The Cotton Spinner

Libby Ashworth

WHEN the production of Lancashire’s lucrative cotton moved from home-spun cottage industries to the factory floors of mighty, mechanised mills, it brought change and hardship to many families across the county.

Libby Ashworth – who has written several historical novels and non-fiction books featuring fascinating corners of the county’s rich heritage under the name Elizabeth Ashworth – was born and raised in the Blackburn area and can trace her family back to the village of Whalley in the Middle Ages.

But in this first hard-hitting and captivating book of her new Mill Town Lasses saga series, Ashworth draws inspiration from the lives of her great, great, great, great grandparents, Jennet and Titus Eastwood, who were forced to move from their cottage in the countryside in the early decades of the 19^th century to find work in the burgeoning mill town of Blackburn. Several women in Ashworth’s family were weavers and suffered the grind and privations of work in Lancashire mills and, ironically, her research threw up a possible blood link to Sir Richard Arkwright, the Preston man who was one of the leading players of the Industrial Revolution and is credited with founding the whole factory system.

FAMILY INSPIRATION: Libby Ashworth

And the series, she reveals, is her tribute to the hardworking, resilient women mill workers who brought up their families and supported one another through some shocking and appalling times.

Until 1826, Jennet and Titus Eastwood have forged a living by spinning cotton at their idyllic cottage at Pleck Gate in the countryside near Blackburn where the air is clean and they have a garden to grow their own vegetables.

But it has become impossible to make ends meet as the price of home-spun cloth has fallen because the new mills and their machinery can weave the cotton so much faster. With reluctant hearts, the couple and their baby daughter Peggy leave their cottage and move into the centre of Blackburn to find work in the cotton mills. But their new home in Paradise Lane bears no resemblance to anything heavenly… damp and neglected, it sits in the middle of a grubby terrace and across the road from the towering walls of Dandy Mill which steals all the light from their small house.

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Soon their lives are changed in so many ways. Titus finds the long hours of mill work, hard, hot and noisy, little Peggy falls seriously ill, and Jennet cannot imagine ever feeling happy in her new home. And when Titus is arrested and sent to prison in Preston for attending a Reform meeting which gets dangerously out of hand, Jennet is left to fend for herself and their child. But things

The Dangerous Kind

Deborah O’Connor

BROKEN lives, broken people, and broken trust… Deborah O’Connor – an author whose searing psychological thriller, My Husband’s Son, proved to be one of the most exciting debuts of 2016 – returns with a haunting, harrowing tale that explores domestic abuse, internet predators, and some of the darkest corners of humanity.

The Dangerous Kind focuses on a radio presenter’s increasingly perilous search for the truth about a young mother’s disappearance, and is the type of smart, sophisticated thriller which packs a powerful punch on so many levels that it cannot fail to be a crowd pleaser.

Writing with flawless fluidity and breathtaking insight, O’Connor brings us a bold, brave and timely tale crackling with psychological tension, brimming with emotional intensity, and with more twists and turns than a Hollywood disaster movie. But it is the hard-hitting, menacing storyline which really knocks readers for six as we are asked to consider how well we really know the people we should trust… and whether we are doing enough to protect the young and most vulnerable members of society.

PULSATING STORY: Deborah O’Connor

Fifty-one-year-old BBC radio presenter Jessamine Gooch knows that one in 100 of us is a ‘potentially dangerous person,’ someone the police consider likely to commit a violent crime. They are charmers, liars and manipulators, the ones who go one step too far, and then take another step. These people hide in plain sight… they can be teachers, doctors, holding positions of trust, of power.

Each week, her evening radio show examines brutal offences, asking if more could have been done to identify and prevent the perpetrators.

The cases are always retrospective but when she is cornered by a young woman asking her to investigate the disappearance of her friend, Cassie Scalari, the mother of an eight-year-old boy, and wife to an abusive husband, she agrees because she knows her radio show could soon fold and she is keeping an eye on future projects.

Meanwhile, her adopted teenage daughter Sarah, who has been particularly moody and detached from her recently, is harbouring a dangerous secret, and in another part of London, gap year student Jitesh Ganguly – plagued by panic attacks and a stutter – is riven with anxiety about a young man who will soon be a student with him at Cambridge University. And fourteen years ago, in 2002, a teenage girl called Rowena, who lives in a children’s care home in Oxford, has a new, older and worldly boyfriend. She loves him to distraction, and for the first time in her life, she feels safe and protected.

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As Jessamine delves deeper and deeper into the missing person case, she is drawn into a web of danger that will ultimately lead to the upper echelons of power, and threaten the safety of her own child. Because the people we trust are sometimes the ones we should most fear…

O’Connor’s gripping and terrifying plausible story unfolds through the narratives of Jessamine,

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Garden delights, planet monsters and a greedy frog

Let your children discover the wonders of planting and growing, find out how eating vegetables could help save the planet, go batty about house pests, and enjoy frantic antics with a fiendishly funny grog in a sparkling selection of Easter time children’s books

Age 8 plus:

In the Garden

Emma Giuliani

ENTER the wonderful world of planting and growing in an extraordinarily beautiful and informative illustrated book that will have youngsters heading straight out to the garden with their spades and forks!

In the Garden, packed with the exquisite illustrations of Parisian artist Emma Giuliani, introduces young readers to Plum and her brother Robin who offer an enchanting interactive tour of their colourful garden throughout the seasons.

This engaging large-size, hands-on book, from Princeton Architectural Press, features flaps in all shapes – including seeds, flowers and vegetables – that lift and open to reveal the remarkable world of the garden’s flora and fauna whilst exploring the tools, tricks and caretaking secrets that will inspire budding gardeners. From season to season, children follow the life of a garden as each page reveals new treasures hiding under lift-up flaps.

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Peek inside the curious tulip bulb and discover the peas inside a peapod. Watch a ladybird help with pesky aphids and search for ripe strawberries under the leaves. What do you do with plants in the autumn, how do you feed birds in the winter, what should you grow in the spring, and what fruits can you plant to eat in the summer?

Rich in detail, Giuliani’s bright and visually stunning illustrations and flaps, in their fantastic shapes, sizes and colours will delight gardeners of all ages. The perfect book to inspire children to enjoy a spring of lockdown gardening…

(Princeton Architectural Press, hardback, £21.99)

Age 7 plus:

Planet SOS: 22 Modern Monsters Threatening Our Environment (and What You Can Do to Defeat Them!)

Marie G. Rohde

WHO would have thought that saving the planet could be as simple as riding a bike or eating vegetables? Our planet is sending out an SOS. From global warming to plastic pollution, real-life environmental monsters are threatening our world at every turn… but now children have the chance to challenge them.

Planet SOS is a friendly, humorous and stunningly illustrated handbook for any young eco-heroes who want to learn about our global environmental crisis and help the planet, but don’t yet know how to go about it. This wonderfully entertaining and informative book comes from What on Earth Books which aims to publish non-fiction books to engage children’s natural curiosity and passion for learning by offering readers diverse perspectives on the world.

Mythical monsters have always represented humanity’s greatest fears, and the environmental monsters in Planet SOS are no different. Meet the habitat-harming monsters that are ruining the Earth and learn how to vanquish each one. The fearsome Atmosdragon is heating the planet and causing global warming, while the bright-eyed Glareworm is busy creating light pollution and the Smogosaurus is filling our air with toxic fumes.

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Each of these environmental menaces is paired with the mythological beast it is based on and each is wreaking havoc on our planet and we need heroes to vanquish them. They are causing damage to everything from plastic pollution to e-waste and deforestation. The 22 monsters are accompanied by a Monster Card outlining the big, bad beasts’ weaknesses and how to make small changes in everyday life to reduce their carbon footprint. A fold-out highlighting monster-beating actions kids can take and a world map showing where these environmental problems can be found are included, along with a helpful glossary, index, and source notes.

With its imaginative format, intriguing environmental facts, and inspirational ideas on how to help save the planet, there could be no better book for home, school, and eco-warriors of every age!

(What on Earth Books, hardback, £14.99)

Age 6 plus:

PESTS

Emer Stamp

NOT content with turning a pig into a star, award-winning author and illustrator Emer Stamp has gone batty about rats, fleas, bluebottles and beetles! If your youngsters like mischief, mice, creepy crawlies and chaos then this illustrated series from the creator of the award-winning Diary of Pig series is going to be dream reading.

PESTS – a glorious melee of household pests, brilliant illustrations and laugh-out-loud antics – follows the adventures of a tiny but heroic house mouse who is determined to join Maximus the rat and the army of other unsavoury creatures that live at Flat 3 in Peewit Mansions but will have to first prove his credentials.

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Say hello to Stix, the little mouse who is the size of an egg cup, can jump the width of a dog’s bottom, and loves cheese. He lives behind the washing machine with his very strict grandma who taught him to always stay out of trouble and never let the humans know he’s there. But now Stix has stumbled across PESTS – the Peewit Educatorium for Seriously Terrible Scoundrels –in the basement of his building, and along with a whole host of new pesty friends (and enemies), he is about to rip up his grandma’s rule book and make a REAL pest of himself...

Perfect for sharing or for newly independent readers to tackle alone, PESTS is crammed full of all-action, pencil-line illustrations, the author’s now trademark toilet humour, a mountain of mischief and lashings of fun. When the lights go off, get ready for the PESTS to come out!

(Hodder Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)

Age 5 plus:

Bug Belly: Babysitting Trouble

Paul Morton

CAN a greedy frog forget food long enough to keep his trusty tadpoles out of danger? Meet Bug Belly, the hilarious, hungry, accident-prone star of a debut funny fiction series from exciting Barnsley-based author and illustrator Paul Morton who has produced dozens of children’s board games, some for Disney and Pixar, as well as artwork for educational books.

Larger than life and lovably silly, this fiendishly funny frog with a ferocious appetite is an ingenious and inventive creation, and his frantic antics as uncle to all the little tadpoles and froglets in Top Pond will have youngsters laughing out loud. It’s Bug Belly’s turn to babysit. The taddies and froglets in Top Pond can’t wait to try out their uncle’s cool water slides, death-defying dragonfly drops, and fancy frogball games. But when Bug Belly's tummy goes gurgle, gurgle, glump, everyone knows it spells one thing… TROUBLE!

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As Bug Belly launches himself off the slide in pursuit of scrumptious worm snack, he accidentally knocks loose all the rocks that are damming up Top Pond, and suddenly he’s in a race against time to get the taddies to safety before they get stuck in the mud. Will his penchant for yummy snacks lead him and the taddies astray and straight into the hungry jaws of Old Pike, Heron or Sneaky Snake?

Illustrated throughout with Morton’s two-tone, high-octane pictures, and with action-packed adventures written in a wonderfully humorous and alliterative style, this series is ideal for reading aloud and is destined to be a firm favourite both at home and in classrooms.

(Five Quills, paperback, £6.99)

Age 5 plus:

Museum Kittens: The Midnight Visitors

Holly Webb and Sarah Lodge

ENJOY the magical, mysterious world of a museum through the eyes of… a kitten! Museum Kittens: The Midnight Visitors is the first book in a fabulously furry new series from much-loved, best-selling author Holly Webb and freelance illustrator Sarah Lodge who is also a part-time children’s bookseller.

The series, which is guaranteed to capture the imaginations of any child who loves cats and the unique atmosphere of museums, was inspired by tales of real-life museum cats, from the British Museum to the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia.

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When the museum’s visitors are gone for the day, it’s time for the cats to come out and play and one stormy night a little black kitten appears on the museum steps. Tabby cat Tasha is delighted to show Peter the museum’s passageways and secret corners but the other cats aren’t as keen to welcome the new arrival. Determined to prove that Peter is just as much of a museum cat as any of the others, Tasha takes him on a rat hunt. But the pair’s quest almost ends in disaster when they find themselves in the Dinosaur Gallery with its famous T-Rex skeleton. Will anyone come to their rescue?

Who couldn’t fall for this gallery of brave, clever cats which seem to be never more than a whisker away from adventure? And in between all the flying fur, youngsters can learn lots of fascinating facts about topics from the Ancient Egyptians to dinosaurs.

(Little Tiger, paperback, £5.99)

Age 3 plus:

King of the Classroom

Derrick Barnes and 

Vanessa Brantley-Newton

STARTING pre-school is a big milestone… but one excited little boy is ready to become king of the classroom! The exuberance of early childhood shines through in this life-affirming, warm and wonderful picture book from talented American author and illustrator duo Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

Our little hero has dressed himself, eaten a pile of pancakes, and can’t wait to be part of a whole new kingdom of kids. The day will be jam-packed, but he is up for the challenge, taking new experiences in his stride with his infectious enthusiasm. And afterwards, he can’t wait to tell his proud parents all about his achievements… and then wake up to start another day.

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Newbery Honour-winning author Barnes’ empowering and inspirational story is full of lyrical beauty and resonance, and will give children new to nursery or pre-school a reassuring confidence boost and a gentle lesson in how being kind to others makes everyone feel good. Brantley-Newton’s endearing, multi-coloured illustrations bring the story to vivid life and perfectly portray all the natural exuberance and optimism of youth and new beginnings. The perfect book for any child getting ready to start school and set out on the journey of life.

(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

Hey, Water!

Antoinette Portis

THERE'S water, water everywhere… even if you can’t always see it! Plunge into this clever and captivating picture book which celebrates water in all its many forms and comes from Antoinette Portis, the US author and illustrator of the award-winning picture book Not a Box.

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Brimming with vitality, fascinating facts, and the sheer joy and excitement that water can bring, Hey, Water! delivers important lessons about the science of water as we follow a little girl exploring the world around her and discovering all the places where water can be found. Budding young scientists will love the section in the back of the book on the water cycle, water conservation, true and false questions and answers, and fun experiments with water.

Idea for reading aloud and sharing with younger children, and brimming with bold artwork in striking colours and exciting visual designs, the book is both a beautiful work of art and a source of education, information, entertainment and discovery.

(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

Avocado Asks: What Am I?

Momoko Abe

GO on a journey of self-discovery with the world’s most popular superfood! Avocado Asks: What Am I? is a superbly clever and funny debut picture book about identity and being confident in your own skin from Japanese-born author and illustrator Momoko Abe who came to the UK aged 20 in pursuit of her passion for visual storytelling.

Avocado is feeling just fine in the fruit and veg aisle at the supermarket… until a young customer asks a difficult question: ‘Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable?’ Avocado doesn’t know the answer either, and the question won’t seem to go away until Avocado meets Tomato who has a deliciously simple answer… just being yourself is enough!

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With its simple and yet powerful message about accepting who you are, this imaginative story is a great starting point in discussing self-identity and celebrating individuality with younger children.

Momoko Abe’s stylish, vintage-inspired illustrations add colour, class and vibrant colour to a book that will suit the ‘taste’ of both children and their parents!

(Orchard Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 2 plus:

The Bad Day

Frann Preston-Gannon

TEAMWORK wins the day in a beautiful picture book from London-based illustrator and designer Frann Preston-Gannon. Everyone has a bad day sometimes… but some are definitely worse than others, and this funny, clever, rhyming story about the mishaps of a group of woodland friends contains powerful messages for little ones about the rewards of working together.

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Squirrel is left hanging when a search for a tasty nut goes wrong. Meanwhile, Woodpecker has his beak buried in a tree trunk, Snake is tied in a knot, Turtle is upside down, and Fox? Well, Fox has a suspicious tummy ache. These animals are all having a very bad day. But soon it turns out that little Mouse is having the worst day of all, and his friends can only help him – and each other – if they work together. Stunning illustrations with their eye-catching use of colour and bold design are the perfect match for an engaging story full of warmth, wisdom and the consolations of friendship, compassion and shared adversity.

(Templar Publishing, paperback, £6.99)

Coronavirus: A Book for Children

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler 

COPING with a pandemic is hard enough for adults… so imagine how frightening and complex it must appear to children. 

Award-winning independent children’s book publisher, Nosy Crow, know a thing or two about writing books for young readers so, in collaboration with Axel Scheffler, illustrator of the much-loved Gruffalo books, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, they have put together an e-book to explain the coronavirus in the simplest and gentlest of terms.

Available free for anyone to read on screen or to print out, the book answers key questions about the coronavirus and the measures that have been taken to control it in a language ideal for five to nine year olds. 

What is the coronavirus, how do you catch the coronavirus, what happens if you catch the coronavirus, why are people worried about catching the coronavirus, is there a cure for the coronavirus, why are some places we normally go to closed, what can I do to help and what’s going to happen next?

IN THE PICTURE: Axel Scheffler

Written by staff within the publishing company, the book has had expert input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who acted as a consultant, and the company also had advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.

Nosy Crow says it wants to make sure that the book is accessible to every child and family totally free of charge. However, at the back of the book, the company suggests that if families find the book useful they might make a donation to the health service at: https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/

Kate Wilson, managing director of Nosy Crow, said: ‘We were very aware that many parents and carers are struggling to explain the current extraordinary situation to children, many of whom are frightened and confused. We thought that the best thing we could do would be to use our skills to produce a free book to explain and, where possible, reassure children. We hope it helps answer difficult questions in difficult times.’ ​

Professor Medley said: ‘This pandemic is changing children’s lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all. Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story – this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them.  This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with.’ 

You can download a copy of the book here: https://delivr.com/2fa8e

Little Disasters

Sarah Vaughan 

HOSPITAL doctor Liz Trenchard has always thought of her friend Jess as an exemplary, loving mother… but a suspicious head injury found on Jess’s baby daughter sets alarm bells ringing.

Sarah Vaughan, whose blistering debut novel, Anatomy of a Scandal – a dark slice of contemporary legal and political noir – became an instant bestseller in 2018, is back to chill and thrill readers with a gripping, tension-packed exploration of the shadowy side of motherhood and friendship.

In a seamless move from political scandal to domestic drama, Vaughan’s emotionally powerful third novel delivers a brutally honest and psychologically astute story about the recognisably authentic fears, anxieties and anguish of those notoriously difficult and trouble-strewn early years of parenting. 

At its heart are two women who have forged a decade-old friendship through their shared experiences of pregnancy and motherhood but whose bonds are sorely tested when secrets from the past are revealed, duty is forced to come before friendship, and one of them becomes the focus of a devastating police investigation.

TENSION-PACKED TALE: Sarah Vaughan

A senior registrar in paediatrics at a busy London hospital, Liz Trenchard is called down from the children’s ward one night to examine a baby girl who has been brought into the A&E department.

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She is shocked to discover the mother of ten-month-old Betsey is Jess Curtis, the woman she first met ten years ago when they both attended antenatal classes and struck up a friendship which has endured, on and off, through the birth of Liz’s son and daughter, and Jess’s three children.

Since the birth of Betsey, Liz has drifted apart from Jess, who is married to Ed, a hedge fund manager whose high-pressure job often involves him working long hours, but working mum Liz has always considered stay-at-home mum Jess to be an exceptionally good parent with boundless reserves of patience, energy and love. When Liz finds a swelling on the back of Betsey’s head and a subsequent scan shows she has a fractured skull, Jess seems evasive and defensive about how the baby suffered the injury

Running into Trouble

Elle Spellman

WHEN you can barely run down the street to catch a bus, taking on the challenge of a full marathon sounds like a mission impossible. 

But when you have something to prove, and not necessarily just to yourself, it’s a goal worth aiming for... even if fate has a way of making the journey even trickier than you had imagined.

Former book blogger and now debut author Elle Spellman has readers racing to the finish line in this suitably fast-paced, uplifting and clever tale about three women who each have very different reasons for wanting to complete a marathon, and leave themselves just three months to prepare. 

And as we follow the trials and tribulations of their training sessions, we discover that, however strong your resolve to succeed may be, and however experienced you may be at this game, life has a funny way of getting in the way of your plans. With only a little over twelve weeks until Bristol’s Great South-West Marathon, three of the city’s women are trying their hardest to focus on their ultimate goal… to run 26.2 miles. 

For 48-year-old travel agent Hannah Saunders, it feels like she has made a terrible mistake. She only signed up for the race in a drunken moment after a night of drowning her sorrows with a bottle of supermarket red wine. It’s just eight weeks since Dan, her previously loving and reliable husband and partner of 23 years, walked out of their house and quite possibly her life after telling her that he was seeing a younger woman who is his personal trainer at the gym.

UPLIFTING STORY:
Elle Spellman

So now the plan is to try to win him back by… getting fit, running a marathon and showing Dan just what he’s missing. And even though her first attempt leaves her pained, sweaty and gasping for breath, Hannah is determined to at least try.

Next on the fitness trail is Malika Sade who works in a recruitment office and has still not got over the grief of losing her close friend and colleague, Abbie, in a road accident on her way home from work just four weeks ago.

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Abbie was a keen runner and Malika, who openly admits she has never been the athletic type, once promised her friend that she would one day run a race with her. And when she discovers one of Abbie’s running medals in a drawer at work, Malika decides that attempting the marathon will be a way of honouring that pledge. 

When an accident with two unruly dogs in a nearby park brings Hannah and Malika together, they soon realise they are training for the same race, and experienced runner Cassie, who is also training for her first full marathon, offers to help them out. But, despite their good intentions, running becomes the last

Arrowood and the Thames Corpses

Mick Finlay

IN well-heeled London society, Sherlock Holmes is the only detective worth hiring… but head south of the murky River Thames and the more down-at-heel sleuth William Arrowood might be just the man you can afford!

Hold your noses and stiffen the sinews as Glasgow-born Mick Finlay, the new master of gritty, gruesome and gripping historical crime fiction, returns with the third book in his atmospheric Arrowood series which brings Victorian London to life in all its glorious, gothic, grimy tumult.

These brilliant murder thrillers, which include Arrowood and The Murder Pit, imagine a corner of Holmes’ capital city in the last decade of the 19^th century, a teeming, stinking place where the poor are hungry and crime is rife, and the streets are very different to the ones inhabited by Conan Doyle’s famous investigator. While London’s wealthy take their problems to Holmes, everyone else goes to Arrowood, the clever but shambling detective and self-taught psychologist who operates from rooms over a pudding shop in sleazy Southwark, is led by his senses rather than his clues, and despises the ‘deductive’ Holmes, his wealthy clientele and his showy forensic approach to crime.

ATMOSPHERIC SERIES:
Mick Finlay

In the midsummer heat of 1896, William Arrowood is on a short fuse because not only has he a rash under his arm but his sister Ettie has returned from a prolonged stay with a cousin in Birmingham and brought back a baby whose provenance he would dearly like to know.

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When he and his trusty helper Norman Barnett – a man who knows what it is to have lived amidst despair and human degradation – are paid a visit by Captain Moon, the owner of pleasure steamer the Gravesend Queen, moored on the Thames, and his teenage daughter Suzie, it seems to be the start of a run-of-the-mill new case.

The captain says that someone has been damaging his boat when it is moored overnight, putting his business in jeopardy. He claims a man called Polgreen, who is trying to take over his patch, is responsible and he wants Arrowood to investigate. Professional jealousy is suspected and Arrowood decides that it will only need Barnett to talk to Polgreen and ‘warn him off.’  But after spending a night on the Gravesend Queen in the hope of catching the culprit, Barnett makes a shocking discovery. The skulls of fourteen children, tied together on a rope ‘like a monstrous necklace’ and attached to the Gravesend Queen’s balustrade, are pulled from the

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: A dark mystery, a daring dog and cats galore

Take a thrill ride through the streets of Edinburgh,
join a dog in search of the good life, enjoy feline mishaps and mayhem, and uncover an army of fascinating sea creatures with a dazzling array of children’s books to keep lockdown boredom at bay

Age 8 plus:

The House of Hidden Wonders

Sharon Gosling

DO you dare to enter the dark and dangerous streets of Victorian Edinburgh? Carlisle author Sharon Gosling takes middle-grade readers on a thrill ride into the murky miasma of Edinburgh’s Old Town in her thrilling new novel which pits a feisty orphan girl against some powerful and callous foes.

Atmospheric adventures don’t come better than The House of Hidden Wonders, an all-action mystery set in the tunnels beneath the streets of Scotland’s ancient capital city and featuring prominent historical figures like author Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr Sophia Jex-Blake, Scotland’s first female doctor. Orphan girl Zinnie and her sisters, Sadie and Nell, live in the shadowy tunnels beneath Edinburgh’s Old Town. They keep out of the way of the authorities and remain undetected… until rumours of a ghost bring unwanted visitors into the caverns they call home.

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Among them are a young medical student Arthur Conan Doyle, who is keen to investigate, and MacDuff, the shady owner of Edinburgh’s newest attraction, the House of Wonders. Caught up in a web of intrigue, ghostly goings-on and cruel, underworld villains, courageous Zinnie is desperately seeking answers. But how can she discover what secrets lie in the House of Wonders whilst also protecting the sisters she holds so dear?

Gosling’s enthralling adventure celebrates the strong bonds of family, female ingenuity and their struggles to break down gender barriers, as well delivering an entertaining and enlightening historical odyssey which explores some of the period’s great pioneers.

The House of Hidden Wonders’ enchanting cover and map are provided by illustrator Hannah Peck and there are also two beautiful, hand-crafted linocut print illustrations by the author… the first time her art has been featured in a book.

(Stripes, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus:

Level Up! Beast Battles

Tom Nicoll and Anjan Sarkar

IMAGINE being trapped inside your favourite video game! Popular children’s author Tom Nicoll returns with his brilliant high-octane adventure series, Level Up, which delivers an exciting technological twist with every action-packed story. Young gamers are downing their consoles to follow the escapades of daredevil video-game obsessed Flo who has discovered that virtual reality isn’t as much fun when it’s not so virtual. And this time, Flo and her best friend, Max, get more than they bargained for when they find themselves INSIDE their favourite games!

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Flo and Max are stuck in the hugely popular Critter Clash, where teams of creatures battle to become champions in epic arenas. They need their own players that they can coach to victory but the game is about to start and their options are limited. Will they be able to find a team powerful enough to defeat an impressive range of opponents and send the friends back to the real world? There are laughs, mishaps and all-out action on every page of this exhilarating story which has all the much-loved hallmarks of Nicoll’s eye for comedy and energetic storytelling.

Anjan Sarkar brings to life fearless Flo and long-suffering Max, her partner in virtual adventure, and all the weird and wonderful characters they meet along the way. The perfect book to get reluctant readers on game with the joys of real-time reading!

(Stripes, paperback, £5.99)

Age 6 plus:

Mulan: Disney Animated Classics

Adapted by Lily Murray

ENJOY a classic fairy tale as you have never before seen it! Mulan is the stunning new title in Disney Animated Classics, a sparkling series from Studio Press with each book presenting an enchanting retelling of Walt Disney’s eternally popular films as seen through the animator’s eye.

These beautiful hardback books with their premium cloth binding, ribbon marker to match the cover, gold foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, make the perfect gifts for all those who have been spellbound by the magic of Disney’s famous animated classic films. The series includes Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Aladdin and now Mulan, some of the best-loved films of all time and family favourites for over eighty years.

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Relive the star-dusted magic through Lily Murray’s retelling of the classic animated film, accompanied by paintings, story sketches and concept art from the original Disney Studio artists. Also featured is a foreword by Paul Briggs, a director at the Walt Disney Animation Studios.

And when the story is finished, youngsters can turn to the back of the book to learn more about the artists who worked on the memorable animated film. These sumptuous books, full of atmospheric retellings and fascinating illustrations, are perfect for both Disney fans and young collectors.

(Studio Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 5 plus:

Captain Whiskers

Jeremy Strong and Matt Robertson

CATS in the bath, cats in the cupboards, a hundred cats everywhere! Feline fun and furry fiascos are the order of the day in a laughter-filled adventure from award-winning Jeremy Strong, the master of comic writing for children, and talented illustrator Matt Robertson, in the latest super-readable Little Gem from innovative publisher Barrington Stoke.

The Little Gems series brings together leading authors and illustrators, and a host of clever design and finishing techniques, to create easy-to-read books in a chunky format ideal for little hands, and with some extra reading, jokes and activity fun hiding inside the jacket flaps.

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Everyone in Jack’s class has a pet, but all Jack has is his little brother Freddie. And little brothers don’t make very good pets. But when Jack meets The Man With The Top Hat and his lovely cat Mrs Wilson, he is about to get the pet he has always wanted… and many, many more!

Whether your child is a new, struggling, reluctant or dyslexic reader, Strong’s wonderful, big-hearted Little Gem story could be just what they are looking for. Robertson’s gallery of bright, colourful and suitably anarchic illustrations are the perfect foil for a story full of mishaps, mayhem and animal magic.

(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £6.99)

Age 4 plus:

Paolo, Emperor of Rome

Mac Barnett and Claire Keane

IT'S all very well living in Rome… but Paolo the dog has never once tasted la dolce vita! Mac Barnett, the multi-award winning US author noted for his entertaining and educational children’s books, puts his imagination into overdrive as he takes us on a thrilling whirlwind tour of the Eternal City in the company of a daring dachshund in search of freedom.

And readers – both young and old – cannot help but be bowled over by this uplifting and stunning picture book which comes complete with a gallery of visually exciting, atmospheric illustrations from Claire Keane who worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation for ten years.

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Paolo feels trapped. Though he lives in Rome, a city filled with history, fountains, food, music and freedom, he is confined to a hair salon on the Via Torino. Paolo dreams of the sweet life but all he gets is an occasional whiff of liberty at the salon door. And then, one day, the door is left open and he quickly escapes. And soon Paolo is throwing himself into the city, finding marvels and adventure at every turn. What could be better than the wonders of Rome… the ruins, the food, the art, the opera, and, of course, the cats!

Paolo, the big-hearted dog whose story shows that even the smallest among us can achieve great things, is guaranteed to win an army of fans as he heroically strikes out alone across the city, squares up to his enemies, graduates to be leader of the pack, and saves the lives of a group of nuns. Brimming with bravado, wry humour and wisdom, Paolo is a joy to read… and proof that every dog really does have its day!

(Abrams Books for Young Readers, hardback, £12.99)

Age 3 plus:

Curious Kids: Sea and Shore
Jonny Marx and Christiane Engel

SOME things caw, some things soar… and some others go splish and splash! Get ready to uncover an army of fascinating sea creatures in this ingenious book just made for curious young minds. From crabs and fish to dolphins, turtles and seahorses, learn all about these cute characters as they pop up from each page.

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Christiane Engel’s fun and intricately detailed illustrations explore the amazing sea world with rich textures and bright, jewelled colours that can’t help but catch a child’s eye while Jonny Marx’s narration is packed full of fascinating facts to engage children with the wonders of the natural world. With delightful pop-ups that bring to life flying fish, noisy seagulls, stinging jellyfish, sensational seahorses, and beautiful coral reefs, this is an innovative and exciting introduction to what lies beneath the sea and on the shore. Nature, discovery and entertainment in one beautiful pop-up book.

(Caterpillar Books, board book, £10.99)

Age 2 plus:

Calm Down, Zebra

Lou Kuenzler and Julia Woolf

A JOY to read aloud and a visual feast of colour… There is so much to relish in Lou Kuenzler and Julia Woolf’s riotous, raucous picture book which puts words, colour and creative freedom firmly in the frame. This glorious celebration of colours, patterns and rhyme is the latest work from the talented team that brought young readers the wonderful Not Yet, Zebra, and is guaranteed to win the hearts of all little mischief-makers.

Annie said to the animals, ‘Let’s help baby Joe.

He’s learning his colours, which he doesn’t yet know.

I’ll paint pictures of you – please line up for me.

If I use the right colours then Joe will soon see.’

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Stripy sheep, a blue orangutan and spotty penguins? Everyone’s favourite, enthusiastic zebra is back, eager to get in on the act as Annie tries to teach her little brother Joe about colours. But although things don’t turn out quite the way she imagines, together they make the world a brighter and more beautiful place. There are giggles galore in this enchanting picture book which puts fun into reading, fires up young imaginations, adds colour to storytelling, and has a very sparkly surprise hidden inside the pages!

(Faber & Faber, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus:

The Crow and the Peacock

Johanna Fernihough

BIRDS of a feather carry important messages in a soaraway story about searching for happiness. Author and illustrator Johanna Fernihough’s rich, fable-inspired picture book delivers subtle lessons about identity, happiness and freedom as we follow a crow’s quest to discover the happiest bird in the world.  

On his journey, Crow encounters a softly cooing dove, an elegant swan, and a much-loved cockerel before finally meeting a peacock, locked in a golden cage. Crow is in awe of the creature’s magnificent bejewelled tail… and believes this must be the happiest bird of all. But when Crow discovers the peacock’s wish to fly free, he realises who was the happiest bird all along.

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Eye-catching, vivid colours and bold, distinctive design add an extra layer of magic to a story that will capture the imaginations of young readers and help them understand that happiness may not come from how you look, but how you feel. A happy landing for a high-flying story!

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age one plus:

Bear Shaped

Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden

WHEN Jack’s beloved teddy bear goes missing, it leaves a hole in his heart that he fears will never be filled. Acclaimed illustrator Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden uses both her artistic and writing skills on this beautifully sensitive debut picture book which puts the currently running World Autism Awareness Week into a powerful focus.

Bear Shaped is an inspiring story of love, loss, and learning to let go, and was inspired by the true story of autistic Jack and his beloved Bear which was a bridge to the world around him. When Bear went missing, Jack’s dad sent out a tweet that went viral as his son’s story touched the hearts of people around the globe and sparked a campaign of compassion to find missing Bear.

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Jack and Bear are the best of friends. Jack loves Bear because he makes him feel brave. But one day Bear disappears and Jack suddenly feels all alone. Word soon gets around that Bear is missing and Jack starts to receive kind messages from strangers all over the world. Then the toy bears start to arrive. Though the bears start to heal Jack’s sadness, none of them are Jack’s bear. Perhaps there is something Jack can do with them to help the other people with bear-shaped holes…

Bear Shaped – a gentle story brimming with Coulter-Cruttenden’s gorgeously emotive illustrations – is a celebration of the kindness of strangers as they help Jack to slowly come to terms with the bear-shaped hole in his life. A picture book that will be loved and treasured…

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age one plus:

Tim Hopgood’s ABC

Tim Hopgood

LET little ones discover our wonderful world with a joyous first alphabet book from author and illustrator Tim Hopgood.

A is for… Acorn, B is for… Butterfly, C is for… Cloud. 

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Turn the pages of this beautiful introduction to the alphabet and the beauties of nature, and as an added surprise, discover the letter Y mirror to see You! Lavishly illustrated in a full kaleidoscope of colour by Hopgood, the bright, busy pictures reveal the immense diversity of the natural world and provide an entertaining first lesson in the concept of the alphabet.

(Oxford University Press, board book, £6.99)

Age one plus:

Bee: Nature’s tiny miracle

Patricia Hegarty and Britta Teckentrup

‘Every plant and flower you see

Was given life by one small bee’

THE bee – one of nature’s unsung heroes – takes a starring role in this striking peep-through board book from Patricia Hegarty and award-winning illustrator Britta Teckentrup. Bees are dying in unprecedented numbers and yet many people are unaware of the magnitude and significance of the crisis. Bee tells the story of this miraculous little creature as it journeys from flower to flower, gathering nectar, harvesting flowers and spreading life on our planet.

Little ones will love turning the pages of this gorgeously produced book to watch the wonder of nature unfold.

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Hegarty’s lyrical, rhyming text helps little ones to understand the miracle of pollination while Teckentrup charts the bee’s amazing journey with a peep-through hole and brilliantly colourful and expressive artwork. Simply bee-eautiful!

(Little Tiger Press, board book, £6.99)