Age 12 plus
The Sign of the Raven
Pippa Dunn
‘WE are such stuff as dreams are made on,’ wrote William Shakespeare, and that haunting reference to the fleeting, dream-like nature of human life fits perfectly with this thrilling and atmospheric world-building classic from Peak District author Pippa Dunn. The Sign of the Raven is a fantastical, fast-paced historical teen fantasy where the boundary between sleep and the waking world begins to dissolve, forcing one audacious dreamer to face a reality more dangerous than any nightmare. Sixteen-year-old Ashlyn Threadneedle lives a double life. By day, she has a tedious job as a government messenger for Lord Whitaker in an alternate 19th century London. But by night, she escapes. Ashlyn plunges into vivid, lucid dreams, navigating the Stream… a mystical dreamworld where time bends and the only limit is her imagination. When her long-dead mother appears in a dream, everything Ashlyn thought she knew is turned on its head, and the future of her loved ones hangs in the balance. Drawn into a dangerous quest for answers, she joins The Corvi Signum, a secret society of lucid dreamers. Together with her best friend Dimitri – an underground journalist fighting for the people – she must battle to protect the Stream from a powerful enemy who wants to manipulate thoughts and seize control of the waking world. But the Stream is a perilous place. To save the freedom of thought itself, Ashlyn must risk both her past and her future.
The Sign of the Raven, with its luscious blue and
gold-foiled cover, is a delight to both look at and read. Fast-paced action
keeps the exhilarating, thrill-packed story in top gear while the richly
imagined world of dreamers is not just stunningly creative, but described with
an almost ethereal elegance. Mysterious, enthralling and laced with daring and
danger, this is teen adventure reading at its very best.
(DK flip, hardback, £14.99)
The Fast Track
Angelica Cheng
MEET an ambitious racer who dreams of becoming the first
female Formula 1 champion only to find her plans going off track when she starts
falling for the boy who is her principal competition! Teen fans of rivals-to-lovers
romance will be racing to get their hands on this delicious tale of F1 rivalry
from New York-based author Angelica Cheng. Justine Kwong has always dreamed of becoming a Formula 1
champion. There’s just one problem… no female driver has ever done it before.
So when she’s offered a coveted chance to race in Formula 3, she leaps at the
opportunity. Half the fans might think she’s just there to fill a diversity
quota, and her team-mate, the infuriatingly cute Cameron Evans, mistakes her
for an intern, but Justine knows her talent will leave them all in the dust.
But driving well isn’t the only prerequisite to getting noticed, and Justine is
forced to fend for herself in a sea of prejudice, paparazzi, and petty
backstabbing. There’s a lot riding on her ability to navigate the complicated
trackside hierarchy, like the open F2 seat that could be her ticket to the big
leagues. Except when Justine and Cameron's bickering gives way to unexpected
chemistry, the boy she’s falling for may be the one person standing in the way
of her dreams… because while they may be team-mates, they are also each other’s
biggest competitor. And with her only shot at glory on the line, this race
could break more than just hearts. Romance is definitely in the driving seat of
this winning tale as Justine and Cameron negotiate the path to true love both
on and off the track!
(Ink Road, paperback, £9.99)
The Palace of Facts:
400 Astounding Facts Await…
Kate Olesin and Andy Smith
STEP into The Palace of Facts, a lavishly illustrated and spectacularly
gigantic fact book, inspired by the idea of a memory palace and created by author
Kate Olesin and illustrator Andy Smith, the dynamic duo behind the bestselling
FACTopia! series which has sold over half a million copies worldwide. Inside
the ‘doors’ of this stunning gift book, readers travel through magnificent
rooms and gardens where 400 of the world’s most mind-bending facts are on
display. Search the treasure room to find out facts about crystals,
explore the fossil hall to dig up facts about dinosaurs, scale the observatory
to spot facts about space and delve into the dungeons to discover hidden facts.
On this marvellous journey around the world, you will be accompanied by three
characters – Pip, Alice and their dog Charley – who will lead you from room to
room with witty and playful charm. Every fact is woven into Smith’s lavishly
illustrated scenes, using the idea of a memory palace where facts are located
in imagined physical spaces. From the golden gates of the Palace of Versailles, up the
secret staircase in the US Capitol Building, through the 9,000 rooms of China’s
Forbidden Palace and all the way to Australia’s hospital for bats, this unique
book makes information both beautiful and memorable. The short facts are
written in clear, accessible language, and page after page of eye-catching
playful visuals make this the perfect gift for reluctant or struggling readers,
and any child with an insatiable curiosity!
(What on Earth Books, hardback, £22)
Evie and Maryam’s Little Lies
Janeen Hayat
CAN two girls who have found an amazing family connection
find their way out of a web of lies of their own making? After the success of Janeen
Hayat’s award-winning book, Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree, young readers are
thrust into another thrilling adventure full of mysteries and mazes. Since the
incredible adventure that led to them discovering a link between their
great-grandmothers, Evie and Maryam’s friendship has gone from strength to
strength. And now Maryam is thrilled to be awarded a scholarship to an esteemed
boarding school, something she has always dreamed of, but when she arrives, the
other pupils are unwelcoming and she feels totally isolated. Evie is also
struggling back at home because the play she and Maryam wrote about their
shared family history is being judged by award-winning but mercurial theatre
director Bill Jeffrey who takes an immediate dislike to the subject of India
and partition. Evie and Maryam decide that they need to do something drastic,
including looking into secrets in Bill Jeffrey’s own past… but before long the
two girls have created a web of lies which get out of control. Will they ever
find their way back to the truth? Youngsters will love returning to a
heartwarming and fascinating friendship which continues to evolve and change,
and carries with it messages about staying true to our beliefs and fighting for
what we believe in.
(Guppy Books, paperback, £7.99)
Myths of Japan: Meet the Gods, Creatures, and Heroes of Ancient Japan
Masako Carey and Katie Ponder
ENTER a world of powerful gods, extraordinary creatures and
brave warriors in this thrilling compendium of Japanese myths. With more than
25 exciting tales, beautifully illustrated, compellingly retold, and backed up
by fascinating historical information, this is a must-have introduction for
young readers intrigued by the world of ancient Japanese culture and mythology. From the creation of the world to the first emperors, this
book charts the full sweep of Japanese myth, revealing captivating aspects of
ancient Japanese ritual and customs along the way. Meet a whole host of
mischievous creatures, such as the shapeshifting fox-spirit kitsune and the
turtle-like kappa who loves cucumbers and sumo wrestling. Say hello to the
mighty gods and emperors, including the legendary first emperor of Japan, Jimmu
and the powerful sun goddess Amaterasu, the chief deity in Shintoism, and
discover Momotaro, the Boy Born from a Peach, and Yuki-Onna, the Snow Woman. Written by Masako Carey, a Japanese-born storyteller who now
lives in Northern Ireland, and lavishly brought to life by the stylised
illustrations of multi-award-winning artist Katie Ponder, Myths of Japan includes
profiles of the gods, heroes and creatures of ancient Japan, and a
pronunciation guide. Add on a beautifully crafted cover with gold foil finishes
and gilded edges and you have the perfect gift for children who love history,
myths, and legends.
(DK Children, hardback, £18.99)
Great Dinosaur Mistakes
Jonathan Emmett, Dr Adam S. Smith
and Stieven Van der Poorten
EVEN experts can sometimes get things wrong! And that is
exactly what happened when scientists through the ages were tasked with understanding
the world of dinosaurs as these puzzling prehistoric creatures were dug up over
a span of centuries. Great Dinosaur Mistakes explores some of the most
extraordinary errors those early experts made and brings past and present
versions of each prehistoric creature face to face in a fantastical
time-travelling adventure. Packed with both fun and fascinating facts, the book
is written by award-winning author Jonathan Emmett and world-renowned dinosaur
expert Dr Adam S. Smith, and features the wonderfully detailed illustrations of
Stieven Van der Poorten, the top team that created The Tyrannosaur’s Feathers. The
first fossils found of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, we learn, were
often incomplete. So, with many of the bones from its skeleton missing, early
experts often had to guess how a complete animal looked when it was alive.
Sometimes they guessed right, but sometimes they didn’t! With its mixture of a
playful commentary between the experts from different timelines, richly
detailed illustrations and fact-filled information sections exploring the older
and newer theories, this is the perfect way to make learning about palaeontology
a fun experience.
(Fox & Ink Books, paperback, £7.99)
Grow
Jess McGeachin
DISCOVER seeds of wisdom that only nature knows! This fascinating,
illustrated exploration of plant life wonders, and what it means to grow is the
creation of acclaimed Australian author and illustrator Jess McGeachin. Whether
they are branching ever upwards, or tangled deep below, flowers bloom and ferns
unfurl and in the pages of McGeachin’s beautiful book, children can discover
how earth’s garden grows and changes every day. Featuring flowers, fungi, moss,
corals, seaweeds, succulents, grasses, trap plants, trees and so much more,
Grow is a beautifully evocative and rhyming exploration of the ancient,
fragrant, spiky, hidden and vibrant wonders of the natural world. Young readers
learn about many kinds of growing things on the earth while embracing gentle
messages about the importance of growth and change in their own lives. Both
joyful and revealing, Grow carries resonant messages about caring for our
planet.
(Allen & Unwin Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)
I Am Going To Jump This Log
Stephanie Stansbie and Jack Viant
TAKE one (perhaps a little over-confident!) frog, one log
and one jump… what could possibly go wrong? Little ones will be jumping for joy
when they dive into this glorious picture book from author Stephanie Stansbie
and debut illustrator Jack Viant. Frog is going to jump the log and it will be
easy... or so he thinks! Bursting with braggadocio, misplaced bravado, and some
truly unforgettable sportswear, Frog’s frustration builds as his feeble efforts
fall short. Will he ever clear the log… and what awaits him on the other side?
Stansbie’s pared-back, humour-filled story leaps off the page alongside Viant’s
bright and wonderfully expressive artwork in this crackingly, croakingly
mischievous picture book. And revel in the satisfying twist at the end… and Stansbie’s
subtle and superbly subversive lesson on misplaced arrogance!
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £8.99)
The Bear Who Wanted to Dance
Stephanie Stansbie and Wendy J Warren
LITTLE ones will pirouette with delight when they leap into
the life of Rita, a big bear who dreams of being a dancer! This heartwarming
picture book about chasing your dreams, celebrating your differences and
twirling to your own rhythm is the creation of author Stephanie Stansbie and
debut illustrator Wendy J Warren. Rita is a talented, passionate, hard-working
ballerina and she’s top of her class. But when she studies her ballet
magazines, and compares herself to her friends, she realises… she’s the wrong
shape! Can Rita find her inner power and confidence in her beautiful big-bear
body? Stansbie’s lyrical and uplifting story comes alive through Warren’s soft,
magical illustrations as youngsters learn subtle lessons about self-acceptance,
body positivity, representation and… the exuberant joys of dancing!
(Little Tiger Press, paperback, £8.99)
Oodles of Poodles
Rachel Morrisroe and Aysha Awwad
TOTS will love watching their grown-ups delivering
oodles of canine comedy with this riotous read-aloud picture book featuring a preposterous
poodle word-play explosion! Perfectly created for sharing, bestselling author
Rachel Morrisroe and illustrator Aysha Awwad’s Oodles of Poodles brings us a
zany, rhyming giggle-fest and a cast of incredible poodle illustrations simply
bursting with comedy and colour. So, if you didn’t already know, each city is
full of oodles of fluffy, fancy poodles, but if you think you’ve met them all… think
again! From quite the coolest dude-les to pesky pirate crew-dles and even
yucky, mucky eeeeeew-dles, there is SO much more to these fluffy pets than
meets the eye. A feast of fun from start to finish!
(Hodder Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)
Snuggle Up
Emma Dodd
IT'S never too early to start reading to your baby! So look
no further than this beautiful board book series created by award-winning
illustrator Emma Dodd and written by her in consultation with Early Years
expert, Lizzie Noble. First Stories for Baby presents a pitch-perfect blend of
read-aloud, developmentally tailored stories and high-contrast visuals to
stimulate babies at every stage in their first year, with each book containing four
stories featuring four adorable animals, an owl, bear, tiger and dolphin. Snuggle Up is the first book in the series and is all about
closeness, cuddles and physical descriptions, and is purely in black and white
to help tiny babies focus on the page. Neither too long, nor too short, these
stories easily fit into baby’s daily routine, helping to make reading together
a regular activity which all the family can enjoy and benefit from. And when
your little one is ready to move on, try the next book in the series, Make Some
Noise (3-6 months), which focuses on rhyme, rhythm and animal noises – perfect
for babies just starting to babble – and is created with a yellow and blue
palette. Early learning fun, a perfect gift for baby showers, and a stylish
alternative to traditional first board books!
(Templar Publishing, board books, £10.99 each)
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