Head off to the world of theatre in a magical new series, enjoy a thrilling reading experience at a quirky museum of wonders, tighten your seatbelt for David Walliams’ new breathless cinematic space romp and share superhero adventures with a ghost in an autumn collection of children’s books
Age 9 plus
The Spectaculars
Jodie Garnish and Nathan Collins
THERE'S just one word to describe a dazzling new series which combines the fun of the theatre with the wonder of magic... spectacular! Playwright, performer and author Jodie Garnish – who has sung, danced and performed her way across the UK and Italy – uses her own experiences of the magical whirlwind of theatre life for this thrill-filled adventure. Featuring a travelling theatre and boarding school where ‘spectaculars’ are trained in the theatrical arts, whether that’s on or off stage, The Spectaculars comes in a beautiful hardback edition with the added joy of a stunning hidden cover under the dust jacket, and combines magic, theatre and danger with a large pinch of starstuff!
When three figures arrive at Harper Woolfe’s window in a
flying canoe, informing her that she is due to start her apprenticeship, Harper
discovers she is a Spectacular – a magical performer, gifted special powers
from the stars. Harper is thrilled to be part of the Spectaculars’ travelling
theatre and boarding school, the Wondria, until everything is plunged into
great danger. With her new friends Trick and Thief, Harper sets out to save her
school... but while dreams come true at the Wondria, nightmares might just be
lurking in the wings. Expect flying canoes, letters sent by toast post, and a
marvellously magical world brought to vibrant life by the black and white
illustrations of Nathan Collins, as Garnish raises the curtain on a show that
could run and run!
(Usborne Publishing, hardback, £12.99)
Age 12 plus
Miss Peregrine’s Museum of Wonders
Ransom Riggs
This gloriously rich and enthralling handbook is perfect for long-time fans and new readers alike, covering everything from how to blend in with suspicious ‘normals’ to the most popular time loops to visit as a time-travelling tourist. This essential volume is the ideal starting point for anyone curious about the world of Miss Peregrine with an overview of its strange history, curious practices, fascinating places, the most famous (and infamous) members of its peculiar families, and much more.
Written in Miss Peregrine's inimitable style, it is also a
dramatic expansion of the universe that fans have already come to love,
introducing countless new peculiars, enemies, time loops, stories and secrets,
in addition to hundreds of haunting and never-before-seen photographs and
select illustrations. Addictively page-turning, and with a spine-tingling fantasy
at its heart, this beautifully produced and illustrated book is guaranteed to delight
adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows of time!
(Puffin, hardback, £14.99)
Age 8 plus
Spaceboy
David Walliams and Adam Stower
TUCK into the wit and wacky adventures that spill from the pen of multi-million bestselling author David Walliams and the creative genius of illustrator Adam Stower as they spin youngsters into space on a mind-blowing, mystery-packed mission. Spaceboy – with its wild, out-of-this-world backdrop – harnesses the pioneering spirit of the 1960s Space Race for a breathless cinematic romp full of mystery, action, laughs, surprises... and a secret that could change the course of history. It’s the 1960s and America and Russia are in a race to conquer space. Twelve-year-old American orphan Ruth lives in the middle of nowhere with her awful auntie. She loves climbing trees, making a mess and throwing stones, but the thing she loves most is space.
The girl is obsessed. She spends her days reading comics about alien invasions, doodling UFOs, watching B-movies about Earth being invaded by creatures from Mars… and at night she gazes at the stars through her old, battered telescope and dreams of an outer space adventure. Until one night, Ruth creeps out of bed in the attic room of her rickety old farmhouse to watch the stars – and is just dozing off when she spots something blazing across the sky. Something that looks like a flying saucer! Is she dreaming? No! And the flying saucer is on fire… But when the UFO crash-lands in the cornfield, and Ruth rushes to help, she finds a mystery – and an adventure – beyond her wildest dreams.
Walliams is on his best storytelling form in this hilarious,
space-hopping romp as young readers join quick-thinking Ruby, her three-legged
dog Yuri (named after her hero Yuri Gagarin, the first person to go to outer
space), bossy American space boffin Dr Schock, and Spaceboy, a mysterious
figure in a shiny silver spacesuit and mirrored helmet, for some of the most
extraordinary antics this side of the solar system. Expect danger, daring, a heartwarming friendship and guffaws
galore – all brought to life by Stower’s gallery of anarchic illustrations –
and don’t stop until you reach infinity!
(HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks, hardback, £14.99)
Age 9 plus
Joyful, Joyful: Stories Celebrating Black Voices
Created by Dapo Adeola with a Foreword by Patrice Lawrence
(Two Hoots, hardback, £20)
Age 8 plus
Super Ghost
Greg James and Chris Smith and Amy Nguyen
AWARD-WINNING authors and Radio 1 broadcasters, Greg James and
Chris Smith, team up again for a superhero adventure that is guaranteed to have
readers laughing all the way to Paragon City! This is the top team that gave us the hilarious Kid Normal series,
and the guffaw-inducing The Great Dream Robbery, so expect to split your sides
and giggle till your tummy hurts when you join them on this action-packed
journey into the unknown. It's just another day at the office for world-famous
superhero Doctor Extraordinary as he battles his arch-nemesis Captain Chaos in
yet another epic showdown. Unfortunately this one doesn’t quite go to plan and
they both get blown up inside a giant robot. The doc’s number-one fan,
twelve-year-old Sonny Nelson, is devastated. A world without heroes is totally
rubbish! But things take an even more extraordinary turn when Doctor Ex returns
as a ghost and only Sonny can see him. With Paragon City under attack from cute
baby pandas, Sonny and his best friend, Spot, must help Doctor Extraordinary
save the world one final time. There are laughs aplenty in this tale of thrills, spills,
chaos and crystals as James and Smith plunge youngsters into their
unforgettable comedy caper which has a big, warm heart and bears inspirational
messages about friendship, family and what it takes to be a real hero. Add on the fabulous illustrations of Vietnamese artist Amy
Nguyen, and the grinning pandas surprise hidden under the dust jacket, and you
have the perfect gift book for your own young adventurers!
(Puffin, hardback, £12.99)
Age 9 plus
Tyger
SF Said and Dave McKean
‘There are three doors that I may show you. You will find a
different kind of power behind each one...’
AUTHOR SF Said, whose debut novel, Varjak Paw, won the Nestlé Smarties Prize, immerses young readers in a strange,
alternate world in a thrilling new novel starring a mysterious and mythical
animal. Adam has found something incredible in a rubbish dump in London. It’s a
creature called a tyger but however magical it is, the animal is in danger, and
Adam and his friend Zadie are determined to help. But it isn’t just the tyger's
life at stake... their whole world is on the verge of destruction. Can they
learn to use their powers before it’s too late? Said’s atmospheric and
cautionary tale opens up a gateway to an extraordinary other world and the
canvas for a thrilling eco-themed adventure. Fabulously illustrated by artist,
photographer, filmmaker and musician Dave McKean, and with a beautiful, gold-foiled
cover under the dust jacket, Tyger is a dazzling adventure which inspires and
instils hope in its realisation of the sparks and hidden powers that lie within
us all. The secret of seeing this hidden power, and learning how to use it, is
itself the machine that powers this wonderful story.
(David Fickling Books, hardback, £12.99)
Age 8 plus
The Night We Got Stuck in a Story
Ben Miller and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini
ARE you ready to climb into the adventure of your dreams?
Following the smash hit success of his bestselling novel The Day We Fell Into a
Fairytale, actor, comedian and bestselling author Ben Miller is back to blow
young minds with another breathtaking tale set in that same dark and forbidding
world of magic. Adventure-loving siblings Lana and Harrison are staying with
their grandparents when they discover their favourite play tree – where stories
with dark and dangerous characters come to life – is under threat, along with
some rare spiders. That night, an enchanted golden thread leads them up through
the hollow of the tree into a storybook land where wind and rain rage and a
fearsome beast terrifies all who live there. When Harrison is kidnapped by the
evil Spider Queen, Lana must do whatever it takes to find him, save the
villagers and restore the balance of the storybook world before the night is
out. Featuring the beautiful, atmospheric black and white illustrations of
Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, The Night We Got Stuck in a Story is a thrilling story
about stories and a celebration of the power of imagination, but it’s also
about a sister going that extra mile for her brother and a reminder about the
fragility of our planet’s natural world. The perfect gift book, with its
stunning illustrations, warm heart, and all-action, thrills-and-spills
adventures – laced throughout with Miller’s irrepressible wit – this is another
classic-in-the-making from an exciting and inventive storyteller.
(Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)
Age 9 plus
The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name
Reece Carter
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)
Age 8 plus
Witchstorm
Tim Tilley
THERE'S a storm awaiting inside every witch... it just needs
to be awoken! The magic of nature comes alive again in the gifted hands of
author and illustrator Tim Tilley who burst on to the children’s fiction scene
last year with his award-winning eco-adventure Harklights. And after that
stunning debut, Tilley sweeps us away again on a brilliant broomstick ride into
a world of spills, thrills and lost treasure. Will believes in witches and the
stories he has grown up with... of mythical storm-lions, disappearing villages,
and secret songs. Most of all, he believes the tales of magical treasure hidden
in the Fens centuries ago... treasure that he has to find to solve the mystery
of his Ma’s disappearance. Then, in the eye of a storm, a witch arrives. She
holds the key to finding the lost treasure, a powerful magical object that can
summon storms, but someone else is searching for it too and if it falls into
the wrong hands, Will’s beloved home could be destroyed and with it, his
chances of ever finding his Ma. Will’s epic quest is filled with riddles,
ruined towers, cloud cities and broomstick chases as he battles to save
everything he loves before time runs out. Get ready for storms, spells, and a
thrilling ecological twist in a story that packs in all the atmospherics of a
fairy tale, timely messages about our endangered natural world, and Tilley’s
stunning black and white illustrations. The perfect reading package!
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)
Age 8 plus
The Power of Architecture
25 Modern Buildings from Around the World
Annette Roeder and Pamela Baron
THERE aren’t many of us who haven’t marvelled at iconic
buildings like the Parthenon, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Great
Pyramids... but what about some of the equally valuable lessons we can learn
from classic, modern architecture? German architect, illustrator and author
Annette Roeder, and US water colour illustrator Pamela Baron, who has a special
interest in art history and architecture, combine their talents on this
fascinating book which features some special buildings situated in the Global
South and among underrepresented populations. Beautifully illustrated throughout,
The Power of Architecture investigates how contemporary architects from a
variety of cultures are addressing issues of climate change, income inequality,
and limited resources by designing buildings that are as innovative as they are
beautiful. Each building is presented in a double-page spread featuring Baron’s
exquisitely detailed illustrations that highlight the design, natural
surroundings, and the people who live, work, or play there. Roeder’s
pitch-perfect text outlines the structure’s unique contribution to the field of
architecture, and invites readers to wonder why the building works and to find
out more about it. The perfect stepping stone for designers of the future, the
book also teaches children how architecture can help the people it shelters and
the planet on which it is built.
(Prestel, hardback, £14.99)
Age 7 plus
The Ultimate Guide to Growing Dragons
Andy Shepherd and Sara Ogilvie
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £7.99)
Age 7 plus
Anisha, Accidental Detective: Fright Night!
Serena Patel and Emma McCann
(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)
Age 3 plus
Everybody Feels Fear
Ashwin Chacko
‘Love is the fuel of courage... and where love lives, fear
cannot be.’
ASHWIN Chacko – an Indian author, illustrator, designer and motivational
speaker whose mission is to champion creativity and empower people to find
their inner spark – gives youngsters plenty of food for thought in his bold and
beautiful picture book. Filled with colour and a sense of youthful exuberance,
this interactive book encourages little ones to laugh at their fears and
realise that we all feel afraid sometimes. Everybody Feels Fear acts as a
useful tool to help children talk about, relate to, and laugh about their own
fears by using a quirky text and bright illustrations that address issues
around self-esteem. Packed with positive messages that feeling fear is not
something to be ashamed of, and that we are all in this together, no matter
what, whoever we are, and wherever we are, Chacko’s insightful story is an
inspiration for readers both young and old.
(DK, hardback, £9.99)
Age 3 plus
I Really Want to Share!
Simon Philip and Lucia Gaggiotti
DON'T miss your share of the fun! Top picture book team Simon
Philip and Lucia Gaggiotti are back with a brilliantly funny take on growing
families and the particularly tricky challenge of introducing new siblings.
This talented author and illustrator duo are calming more troubled brows and
easing temper tantrums with the enchanting follow-up to their perennially
popular picture books I Really Want to Win, I Really Want the Cake and I Really
Want to Shout which have won the hearts of children and parents everywhere.
Blending Philip’s wonderful rhyming text – full of humour, joy and
down-to-earth domestic dilemmas – with Gaggiotti’s gallery of big, bold illustrations,
young readers meet up again with our playful but naughty little heroine. And
this time, she has to learn big lessons about getting used to having a baby
brother... a conundrum she tackles with mixed results! What happens when you
really, really want to share but you really, really don’t know how? Sharing
takes some getting used to as she quickly finds out. There is so much to enjoy
and empathise with in this engaging picture book… the sense of youthful
exuberance coupled with the all-too-familiar feelings of confused frustration, Gaggiotti’s
delightfully expressive and energetic illustrations, and the important messages
about how to cope with a new family member.
(Templar Books,
paperback, £7.99)
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