’s new rabbit adventure, translated by Linda Burgess, cheeky little rabbit Simon only does what he wants. When his mother asked him to tidy his room, he cried ‘Wooolf! The wolf is coming!’ and, when she ran away because she is frightened of wolves, he did whatever he wanted. One day he does a wee where he wants, and the wolf comes to get him. ‘Wooolf!’ he cries, but his mother doesn’t fall for that and the wolf gets him! Fortunately, it’s just Simon’s dad in a wolf mask and Simon promises never to cry wolf again. But when his mother opens the cupboard in the morning, a (suspiciously small!) wolf cries ‘Awwoooo!’ Blake’s instantly recognisable bold and expressive illustrations will delight young readers and the funny, charming story, with its gentle warnings about crying wolf, is guaranteed to strike a chord (and raise a smile or two!) with both children and parents alike.
(Gecko Press, paperback, £7.99)

Operation Moonlight

Louise Morrish

DESPITE it being only weeks away from her landmark 100th birthday, Betty Shepherd is still reluctant to talk about her war years. But the discovery of an old suitcase in her cellar finally opens the door on to her past life and her top-secret work as an SOE agent in France where a life-and-death mission brought danger, heartbreak… and a painful betrayal.

Operation Moonlight is the gripping and moving debut novel of librarian Louise Morrish who was inspired by her maternal grandmother – a tough northerner who survived two world wars, the 1918 pandemic and breast cancer – and the daring exploits and outstanding bravery of the 39 women agents who were recruited into Winston Churchill’s clandestine Special Operations Executive. These extraordinary French-speaking women – of various ages and backgrounds – endured the same rigorous training as their male counterparts and were then parachuted, alone and at night, into Nazi-occupied France to aid the Resistance. Using the awe-inspiring, real-life experiences of the women who risked life and limb to help the war effort, Morrish (pictured below) weaves between past and present for a riveting and authentic story of love and loss, guilt and redemption, hardship and the shining beacon of hope.

It’s 2018 and widow Betty Shepherd from Guildford is contemplating her 100th birthday which approaches like ‘a dark tide’ and grows stronger every day, and reminds her that ‘death is inevitable.’

Betty has her carer Tali – a young Mauritian woman with a big, warm personality to match her colourful and vibrant clothes – living in and looking after her, but she’s feeling weak and decrepit. It wasn’t always like this… 75 years ago, Betty lived in a different world, a place where danger was never far away.

It was in February of 1944 that 25-year-old bilingual solicitor’s secretary Elisabeth Ridley – daughter of an English father and a French mother – was identified by the SOE as ‘potentially helpful to the war effort.’ But sworn to absolute secrecy, Elisabeth cannot reveal her real work to anybody, not even her widowed mother, and leaves home hoping that as an agent, she will be able to ‘do her duty’ for the sake of her family in France even though she has been warned that her chances of survival may be as low as fifty per cent.

The training for future missions of ‘subversion and sabotage’ is more gruelling than she could ever have expected but it’s during this time that she meets two fellow agents, Doris Waters and Gilbert Donoghue, who will play a crucial role in her life. And Elisabeth’s first mission proves to be deadly... she must parachute behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied France to monitor the new long-range missiles the Germans are working on. Her only advice is… trust absolutely no one. And with danger lurking at every turn, one wrong move for Elisabeth could spell instant death.

Fast forward to 2018 and Betty receives an invite from the Guildford Century Society to reminisce on the past and create a memory box, but recalling her life shrouded in secrecy and danger, Betty remains tight-lipped. However, when Tali finds a box filled with maps, letters and a gun hidden in Betty’s cellar, it becomes clear that Elisabeth’s secrets are about to be uncovered whether she likes it or not…

Morrish’s extensive research has certainly paid off for this thrilling account of the courageous and inspirational women who put their lives on the line to become SOE agents. The young Elisabeth’s gruelling paramilitary training in Scotland and her terrifying parachute jump on a moonlit night for her perilous mission in Rouen are rendered all the more heroic because armed women were not protected by the Geneva Convention and could not expect to be treated as prisoners of war. In fact, of the 39 female SOE agents on perilous operations in France, twelve were executed following their capture by the Nazis, one died of meningitis during her mission, and the remainder survived the war.

The stark realities of the selfless deeds of these real-life female SOEs have been immaculately researched by Morrish and are superbly threaded into the character of Elisabeth who becomes a powerful and resonant voice for those brave wartime women whose spirit, strength and sacrifices have sometimes become lost and forgotten in the mists of time. Like all the agents, Elisabeth’s work had to be kept secret from even her own family but as past and present collide, she can at long last face the decades-old truth of her story of love, heartbreak  and survival, and find the redemption she had never thought possible.

With a cast of well-drawn characters and a palpable sense of tension, and the equally touching secrets and tribulations of her devoted Mauritian carer Tali playing out as a parallel story, Operation Moonlight is an impressive and enthralling debut.
(Century, hardback, £12.99)

Cold, Cold Bones

Kathy Reichs 

IT might be winter in South Carolina but forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is hot on the trail of a cold-blooded killer. And even more chilling for the tenacious ‘bone’ doctor is the knowledge that this gruesome murder inquiry has terrifying personal implications because in a profession like hers, you’re bound to make enemies somewhere along the way.

Cold, Cold Bones – a classy, clever, edge-of-the-seat thriller – is the twenty-first novel in US author Kathy Reichs’ brilliantly authentic and addictive Temperance Brennan series which began with Déjà Dead in 1997 and, straight out of the blocks, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and became an international bestseller.

Since then Reichs (pictured below) – herself a forensic anthropologist – uses her own experiences to bring her viscerally real thrillers to life and was a producer of Fox Television’s long-running, hit TV series, Bones, which is based on her work and her novels. And her mastery of this superb medical science series retains its powerful appeal as we join Temperance (Tempe) enjoying some down time due to the drop in crime cases over the winter. Freed from her heavy work schedule, Tempe is content to dote on her daughter, Katy, who has finally returned to civilian life from the army but is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder after two frontline tours in Afghanistan.

But when mother and daughter meet at Tempe’s place in Charlotte one night, they find a mysterious box on the back porch. Inside is a very fresh human eyeball ‘impaled like a bug on a pin.’ Etched into the eyeball are GPS co-ordinates which lead Tempe to an old outdoor privy at a Benedictine monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits... a decapitated head in a carrier bag.

Soon after, Tempe is called to a mummified corpse in a state park, and her anxiety deepens. There seems to be no pattern to the subsequent killings that are uncovered, except that each death mimics in some way a homicide that a younger Tempe had been called in to analyse.

Helping Tempe search for answers is sassy new Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Detective Donna Henry and Erskine ‘Skinny’ Slidell, a retired detective with ‘the personality of a canker sore’ who is still volunteering with the police cold case unit… and still displaying his gallows humour.

Also drawn into the mystery is Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s long-term partner, who is working as a private detective in Montreal. Could these elaborately staged murders be the prelude to a twist

A Wedding at Sandy Cove

Bella Osborne 

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a bride in search of the perfect dress must be a total
pain in the bum.’

DESPITE its inevitable drawbacks, Ella Briggs’s job as a bridal frock seamstress is her dream come true… but as she helps one of her best friends to prepare for her beach wedding, Ella can’t help but reflect that at twenty-nine years old, she is still very much alone.

Bring out the sunshine smiles and raise your champagne flute because award-winning, feelgood rom-com author Bella Osborne (pictured below) is back to warm our hearts and tickle our funny bones with a fabulously frothy concoction of fun, friendship, romance… and yards of white tulle.

A Wedding at Sandy Cove – which originally appeared as a four-part serial but is now published as a complete story in one package – whisks us away to the sandy beaches of Norfolk where the sounds of wedding bells fill the air, and a trio of friends discover that the course of true love never did run smooth. Ella Briggs is in the business of making brides’ dreams come true with gorgeous white dresses brought to life by delicate lace and sparkly sequins. She works as a seamstress at the upmarket shop, Frills, Frocks and Fairy Tales, and loves her work despite the shop’s owner, Wanda, being the boss from hell.

Ella adores cutting and tucking dresses for the lucky customers who have found the person of their dreams and are preparing for the big day, but her own love life couldn’t be further from a fairy tale.

Recently dumped by her boyfriend and with her best friend Brittany’s wedding only months away, Ella feels down in the dumps. It will be her eighth time as a bridesmaid and it’s looking increasingly likely she might never be a bride. But her other best friend, lawyer Lucy – who firmly believes that if death is the worst thing that can happen to you, ‘marriage comes in a close second’ – has other ideas. Lucy is determined to fix up a blind date and Ella finally accepts her friend’s offer.

However, a mix-up at the pub venue on the night throws Ella into the path of handsome (‘in a rough and ready sort of way’) builder Kit O’Leary instead, and Kit is most definitely not the man (a

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Wonderful words, rich history and spellbinding magic

Learn how to be a word virtuoso, discover the fascinating history of four entangled nations, meet the new kid on the block who’s giving Harry Potter a run for his money, and find answers to all your most curious questions in a sunshine holiday collection of super children’s books

Age 8 plus
Britannica’s Word of the Day: 366 Utterly Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus

Patrick and Rennee Kelly, Sue Macy, Josy Bloggs, Emily Cox
and James Gibbs

BECOME a word virtuoso, an entrepreneur with pizzazz, or a renowned raconteur… and you’re sure to be an indubitable success!

If there are words that leave you befuddled, here’s your chance to impress your pals and widen your vocabulary… all in the space of one year. Simply turn the pages of this entertaining and beautifully illustrated book which features 366 crackerjack words, all carefully selected by the masterminds at Britannica Books to highlight the best of the English language.

Britannica Books is a reference imprint for young readers, published in an exciting partnership between What on Earth Publishing and Encyclopaedia Britannica, and this imaginative and cleverly conceived book aims to help convert young readers into lifelong word lovers. Youngsters follow a menagerie of animals as they teach one new word for each day of the year, including a pronunciation guide, definition, sample sentence, and interesting trivia about the word’s usage or etymology. Each month concludes with an outlandish story (but with an educational purpose) that features all the new words learned. Bursting with fun and fascinating facts, delightful challenges, and surprising words, Britannica’s Word of the Day will turn (young and older) word aficionados into passionate logophiles!
(Britannica Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain
Donna Amey Bhatt, Vikesh Amey Bhatt and Salini Perera

WHAT does it mean to belong and how important is where you were born, where your parents were born, and where your grandparents were born, to who you are today? Published to mark the 75th anniversary of the Partition of India in August, and written by Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhatt, who were inspired to write the book for their two young sons to celebrate and explore their diverse heritage, this beautifully produced book, lavishly illustrated by Salini Perera, is a unique exploration of the rich, complicated and entangled history of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain.

There are many ways of telling the same story, and how you tell it depends on your point of view. Some stories are so complicated, or difficult to explain, that they are not often told at all. Like the story of how a company ended up running a country, or how one man drawing a line on a map could change the lives of millions of people forever. Lands of Belonging aims to piece together the interesting, surprising, and sometimes very sad story of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were once all one country, and how these now separate countries have shaped one another over the centuries.

From exploring the vast empires and amazing inventions of ancient India, to revealing the challenges faced by South Asian migrants to Britain – or celebrating the amazing culture, innovations, inventions, and achievements of British people of South Asian heritage today – the book shows how the past, present and future of these four countries will always be intertwined. With consultancy by Rajbir Hazelwood, historian of South Asia and Modern Britain, children learn about the foundation of the East India Company to India’s involvement in supporting Britain during both World Wars, to India’s fight for independence and the British government’s decision to Partition the country, resulting in the largest migration of people in history. From exploring India’s past and its empires and religions, through British rule and on to independence, this stunning, gold-foiled book is ideal as a gift, for school libraries, or to simply read, learn and enjoy at home.
(Nosy Crow, hardback, £14.99)

Age 9 plus
Spellstoppers
Cat Gray

THERE'S a new kid on the block this summer… and he’s giving Harry Potter a run for his money! Escape into the fun and magic of a sparkling summertime adventure from Irish-born author Cat Gray whose writing is inspired by the magical moments of her own childhood. And in this atmospheric and thrilling tale, which blends much-loved classic tropes with a cast firmly rooted in a contemporary world, we travel to Yowling, a secretive seaside village where magic is just one step away and meet Max who has spent years thinking he is cursed because whenever he touches anything electrical it explodes. But then he is sent to Yowling and discovers he is a Spellstopper, someone with the rare ability to drain dangerous build-ups of magic and fix misbehaving enchanted items. When Max’s Grandad is kidnapped by the cruel Keeper of the malfunctioning magical castle that floats in the bay, only Max’s gift can save him. Together with his new friend Kit, Max throws himself into an adventure filled with villainous owls, psychic ice cream and man-eating goldfish. But can he really pull off the biggest spellstop ever? Written with all the fantasy and wonder that seduces young readers, Gray’s fast-paced, all-action, twisting and turning adventure is brimming with spells, sorcerers and selkies, and characters that children will take to their hearts. Explosive magic for all middle-graders!
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
Hetty and the Battle of the Books
Anna James and Jez Tuya

FRIENDSHIP, libraries and books, books, books come under the spotlight in author Anna James and illustrator Jez Tuya’s glorious love letter to libraries. Hetty and the Battle of the Books – which features a charming and heartfelt story about the trials and tribulations of a school friendship group and their fight to save the school library from closure – comes from a writer who believes passionately in the importance of school libraries. The library is Hetty’s very favourite place in school and, since falling out with her best friends Ali, Mei and Rocket, she has been spending even more time there. So she is absolutely horrified when she learns that her head teacher is planning to close it down, claiming there aren’t enough funds to keep the library going. There is no way Hetty’s going to sit back and let this happen. But can she repair her broken friendships and build support for her library campaign? Let the Battle of the Books commence! Perfectly pitched to inspire youngsters to learn to love books and libraries, and printed in in Barrington Stoke’s trademark dyslexia-friendly format, this joyful celebration of youthful determination is brought to life by Tuya’s vibrant and characterful illustrations. Booked for success…
(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus
What About: Science
Bertrand Fichou, Marc Beynié
and Pascal Lemaitre

WHAT is the sound barrier, why is the sky blue, why do we yawn and what’s inside a camel’s hump? Curious children love asking questions so here’s the perfect book to give them the answers they want. What About: Science is a fact-filled, full-colour question and answer book that explores the many branches of science – including chemistry, physics, biology and geology – and offers easy-to-understand answers to your youngsters’ questions in a fun, quirky and child-friendly way. Discover if it’s possible to walk on Jupiter, find out the difference between a lightning bolt and a lightning flash, learn what’s inside your brain, and find out why the sea has tides. Authors Bertrand Fichou and Marc Beynié provide readers with 80 pages of educational, science-related facts and Pascal Lemaitre embellishes the learning game with eye-catching, cartoon-style illustrations that entertain readers and help them remember the important facts. Cleverly created to serve as either a family or classroom read-aloud book, and with all the educational content reviewed by a science expert, the science of learning has never been so much fun!
(Twirl Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 7 plus
Little Badman and the Rise of the Punjabi Zombies
Humza Arshad, Henry White
and Aleksei Bitskoff

GET ready for more madcap fun, hilarious mischief and total mayhem with the third, laugh-out-loud Little Badman adventure. Humza Arshad, one of the UK’s most popular British Asian personalities, brilliant comedy writer Henry White, and illustrator extraordinaire Aleksei Bitskoff, have been winning belly laughs all round with these coruscating comic capers starring Humza Khan, aka Little Badman, Eggington’s greatest rapper, and Umer and Wendy, his crazy crew, who have already battled against alien slugs and time travelling robots. But this time, Little Badman might have finally met his match as he starts a new school. He’s already been out rap-battled by the school bully, laughed at by his classmates… oh, and we haven’t even mentioned the ancient magical orb causing havoc and very possibly leading to world destruction. At least Humza has found someone to help with his homework. It’s just a shame this friend isn’t exactly… alive! Expect zombies causing havoc, a world in danger from mass destruction, and a new girl called Aisha as the gang are called on to save the world yet again. Fast-paced comedy, heartwarming friendships and gigglesome antics for all the family to enjoy!
(Puffin, paperback, £7.99)

Age 4 plus
Sometimes I’m a Baby Bear, Sometimes I’m a Snail: Ways to Say How We Feel
Moira Butterfield and Gwen Millward

'Today I’m a Bear cub. I want to hug. I wouldn’t
mind a cuddly squeeze. I’m Bear cub, so yes, please!’ 
DEVELOPING emotional and social intelligence is a huge part of young children’s development, and parents are often left grappling with how best to discuss feelings of shyness, social anxiety and respect for physical boundaries with their pre-schoolers. So here’s a delightful picture book from author Moira Butterfield and illustrator Gwen Millward that gently and entertainingly explores the different ways to say how we feel. Sometimes a child feels cuddly like a baby bear or playful like a puppy but at other times, they would rather be quiet and alone like a snail, safe in its shell. Which animal do you feel like today? Using Millward’s superbly imagined and illustrated cast of animal characters – with their ultra-expressive faces and mimicry of human behaviour – Butterfield’s funny and child-friendly story gives little ones the tools to understand and express their own emotions, and to be sensitive to the feelings and boundaries of other children who might want their own space too. With input from a child psychologist, some simple tools for little children to deal with everyday situations and express and understand a range of feelings, and a final, helpful spread providing notes on encouraging children to use the animal idea to express their feelings, this is a must-have book for parents, teachers and carers.
(Welbeck Editions, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
Lifesize Baby Animals
Sophy Henn

WE all see pictures of adorable baby animals… but how big are they really, and how would you measure up against them? Award-winning author and illustrator Sophy Henn takes little ones on an exciting and revealing lifesize adventure in the third book of a fun, creative and educational non-fiction, picture book series which lets youngsters see animals at their actual size, and discover curious facts about their habitats and behaviours. Simply step into this fabulously illustrated, large-format book and see how you measure up against some of the world’s most amazing baby animals. Go eye to eye with a baby blue whale, snuggle up with some red panda cubs, and open the fold-out pages to discover a lifesize baby African elephant! This interactive and original journey into the animal world features lifesize illustrations of some of the smallest and largest baby animals in the world and invites children to think about how they compare with these amazing creatures. With Henn’s playful text, her rich detailed and energetic, colourful illustrations, and a clever introduction to measurement featuring an inventive baby animal size chart, this is the ideal fit for your curious youngsters. And don’t miss the other books in the series… Lifesize and Lifesize Dinosaurs.
(Farshore, paperback, £8.99)

Age 3 plus
Where Has All The Cake Gone?
Andrew Sanders and Aysha Awwad

WILL a mischievous little boy be pulled up short when he tells his dad a tall tale, or could his fabulous fable really be true? This irresistibly delicious story featuring the mystery of a missing cake and a houseful of hungry penguins will have little ones giggling all the way to a snow-covered mountaintop. Where Has All the Cake Gone? is the first picture book from exciting new team, author Andrew Sanders and illustrator Aysha Awwad, who tease and please us from first page to last. ‘I did not eat the cake!’ A cake has gone missing from the kitchen and Dad wants to know where it has gone. But Albert says it wasn’t him. Oh, no. It was eaten by some very naughty penguins who then kidnapped Albert and took him on a madcap adventure involving international travel in a giant jar of marmalade and a snowball fight with kangaroos. Albert’s dad is not impressed but Albert swears he’s telling the truth. He did not eat the cake! Could his story really be true? Parents will smile when they recognise the familiar scenario of a child telling a truly outlandish story to get themselves out of trouble, while little readers will love deciding whether Albert’s story really is true. With Sanders’ fresh, warm and witty voice seducing his readers, and Awwad’s bright, bold and energetic artwork winning everyone’s hearts, this is the perfect tall tale for your own little mischief-makers!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
The Worry Tiger
Alexandra Page and Stef Murphy

WE all have worries… but how do you help a young child to cope with these natural anxieties? Author Alexandra Page and illustrator Stef Murphy, the talented duo behind the outstanding picture book, The Fire Fox, turn their talents to another moving and atmospheric tale which offers little ones soothing, mindful messages to calm their youthful fears. It’s show-and-tell tomorrow and Rory can’t sleep because he is anxious… he doesn’t have anything special to share with the class. But everything changes when Rory meets his very own worry tiger. ‘Try this,’ says the tiger. ‘See how quiet you can be. Tiptoe like a tiger and tell me what you see.’ Soon he is breathing deep to smell the jungle scents, stretching to join the monkeys high up in the trees and listening carefully to the creatures all around. And not only does he sleep soundly… he finally has a picture and a story to share with the class. Exquisitely illustrated by Murphy and with Page’s gentle, calming rhyme, The Worry Tiger has a gorgeous gold-foiled cover, includes a set of fun and easy mindfulness exercises at the back of the book, and will help children to relax and speak about what might be feeding their anxiety. Picture perfect and a joy to read aloud.
(Two Hoots, hardback, £12.99)

Age 2 plus
Little Tiger: Amazing Animal Tales
Baby Koala: Amazing Animal Tales
Anne Rooney and Carolina Rabei

WE all see pictures of adorable baby animals… but how big are they really, and how would you measure up against them? The ever-inventive book boffins at Oxford University Press have worked their magic on an exciting and innovative new picture book series which delivers incredible baby animal survival stories and optional flaps which open to reveal amazing facts. And hot from the jungle is Little Tiger who loves to play, pounce and explore with his family… but sometimes his adventures can get him into a spot of trouble! The heartwarming story – illustrated by Carolina Rabei and featuring an animal family living in the wild – has big flaps to open and tiger facts to discover but can also be enjoyed with the flaps closed.  

Little ones will love lifting the big flaps where they can find out if they are taller than a tiger’s tail, and there’s a line of marching ants to spot on every page. And in Amazing Animal Tales: Baby Koala, illustrated by Qu Lan, we meet a little koala who likes to stay close to Mum as the pair snuggle up together, safe in the top of a eucalyptus tree. But one day, when danger threatens, Baby Koala must be brave and bold. Youngsters will delight in meeting the koala and her family, and there’s the fun of measuring their finger against a tiny newborn koala and spotting a feathertail glider (or pygmy gliding possum) on every page. Fun, facts and furry delights!
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99 each)

Age 2 plus
Cars Cars Cars!
Donna David and Nina Pirhonen

BUCKLE up your seatbelt, and say ready, steady, go! Youngsters will love the thrill ride as they follow fifty colourful cars along the road, up, down, around and back again on a busy rhyming adventure. Cars Cars Cars! is the second book in a super, interactive picture book series that began with Trains Trains Trains! and is now speeding down the track with little readers at the wheel. Fast cars, slow cars, ready steady go cars… which do you like best and can you find your favourite? Car-mad pre-schoolers can enjoy spotting and counting fun all the way with this bright, joyful and informative picture book from author Donna David and illustrator Nina Pirhonen. There are different cars to follow and count on every page, and take your foot off the brake for an exciting fold-out race at the end. These pre-school picture books have been specially developed to encourage pre-reading skills and expand language and vocabulary. And with a Did You Spot? challenge at the end of the book, reading tips for parents and carers, a super-shiny foil cover, David’s fun, read-aloud text, and Pirhonen’s busy, colourful illustrations, Cars Cars Cars! is the perfect ticket to ride for your toddlers!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)