CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Big dreams, fighting greed and crazy chemistry

Enjoy the exciting stage-set for a star-studded Victorian pantomime, join a thrilling rescue mission to save the world from a terrible poison, learn how to do epic science experiments at home, and meet a shy schoolboy who finds himself thrust into the limelight in a glittering collection of new books

Age 7 plus
Star of the Show
Jacqueline Wilson
and Rachael Dean

DREAM BIG and the most amazing things can happen to even the smallest of children! Much-loved author and former Children’s Laureate Jacqueline Wilson sweeps readers back in time to Victorian London and the exciting world of pantomime in a delightful new adventure full of the worst of times... and the best of times. Starring a little girl who loves to dance, and cannot help but overflow with enthusiasm and determination despite her terrible lot in life, Star of the Show is one of the most uplifting and inspirational children’s novels you will read this year. ‘I’m going to a place called Grand Theatre and I’m going to be a dancer in a pantomime!’ Tess loves to dance, even when her tummy is empty, her boots are pinching and everything seems grim. After mum dies and pa abandons them, Tess and her brothers and sisters are all alone with hardly any food or money. 

With empty stomachs and scrambling for pennies, they’ve got to fend for themselves, eating bread and dripping, and taking in washing to earn a few pennies to buy food... and milk for their baby sister Ada. When Tess’s big brother and sister decide go out to look for work, she has to stay in class at the Ragged School and take care of Ada and her little brother Tommy. But Tess is determined that e ven though she is poor, she will still get to go to the ball…or at least to dance in the Cinderella pantomime at the Grand Theatre! Star of the Show – given an extra shine by Rachael Dean’s vibrant illustrations – is full of fascinating characters, rich and authentic historical detail of Victorian life, and explores the pivotal role that young children played in the Victorians’ renowned and spectacular pantomimes. And with themes of strength in hardship, the powerful bonds of family, and never giving up on your dreams, the stage is set for a star-dusted story guaranteed to both entertain and educate!
(Puffin, hardback, £12.99)

Age 9 plus
Ember Shadows and the Secret of the Ocean
Rebecca King and Raquel Ochoa

A RESCUE mission to save the world from a poisonous, spreading greed provides thrills, chills and spills on every page of the last instalment of a series that has captured the imagination of readers both young and old. The creator of these gripping, eco-themed adventures in a magical land is Rebecca King who was born and grew up in England but was inspired to write this three-book Ember Shadows series – gorgeously illustrated by Raquel Ochoa – after visiting Mount Everest in search of her Tibetan heritage. With a cast of quirky characters – including a clock hand called Hans who has come unstuck from his clock, and Florence, a wise and friendly owl who dreams of editing a newspaper – these enchanting and exciting stories have all the magical, and yet gritty, vibes of Alice in Wonderland. For her final mission, we find that ever since Ember Shadows freed her world from the Fate Cards that fixed everyone’s fates, things have been changing... and not always for the better. Now that people are learning about the existence of the magical landscapes, they want to explore them. But the landscapes are delicate, and the desire to access them is causing a terrible reaction... the Emocean is producing far, far too much greed, poisoning the lands. With both the realms and the creatures within them at risk, Ember and her friends have to travel through tunnels and across the world to administer an antidote to the greed. But with more and more people learning about the landscapes, planting an antidote may not work for long... can Ember find a way to protect the landscapes for good? Filled with fun puzzles for the reader to solve alongside Ember, plus Ochoa’s illustrations which bring the magic to life, Ember’s last chapter delivers the same all-action, warm-hearted and eco-conscious adventure that readers have come to love. Magic in the making!
(Orion Children's Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
Science is Lit
Big Manny

THE fine art of learning science takes off with a BOOM thanks to TikTok science sensation Big Manny, aka Emanuel Wallace, a 26-year-old science-first content creator and music artist who is making the periodic table and Bunsen burners cool again! With a master’s degree in biomedical science, Big Manny creates age-friendly and class-friendly content that is entertaining, educational, and experimental. He has a combined following of 2.9 million on TikTok and Instagram, has appeared on Blue Peter, and regularly collaborates with BBC Bitesize. Packed with the characterful illustrations of Subi Bosa, an artist based in Cape Town, South Africa, Science is Lit shows youngsters how they can become a real-life scientist and create crazy chemistry  and epic and awesome experiments at home using ordinary ingredients. Using his own special vocabulary (wagwan, ite, likkle and ting!) Big Manny explains some basic (and not-so basic) chemistry concepts, from combustion to chromatography (chroma-what-now?). Along the way, children will meet the amazing elements which each have their own personalities, whether that’s fiery hydrogen or the main man, oxygen. They will also learn about some explosive reactions... from fizzing mixtures to dish soap volcanoes! So start experimenting and find out why science is lit, innit! Perfectly created, written and illustrated to engage children, and with accessible, easy-to-follow experiments to try out at home, this is science on steroids for tomorrow’s professors!
(Puffin, paperback, £8.99)

Age 8 plus
Worst. Superhero. Ever.
Charlie Higson and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell

STAN is a worrier rather than a warrior so landing the star role as a superhero in a popular TV show isn’t quite what he planned in a year in which his principal aim was simply to save the school library! Welcome back to the world of 12-year-old dreamer Stan who we first met in Worst. Holiday. Ever. and whose antics perfectly capture the voice of a shy boy on the cusp of adolescence. Stan and his hilarious Adrian Mole-style life spring from the fertile imagination of Charlie Higson, the creator and star of the hugely successful TV comedy series The Fast Show. Packed with all the recognisable anxieties that come with the tumultuous teen years, lots of laugh-out-loud (and moving!) moments, and the illustrations of Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, this new, all-action, slapstick adventure draws on Higson’s own experiences of working behind the cameras of a famous TV show.

Stan has found himself a starring role as superhero in a popular TV show but he’s absolutely terrified. After surviving a holiday to Italy without his parents (which included jellyfish and giant watermelons), Stan reckons he deserves a bit of a break... or at a least a break in between trying to act in his school play. But when he’s offered the chance to take a tour around a TV studio, he thinks it can’t do any harm. How wrong he is. Before Stan can say ‘Boy of Steel,’ he’s landed himself a part as a main character in one of the most well-known TV shows there is... as a brainy superhero. Convinced he’s going to embarrass himself in front of millions of people – and worried about leaving his friends to face a school play on their own – can Stan find a way to use his new-found fame for good? Or will he be the Worst. Superhero. Ever? Those who have already met terrified superstar Stan – and readers who are yet to relish his shy shenanigans – are sure to enjoy following him as he worries his way through yet more adventures and misadventures, and learns important lessons about facing your fears. Fun, easy-to-read and perfect for reluctant readers!
(Puffin, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
Auntie Medusa and Me
Marie Basting and Flavia Sorrentino

ENJOY the ancient world as you’ve never before seen it in the second rip-roaring Roman romp from Manchester-based author Marie Basting who bewitched young readers with her critically acclaimed debut novel Princess BMX. And after turning traditional fairy stories on their head, this imaginative writer heads to the beating heart of Ancient Rome for all-action, laugh-out-loud adventures starring a madcap family thrust back in time. As a schoolgirl called Livi, she just wanted to fit in so being catapulted back to Ancient Rome and finding out her mum is a warrior goddess was not part of the plan. As for the rest of the family... her sister is a cyclops, her uncle is building an army, and her role-play, LARP-obsessed dad is now a lava soldier. So here she is now, Silvia Fortuna Juno De Luca... half-schoolgirl, half-goddess. Yes, an actual Roman demigoddess! And if Silvia thought travelling back in time was quite something, it’s nothing compared to what’s happening now. Medusa the gorgon wants her head back... and she’s chosen Silvia to find it! Filled with humour, fascinating facts on Roman mythology and life in the city that was once the centre of a vast empire, these Roman romps see Basting – who long ago learned that girls can do anything they want – put Fun (with a capital F!) into witty and wonderful adventures. Add on important themes of family, belonging and confidence-building, and the quirky illustrations of Flavia Sorrentino to provide the final, fabulous flourish, and this terrific, time-travelling series is just too good to be missed!
(Chicken House Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 7 plus
Marnie Midnight and the Great Critter Contest
Laura Ellen Anderson

SHARE fun and sky-high adventures with an adorable little moth in her magical, miniature world as Laura Ellen Anderson – best-selling creator of the Amelia Fang and colourful Rainbow Grey books – makes a flying return with the second book of her hugely imaginative illustrated fiction series. Written and gorgeously illustrated by Anderson, Marnie Midnight is a book star with big, out-of-this-world dreams. And she is having so much fun at Minibeast Academy, a school for bugs tucked into a giant tree at the bottom of the museum gardens. This term it’s time for something really exciting... the Great Critter Contest! The contest sees minibug students set off to explore the school in teams, searching for clues. The winners get an incredible prize and Marnie and her team – best friends Floyd the bee (who is really an A) and Star the super-strong princess ant – are determined to be first to cross the finish line. But when butterfly Veronica Spottage gets into trouble and needs rescuing, Marnie and her team have to decide whether winning really is the most important thing. Anderson has become the go-to author for her amazing world-building skills and exquisite artwork and this magical mystery series delivers everything young readers love... quirky characters and humour, warmhearted friendships, exciting adventures, and fascinating facts about the natural world. Add on the extra sparkle and shine of the eye-catching blue-sprayed book edges, and it’s fun all the way to the moon and back! This book is published on August 29.
(Farshore, paperback, £7.99)

Age 7 plus
Action Dude and the Massive Shark
Andy Riley

IF you think Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Die Hard-era Bruce Willis are the coolest action heroes in town… you obviously haven’t met Charlie Munderdrew. Sorry, that should read Action Dude because he’s changed his name! Emmy-winning screenwriter and million-copy-selling author and artist Andy Riley is on his best imaginative form with the third book in a fantastic, laugh-out-loud graphic novel series that is packed full of explosions, friendship and fun… and yet more explosions! Star of this comic caper fest is, of course, the eponymous Action Dude. He lives for danger, he lives for excitement, he also lives with his mum because he’s only nine years old. Action Dude is always jumping out of helicopters, crashing ships, running along the tops of cranes and walking out of buildings just before they explode. So get ready for his new adventure and don’t panic! Action Dude won’t say it because people might get scared... but there’s a huge deadly mutant shark on the loose. Whoops! Luckily Action Dude is on hand to help. Riley – creator of the hilarious King Flashypants series – conjures up a tidal wave of laughter with his rollicking riot of slapstick comedy, anarchic action and crazy characters. Ideal reading for your own all-action mischief-makers!
(Welbeck Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 6 plus
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Kate Temple and Annabel Wright

CAN you draw without a pencil, and can you paint what music feels like? If that sounds like an impossible skill, discover the amazing talents of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912-2004), a Scottish artist known as ‘Willie’ who also worked in St Ives, and is now recognised as one of Britain’s most significant 20th century artists. Barns-Graham worked across landscape and abstraction in painting, drawing and printmaking and in this colourful art activity book for children – published by the Edinburgh-based trust created to enhance her work and support others to fulfil their artistic potential – her two faithful cats act as guides to her art and story. Artist Annabel Wright’s beautiful illustrations introduce youngsters to Barns-Graham’s amazing long and productive life, alongside a wide-range of fun and engaging art activities exploring particular ideas and themes in her work. Designed by artist, Kate Temple, and featuring high quality reproductions of key artworks, the book aims to encourage children to explore ideas and develop their own creativity through art. Barns-Graham’s life itself was an inspiration. She went against the wishes of her family to achieve her childhood dream to become an artist and became a sublime painter, draughtswoman, printmaker and brilliant colourist. Dividing her time between studios in St Ives and St Andrews she followed a consistent artistic vision throughout her sixty-five-year career. In 2001 she was awarded the CBE for her contribution to the British art world. The Trust is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a range of activities including the launch of this first book for children.
(Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust, paperback, £10)

Age 5 plus
The Wild Outside
Rachel Ip and Katie Hickey

‘Explore the nature beyond your doorstep.’

THERE  could be no better introduction to this beautiful, inspirational and uplifting picture book than the welcoming words on the title page. Created by the stunning duo of award-winning author Rachel Ip and illustrator Katie Hickey, The Wild Outside invites youngsters to join a little girl called Tulip on a nature trail and discover the incredible trees, plants and flowers that can be found just outside your front door. Tulip loves being outside. She loves puddles and pine cones, flowers and feathers, and her pockets are full of nature’s treasure but Tulip is desperate to know more about the things she sees and finds on her daily walk. ‘What is this fruit... this plant... this seed?’ ‘What is this tree... this leaf... this reed?’ So when Tulip finds a nature trail drawn in chalk on the street outside her house, she is delighted to discover the names and uses of all her favourite trees, plants, and flowers. Then one day, she comes home to find a carefully wrapped prese  nt waiting on her doorstep... a book of nature from around the world. Every day, Tulip learns more and more about nature... but who is creating the nature trail? With Ip’s addictive sense of adventure, fun and discovery on every page, Hickey’s gloriously colourful and richly detailed illustrations bringing the story to vivid life, and names and facts given for every tree, plant and flower Tulip discovers, this stunning book encourages children to stop, notice, name and celebrate what can be found in the wonderful world of nature that is just waiting to be explored.
(Hodder Children’s Books, paperback, £8.99)

Age 5 plus
The O.D.D. Squad:
Attack of Aunty Enchanty
Stuart Heritage and Vincent Batignole

DO you want to laugh your pants off? Of course you do, so come on into the world of the O.D.D. Squad... a team of (sort of) heroic and unforgettable animal crime-fighters! Graphic novels are ideal for reluctant readers who like their stories to come with bundles of fun, easy reading, and lots of verbal and visual action, and this brilliant pairing of feature writer, columnist and author Stuart Heritage, and French illustrator and comic artist Vincent Batignole hits the spot perfectly. So welcome back to Justice City and the madcap world of the hilarious O.D.D. Squad! On this visit, they are even more amazing (well, amazingly rubbish) than ever. Quack Attack, Detective Octopus and Invisidog are the most feared crime-fighters ever to roam Justice CIty. They might be a bit of a strange gang, but by heck they get the job done... most of the time, and only so long as the criminals they face are useless. And unfortunately for them, their nemesis in this adventure really ISN'T useless. In fact, she’s kind of an all-powerful sorceress who goes by the name of Aunty Enchanty. And what’s worse than an all-powerful sorceress? How about an all-powerful sorceress determined to wipe Justice City from the face of the Earth, using mega-monsters... one of which looks suspiciously familiar. Can the gang unite to defeat Aunty Enchanty, or is this the end of the road for the O.D.D. Squad? With Heritage’s lively, comedy-soaked story and Batignole’s eye-catching, bold and colourful gallery of pictures, this high-octane graphic series is guaranteed to tickle every young reader’s funny bone! This book is published on August 29.
(Puffin, paperback, £8.99)

Age 3 plus
Five Little Trains
Camilla Reid and Jill Howarth

ENJOY watching little ones get hands-on with the new book in a gorgeous interactive counting series based on favourite nursery rhymes. Written by Camilla Reid – a writer and deviser of award-winning books for early years children including the much-loved Pip and Posy stories – this delightful Slide and Count board book series features buttons which slide along special tracks. And there’s lots of fun and smiles to be had here as youngsters slide the buttons along the special track to count the little trains in a fun twist on the popular nursery rhyme, Five Little Ducks. Little children will have huge fun moving the buttons around the page to make Daddy Train’s little trains follow him along the tracks and go off on their adventures. With a romping, read-aloud text which is ideal for sharing, easy-to-move buttons to slide, and an adorable cast of characters, these joyful pre-school books – which include Old MacDonald had a Farm and Five Little Ducks – are brought to enchanting life by the striking and super-colourful illustrations of artist Jill Howarth. With richly detailed scenes that are packed full of details to spot, these beautifully created and innovative board books are the perfect way to introduce early-years children to the concept of counting!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, board book, £7.99)