The Florence Sisters

Tessa Harris

HALF-ENGLISH and half-Italian, Angelina Leone loves Florence, the beautiful city where she was born and where she now lives under the watchful eye of her formidable Great Aunt Agatha. But it’s the summer of 1940, Mussolini has declared war on Britain... and now every Englishman and woman has become the enemy.

Tessa Harris – whose thrilling historical novels include The Paris Notebook, The Light We Left Behind and The Tuscan Daughter – sweeps us away to wartime Italy where the coming conflict threatens not just millions of lives but the Renaissance city’s centuries-old collection of priceless artwork and sculpture.

And what a heart-pounding and unforgettable tale it is... a gripping, breathtaking  page-turner which, Harris (pictured below) reveals, was inspired by Franco Zefferelli’s 1999 film Tea With Mussolini, loosely based on his own life and that of his English tutor Mary O’Neill who belonged to a group of cultured, no-nonsense Englishwomen living in Il Duce’s Florence and nicknamed the Scorpioni. With a star-crossed romance weaving enticingly through the fast-paced action, secrets, suspense and ever-present threat from Mussolini’s fascist bureaucrats and marauding Blackshirts, readers are plunged into the lives of the plucky Angelina (Lina) and a group of elderly English expat women prepared to risk their lives to save the city’s treasures from Nazi looters.

In the summer of 1940, Italy is on the precipice of war and the beautiful city of Florence is simmering not just from the heat but from the tension that could boil over at any moment. It’s a worrying time for Il Scorpione, the Englishwomen who have lived in Florence for many years and now find their genteel way of life under serious threat by the approach of the Nazis.

Founder of the group, the English Ladies’ Arts Appreciation Society, is the indomitable Agatha Fortescue-Smythe who refuses to be put off her stride even when Fascist leader Mussolini declares war on England and France, and orders the closure of tea rooms and bookshops.

Agatha’s great-niece Lina Leone, an art historian specialising in the Renaissance, is determined to protect the aunt who has been her closest family since her Italian father died many years ago and her English mother more or less abandoned Lina when she remarried. When the women of Il Scorpione are threatened with internment, Lina makes a secret deal with the city’s thuggish mayor to authenticate art works ruthlessly stolen from Jewish families by the Nazis. In return, Agatha and the other elderly women will be guaranteed safe passage across the city.

Meanwhile, gallery owner and one of Florence’s major art dealers, Edoardo Bernini, crosses paths with Lina and a spark is lit between them. But Aunt Agatha warns her off the handsome, mysterious Edoardo who, she is told, is ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing.’

Despite Edoardo’s murky past, his dangerous attraction,  and the rumours that he could be a Nazi collaborator, Lina falls for what she sees as his ‘softer side’ while Edoardo is drawn to the ‘something’ that smoulders under Lina’s cool, English exterior. But when she comes across a priceless portrait – one that she cannot bear to see seized by the Germans – Lina declares the masterpiece a fake and in doing so, sets off a chain of events with consequences more deadly than she could ever imagine.

Set against the heat and turmoil of wartime Florence where ‘suspicion and anxiety hung in the air’ and Mussolini’s secret police were a constant presence, Lina and Edoardo’s simmering and potentially dangerous love affair plays out in a vortex of real history, suspense, secrets, romance and danger. With fascinating background on Italian history, and based on real events, Harris’ drama-packed story brings to visceral life the courage and tenacity of those brave souls who risked all to stop some of Europe’s greatest masterpieces from falling into the hands of the plundering Nazis.

But in the febrile atmosphere of a city simmering with tensions, The Florence Sisters is also an eye-opening reminder that Italy’s declaration of war in 1940 meant many British citizens, some of them people like the Scorpione who had been living in Italy for decades, were suddenly regarded as the enemy and under threat of being transported to internment camps. 

Increasingly unsure of who she can trust in a country fast sinking into the grip of a fascist, warmongering dictator, and determined to rescue both her beloved aunt and what she can of Florence’s precious Renaissance treasures, Lina’s gripping and emotional journey through the fallout from a deadly deceit cannot help but capture readers’ hearts... and is a page-turner not to be missed!
(HQ, paperback, £9.99)

The Lost Lover

Karen Swan

IN the course of just one fateful year, the life of young dreamer Flora MacQueen on the remote Island of St Kilda will change far beyond the destiny she had always thought was mapped out for her from birth.

With her lustrous black hair, ‘appled cheeks’ and flashing green eyes, feisty Flora is noted for her captivating beauty, and the arrival of two wealthy young men on a visiting yacht is set to bring the awakening of an unexpected love... and a heartbreaking tragedy.

After the runaway success of smash-hit reads, The Last Summer and The Stolen Hour – the first two books of a historical Wild Isle series from bestselling author and master storyteller Karen Swan (pictured below) – this third visit to St Kilda in the wind-battered Outer Hebrides, in the months before its real-life permanent evacuation in the summer of 1930, will be Gaelic music to the ears of an army of fans. With sweeping and deliciously romantic stories at their heart, these epic tales of endurance, hardship, and love against the odds were inspired by Swan’s own family history and the unique history of St Kilda, a small island in a remote archipelago which towers out of the storm-tossed waters of the Atlantic, and is now an uninhabited seabird haven and World Heritage Site.

And after leaving her readers with cliffhanger endings and a mysterious death still unsolved in previous visits, Swan is back to her island of secrets for another gripping chapter in the lives and loves of three young friends – Effie Gillies, Mhairi MacKinnon and Flora MacQueen – whose individual stories are told in parallel time, but whose fortunes and misfortunes tell different tales.

Eighteen-year-old Flora has always dreamt of more than her tough life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda but her bleak future seems suddenly brighter in August of 1929 when one of the visiting tourist ships drops anchor in the bay causing ripples of excitement on the island. St Kilda’s famous beauty soon catches the eye of the two visiting adventurers, Edward Rushton, a restless spirit, and his friend, James Callaghan, a wealthy businessman and keen fossil-hunter. Both men are bewitched by barefoot Flora who ‘drink her in like a cool glass of water’ but only one of them wins her heart.

It’s the start of a brief and torrid love affair – the kind that Flora had always longed for – but the man she has fallen for is leaving to take part in a British Arctic Expedition that will take him far, far away for the next year. Winter seas now separate the lovers but the enforced evacuation of St Kilda the following summer promises to reunite them... until tragedy strikes and Flora’s dreams are shattered. Heartbroken and needing to support her family who are now on the mainland, despairing Flora knows her beauty is her only currency and a chance meeting offers hope in the world beyond ‘the blue line’ of the ocean.

Soon she is the toast of clubs and night life in glamorous Paris and, thanks to her exceptional singing voice, fame and fortune are hers for the taking.... but she knows only too well by now that rich men make empty promises. And then a scandal erupts back home in Scotland, and Flora is implicated, along with her friends, Effie and Mhairi. And as dark secrets come to light, it is a lie by a fellow islander that changes everything...

Seamlessly weaving together the dynamic stories of three young women across various locations and timelines is just one of the many talents of an author who has a well-earned reputation as the queen of epic romances. Immaculately researched and told with the exciting sense of time and place that we have come to expect from this accomplished writer, The Lost Lover once again brings vibrant life to the fascinating island of St Kilda, with its unforgiving climate, grinding hand-to-mouth existence, and socially complex tight-knit community, and then carries us onward to the contrasting glitz and glamour of pre-war Paris.

With echoes of Effie and Mhairi’s stories drifting enticingly across the action, Flora’s rags-to-riches journey through love, tragedy and new beginnings takes centre stage, but as the spectre of returning to St Kilda and being forced to evacuate the only home that the islanders have ever known draws inexorably closer, the tension builds with each turn of the page. Expect a gripping plot that celebrates the unbreakable bonds of friendship and family, but also explores the heart-rending challenges of loss and grief, and teems with secrets and island superstitions as we travel with Flora, alongside her close friends Mhairi and Effie, into an unknown and uncharted future.

And with another jaw-dropping, trademark cliffhanger leaving Swan’s addicted readers already counting down to the final, thrilling trip to St Kilda, this passion-filled four-book odyssey – with its exhilarating backdrop, core murder mystery, and torrid tales of loves lost and found – is now set fair for one last truly epic chapter which will pull together all the intriguing strands of an unforgettable story. Don’t miss the boat!
(Macmillan, paperback, £9.99)

The Archers: Victory at Ambridge

Catherine Miller 

SEVENTY-FOUR years ago the BBC broadcast the first nationwide episode of a radio drama which was billed as ‘an everyday story of country folk.’

Little did they know that The Archers was destined to become the world’s longest-running drama, an icon of British popular culture with millions of listeners tuning in to every episode, and listed by a panel of broadcasting industry experts in 2019 as the second-greatest radio programme of all time.

Partly established with the aim of educating farmers following the Second World War, The Archers quickly captured the hearts and minds of the population at large with its warm and cosy stories about the lives of families in the fictional rural village of Ambridge. 

To mark the programme’s landmark seventieth anniversary in 2021, novelist Catherine Miller (pictured below) launched an enthralling and revealing Ambridge Chronicles prequel series following the lives, loves and dramas of the families of Ambridge starting in 1940... 11 years before it all began.

In the third book of the series, it’s 1943 and the war continues on in Ambridge but the minds of the villagers are focused a little closer to home. For many centuries, a local tradition has told of Mother Molly, a mystic living in a hermit’s cave just outside the village. Her visions are legendary and local lore says she has hidden her prophecies around the area, although none have ever been found.

When a visiting academic arrives in Ambridge in 1944 to do war work, he is intrigued by the prophecies and becomes determined to find out more and put Mother Molly on the historical map. As the prophesies are uncovered, it appears the mystic knows more than anyone could have predicted – and when they become personal and foretell the death of a local Ambridgian, the village is united in surprise and dread.

Meanwhile, the war will end and some will come home… but some never will. And those who do will find that life in Ambridge has been changed. Archers fans will adore meeting some of the programme’s most familiar and best-loved characters in the years before they became household names. From Walter Gabriel and Jack Archer to the Pargetters, this is a fascinating portrait of Ambridge at war.

With a mystic, an ancient prophecy, a village looking for just a little bit of luck, and lots of rich period detail to bring to life the challenges, dangers and privations of the war years, Miller does an excellent job of telling a compelling story while remaining faithful to the spirit and eternal charm of Ambridge.

Well plotted, sympathetically written, and with plenty of humour and drama to keep the home fires burning, this is ideal for both Archers aficionados and lovers of wartime sagas.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £9.99)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Mermaid frolics, a daring rescue and a mythical wildcat

Enjoy a deep-sea dive into a world of mermaids and seahorses, join a young adventurer on a mission to rescue the last Russian Tsar’s daughter Anastasia, meet a magical creature called the kuri whose survival is under threat, and step into a family-run café where chaos is always on the menu in a sunshine selection

Age 7 plus
A Mermaid's Diary
Chris Riddell

MERMAIDS, Moondays, secrets and seahorses... the Costa Award-winning and ever-inventive author and illustrator Chris Riddell makes a welcome return with a sea-soaked new series that sheds a ray of sunshine on every youngster’s summer reading. Full of Riddell’s richly detailed and intricate black and white illustrations, this utterly charming and comedy-infused fantasy adventure delivers a seductive blend of friendship, underwater fun and imagination as we follow a mermaid who loves to record the escapades of her weird and wonderful friends in her diary. Shy mermaid Atalanta Scrimshaw lives in the quiet backwater of Sleepy Cove, collects messages in bottles, rides seahorses and enjoys the hobby of ‘walking’ on the beach and visiting friends. Life is perfect until Atalanta learns of plans by developers Bristle & Splinter to transform Sleepy Cove into a luxury seaside golf resort. Realising that this plan will destroy her home, she enlists the help of her friends, old and new, to try to stop it... With its cast of incredible characters, all the magic of a dazzling underwater world, and Riddell’s trademark wit, inventiveness and exciting storytelling, A Mermaid's Diary is must reading for all fantasy fans... and guarantees fun all the way when you ‘book’ a holiday in Sleepy Cove!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 10 plus
Wendington Jones and the Lost Legacy
Daniel Dockery

HOW far would you chase someone that the world thinks is dead? History, mystery and thrilling adventures blend perfectly in an exciting and imaginative new instalment of award-winning writer Daniel Dockery’s action-packed Wendington Jones series. Young readers will be on the edge of their seats as our plucky heroine Wendington sets out on a daring mission to rescue the last Russian Tsar’s daughter, Anastasia Romanov, from clutches of the evil and predatory monk Rasputin. Wendington Jones, daughter, friend and adventurer, needed a mystery. Little did she know, she’d find one tending to the roses in the middle of a winter’s night. However it was no strange gardener at her house... but instead the supposedly dead Russian monk, Rasputin, on the search for Anastasia Romanov, a young girl who, like Wendington, had died under tragic circumstances. And also, much like Wendington, the young royal’s death had not stuck. And now she was on the run for her life... from history, from Rasputin and from others after her power to seemingly save herself from death. Wendington and her long-suffering valet Rohant rush across Europe to give chase to the Tsar’s missing daughter, hoping to save her from Rasputin, as well as some old foes of Wendington. The Dominos haven’t fallen yet and they’re willing to kill others to save themselves. Horse races, masked-balls and diplomatic nights at the opera set the scene where adventure clashes with high society, and it’s not just the fashion that has a cutting edge. Full of old-fashioned charm, Wendington’s adventures pack in a timeless sense of fun and youthful exuberance, and always deliver a cast of real and fictional characters who cannot help but capture the imagination (and hearts!) of all fans of history and mystery.
(UCLan Publishing, paperback, £8.99)

Age 9 plus
Land of the Last Wildcat
Lui Sit and David Dean

MEET a magical creature called the kuri... its survival is under threat and it’s up to two youngsters to keep it safe from a scheming scientist. Adventure, mythology and magic collide in a burst of brilliant storytelling and impressive illustration as prize-winning debut author Lui Sit and artist David Dean launch Land of the Last Wildcat, first book of a bold, original and vibrant new series packed with important environmental messages. Puffin Lau has two problems... her beloved scientist mum barely speaks to her, and a mythical wildcat called the kuri is depending on her for its survival. Luckily, Puffin grew up on stories of the kuri and its magical powers, and she will stop at nothing to return it to its rightful home. But standing in her way is the ominous Professor Smoult, a money-hungry scientist who wants to capture the kuri and steal its magic. Faced with a mammoth journey to the faraway Linger Island, Puffin and her best friend Lance must evade the professor and save the last wildcat before it's too late. Family, friendship and the vital role of conservation take leading roles in this wild, wonderful and heart-pounding story which celebrates the beauty of the natural world and is the perfect match for young adventurers and all animal fans.
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
Café Chaos: My Family Is Not a Piece of Cake
Catherine Wilkins and Katie Abey

THERE are few things in life more important than family so join a hilarious girl called Hope Crumble and enjoy a giant serving of cakes, coffee and calamity! Hope and her lovable (but infuriating!) family take starring roles in this delightful new series written by much-loved author Catherine Wilkins and highly illustrated throughout by the brilliant Katie Abey. Welcome to Café Chaos! Running a bustling café is Hope’s family's dream... it’s just not hers! While Dad and Gran battle it out in the kitchen, Mum tries to balance the books and serve quiche to hordes of hungry pensioners. Meanwhile, Hope’s dramatic sister Stacey is determined to turn all of life into a stage and her ‘wishes-he-was-on-Wall-Street’ cousin Connor decides to buy novelty costumes to advertise the business. And then Auntie Rita rocks up... Café Crumble is soon tipping straight into Café Chaos! Luckily for her family, Hope is there to save the day, although ideally this wouldn’t involve dressing up as a giant ice cream and dancing outside the school gates. You’ll laugh (a lot), you’ll cry (with even more laughter), and you may develop a strange yearning for caroons (whatever they are!). Friendship, family, pulling together, and being uniquely yourself, all come under Wilkins’ watchful eye in a series that will touch the hearts of every youngster who has ever cringed at their family’s goings-on... but loved them all the same!
(Nosy Crow, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus
EPIC FACTopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Extreme Facts
Rose Davidson and Andy Smith

WHEN you are invited to follow an ingenious trail of 400 dazzling facts about daredevils, death-defying stunts, world records, wacky weather, extreme sports and unusual animals, it can only mean one thing... FACTopia! is back and this time it’s EPIC! Written by American writer, editor and researcher Rose Davidson and the Britannica Group, and brought to life by amazing photographs and award-winning Andy Smith’s witty and wonderful illustrations, EPIC FACTopia! is the eighth title in the dynamic and bestselling FACTopia! series created by the inventive boffins at Britannica Books and this time round, takes readers on an enthralling and hilarious journey through the universe’s most mind-blowing, extreme facts. Guaranteed to keep children entertained during spring and summer holidays, this epic fact-trail lets them choose their own path on an amazing journey in which they dine inside a volcano and waterslide through a shark-filled lagoon. They will also meet a cat worth $97million, a goat who can ride a surfboard and a daredevil who skydived from space. And there isn’t just one path through these facts... follow detours along the way to see where your curiosity will take you! With facts verified by the experts at Encyclopaedia Britannica and lavishly illustrated with Smith’s illustrations combining artwork and photography, Epic FACTopia! uncovers some of the world’s most wow-worthy, awe-inspiring and unbelievable facts, and is a joy ride from start to finish. And that’s a fact!
(Britannica Books, hardback, £10.99)

Age 8 plus
Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye Graphic Novel
Guy Bass and Pete Williamson

HE'S not quite Frankenstein’s monster but Stitch Head, a mad professor’s forgotten creation, certainly has adventure stories all sewn up! Who can forget the freakishly funny tales of award-winning author Guy Bass’ not-so-scary little monster who was brought to ‘almost-life’ by illustrator Pete Williamson in a hugely successful series. And now we can share all the guffaws and giggles again in the second monstrously magnificent graphic novel edition of the series which sees Stitch Head step out of the shadows and into his madcap world. When Stitch Head sees his ice-blue eye for the very first time, he is convinced that it once belonged to the legendary pirate, Captain Flashpowder. Could it be that he is part-pirate? But as Stitch Head prepares for a life of derring-do on the high seas, some fishy business closer to home puts a stop to his swashbuckling plans... This funny, accessible, fast-paced, full-colour, graphic book series is perfect for reluctant readers who like their stories to be visually appealing and the action to unfold at breakneck speed. Brimming with atmosphere, excitement, captivating characters and chaotic humour, Stitch Head is simply packed with monstrous fun... no surprise then that the first Stitch Head book is soon to be a major motion picture!
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £8.99)

Age 7 plus
Reggie Rabbit: Robbery at the Masqued Ball
Swapna Reddy and Becka Moor

HE might be small, but Reggie Rabbit, Detective, will keep this big city safe! Welcome back to the wonderful world of Reggie and his family, friends and detective partner Pipsquark in the third book of a simply delightful series that blends illustrated fiction with a graphic novel. Reggie Rabbit is the dazzling creation of New Zealand-based author Swapna Reddy and Manchester illustrator Becka Moor, and is set in an alluring Gotham-like animal city. It’s time for the grandest event in Bearburgh... the Masque family’s Masqued Ball! And this year it's even more exciting because famous pop star Kitty Qita is going to perform. Young detectives Reggie Rabbit and Pipsquark are there... as waiters for Auntie Hibiscus’s catering company. But not everything goes to plan. In the middle of Kitty Qita’s big act, the lights go out, and the guests’ jewels are stolen. It’s a tough case, but Reggie and Pipsquark are on it! Does the answer lie in the mean streets of Dog Lane as the clues suggest, or is there more to this mystery than meets the eye? Reddy – who also writes as Swapna Haddow – has a happy knack of always delivering stories filled with warm friendships, madcap adventures and lots of laughs. Add on Moor’s illustrations, influenced by crime noir and vintage comics, and you have an early reading, all-round winner!
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 5 plus
Kitty and the Clifftop Peril
Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie

WHEN you’re a girl by day and a cat by night, adventures are never far away! Author Paula Harrison and illustrator Jenny Løvlie work their special magic on this fun-filled first chapter book series which features enchanting adventures with feisty feline star Kitty and her cat crew on moonlit missions. Beautifully presented and densely illustrated in tones of grey and orange on almost every page, superhero Kitty’s magical stories are simply purrfect for both cat lovers, young adventurers and all newly confident readers. Fearless Kitty is a superhero-in-training with feline superpowers. She dreams of being just like her superhero mum one day, but she’s still got a lot to learn. In this exciting new adventure, we join Kitty and her family while they are on a seaside holiday at Pebble Cove. It should mean a break from superhero adventures but there’s trouble in the sleepy little fishing town. Someone, or something, is stealing fish and causing chaos down by the harbour. When Kitty’s old feline friend Cutlass the pirate cat gets the blame, she knows it’s time to put on her superhero cape, catch the culprit, and save the day! Enjoy cheeky cats, nautical naughtiness and giggles galore as the merry band of moggies set sail on a daring new mission!
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 5 plus
SuperQuesters: Mission: River Crest Rescue
Paul Ian Cross, Katie Kear and Cherie Zamazing

SET sail on an exciting adventure in a unique interactive story that will need your brainpower to help solve a mystery... and save the day! SuperQuesters: Mission: River Crest Rescue is the latest magical adventure in the brilliantly brainy SuperQuesters first chapter book series which aims to fire up imaginations and inspire scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technology experts of the future. When best friends Lilli, Leo and Bea open an ancient chest and discover an old board game, Questland, their day takes an unexpected twist. Magically transported to the kingdom of Questland, the trio find they have become the SuperQuesters and have amazing superpowers. Now called Lillicorn, Leo Zoom and Bea Bumble, they have been summoned to save the village of River Crest which evil goblin gardener, Mortifer, wants to destroy. Can the SuperQuesters stop Mortifer’s Beaver Bots building dams to flood the village? And what can they do about his lethal Dragonfly Drones sowing seeds of poisonous plants? With the help of Clover the fairy and other magical creatures, the SuperQuesters must use their STEM skills, teamwork, problem solving and a little magic to solve puzzles, crack secret codes and outsmart Mortifer on their mission to save River Crest.  

This exciting new adventure story – written by Paul Ian Cross and illustrated by Katie Kear and Cherie Zamazing – is embedded with real-life fun facts, puzzles, STEM activities and experiments to try at home or school, with the added bonus of a map and glossary. Expertly designed to support the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2 and develop children’s STEM skills in fun and creative new ways, this is the perfect book for youngsters eager to discover their multi-tasking, inner superhero!
(QuestFriendz, paperback, £6.99)

Age 5 plus
Marv and the Duck of Doom
Alex Falase-Koya and Paula Bowles

STEP up, step up... Superhero Marv is back and this time he’s up against a new generation of super villain! There’s no ducking out of all the fun and frolics in the eighth book of an exciting and action-packed series from award-winning writer Alex Falase-Koya and star illustrator Paula Bowles. When ordinary boy Marvin wears his super-suit – powered by kindness and imagination – he becomes MARV, a superhero with infinite abilities. In his new adventure, Marvin meets a blast from his grandad’s past when the Duck of Doom shows up at the park, controlled by a new generation of super villain-Professor Feather 2.0. It’s time for Marvin to become MARV... unstoppable, invincible, and totally MARVellous! With the Ducklings of Doom also hot on his heels, the odds are stacked against MARV. Along with his and his robot sidekick Pixel, MARV is going to have to ruffle some feathers in order to put these dastardly ducks back in their place. Kindness, resilience and courage are all celebrated in these thrill-filled MARV adventures which are brought to vibrant life by Bowles’ eye-caching two-tone illustrations. You’d be quackers to miss out on the fun!
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus
Good Golden Sun
Brendan Wenzel

HOPE, wonder and curiosity shine out from every page of this truly ‘enlightening’ picture book which celebrates the golden glories of the sun. Good Golden Sun is written and illustrated by bestselling author and illustrator Brendan Wenzel, an ardent conservationist and collaborator with organisations working to ensure the future of wild places and threatened creatures. A bold and playful exploration of how the sun touches all life on earth, the book uses a lyrical text and stunning light-and-shade artwork to discover facts about the good golden sun. Are you happy? Are you lonely? Are you feeling well today? Does your belly ever ache? Won’t you come down to play? From sunbeam, to flower, to insect, to animal, to plant, to soil, and the earth itself, the sun makes, moves, and transforms life all around us. From dawn to sunset, the book celebrates the mysteries of light as it weaves its way through the world. Using bold, youthful collage-style art, Wenzel's mastery of visual storytelling, with a clue before every page turn of what might come, adds to the bold and playful exploration of the life-giving power of our nearest star. Sunshine all the way...
(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
The Ocean’s Heartbeat
dame & dusa

READERS' hearts are guaranteed to be stolen when they open the pages of this gorgeous picture book which stars a little jellyfish in search of her heart. Written by dame & dusa – pen name of Annegret Haider, Dagmar Krause, Andrea Hesse, Anna Krumpholz, and Hanna Pohlmeyer-Abert, three designers and two architects who live in Austria – this inventive story is their homage to the uniqueness of every living creature on Earth and has been translated from the German by Anna Taube. In the depths of the big wide sea, the little jellyfish hears a loud THOOMP. What is this mysterious sound? A wise fish explains that the loud THOOMP is a heartbeat. The jellyfish listens to the soft heartbeat of the wise fish. Sadly, she realises she has no heartbeat herself though, and she still needs to find the very loud THOOMP. So off she swims to search for it. Along the way, she meets all kinds of creatures and learns about their heartbeats, from the seal to the whale to the octopus which has three hearts! But why can’t she hear her own? Packed with magical collage illustrations and fascinating scientific facts, including extra pages about the unique hearts of more amazing creatures, this entertaining book conveys the incredible diversity of life on Earth, and encourages everyone to love how they are different and to celebrate being themselves. A joy to read aloud!
(DK Children, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
I'm Going to Make a Friend
Darren Chetty and Sandhya Prabhat

WHETHER you’re moving house or moving to a new school, finding new friends can be challenging for many nervous youngsters. So here’s the perfect antidote... a heartwarming and original take on the nature of friendship from teacher, philosopher and debut picture book author Darren Chetty. Brought to vibrant life by the bold, colourful and magical illustrations of Sandhya Prabhat, I'm Going to Make a Friend uses a pared-back text to explore the myriad of emotions – from feeling vulnerable to plucking up courage – that it takes to form meaningful relationships. Moving neighbourhood comes with many challenges, especially making new friends. How long will it take? Will they play how I want to play? Will they hug me when I'm sad, or give me space? So many questions you want to ask! But in the end, the only thing you can do is dive in and give it a go. With creative words and pictures bringing the story to life, and celebrating the power of imagination, this beautiful book is the perfect story to share with children moving schools or home, or anyone who struggles to form connections.
(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus
All the Wonderful Ways to Move
Laura Baker and Sandra de la Prada

HELP little ones discover the joy of physical activity and fitness in all its forms with this high-energy, rhyming picture book. All the family will be bouncing along with the words and action as the perfectly titled All the Wonderful Ways to Move opens up a whole world of stomping, jumping, bending and hopping. 

'

Jump up off your bottom and get in the groove! Wiggle your body, let’s see how you MOVE! We'll start nice and simple, just lift up your feet. STOMP STOMP STOMP and feel the beat.’ 

From an energetic warm up, to a wacky freestyle section and a calming cool down, there could be no better way to encourage little ones to get active. Carefully and imaginatively written by Laura Baker and illustrated with warmth and wit by Sandra de la Prada, this playful book will inspire your children to find their own wonderful way of moving.
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £7.99)

The Note

Alafair Burke

A STAY-OVER in the upmarket Hamptons at Long Island should have been a time for three friends to enjoy sun, fun and a relaxing catch-up but when a harmless prank turns into something much more sinister, the consequences prove to be deadly.

American thriller writer Alafair Burke (pictured below) – whose gripping novels have grown out of her experience as a former prosecutor and now professor of criminal law – dishes up a summer sizzler in this complex and multi-layered mystery loaded with the kind of dark secrets, tantalising clues and wickedly clever red herrings that have made her the queen of psychological page-turners.

With a twisting, turning and utterly addictive plotline, The Note sweeps readers into the lives of three women whose complicated friendship history unravels in spectacular fashion when one drunken move becomes the catalyst for dangerous outbursts of temper, blame games, and long-hidden resentments. As lies and betrayals are exposed, the temperature rises both in and out of the sun, and the women find themselves at the centre of a police investigation which will put their friendship – past and present – under the closest scrutiny.

Growing up, May Hanover was always the good girl. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower, May was raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations for her daughter. May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail, and her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing.

But even good girls have secrets... and regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren Berry, a Black professional classical musician, and Kelsey Ellis, the blue-eyed, blonde-haired daughter of a wealthy real estate boss, she’s had her fair share of both.

But their bond – forged when May was just twelve years old – has withstood a tragic accident, heartbreak, loss, and their own individual scandals which went viral on social media and led to all three of them being ‘cancelled.’

Now May – an assistant district attorney on the way to becoming a tenured law professor – and her friends have reunited for the first time in years at an expensive apartment (courtesy of Kelsey’s dad) in the Hamptons. For May, who is now engaged to Josh, she feels the same ‘excitement’ of being with Lauren and Kelsey but also the same ‘insecurities.’

When a drink-fuelled joke goes horribly wrong and the trio find themselves embroiled in a missing persons police investigation, the case takes a deadly turn, long buried secrets are uncovered, and the friends are suddenly unsure who they can trust... least of all each other.

Burke is on top form in this deliciously deep, dark and suspense-packed thriller which explores the many fascinating facets of a female friendship by focusing on three very different women from equally disparate backgrounds, each harbouring their own secrets and scandals, and each undergoing the lingering effects of trauma.

One reckless revenge act in the present raises questions about loyalty, trust and betrayal... questions that can only be answered by looking back down the years through a web of deceptions and shocking revelations which shine a light on the women’s early years, their families, and their corrosive experiences with social media.

Burke’s plotting is, as always, meticulous in its concept, complexity and delivery, while each character is fully explored and realised, and then perfectly portrayed through the author’s empathy and exquisite detail. Add on one final, satisfying twist and this is a master storyteller at her thriller writing best!
(Faber & Faber, paperback, £9.99)

The Golden Hour

Kate Lord Brown

‘Don’t cry for the past,
be grateful for the memory.’ 

IF ever a story spoke loudly and exquisitely about the power of love and friendship to overcome life’s trials and tribulations, it’s this beautiful novel from the talented Kate Lord Brown.

A finalist in ITV’s The People’s Author, Brown’s (pictured below) luscious debut, The Perfume Garden, was shortlisted for The Romantic Novel of the Year in 2014 and swept readers into an epic time-slip tale centred on the brutal Spanish Civil War.

Harnessing the same dual timeline format, The Golden Hour takes us on a sensual and emotion-packed journey from Cairo on the cusp of the Second World War in 1939 to Beirut in the unsettled Seventies as Lebanon teetered on the precipice of a devastating conflict. And at the heart of the story is the unforgettable bond of friendship between two women – part of a lost generation – whose lives and loves are transformed by war and the pain and sacrifices it brings. Interweaving ruthless, glory-seeking desert archaeologists, priceless treasures, the tireless hunt for Queen Nefertiti’s tomb and the decadent cabarets of wartime Cairo with the restless lives of expats in bohemian Beirut, Brown’s atmospheric thriller is packed with dazzling landscapes, heart-melting romance and extraordinary characters who remain with you long after the last page has turned. 

In the spring of 1975, Egyptologist Dr Lucie Fitzgerald has been working for the season in Luxor but has heard that her mother Polly is dying at her home, Bellevue, in the ‘Paris of the East,’ Beirut, a city which is beset by tensions and teetering on the brink of civil war.

What London-based Lucie – a woman who feels she belongs ‘everywhere and nowhere’ – doesn’t yet know is that Polly has been lying to her for many years and has one last story to tell from her deathbed... the story of her best friend from childhood, Juno, and their life in Cairo in the 1930s.

Thirty-six years earlier, in 1939, newlyweds Polly and her husband Fitz, who works in military intelligence, arrive in Cairo where they are met by Juno and her airmail pilot husband Alec Munro, a self-centred, controlling and moody man who resents Juno’s archaeological work and her search for the greatest undiscovered tomb of all... Nefertiti's.

What Alec doesn’t know is that Juno, who is an expert in hieroglyphics, has applied to join a Swiss team heading to the Valley of the Kings to hunt for the elusive tomb and as Alec is away when she learns she has been given the job, Polly – along with Juno’s servant Raif – step in to look after Alec and Juno’s young son Billy. Juno’s decision to leave for the desert sets in motion a train of events that will echo down the years... until Polly decides that, with her death imminent, she must return to the past and reveal decades-old secrets to Lucie.

But ‘memory is a slippery creature – the past shifts and rearranges like the glass beads of a kaleidoscope’ and going back in time means revisiting all the painful ‘what ifs,’ ‘maybes’ and ‘almosts’ that are lying in wait... 

Brown imbues her gloriously romantic odyssey with the exotic allure of decadent pre-war Cairo in the days when it was ‘plentiful and bright’ and expats were seduced by skies of rose pink, hills of ‘storybook lavender,’ and the celestial blue of the palm-fringed Nile... and then perfectly juxtaposes it with the growing tensions of Beirut in 1975. Slipping seamlessly between wars and time zones, and across generations, cities and deserts, Brown’s lyrical and evocative scene-setting and narrative transports us into the world of ‘blood sisters’ Polly and Juno, and a friendship that must hold firm through love, loss, hidden truths, and terrible sadness.

Down-to-earth Lucie – who yearns to ‘belong’ – becomes the lynchpin for the captivating back stories of her quietly strong and resilient mother Polly and the determined, go-getting Juno whose life is driven by her ambition to discover the tomb of lost queen Nefertiti, and who leaves behind a trail of mystery and secrets. Gifting readers breathtaking descriptions of Cairo in its gaudy pre-war splendour, fascinating insights into the heat, dust and excitement of an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings, and the beauty and turmoil of war-torn Lebanon, Brown works a special kind of storytelling magic on this historical showstopper. It’s a heady experience not to be missed!
(Simon & Schuster, hardback, £18.99)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Wacky world of work, wild dreams and an extinct tiger

Marvel at a whirlwind tour through history’s weirdest and wackiest jobs, enjoy being swept away to an adventure in which dragons and phoenixes roam the skies, discover what it’s like to grow up disabled, and step into a time machine to meet the extraordinary, but sadly extinct, Tasmanian tiger in a dazzling line-up 

Age 7 plus
The World's First Human Cannonball: and Other Incredible Jobs
Mike Barfield and
Franziska Höllbacher

ROLL up, roll up... and marvel at a whirlwind tour through history’s weirdest and wackiest jobs! If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be an Incan runner, carrying messages across the ancient Andes at lightning speed, the answer lies inside this super, all-action, comic-strip format book from the top team of Blue Peter Award-winning author Mike Barfield and Munich-based illustrator Franziska Höllbacher. So what WOULD it be like to be a jester, keeping the royal courts in stitches with your hilarious antics... and what about a stage farter, a poo collector or a body double? All these jobs are yours for the taking in history’s line-up of the world’s oddest jobs. In the pages of this brilliant book, you will encounter a colourful cast of characters who embraced the quirkiest of professions, including the legendary Harry Houdini who defied the laws of nature with his mind-bending magic tricks and Bessie Coleman, the first African-American stunt-pilot. And then there’s Marie Tussaud who fled the French Revolution and moved to London to create wax sculptures, Zazel, a Victorian daredevil who became the first human cannonball, and the amazing story of Samuel Sorensen Adams, inventor of many of the most famous joke shop gags such as sneezing powder, the handshake buzzer and the stink bomb.This colourful, fact-packed, and endlessly fascinating treasure trove of history’s most peculiar jobs will leave you laughing, gasping, and wondering what job you’d have chosen in days gone by... and what jobs you might even encounter in the future. Just the job for your curious kids!
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £10.99)

Age 9 plus
Dreamslinger
Graci Kim

IMAGINE being stuck between two different versions of the truth... that is exactly what Korean Kiwi diplomat turned bestselling author Graci Kim does in the first book of her thrilling new fantasy series that is international in scope but inspired by Korean mythology and culture. Kim, who lives in New Zealand, writes about the magic she wants to see in the world so enjoy being swept away to an adventure in which dragons and phoenixes roam the skies of Seoul, meals magically appear based on your mood, and your wildest dreams – or your darkest nightmares – come to life before your eyes! Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a refuge for children born with genetic mutations that transport them to a powerfully magical realm while they sleep. But this magic can be unpredictable... even deadly. After all, it was only ten years ago when members of the Royal League of Dreamslingers caused the Great Outburst, a tragedy that killed hundreds of people, including Aria’s mum. 

Since then, Aria’s dad has become the leading expert on dreamslinger welfare, which means Aria knows exactly what it takes to keep society (and slingers) safe... separation, identification, and most importantly, power suppression. So when the Kingdom of Royal Hanguk – home of the Royal League – open their dreamslinger trials to teenage slingers from around the world, Aria knows what she must do... join the Trials and take down the League from the inside. But the Trials introduce Aria to a world of wondrous magic and friendship, a world where she finally feels like she belongs. And as dark secrets from the past are revealed – ones that make Aria question her very identity – she becomes even more determined to discover the truth for herself. She just has to survive the Trials first...

Kim delivers a blistering start to this magical new adventure series with its original premise, a heroine to adore and admire, and a gripping story which explores the different ways of looking at truth, and the courage it takes to embrace complexity in a world in which our dreams affect our reality in ways you could never have imagined.
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus
Owning It: Our disabled
childhoods in our own words
Jen Campbell, and James and Lucy Catchpole,
illustrated by Sophie Kamlish

FOR every child (and adult) who has wondered what it’s like to grow up disabled, this anthology of twenty-two autobiographical stories from the very best disabled writers has all the answers. Growing up can be an isolating experience and as much as you might be surrounded by loving and well-meaning family and friends, chances are that no one close to you is going through this alongside you... until now! Edited by Jen Campbell, and James and Lucy Catchpole, and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Kamlish, the book includes contributions from, among others, Ali Abbas, Polly Atkin, Jen Campbell, Christa Couture, Carly Findlay, M. Leona Godin, Eugene Grant, Jan Grue, Ilya Kaminsky, Sora J. Kasuga, Elle McNicoll, Daniel Sluman, Nina Tame, Steven Verdile, Alex Wegman, Ashley Harris Whaley and Kendra Winchester.

From birthday parties to navigating the sports field, to being given random free stuff to juggling hospital visits alongside social lives, these true stories capture the highs and lows, the tears and laughter, the friendships and fall-outs of growing up with a disability and will act as a welcome companion for disabled children. For non-disabled youngsters, the stories provide a welcome own-voice perspective and will help to build empathy and understanding. So whether you’re disabled yourself, know someone who is, or want to better understand the experience, this book is a window into the young lives of these disabled writers... their stories in their own words.
(Faber Children’s Books, paperback, £12.99)

Age 8 plus
The Thylacine and the Time Machine
Renée Treml

BUCKLE up because a time-machine awaits you! Young readers will love diving into the past, present and future of the most enigmatic, but also sadly extinct, Australian native animals in this funny and fascinating graphic novel from author and illustrator Renée Treml. The journey begins as you join twelve-year-old Violet, her dog Tassie and her new friend Thyla – the ghost of the last living Tasmanian tiger – as they go on an incredible journey into the past to discover the real story of thylacines in Australia. This fun-packed book unearths their important role in environmental balance, and the sorry tale of their path to extinction. But maybe all hope is not lost if science holds the key to the possible de-extinction of the amazing Tasmanian tiger. With an appealing time-travel element and the eternal mystery that surrounds extinct animals, this is a thrilling and informative wild ride through the past, and possible future, of one of Australia’s most missed (and misunderstood) creatures.
(A&U Children’s Books, paperback, £8.99)

Age 5 plus
Higher Ground
Tull Suwannakit

BEAUTY is never banished even in the darkest of times... that’s the message that speaks loudly and clearly in a resonant coming-of-age tale created by combining elements of a graphic novel with an illustrated picture book and diary. Higher Ground is written and illustrated by Tull Suwannakit, an author and artist who lives in a rural town nestled outside Melbourne, Australia, and created this modern classic-in-the-making using a combination of watercolour, graphite powder, gouache and acrylic paints. After a great flood, a grandmother, her two grandchildren and their pet rabbit must learn to survive living on their rooftop garden, relying on scarce resources and limited space. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, but through life lessons and words of wisdom, hope emerges. Both inspiring and deeply moving, one family’s tale of resilience, courage and spirit illuminates in imaginative and innovative fashion how life can shine brightly even in the darkness of a terrible climate disaster. The book also introduces young readers to themes of sustainable living practices and strength in the face of adversity, offering important life lessons for a generation of children growing up in an increasingly precarious environment.  A book for all the family to read and cherish...
(New Frontier Publishing, hardback, £19.99)

Age 5 plus
Volcano
Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft

EXPLORE amazing underwater volcanoes – a largely unknown part of the natural world – with the award-winning and creative Australian picture book team of author Claire Saxby and illustrator Jess Racklyeft who brought us Iceberg and Tree. Deep in the ocean, far beyond the reach of even the brightest sun, the earth quakes. Hagfish scatter and snailfish flutter, lava pillows flash and fade, rumpling the seabed as a new volcano births a mountain. Where hot meets cold, a chimney forms... and here begins a colony of unexpected creatures. Other chimneys grow and cool, grow and cool, while the mountain stretches ever upwards. A rumble becomes a roar and the sea boils, lava fireworks the sky and a new island is born. Children will love learning about underwater volcanoes, and discovering that more volcanoes erupt under water than exist on land. Blending rigorous scientific research, lyrical language and stunning illustrations, Volcano includes fascinating facts on the environment, hydrothermal vents, life underwater and ecosystems. Simply explosive!
(A&U Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 5 plus
Watts & Whiskerton:
Sabotage at the Fete Cake Bake
Meg McLaren

THE best things come in threes... and this adorable cat-and-dog detective duo are the shining stars of a mystery and mischief-filled series from Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted author and illustrator Meg McLaren. Highly illustrated throughout in child-friendly, two-tone colours, the adventures of Watts & Whiskerton are doggedly delightful and purr-fectly fun for emerging young readers. In their second outing, budding detective Watts is back in Little Gossip to visit the Whiskertons and attend the village fete bake off. He’s looking forward to a fun weekend, but then disaster strikes when the ovens flood with batter and accusations of sabotage begin to fly! Who’s responsible for the cake catastrophe and why would they want to ruin the competition? It’s up to Watts and Pearl to solve the curious case. But can this dog and cat detective duo find the proof in the pudding? With comic-style illustrations and a story bursting with sleuthing, skulduggery and sugar, Watts and Whiskerton’s adventures are guaranteed to steal every reader’s heart!
(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3
The Colour Monster: Mindfulness
Anna Llenas

WHEN your emotions overwhelm you and you don’t know how to control them, or when you feel upset but can’t figure out why, there’s one person who can teach us all a lesson… the Colour Monster! Spanish-born author and illustrator Anna Llenas is winning hearts and minds with her beautiful, feel-good picture book series, The Colour Monster, which explains, in the most delightful and imaginative way, the many human emotions that we all experience.  In this new adventure, we join the Colour Monster in a mindfulness activity book packed with 45 mandalas to colour in... and discover how to express our emotions through art. On the journey towards calm, these mandalas, full of shapes and colour, will help youngsters to connect with themselves and find their inner peace again. Using art therapist Llenas’ distinctive and accessible artwork in black and white form, children can dive into the book on any page and find beautiful and calming mandalas to colour. This cleverly and carefully created activity book is the perfect way to de-stress, and help regulate emotions in both children and adults. Once completed, the mandalas can be removed from the book by the perforated edge and displayed for everyone to enjoy!
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
The Tractor Has a Wobbly Wheel
Tim Saunders and Carla Martell

LITTLE ones will be going ‘flat out’ to read and re-read this delightful picture book story from New Zealand duo, author Tim Saunders and illustrator Carla Martell. Saunders, who farms sheep and beef near Palmerston North, serves up lots of wordplay fun with this amusing and clever tale of a tractor with a wobbly wheel on a farm run by animals. When their tractor keeps breaking down, the animals need to find a whole host of inventive solutions. Youngsters will love the joyful, rhyming story with its repetition, energetic bounce, madcap contraptions... and the tractor of course! Martell’s bold, colourful and comical illustrations are a perfect match for the story, taking the humour to another level and adding unexpected extras to ignite young imaginations!
(A&U Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 3 plus
Our World: Brazil
Ana Siqueira and Ana Matsusaki

BOM dia! Let's spend a day in Brazil, take the ônibus to the beach, drink sugar cane juice at the feira and play capoeira. Brazilian author Ana Siqueira and illustrator Ana Matsusaki, who was born in São Paulo, draw on their personal experiences of living in Brazil to create this charming picture book which features educational endnotes and is part of Barefoot Books’ Our World series for very young readers. 

Also in the series is Our World: Kenya, written by Maïmouna Jallow and illustrated by Lulu Kitololo, in which little ones spend a day in Kenya savouring fluffy mandazis, counting the colourful mabati roofs, and playing a game of kati kati. And why not spend a day in Ukraine with Ukrainian author and illustrator team Kateryna Yehorushkina and Olga Shtonda and enjoy seeing children painting eggs, picnicking in the park surrounded by paper angels, and taking a trip to the river. 

These One World books avoid stereotypes and concentrate on daily life rather than landmarks. Bold artwork and an engaging text make global learning accessible to young children while the back-of the-book notes offer simple explanations of the objects and actions found in the book. A whole world of knowledge!

(Barefoot Books, paperback, £7.99 each)

Best Summer Ever

Heidi Swain

AT the age of twenty-eight, Daisy Patterson still doesn’t know where or what her place in the world is... her latest boyfriend has proved to be unfaithful, she has packed in a job that meant little to her, and she’s fed up with being a disappointment to her parents.

Left with few other options, Daisy returns home to the picturesque village of Wynmouth on the beautiful Norfolk coast in the hope that she can find a job she likes, bring structure to her somewhat disordered life, make her parents proud... and maybe, just maybe, enjoy a much-needed holiday fling.

Pour a glass of your favourite tipple and escape into the warmth and wonder of summer with the queen of feel-good Heidi Swain (pictured below) in a sizzling novel which explores what happens when the lives of two people – both of them harbouring secrets – collide against a kaleidoscope of sea, sand and sunshine.

Swain, who lives with her family in picturesque south Norfolk, has won thousands of adoring readers with her enchanting stories set in three very different fictional locations... the Fenland town of Wynbridge, cosy Nightingale Square in Norwich, and alluring little Wynmouth.

But whatever the setting, Swain’s stories always have a strong sense of community, family and friendship and this sparkling summer standalone – her remarkable twentieth novel – sweeps us into the troubled world of the delightful Daisy.

It’s July and summer is in full swing when Daisy drives back into Wynmouth in her almost-clapped-out car, having left both her most recent job and the man her parents thought (and hoped!) she was going to marry. 

Coming home and staying at her parents’ cottage on the Wynbrook Manor estate for a few months could be just what she needs to move her life on. But things are in disarray at the manor, owned by elderly Algernon (Algy) Alford. Algy isn’t getting any younger and has recently had a fall which has left him lethargic and lacking in enthusiasm. Daisy’s mum Janet,