CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Magical moonlight, Himalayan adventures and Celtic myths

Join a lost boy on his daring escapades in the moonlit and mysterious streets of London, thrill at a girl’s epic adventures in the spectacular subterranean caves of Bhutan in the Himalayas, and marvel at enthralling stories, compelling gods and fantastical creatures in a super retelling of Celtic myths with a summer holiday line-up 

Age 8 plus
The Moonlighters
Lee Newbery and Geraldine Rodriguez

THE magic of moonlight shines brightly in a dazzling standalone novel from rising star Lee Newbery, Welsh author of The Last Firefox, one of the most exciting children’s debuts of 2022. Billed as Peter Pan meets Oliver Twist, this new adventure set in the moonlit streets of London is brought to vibrant life by Geraldine Rodriguez’s illustrations and brims with Newbery’s trademark warmth and inclusivity. On a school trip to London’s Natural History Museum, the unthinkable happens to newbie pupil, twelve-year-old Theo, when a prank goes wrong and he ends up smashing a velociraptor’s skull. He flees the museum in a panic and decides to head off to his gran’s house not too far away for a surprise visit. But the surprise is on Theo because his gran is on holiday and he finds himself alone in the big city with nowhere to turn. Enter Alistair Goodfellow, a mysterious, flamboyant, twinkle-eyed young person. Alistair offers Theo a room at the Casablanca Lily… by day, a run-down and unloved hotel, and by night, a palace of magical wonders. Each night, Alistair sends the resident found family of runaways and ne’er-do-wells, the Moonlighters, out into London in search of lost magical artefacts, gifting them their own magical powers as a reward. Theo is enthralled, but there’s more to Alistair than meets the eye, and soon Theo comes to realise that the items Alistair is hunting could be more dangerous than he had ever imagined. The Moonlighters proves to be a thrilling and enchanting adventure, humming with magic, fizzing with fun and friendship, and beautifully celebrating the power and emotional rewards of found family. A delight from start to finish.
(Puffin, paperback, £8.99)

Age 9 plus
Maisie vs the Himalayas
Jack Jackman

WHEN you’ve travelled to some of the world’s wildest spots, visited remote penguin colonies in Antarctica, and walked in never-before-trodden places, it’s seems an obvious next step to write adventure stories like no others! Jack Jackman – a teacher, father-of-three and now author – is back in harness and embarking on another epic, worldwide father-daughter expedition filled with thrills, spills and supernatural chills in the second standalone book of a dazzling, globe-trotting series which began with Maisie vs Antarctica. Maisie thinks her Dad is the most boring person in the world but when she travels with her him to the Himalayas to research his book, How to Find Buried Treasure, she doesn’t expect their exploration to take them deep into the caves beneath the mountains. Before long, Maisie has discovered a cursed treasure, stolen a shark, been hunted as a thief, walked through an underground lake and outrun an explosion. Just another average day! It turns out there’s more to Maisie than she even realised herself, but will Dad tell her truth? Or is this secret just too dangerous? Set amidst the miles and miles of spectacular and mysterious subterranean caves of Bhutan, a landlocked country in the Himalayas, and with the irrepressibly snarky and endlessly plucky Maisie providing a delightfully authentic first person narration, this breathtaking new adventure is filled with laugh-out-loud comedy, nail-biting action and Jackman’s dynamic storytelling. A global, non-stop adventure of truly epic proportions!
(Nosy Crow, paperback, £7.99, published on August 14)

Age 8 plus
The Wonder Team and the Football Phantom
Leah Williamson, Jordan Glover and Robin Boyden

THE pioneering Dick, Kerr Ladies football team from Preston, which found fame over one hundred years ago, were the inspiration for this exciting, time-twisting adventure series from captain of the Euros-winning women’s England team, Leah Williamson. The Wonder Team and the Football Phantom is the fifth book in this super action series which has been written in tandem with debut author Jordan Glover, who is Williamson’s cousin, and includes illustrations by Robin Boyden. These fun football adventures star schoolgirl Leah who, along with her friends, is here magically transported to 1970s Mexico where something spooky is going on! A phantom has been seen terrorising the local football stadium and the organisers are threatening to cancel the Women’s World Cup. As the chaos builds, Leah wonders if the phantom is really as ghostly as it seems. Can Leah and her team friends Mimi and George solve the mystery in time to save the tournament? These fast-paced, fun-filled stories are written straight from Williamson’s heart, explore themes of teamwork, friendship, resilience, leadership and problem-solving, and aim to introduce young readers to inspiring and fascinating women from history. Don’t miss kick-off!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99, published on August 14)

Age 7 plus
Celtic Myths: Meet the God, Creatures, and Heroes of Celtic Legend
Martin MacIntyre and Katie Ponder

ENTHRALLING stories, compelling gods, inspirational heroines and fantastical magical creatures… enter a wonderland of ancient tales in this stunning treasury of Celtic myths from author, poet and storyteller Martin MacIntyre and award-winning illustrator Katie Ponder. This beautifully illustrated collection of more than twenty famous Celtic myths – retold in spectacular fashion for children – features exciting profiles of all the major legendary characters. Young readers will love exploring each myth, told in a straightforward and interesting way that is easy for them to understand while retaining the romance of the original tales. Learn key background information on Celtic lands and history as well as exciting characters, from the demigod Cú Chulainn to the warrior-hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the beautiful princess Gráinne. Ponder’s striking illustrations breathe new life into each of the stories which include lesser-known tales as well as the classics. Complete with a beautiful gold foil cover and gilded edges, profiles of the gods, heroes and creatures of Celtic legend, and a pronunciation guide, Celtic Myths is the perfect gift for children who love history, magical storytelling and mythology.
(DK Children, hardback, £18.99)

Age 7 plus
Badgers Are GO! Revenge of the Claw
Susannah Lloyd and Nici Gregory

SNOUTS up! It’s time to save the world...  again! Youngsters won’t need any badgering into reading when they turn the pages of this delightfully silly tale about a bunch of batty badgers embarking on fun-filled secret missions. Written by Susannah Lloyd, Revenge of the Claw is the second book of a super-fun series that delivers laughs, giggles and sniggers every step of the way with the inimitable and lovable badger Lulu Whifferton-Rear who is in training at the Rumpington Academy of Badgering. And now something is AFOOT… or rather A-PAW! Lulu is standing out for all the wrong reasons. Professor Briskwhiskers (maverick inventor and all-round jolly good fellow) has taken quite a dislike to her. When his inventions go haywire and a custard-making craze sweeps the globe, Lulu has to take matters into her own paws to uncover the truth while undercover at Mole HQ and – maybe – save the world! Full of wit, warmth, mischief and mayhem – and packed with Nici Gregory’s anarchic illustrations – this perfectly pitched, high-octane adventure, featuring badgers and lots of snacks, is guaranteed to hit the mark with young readers. Add on messages about staying true to yourself and you have the ideal all-round entertainment!
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £7.99, published on August 14)

Age 5 plus
Max & Chaffy: What a Delicious Discovery!
Jamie Smart

IF you’re searching for a book that pleases the eye and keeps your little ones on their toes, Chaffy could be just the special kind of ‘beast’ to stretch them to the limit! But don’t be alarmed because Chaffy is a fluffy, white and lovable little creature who sports only one-and-a-half ears, has a habit of getting lost, and is joint star of Max and Chaffy, a heartwarming, interactive graphic novel series from Jamie Smart, the much-loved author and illustrator. Smart, the genius behind the bestselling Bunny vs Monkey comic books series, works his special magic on these gorgeous books for younger readers, filling them with his trademark blend of fun, friendship and the biggest, brightest and boldest illustrations. In their new outing, Max and Chaffy meet the Food Chaffies… Crumbles the baker is having a crisis of confidence because all of her recipes are going disastrously wrong! There’s only one thing for it… a trip to Food Island where a best friend and a host of new chaffies are on hand to inspire Crumbles (eventually) back to top cooking form! Smart brings his zany wit and joyful charm to this ultra-cute and cuddly story which lets children actively join in the fun of searching and finding, celebrates the joy that comes from having a best friend, and shows that there’s a place for everyone. Full of charm and fun, these beautiful books are perfectly pitched for children who are just starting to read independently.
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £6.99, published on August 14)

Age 3 plus
No More Mr. Mice Guy
Fiona Ross

WHAT happens when a perfectly normal mouse has a taste (only a tiny taste!) of a beastly-looking wobbly jelly dessert? You don’t need to know the famous, creepy classic story of Jekyll and Hyde (though grown-ups will have a smile on their faces as they read) to enjoy this terrifically icky, sticky tale of some super spooky slime from children’s books illustrator and concept artist Fiona Ross. When Squeak the mouse wins a beastly-looking jelly in a competition, Granny throws it in the bin. But Squeak can’t resist a sneaky taste and Uh Oh… No more Mr. Mice guy… Squeak turns into Hyde, a food-guzzling, slime-spewing monster mouse! Soon, the cupboards are bare so hungry Hyde builds a machine that zaps clocks, chairs and sofas into food! Can anyone stop this monster from eating everything… and help Squeak turn back to normal? Originally published as Hyde and Squeak, this hilarious, child-friendly twist on a popular classic – brimming with Ross’s richly detailed, graphic-style illustrations – has guaranteed fluorescent green slime throughout and is perfect for little fans of Halloween, mayhem and goo!
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
Don’t Ever Mess with a Monkey
Harriet Evans and David Creighton-Pester

YOUNGSTERS are going wild for these fantastic pop-up books which bring all their favourite creatures to vibrant and colourful life! In this fifth outing with author Harriet Evans and illustrator David Creighton-Pester in the fun-filled Creature Feature Pop-up series, we meet a whole host of amazing animals… not least a mischievous monkey who loves bananas. ‘Be on your best behaviour and have a kindly manner, If you ever meet a creature that lives in the savannah!' Don’t give a monkey food that it hates or it really will go bananas in this wild, wonderful and witty pop-up book that comes packed with clever puns to get all the family giggling! From a zebra who’s definitely NOT a horse and a hyena who loves laughing, to a rhino who’s always right and an ostrich in a flap, there is a whole host of amazing animal superstars just waiting to be discovered. And with spectacular pop-ups to enjoy on every page, Creighton-Pester’s wacky and wonderful illustrations, and Evans’ punchy pun-filled text, Don’t Ever Mess with a Monkey is the perfect riotous rhino-rmous read to encourage your child to join in the fun!
(Little Tiger Press, board book, £10.99)

Age 3 plus
No Swimming
Ross Collins

GIGGLE, gurgle and gape in a monstrously funny new read-aloud picture book from award-winning author and illustrator Ross Collins.  No Swimming – a not-very-cautionary tale about the dangers of ignoring warning signs – stars an adorable rabbit who just wants to go for a swim. We all know that’s not the best idea when the sign says ‘No Swimming’! And when the rabbit meets a sneaky sea monkey trying to get him into the water, he has questions… lots of them! What are carrots doing in a lake, why are there no fish, is the water cold and most importantly, is the sea monkey really a sea monkey because he certainly is a strange-looking fellow? Packed with Collins’ characteristic, wry humour, an ingenious slow-reveal story with a final, fiendishly funny twist in the tail, this is the perfect picture book for children and adults to enjoy together… again and again and again!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
Magic Torch: Ghost Hunt
Isabel Otter and Kathryn Selbert

IT can never be too early in the year to enjoy some ghostly goings-on and this magical search-and-find adventure sheds an extra special light on all the phantom fun! Children’s books editor Isabel Otter’s delightful rhyming verse invites little ones to blow off the cobwebs and join a host of cute characters on their ghost-hunting mission. Shine the magical UV torch on to every page to search for more than 50 fiendishly friendly creatures hiding in the invisible ink and discover lots of spine-tingling scenes, such as a haunted house, a bat’s cave and a pumpkin patch. This super interactive board book, colourfully illustrated by Kathryn Selbert, packs in lots of spooks without the scares!
(Little Tiger Press, board book, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
My Brother Is a Tiger
Joaquín Camp

DISCOVER the wildcat in all of us in this glorious picture book celebration of sibling bonds from talented Argentinian author and illustrator Joaquín Camp. Thomas is Teresa’s little brother and like any younger sibling, he loves to get in the way and annoy his big sister. But one day Teresa hears a ‘Roaaar!’ upstairs and everything changes. Could Thomas really have turned into a…TIGER?!  Giggles are guaranteed as Tiger Thomas navigates a wacky world of science, football and school dinners, and all those familiar ups and downs of sibling relationships. Camp’s bold, quirky and colourful illustrations and fun-filled story explore the power of imagination and the unique sibling bond with humour, warmth and a special kind of family magic!
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 2 plus
Frank is a Butterfly
Alex Latimer

MEET Frank… he might be a very plain and dull brown butterfly but he sees the beauty of the world around him! Alex Latimer, a talented writer and illustrator based in Cape Town, South Africa, captures readers’ hearts with this joyful picture book which explores the simple happiness to be found in being content with what you have. On a broad green leaf sit ten rather gorgeous (though they do say so themselves) caterpillars. And all they can talk about is what beautiful butterflies they are going to be! But not Frank… Frank is a very plain caterpillar and he’s fine with that. There’s so much beauty to see all around him, and so many interesting insects to say good morning to. When the butterflies hatch, they’re not happy. Not one of them looks quite as fabulous as they thought they would. Except for Frank… A funny and inspiring picture book from Latimer, author of the award-winning Godfrey is a Frog, which explores the beauty of being content with what you have. Through words, pictures and his classic deadpan humour, wonderful characters and an illustrated explanation of how Frank the caterpillar becomes Frank the butterfly, Latimer brings little ones important messages about looking outside yourself to find true happiness.
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 2 plus
Noisy Animal World:
My First Animal Sound Book
Hettie Cox and Laura Silveira

WOOF, squawk, roar, trumpet, moo, baa and cock-a-doodle-doo! Little ones will love discovering – and hearing! – the sights and sounds of the animal kingdom with this interactive sounds board book. Filled with colourful photographic images of over forty animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles and insects, and with sound buttons to press and enjoy on every page, Noisy Animal World opens up the world to very young children, enhances their hand/eye co-ordination, and is perfect for sharing with grown-ups! Animal magic all the way!
(Little Tiger Press, board book, £12.99)

Age one plus
First Friends:
Opposites & Colours
MK Smith Despres and Libby Burns

WHISK your little ones into a nursery classroom and let them enjoy the fun of some early learning concepts with two new titles in Barefoot Books’ educational and interactive First Friends series. In Opposites – written by MK Smith Despres and colourfully illustrated by Libby Burns – we join a childcare class as the youngsters get ready for naptime. ‘It’s time to rest,’ the teachers say, so let’s stretch our arms high, and then hang them low. Our mouths open to yawn, and eyes close to sleep. 

When we wake up, some of us are smiling and others frown. What other opposites will we learn as we go from one part of the day to the next? With a diverse cast of children, a recognisable storyline involving familiar social and emotional situations in which the youngsters move between different parts of their routine and play together, the book introduces opposites in an engaging format. And in Colours – also the work of Despres and Burns – we join outside playtime as the little ones discover the colours in the world around them. There’s a red slide, black ants marching across the sand, and even brown mud pies. What other colours can they spot? The last page of each book encourages interactive learning by reprising the opposites and colours of objects in the books so that little ones can go back and find them all again. Learning is such good fun!
(Barefoot Books, board books, £6.99 each)

The Scene of the Crime

Lynda La Plante

WHEN you’re one of the very best crime writers in the business, can boast a pioneering career stretching back almost seven decades, and have brought us unforgettable icons of screen and book like gangland dame Dolly Rawlins of Widows fame and groundbreaking Prime Suspect detective Jane Tennison, reaching the age of eighty was never going to dull your creative juices.

Liverpool-born Lynda La Plante has achieved success and awards beyond the dreams of most crime authors – three BAFTAs, a BAFTA Fellowship, an Emmy award, a British Film Institute Fellowship, a Royal Television Society award, an Edgar, and a CBE to name just some – so it’s good to report that this born storyteller is most certainly not resting on her laurels. 

Not content with a full complement of dazzling detective-led crime thrillers, La Plante (pictured below) has found fresh and fertile territory for a brand new series set in the fascinating world of forensic science and starring young and ambitious CSI officer Jessica Russell who has been tasked with heading up a fledgling Met police crime analysis unit with a high stakes remit… get results or the team is scrapped.

The idea for the exciting new slant on crime detection came from La Plante’s many years of interaction with top forensic scientists as she researched the different methods used to enhance murder investigations, and when she learned of a separate division overseeing specifically brutal crimes, it became the foundation of this gripping new series.

Star of the show is 34-year-old Jessica Russell, an experienced CSI officer working out of Scotland Yard with the Met police. She has a joint first-class honours degree in psychology and criminology, an exceptional Masters degree in investigative psychology and behaviour analysis, and there could be no better candidate to head up a new Murder and Serious Crime Analysis (MSCAN) team. It’s a job that is entirely new to Jessica but it brings together a team of two other CSI officers she has worked with and trusts implicitly – DNA specialist Diane Thomas and fingerprint expert Stephen (Taff) Jones – who, between them, have dealt with every kind of murder and major crime scene.

But not everyone is happy with the new unit… DCI John Anderson – senior investigating officer on the Barking homicide team and known to be ‘out of his depth’ – is sceptical about Jessica leading the team, resents the possible clash with other crime scene managers, and there are also concerns over the running costs.

Add on Jessica’s ongoing obsessive-compulsive disorder after a trauma that ended her training as a probation officer, and the responsibilities of caring for her vulnerable twin brother, David – whose life spiralled into drink and drug addiction after the death of their mother from cancer – and her life is far from smooth on the domestic front.

But it’s all systems go when Johan De Klerk – a wine importer from Cape Town and the husband of Michelle Belsham, a prominent and infamously ruthless barrister who has ruffled many feathers – is found horrifically injured after a robbery and brutal assault at their upmarket London home. De Klerk is in a coma in hospital and a major investigation is launched using the newly formed and experimental MSCAN unit who must piece together the complex puzzle at the heart of this brutal crime.

If it was a robbery gone horrifically wrong, what was so important to have been stolen? The team is under immense pressure for instant results but they know that one careless decision, one wrong accusation from Jessica or her team, and at least one of their detractors would be all too happy to close down the unit for good.

Working in the Eighties, a time of entrenched gender inequality and rampant male chauvinism, La Plante herself faced innumerable obstacles both in front of and behind the camera, and her books and scripts broke down stereotypes and blazed a trail for others along the way. And this hard-hitting writer – aided and abetted by her fiery, flame-haired new protagonist – is still hot on the trail of any hint of male arrogance, ineptitude or overbearing superiority as Jessica and her charismatic, newly-minted team of experts move into gear and take us above and beyond the more familiar territory of a crime investigation.

It’s an eye-opening and intriguing world in which DNA, blood patterns, fibres, fingerprints, footwear, tools and weapon-mark comparisons can help to solve serious crimes, providing the crucial, damning evidence which will ultimately make the difference between the police winning or losing a case. At the helm is behavioural psychological expert Jessica, a highly competent but fallible woman struggling to overcome the trauma of an event in her past, coping with the unpredictable behaviour of her beloved twin brother, and under pressure to get results in a case that could make or break her team.

Weaving a fast-paced, thrilling murder plot between the intricate and endlessly riveting work of the forensic experts requires a special kind of magic and it’s one that La Plante plays to perfection with her trademark authenticity, eye for rich detail and exquisite characterisation. To miss it really would be a crime!
(Zaffre, hardback, £22)

Deadly Remains

Kate Ellis

THE amazing million-copy bestselling author Kate Ellis and her cerebral black detective Wesley Peterson are not just a ‘force’ to be reckoned with... they have rightly become something of a crime writing sensation.

Deadly Remains is the (staggering!) twenty-ninth novel in the Liverpool-born author’s cleverly constructed, classic crime series which is set amidst the rural charms of Devon and weaves the past and present into complex, thrilling mysteries, attracting yet more adoring fans with each much-anticipated outing.

A perfectly matched pair of chalk-and-cheese detectives, excellent police procedural, compelling, immaculately researched plots, stand-out characters, good old-fashioned investigative work and links to fascinating corners of real history make Ellis’s (pictured below) books a truly tasty crime-reading treat.

Her main man, the quick-thinking, right-thinking DI Peterson, is a trained archaeologist who eschewed digging up the past to unearth the criminals who sully his West Country patch. His sidekick at work is Gerry Heffernan, a middle-aged, overweight DCI from Liverpool who never allows a little thing like murder to ruin his pleasures, and his out-of-office, long-time pal is archaeologist Dr Neil Watson, whose commissions often lead Wesley into buried secrets and crimes.

When a body is discovered in the picturesque South Devon village of Little Rockington, Wesley is called in to investigate. The victim, Barry Brown, is a celebrity ghostwriter and the theft of his laptop suggests that the motive for murder may lie in his current work on a wartime spy story involving a beautiful young secret agent and a gallant pilot.

While Wesley investigates Barry’s famous clients, his 13-year-old son Michael coincidentally joins Neil Watson on an intriguing excavation of a crashed Second World War plane on Dartmoor. The plane was used to ferry secret agents into Europe during the war and, when three skeletons are discovered nearby, it seems the wreckage might hold more secrets than they could ever have imagined.

Before long, Wesley’s murder inquiry leads him to the same area and when he discovers a sinister history surrounding the moor and the nearby village of Moor Barton, danger from the past spills into the present. With four unexplained deaths on his hands now, can Wesley solve the mystery before anyone else is threatened?

One of the most striking elements of Ellis’s Wesley Peterson series is her ability to keep the pages turning and her readers on their toes. Resisting the temptation to overload her mysteries with clues, she instead drops small nuggets of information into the plot, barely rippling the surface of our consciousness. This devilishly clever strategy leaves little room for second-guessing the culprit and allows the finale to pack a surprising punch.

Add on stories steeped in spine-tingling atmospherics and set in intriguing locations – often incorporating gems of real history – and this is the perfect summer thriller whether you’ve read the whole series, or are discovering the wonderfully satisfying DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time.
(Constable, hardback, £22)

Puffin Books celebrate 85 years of helping to spark young imaginations

AS the largest global children’s publisher, Puffin Books is home of some of the most iconic characters, authors and illustrators… and they are always on the hunt for dazzling new talents.

Their belief that the right book can inspire a child to feel that they can be or do anything is rooted in a meeting back in 1939 between Noel Carrington, then editor for Country Life books, and Allen Lane who, together with his brothers Richard and John Lane, had founded Penguin Books four years earlier, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fiction to the mass market.

Together, Lane and Carrington hatched the idea for Puffin Books… a series of children's non-fiction picture books, inspired by the brightly coloured lithographed books being mass-produced at the time for Soviet children. Lane immediately saw the potential mooted by Carrington, and Worzel Gummidge, written by Barbara Euphan Todd and illustrated by Elizabeth Alldridge, was the first Puffin storybook off the presses the following year.

And to mark Puffin’s milestone 85^th anniversary, they have published a spectacular eight-book clothbound collection featuring beautiful new editions of Puffin favourites from across the years, from modern classics to current bestsellers.

Each is published in a stunning yellow hardback, bound in real cloth with two coloured foils, sprayed coloured edges and ribbon marker, has a contemporary feel and design-led nod to Puffin’s globally bestselling Clothbound Classics, and includes a foreword by a current Puffin author.

From decades old favourites like Roald Dahl’s Matilda – the brilliant child with a magical mind whose parents decide she’s just a nuisance who wastes too much time on reading and stories – to Katie Kirby’s much-loved modern classic The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks – starring an 11-year-old girl whose life is officially over before she even starts high school because she hasn’t got friends or glamorous ‘swooshy’ hair – these gorgeous deluxe editions are perfect gifts or collector’s items.

Included in the new Clothbound Classics set are: The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson with a foreword by Beth Lincoln; Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney with a foreword by Dapo Adeola; Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White with a foreword by Jordan Lees; Matilda by Roald Dahl illustrated by Quentin Blake and with a foreword by Robin Stevens; The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby with a foreword by Nadia Shireen; Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan with a foreword by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak; Pig-Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman with a foreword by Adam Kay; Wonder by R.J. Palacio with a foreword by Tom Fletcher.

Last word should go to Francesca Dow, MD of Penguin Random House Children’s: ‘Puffin has been shaping children’s reading for 85 years. Much has changed in that time but what has endured and deepened has been our commitment to create a book for every child because we believe in the transformative power of reading. With reading for pleasure in sharp decline, our mission is more important than ever, and we will continue to publish widely and imaginatively to build tomorrow’s generation of readers. Not only because we want to share what’s between the pages but because we know that reading for pleasure is the single biggest factor in a child’s success in life.’
(Puffin Classics, clothbound hardbacks, £14.99 each)

The Squeeze/ —And the Girl Screamed

Gil Brewer

By guest reviewer Nicholas Litchfield,
editor of the Lowestoft Chronicle

IN two tumultuous stories set in 1950s Florida, a jobless accountant burdened by debt becomes entangled with a seductive femme fatale in a plan to steal her family’s fortune… and a former cop finds himself the prime suspect in a murder he witnessed and must track down the real killer to prove his innocence.

The Squeeze/ —And the Girl Screamed are notable works by the late American author Gil Brewer (pictured below), a master of gripping crime thrillers. With 50 novels and over 100 short stories to his name, Brewer gained significant acclaim as one of the most popular noir writers of the 1950s.

Initially published in 1955 as an Ace Double paperback original, The Squeeze is one of Brewer’s early works, released four years after his successful bestselling novel, 13 French Street, which sold over 1.3 million copies. In his introduction to this collection, David Rachels notes that Fawcett, Popular Library, and Avon all rejected the manuscript before it was accepted by Ace Books.

Lead player is Joe Maule, an accountant whose life spirals out of control when he loses $17,000 at The Green Ditch, a gambling house in Tampa, Florida, owned by the brutal Victor Jarnigan. What Joe doesn’t know is that Jarnigan – a syndicate boss who controls much of the Florida West Coast gambling – has rigged the casino machines, intentionally setting Joe up as a patsy to manipulate him later.

Jarnigan knows that the attractive redhead Caroline Shreves, with ‘legs curved like twin dreams’, has been watching Joe in the casino and enquiring about him. Caroline lives with her stepsister, Sara Lobb, and her brother-in-law, Ernest. Rumour has it there’s $260,000 hidden in their house, money given to Ernest by his thieving brother who was executed for causing a nightwatchman's death during a botched robbery and passed on his ill-gotten savings before his demise.

The fat, bear-like Ernest never leaves his beach house in Indian Rocks, and Jarnigan sees an opportunity to connect Caroline with Joe, with the understanding that Joe will build a relationship with the family and uncover the hidden loot for Jarnigan. If successful, Joe’s debt will be wiped clean… if he fails, the consequences could be fatal.

As the days turn to weeks, Caroline’s love for Joe blossoms, and Joe spends more time inside the house getting to know Ernest and Sara. But Jarnigan’s thugs regularly inflict beatings on Joe to hasten his progress, leaving little room for error.

In a moment of desperation, Joe confides in Caroline, and together they devise a plan to force Ernest to reveal the location of the hidden money, aiming to escape without involving Jarnigan. The plan is fraught with risk and danger, and inevitably, things go awry in the worst possible way.

Brewer’s fast-paced thriller is filled with tension and graphic violence, culminating in a twisty tale with an unpredictable ending. And yet it’s the strong characterisation and witty descriptions that leave a lasting impression.

The second tale, —And the Girl Screamed, a paperback original released under the Crest Books imprint, is a punchy crime thriller centred on police officer Cliff Reddick who has been on active leave for fourteen months after getting shot in the arm while apprehending a prison escapee and, in the process, saving his partner’s life. Troubled by the department’s decision to reject his return to active duty during a quick-draw test, he reflects, ‘All I knew right then was that I had wanted to be a cop all my life and now it was shot.’

Cliff’s longing to return to the force is deeply entwined with his personal life and his belief that his lover, Eve Thayer, would eventually leave her powerful husband, Edward. Ed is a big-shot lawyer, ‘handsome, suave, and bold enough to go after what he wanted the moment he saw it.’ Eve sees him as ‘a rotten schemer’ but Ed adamantly refuses to let any hint of his wife’s infidelity surface, will not grant her a divorce, is fully aware of her affair with Cliff, and is now plotting his revenge.

The opportunity for Ed’s payback arrives when Cliff and Eve witness a murder on the beach one night. Hearing a scream that ‘ripped across the soft night, a crazed shriek of pure helplessness and fear,’ Cliff stumbles over the lifeless body of 17-year-old Jinny Foster. In a desperate attempt to distance himself from the murder and shield Eve’s infidelity, he delays reporting the incident to the authorities until he drives Eve home.

Unfortunately, he later discovers that his wallet has slipped from his pocket into the sand beside the body, making him a prime suspect in the murder investigation. With the law closing in, he embarks on a frantic mission to uncover the truth, posing as an investigator to engage with the victim’s distraught parents and school friends.

What he uncovers is a town beset by a wave of juvenile delinquency and moral decay, where discerning the truth becomes far more perilous than facing the police.

Compellingly narrated, —And the Girl Screamed is a nail-biting, tightly woven suspense novel filled with vividly drawn characters and exhilarating drama. Paired with The Squeeze, these novels deliver a thrilling reading experience which keeps you scrambling through the pages to enjoy the final showdown.
(Stark House Press, paperback, £14.95)