Hideaway

Nora Roberts

BORN into a rich and famous Hollywood acting dynasty, Cate Sullivan’s early years in sun-baked California should have been a dream childhood…

But a game of hide-and-seek at a family party to celebrate the life of the nine-year-old’s recently departed great-grandfather turned into a night of trauma which threatens to blight the rest of her life.

Escape to the stunning mountains of California’s Big Sur, the green, rolling hills of County Mayo in Ireland, and the bright, bustling streets of New York City in a rich, sweeping saga of domestic drama, suspense and romance from Nora Roberts, one of America’s best-loved and most successful writers.

Author of over two hundred novels, Roberts transports her readers into the glittering, glamorous lives of the tight-knit Sullivan clan, a family whose roots lie in rural Ireland but who have become Hollywood royalty with four generations of actors and actresses. With a cruel betrayal at its heart and starring a feisty, charismatic young woman haunted by her past but still determined to come out of the shadows and find her own way in life, Hideaway is a compelling tale of love, family, and wicked revenge. 

MULTI-LAYERED PLOT: Nora Roberts

In true Hollywood tradition, Cate Sullivan became a child star at the tender age of twenty-one months when she even managed to upstage her glamorous actress mother Charlotte Dupont. Cate’s genes stretch back to Liam Sullivan, her Irish immigrant great-grandfather who sailed to America as a boy and found fame and fortune in California. 

And it was at the sprawling family ranch, Sullivan’s Rest, that Cate was forced to lose her childhood innocence when she was kidnapped for a ten million dollar ransom by two men as she played in the grounds with her cousins during a party to mark 92-year-old Liam Sullivan’s passing.

Drugged and bound, and locked in a nearby empty holiday home on that cold February night, the girl many considered to be a pampered princess was in fact a clever and determined young survivor and, against the odds, she managed to escape her abductors. As she stumbled wildly through the night, she found refuge at the small ranch of teenager Dillon Cooper, his mother and grandmother who were shocked to find the injured, exhausted girl huddled in the kitchen and quickly reunited Cate with her loved ones.

But Cate’s ordeal was far from over… first came the discovery of a shocking betrayal that would send someone she had trusted to prison, and then there were years spent away in western Ireland, peaceful and protected but with restlessness growing in her soul.

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Finally, she returns to Los Angeles as a young woman, gathering the courage to go on the stage again and get past the trauma that has derailed her life. What she doesn’t yet know is that two

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Strange creatures, amazing cities and a dragon detective

Discover fish with fantastic fins, join a globetrotting penguin on a world tour, enjoy
red-hot sleuthing antics, and celebrate the pleasures and pitfalls of siblings in a sparkling collection of summer children’s books

Age 5 plus:

Creature Features: Oceans

Natasha Durley

DIVE into the ocean and discover sea creatures so amazing, colourful and bizarre that you won’t believe they are real!

Natasha Durley, an artist who enjoys creating playful illustrations with an emphasis on colour, texture and the natural world, takes youngsters along sandy shorelines and deep into the world’s oceans to fish out strange sea life with fascinating features in this stunning, sturdy board book. Packed with Durley’s bold, vibrant artwork and with lots to look out for on every page, this collection of curious underwater creatures will captivate young readers. Grouped by their incredible features – from enormous eyes to fantastic fins – this book is a celebration of both the bizarre and the beautiful.

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There are thousands of creatures to be found under the water and many more still waiting to be discovered. And they come in all shapes and sizes, from enormous whales to tiny fish, and have developed extraordinary features to help them survive in their watery world. Some have big teeth, others have stripes and spots, some have super long arms and terrific teeth, while others glow brightly in the darkest depths.

Enjoy meeting them all in this amazing book and learn fascinating facts about how they use their creature features to ward off predators, taste and smell their food, or simply glide to the surface. Created in a large format, organised by their distinctive features, and packed with fun, facts and all kinds of fish, this is a nature in all its glowing, strange and colourful glory!

(Big Picture Press, board book, £10.99)

Age 7 plus:

Big City Atlas

Maggie Li

IF you can’t escape on a big city break this year, take a whirlwind trip around the world and visit twenty eight of the most amazing cities. Youngsters will love joining a cheerful globetrotting penguin as he cycles, ice skates and belly dances round the planet, and celebrates the history, culture and cuisine of fantastic locations and the people who live there.

Packed with beautiful illustrations by London-based Maggie Li, Big City Atlas uses double page spreads to show key sites and cultural specialities for each city alongside bite-size facts and information. Learn about the major museums and galleries, key historical moments, traditions, local foods and famous landmarks. Lose yourself in the hills and beaches of Rio, explore the winding canals and pretty bridges of Amsterdam, or the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, check out some traditional Irish music and dancing in Dublin, step back in time in the ancient city of Cairo, and  admire the magnificent buildings of Istanbul.

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Children will love poring over the richly detailed pages, spotting well-known landmarks, and learning about the history, famous names, and daily lives of the people in each location, and finding places similar to their own home towns as well as some that are wildly different. Packed with information and facts about every city, and with hundreds of details all waiting to be explored, Big City Atlas is an entertaining and educational book that enables you to travel the world from your own home. And with fun quizzes and games at the back of the book, which let youngsters test their geographical knowledge, this is an eye-opening learning adventure, and an ideal addition to home and school shelves.

(Pavilion, paperback, £8.99)

Age 6 plus:

Dragon Detective: School’s Out

Gareth P. Jones

GET ready for more red-hot sleuthing fun with a droll, laidback dragon detective and his prodigiously clever partner-in-crime Holly Bigsby. Master of zany comedy and award-winning author Gareth P. Jones is back with another updated, new look, tweaked title but still fun-filled version of his action-packed and much-loved The Dragon Detective Agency series which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book prize back in 2007.

Starring the lovable, jobbing London dragon detective Dirk Dilly and his feisty schoolgirl friend Holly, these brilliant stories are packed with laugh-out-loud comedy, madcap adventures, and positively fizz with Jones’ energy, wit, imagination and irreverent sense fun.

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In School’s Out, the second book in this super, revamped series, Holly is desperate to be sleuthing again with her partner-in-solving-crime, dragon Dirk Dilly, but instead she’s stuck at her exclusive, high-security boarding school for children of the rich and famous. She is determined to escape, until she meets Callum, the son of the Prime Minister, who claims he was kidnapped by dragons a year ago and hasn’t been the same since. And when Dirk’s own investigation into dragon activity brings him to the school, the two cases collide with earth-shattering results. What if Callum isn’t as crazy as he seems?

With Jones’ love of words shining through, and plenty of crooks and crime to enjoy, a reprise of Dilly and Holly is proving suitable fire-powered reading for all young mischief makers.

(Little Tiger, paperback, £6.99)

Age 3 plus:

Sisters 
Brothers

Harriet Evans and Andrés Landazábal

FAMILY life is one of the most important parts of our formative years… and here are two beautiful picture books that celebrate the pleasures and pitfalls of growing up with siblings.

Using beautiful rhyme, exquisite illustrations and all the frustrations, fun and shared experiences of life’s big adventure with brothers and sisters, author Harriet Evans and illustrator Andrés Landazábal touch our hearts and teach little ones about the joy and diversity of modern families.

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In Sisters – a book full of colour, vibrancy and heartfelt messages – we discover that sisters can sometimes be irritating and rude but they share all your hopes, they soothe all your fears, and on the worst days they brighten your mood.

And in Brothers, we meet brothers big and small, stepbrothers and half-brothers. They might make life messy and upset the best-laid plans but big brothers lift you up, they share trust and secrets, and offer a pair of helping hands. With their heartfelt message of love and kinship, gentle, reassuring, rhyming words, and pictures imbued with warmth and empathy, these enchanting books are set to become firm family favourites.

(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £8.99 each)

Age 2 plus:

Nervous Nigel

Bethany Christou

THEY also serve… who only lie back and swim! Author and illustrator Bethany Christou, whose gorgeous debut picture book Slow Samson won hearts and accolades, returns with another beautiful and reassuring tale about a crocodile who gets the collywobbles when he has to take part in swimming contests.

Suffering from anxiety or getting nervous is all part of growing up and Christou addresses these natural fears with her second picture book starring a lovable little croc who can’t face telling his family of successful water athletes that just the thought of competing gives him that sinking feeling.

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Nigel loves swimming and so do all his siblings. The water is his favourite place to float and think but he doesn’t like swimming in competitions. As soon as the whistle blows, his heart starts hammering, his tail starts trembling and his teeth start chattering. Can Nigel find the courage to tell his family how he really feels, and will he find something else at which to excel?

Nervous Nigel is a joy to share with little ones… Christou’s colourful and expressive illustrations bring to life a cute little croc whose troubles will be familiar to many youngsters but who finds a new purpose and pride, and discovers that all his family really want for him is happiness. Brimming with wit, warmth, and timely messages, this is a picture perfect book for all the family.  

(Templar Publishing, paperback, £6.99)

Age 2 plus:

Peek Through: Jobs We Do Peek Through: Around Town

Jonny Marx and Zoe Waring

IT'S never too early to learn about the busy, bustling world of work.

Author Jonny Marx and illustrator Zoe Waring blend their talents for two informative and eye-catching board books which open up life in a busy town, and the many different sorts of people who work in them.

With delightful open-and-close flaps and peek-through pages, which allow children to seek answers to questions and make their own discoveries, these bright and colourful books are perfect for both educating and entertaining. 

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In Peek Through: Jobs We Do, we join Roxy the rat on a fun-filled trip to work. There are plenty of places to go, and along the way she meets Dasher the Detective, Smokey the Firefighter, Rocker the Chef and Michelle the Mechanic.

And in Peek Through: Around Town, meet Dusty the dog as he wanders around town in search of adventure. There are plenty of shops to visit, including the café, the bookshop, the music store and the sweet shop, but where will Dusty end up? With a cute cast of animal characters, and lots of fun and learning to enjoy, these charming books are just the job for curious youngsters.

(Little Tiger Press, board books, £5.99 each)

Age from birth:

Let’s Go, Tractor! 
Let’s Go, Fire Truck!

Fhiona Galloway

LITTLE ones love to be on the go and here are the perfect books to set their engines running!

Let’s Go, Tractor! and Let’s Go, Fire Truck! – two chunky board books with concentric pages in the shape of a tractor and a fire engine – come packed with colour, page-turning action and lots of chugs, roars, shakes, flashes and splashes.

In Let’s Go, Fire Truck!, we join the busy, busy fire truck and Firefighter Bear as he zooms down the street, sets his siren blaring, puts out a fire, rescues a kitten from a tree, and generally saves the day.

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In Let’s Go, Tractor! we follow Farmer Dog as he works away in his busy, busy tractor as its engine roars and shakes. The horses neigh for feeding time, the pigs need a lift in the trailer, and the fields are waiting to be ploughed.

With their silver-foiled covers, fun rhymes, and appealing design and shape, these user-friendly books will be a hands-on winner with adventurous (and noisy!) toddlers.

(Little Tiger Press, board books, £6.99 each)

The Catch

T.M. Logan

TEACHER Abbie Collier has a new boyfriend and he’s a real catch… the charming and caring ex-Army officer is a successful businessman and she reckons they are the perfect match.

But Abbie’s dad, Ed, senses something of the night about Ryan Wilson, the man ‘with the looks of a catalogue model,’ and he’s determined to track down the truth. The only problem is that Ed is an over-protective father with a history of causing trouble, and he has secrets of his own. Is Ryan a danger to Abbie, or does Ed have a hidden agenda which is sending his ability to make judgments dangerously off beam?

Former national newspaper journalist T.M. Logan is making his own headlines these days with a clutch of gripping, superbly crafted page-turners, including Richard and Judy picks Lies and The Holiday, which have turned him into a contemporary king of the psychological thriller. And this master of suspense certainly hits a raw nerve for many readers with this tense, taut, twisting tale of a middle-aged man, desperate to protect his daughter, but whose life falls apart as he starts to dig relentlessly into the past of his future son-in-law.

MASTER OF SUSPENSE: T.M. Logan

When his beloved 24-year-old daughter arrives with her boyfriend of seven months, doting dad Ed Collier is ready to try to like him. It’s the first time the family have met Ryan Wilson because his job with a recruitment firm takes him on frequent overseas trips. Abbie’s mum, Claire, thinks the couple have ‘a real connection’ and grandma Joyce thinks he’s ‘a lovely boy.’

But it’s when his eyes meet Ryan’s that Ed instantly senses that ‘something is not quite right about him.’ The feeling for Ed is primal and visceral, it’s a jolt of ‘nervous static,’ an inner knowledge that hidden in the dark shadows behind Ryan’s eyes is ‘a wolf crouching… ready to pounce.’ And when the happy pair announce that they are already engaged and planning to marry in six weeks so that terminally ill Joyce can attend the wedding, Ed is determined to make private enquiries to find out if Ryan, a decorated former Army officer and special policeman, is lying about who and what he is.

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Ed’s instincts tell him his daughter is in terrible danger, but no one else can see it, and the more he attempts to uncover Ryan’s secrets, the more he alienates Abbie and Claire who are both convinced that Ryan is The One. Ed has reasons of his own for wanting to keep his daughter safe, and secrets that may be affecting how he judges Ryan.

As he becomes increasingly obsessed with his future son-in-law, Ed’s own life begins to go into

A Shooting at Chateau Rock

Martin Walker

A CRIME web, which encompasses a Russian oligarch and stretches all the way to the Kremlin, shatters the peace of the police chief in a picture-perfect village tucked away in one of the most beautiful regions of France.

The considerable sleuthing talents of Lieutenant Bruno Courrèges are tested to the limit in the thirteenth book of Martin Walker’s enchanting, French-flavoured Dordogne series which stars an astute, epicurean detective with a taste for crime, food and vin rouge.

Lovers of clever mysteries, social and political history, stunning scenery, excellent cuisine, and the very best of French wines have enjoyed sharing time with the irrepressible Bruno in Walker’s exceptionally entertaining novels for over eleven years.

Walker is a prize-winning historian and journalist who spends most of his time in the Périgord region – the lush, gastronomic heartland of France – and has mastered the fine art of harnessing intriguing murder mysteries with paeans to his adopted country’s rich history, landscape and culture to serve up stories with an addictive brand of Gallic charm.

CAPTIVATING SERIES:
Martin Walker

At the heart of these witty, wonderful novels is the laidback Bruno, a bon viveur with a brain as discerning as his palate… a man who can crack crime in the fictional settlement of St Denis whilst cracking open a bottle of the best wine from Château Moulin-Caresse.

In his thirteenth mystery, Bruno gets a call from Gaston Driant, the distraught son of a local farmer, who fears his father was the victim of a scam. Gaston reveals that before his father’s sudden death from what was thought to be a heart attack, the old man had sold the farm and put all the money into an insurance policy which would have financed the rest of his days in a very expensive residential home.

It means that Gaston and his sister have effectively been disinherited… but Bruno is not sure if there has been foul play or if Gaston’s father was the victim of ‘some fancy legal footwork’ which could only be redressed by a lawsuit which the family could never afford.

But the canny police chief starts to dig deeper when he discovers that both the retirement home in a luxury chateau and the insurance company have links to Russian oligarch, Igor Ivanovich Stichkin, who is ‘as rich as Croesus’ and whose dealings are already being tracked by the French police.

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Meanwhile, changes are coming to St Denis. The village’s adopted and ageing British rock star, Rod Macrae, is getting divorced and selling his trendy home, Chateau Rock. As a farewell to all, Rod and his wife Meghan are organising a family reunion over the summer and their musician son Jamie returns with his new Russian girlfriend Galina.

Bruno pursues his inquiries into the farmer’s death and the stolen inheritance, and soon learns that Stichkin is Galina’s Ukrainian-born father whom Bruno is now investigating. Is this a coincidence too far?

As Bruno untangles a Gordian Knot of criminality reaching far beyond the vineyards of Périgord, he still has time to cook delicious meals for his friends and enjoy the life of his beloved Dordogne.

Summer on Seashell Island

Sophie Pembroke 

WAVES lapping gently against soft, yellow sand, puffy white clouds bobbing in a blue sky, seagulls calling, and a breeze whipping up the salty smell of the sea…

If your heart beats a little faster at the thought of a summer getaway, climb aboard the ferry and head to beautiful Seashell Island off the Welsh coast and enjoy a sunshine staycation full of family, friendship, love… and llamas!

Sophie Pembroke – the go-to author for lovers of quintessentially British romances ­– brings us a holiday to remember as three siblings, all at a crossroads in their lives, head to their island home for a reunion that will change the way they see the world.

With unexpected romances, rekindled relationships, hidden secrets, and difficult decisions ahead, this sparkling tale is a journey of self-discovery and a time for letting go of the past and looking forward to new beginnings.

Miranda Waters has no regrets that she has lived all of her thirty-five years on Seashell Island, a small tourism-centred enclave off the coast of Wales where she helps to run a holiday cottage business owned by the parents of her live-in fiancé Paul.

SPARKLING TALE: Sophie Pembroke

And who wouldn’t want to live in this perfect place, particularly in July when the sun is shining and the summer holiday season is about to begin? This year, Miranda is juggling her job with looking after her own parents’ Lighthouse B&B as they enjoy the holiday of a lifetime in Australia.

But while Miranda has always loved island life, her younger siblings, brother Leo and sister Juliet, escaped to London as soon as they were old enough. Leo now runs his own successful business but got divorced three years ago, making him a part-time parent to his two young daughters, and Juliet, who felt ‘stifled’ on Seashell, is assistant to a high-flying PR company boss.

So the last thing Miranda expects is her brother and sister showing up at the door of the Lighthouse, seeking sanctuary. Workaholic Leo’s ex-wife has remarried and is heading off on an extended honeymoon leaving him with daughters Mia and Abby, and he needs someone to look after them while he takes care of business matters.

Juliet, the ‘baby’ of the family who has been wringing every drop of excitement from living in London and doing everything she ever wanted, regardless of the consequences, needs refuge from a broken romance and a lifestyle that has finally caught up with her.

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Facing a whole summer in each other’s company – and Miranda suddenly forced to tackle personal problems of her own and a crisis for both the B&B and Seashell Island – the next six

Tsarina

Ellen Alpsten

THERE are few who have not heard tales of Catherine the Great of Russia, a central figure of the Enlightenment, and the dangerously unstable Alexandra, wife of the last doomed Tsar, Nicholas II… but there was another, earlier tsarina whose story is just as remarkable.

The illegitimate daughter of a peasant family in a backwater Baltic village, Marta Skowrońska was a serf who rose to become Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, and the reformer empress who turned the traditionalist Tsardom of Russia into a modern Western empire.

Drawing on real people and events, and the few sketchy details that exist of Marta’s early years, debut novelist Ellen Alpsten – who first dreamt of writing Marta’s story when she was only thirteen –  employs her heart, soul, imagination, and a wealth of painstaking research to bring to spectacular life one of history’s forgotten but most powerful women.

And what a big, intoxicating and enthralling adventure it is as we travel through fascinating timelines of 18^th century European history, get up close and (very!) personal with a cast of larger-than-life characters – each portrayed with pinpoint precision – and sweep across the vast landscapes of imperial Russia.

SUMPTUOUS NOVEL: Ellen Alpsten

Born to an unmarried mother in a shabby hut in a village in the vast plains of Swedish Livonia, one of the Baltic territories under the rule of Stockholm, young Marta Skowrońska’s chances of success in life are extremely low.

Marta’s mother dies in childbirth and she grows up with the family of her father and his wife but at the age of fifteen, after another harsh winter, the strikingly beautiful girl is sold as a maidservant to a merchant from the town of Walk.

But Vassily Petrov is a violent brute who tortures his servants and Marta only survives death herself by committing a crime that forces her to go on the run to Marienburg where she finds sanctuary with a kind pastor and his family. A world away, Russia’s young ruler, Tsar Peter I, is passionate and iron-willed with a love for all things Western and has an ambition to be a leading political player and transform the tradition-bound Tsardom of Russia into a modern global power.

As he sets out to expand his empire, countless lives are lost in the process and many fall prey to his Great Northern War. And when his army lays siege to Marienburg, Marta is rescued from a group of marauding Russian soldiers by their Field Marshall Boris Sheremetev.

The seasoned officer takes a shine to the feisty young Marta and finds her work in the battle camp but she catches the eye of another man, the powerful Alexander Menshikov, who is the oldest and most loyal friend of the tsar.

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And it’s one night at a raucous celebration that she encounters the towering seven-feet-tall Tsar Peter who – secretly vulnerable and needy – falls under the spell of the compassionate, forthright girl with green eyes and hair ‘as black as a raven’s wing.’

Relying on her wits and her formidable courage, and fuelled by ambition, desire and the sheer will to live, Marta will become his tsarina, the mother of twelve children, and, eventually, Catherine I of Russia.  

But her rise to the top is paved with danger in a court full of Russians… those strange, anomalous people ‘forever caught between a zest for life and seeking penance for their sins;

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Island hopping, time travel and a gymnastics golden girl

Travel to some of the world’s most magical islands, join two boys on an adventure in Ancient Greece, discover the amazing story of gymnast Simone Biles, and hoist the mainsail with a ship full of pirates with a sunshine collection of summer children’s books

Age 7 plus:

Amazing Islands: 100+ Places That 
Will Boggle Your Mind

Sabrina Weiss and Kerry Hyndman

IF you fancy a bit of island hopping, open the pages of this brilliant book and discover over one hundred of our planet’s most magical islands!

Amazing Islands: 100+ Places That Will Boggle Your Mind comes from What on Earth Publishing which specialises in the art of telling stories through timelines. And for every question their informative books answer, they spark another one, helping to encourage young readers into a lifelong love of enquiring and discovering.

This intriguing, colourful, fact-filled book is the first in a new Our Amazing World series and is an entertaining celebration of island diversity, wildlife, history, treasures and cultures, with volcanoes, rainforests, Komodo dragons, prison colonies and more.

Written by Sabrina Weiss and illustrated by Kerry Hyndman, winner of the 2017 Blue Peter Book Award, Amazing Islands is a whirlwind tour of some of the smallest land masses in the world. From islands that have been taken over by animals, to disappearing islands, islands made of shells, artificial islands and even islands that were once prison colonies, this book takes you on a breathtaking tour.

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Discover the Galapagos islands, home of giant tortoises, penguins and boobies of all colours. Or visit Jiangxin Park in China, a natural island with an awe-inspiring, giant bookshop. Islands can be home to giant cities, colonies of cats and crabs, they have been hideouts for pirates, and they have given rise to astonishing scientific discoveries.

The book contains lots of new science, history and geopolitics. Seven hundred million people (a tenth of the world’s population) live on islands so they are important in our human history and as far as the environment is concerned, islands are susceptible to increasing threats due to environmental issues.

Also included is a world map, which plots all the islands found in the book, plus fold-out flaps with engaging lists of island facts, including the top ten biggest and ten smallest inhabited islands in the world. The perfect book to put island life in focus…

(What on Earth Books, hardback, £14.99)

Age 8 plus:

The Time Travel Diaries: Adventure in Athens

Caroline Lawrence

IF a holiday abroad seems a distant dream this year, join two young adventurers on a fantastic, fast-moving adventure in Ancient Greece. Adventure in Athens is the second book in Caroline Lawrence’s gripping new time-travel series which began with two boys on a perilous mission to Ancient Rome and now sees them tackling powerful forces during the Golden Age of Athens.

Alex Papas and his Romanian best friend Dinu vowed never to time-travel again after scary experiences in Ancient Rome… but now it’s summer and Alex, who is part Greek, and Dinu have been offered a luxury summer holiday in Athens, home to the greatest minds of the past. After a rooftop banquet the evening they arrive, everyone gets food poisoning and is told not to eat for 48 hours.

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When Alex and Dinu feel better, they decide to stretch their legs. But the moment they step out of the hotel, a limo pulls up with their dangerous billionaire mentor Solomon Daisy who now has a new mission for them. He wants them to go back to the Athens in 415BC… to a time when Socrates was alive and when Athens was at peace with Sparta. Just as well they have both been intensively learning ancient Greek!

Lawrence is a master of children’s detective stories, and this enthralling series – full of fun, action, mystery and real history – is guaranteed to keep youngsters both entertained and informed as they follow two intrepid boys on their daring adventures in the past. Rich in detail and with danger at every turn, this is ideal reading for middle-graders.

(Piccadilly Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus:

Trailblazers: Simone Biles: Golden Girl of Gymnastics

Sally J.Morgan

Illustrated by Luisa Uribe and Emma Trithart

IN 2016, a remarkable young gymnast won four gold medals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics… and stole the hearts of audiences across the world. Discover the amazing story of the talented Simone Biles, a superstar athlete and world champion who literally leapt into the spotlight in Brazil four years ago with gymnastic performances that broke records, and turned the diminutive American girl into one of history’s greatest trailblazers.

Written by American author Sally Morgan has penned more than twenty books for children on subjects including history, science and emojis, Trailblazers: Simone Biles is the new title in Stripes Publishing’s fun and factual biography series inspired by the lives of pioneers past and present. Packed with little-known trivia, fascinating facts and lively illustrations, these books celebrate the lives of forerunners in every sphere, from science and sport and business to activism, politics and the arts.

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So how did Simone Biles become a superstar athlete, gold medallist and most decorated gymnast of all time? On a day trip to the local sports centre, Simone discovered her natural talent for gymnastics. She signed up for regular training sessions and was soon performing incredible routines at competitions. Despite a challenging start in life in Columbus, Ohio, Simone was adopted by her grandfather in Texas and toughed it out during long hours of training at the gym. She went on to become one of the world’s greatest athletes and the winner of four Olympic gold medals.

With a gallery of interactive illustrations and a compelling text full of facts, real history, technical information on gymnastics, and the achievements of one remarkable woman, this is the perfect book to make learning both fascinating and inspirational.

(Little Tiger, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus:

Flyntlock Bones: The Sceptre of the Pharaohs

Derek Keilty and Mark Elvins

AHOY, me hearties… get ready to hoist the mainsail and join a ship full of pirates charting a course to danger and mayhem! Youngsters will adore this super, swashbuckling comedy adventure from the top team of author Derek Keilty and illustrator Mark Elvins who are setting sail with the first riotous instalment of a seafaring trilogy.

Starring a gallery of wonderfully anarchic characters, a vividly imagined world of raucous pirates, and two budding young investigators determined to solve every mystery that comes their way, this is a glorious mix of detective work, danger, slapstick fun and outstanding illustrations.

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So welcome to the Black Hound… a ship full of the cleverest pirate investigators you ever set eyes upon! When Flynn applies for the job of ship’s cabin boy, he doesn’t expect the Black Hound to be a pirate ship, but soon he’s setting sail for the Seven Seas on a tricky quest to recover ancient treasure bound by a magical curse. But first he needs to get to know Captain John Hamish Watkins and his crew… Briggs the quartermaster, Fishbreath the cook, Master Hudson the ship’s Bosun, the riggers Drudger, Snitch and Dedweard… oh and last but not least, Red, the girl rigger who becomes Flynn’s friend and ally on board this unruly ship.

Flynn’s first case is a summons for help from Miss Kristina Wrinkly, curator of the Gypshun museum. There’s been a break-in and priceless ancient artefacts have been stolen, including the irreplaceable sceptre of the Pharaohs. Can he crack the curse and save the day?

Expect thrills, mystery, lots of pirate talk and madcap adventures as this exciting new writing and illustration team hit the high seas with waves of laughter, a deck full of comedy characters, and gallons of salty giggles! 

(Scallywag Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus:

The Fabulous Cakes of Zinnia Jakes: The Crumbling Castle

Brenda Gurr and Nancy Leschnikoff

WHO likes cakes? If you want to get your teeth into a tasty adventure, then meet the incomparable Zinnia Jakes, the nine-year-old girl who doubles as a secret pastry chef. Zinnia Jakes and her fabulous cakes take starring roles in a fabulous foodie series from author Brenda Gurr, who spent her early childhood on a dairy farm in Western Australia, and illustrator Nancy Leschnikoff.

These perfectly baked books feature delicious heroine Zoe Jones, alias Zinnia Jakes, who secretly makes the tastiest and most wonderful cakes. Together with her magical cat, Coco, her best friend Addie and her aunty Jam, they get into incredible adventures.

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When Zinnia gets a new pastry order for a special medieval crumbling cake, she has no idea where to start. Finding the right recipe isn’t easy and it needs to be ready in less than a day for the school fair. The clock is ticking… will she deliver it on time and remain the undercover secret pastry chef everyone talks about?

With a mouthwatering recipe for medieval gingerbread to try at home, a mystery to solve, and lots of fun to enjoy, this quirky adventure is ideal for confident young readers who are eager to get a slice of the action!

(New Frontier Publishing, paperback, £5.99)

Age 7 plus:

Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape and Sage Cookson’s Snow Day

Sally Murphy

AND if your tummy is still rumbling, dig into to another food-themed series from the book boffins at Australia-based New Frontier Publishing which has gone from strength to strength since launching its UK list in 2017.

Their motto is ‘to inspire, educate and uplift children’ and there is certainly plenty of food for thought in the new, easy-to-read Sage Cookson series, written by Sally Murphy and illustrated by Celeste Hulme.

Sage Cookson is a ten-year-old with a very unusual lifestyle. Her parents are television chefs with, unsurprisingly, a passion for food. They spend a lot of their time travelling Australia and afar, sampling the food, learning new cooking techniques and then sharing their new knowledge with their massive television audience. For Sage, this means embarking on exciting travels with her parents and getting a taste of the world.

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In Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape, the first book in the series, Sage and her parents visit a chocolatier to film a segment for their TV show. But things go drastically wrong when the competitive spirit gets the better of the chocolatier!

And in the second book, Sage Cookson’s Snow Day, Sage and her family are heading off to the snow, and she has promised that she will stay out of danger. But when her friend Kyle goes missing, it looks like adventure has come to find her once again!

With a super recipe included in each book, quirky, all-action stories about cooking, travel and adventure, and fascinating information on food, this is deal for seven-year-olds just getting to grips with chapter books, and a tasty treat for sharing with parents!

(New Frontier Publishing, paperback, £5.99)

Age 2 plus:

Where the Sea Meets the Sky

Peter Bently and Riko Sekiguchi

WHICH child hasn’t wondered what’s at the place where the sea meets the sky? Much-loved children’s author Peter Bently and award-winning debut artist Riko Sekiguchi aim to broaden the horizons of the youngest readers with this enchanting, rhyming picture book filled with colour, adventure and discovery.

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Sophie’s mum says that no one can reach the horizon, and no one should try. But Sophie reckons it doesn’t look that far! She sets off on an exciting journey, meeting all sorts of sea creatures on the way… walruses and whales, lobsters and starfish. But then Sophie meets someone a little more dangerous. Is there anybody who can rescue her?

This gorgeous story – packed with wonder, warmth, underwater adventures and Sekiguchi’s stunning palette of illustrations – will delight both children and parents as our brave little sea otter sets out on her quest to find the place where the sea meets the sky but finds that however far she travels, home is never far away. A picture perfect rhyming story!

(Hodder Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age one plus:

Hide and Seek Under the Sea

Rachel Elliot and Gareth Lucas

CHILDREN will love searching for the sea creatures behind the printed felt flaps in this bright and engaging board book.

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The playful sea creatures have swum away to hide. Where can they be? Find the seahorse behind the weeds, the octopus hiding inside the purple corals, the playful dolphin swimming behind the sailing boat flag and stripy orange clownfish playing under a sea anemone. There is so much to learn and discover in this colourful underwater world which lets little ones get hands on with nature.

(Little Tiger Press, board book, £7.99)

Rogue

James Swallow 

MODERN espionage has become a delicate balancing act in which one wrong move could end in turmoil or war… and no one knows that better than ex-MI6 agent Marc Dane.

Dane has fought off threats from ruthless enemies in all corners of the world, but has he finally met his match on his most perilous mission yet? The stakes are high as the price of failure could be the deaths of millions of innocent people.

Five books in and James Swallow’s fabulously fast and furious Marc Dane spy thriller series shows no sign of losing its breathtaking momentum. A BAFTA-nominated scriptwriter as well as a bestselling author, Swallow is an expert at pumping up the action and this gripping new chapter sees our lean, mean operative on a globetrotting journey into some of the darkest, most dangerous corners of the planet, stirring up some toxic secrets along the way.

From the blood-soaked opener in the dark underbelly of Oslo to the sunny olive groves of Portugal and onwards through Cyprus, France and Mozambique, Rogue is a thrill-a-minute race against time to find a rogue agent, and comes full of bone-crunching drama, brilliant plotting, and superbly drawn characters.

 BRILLIANT PLOTTING: James Swallow

After his career working for Queen and country with MI6 was cut short, Marc Dane has been employed as an operative in the Special Conditions Division of the pan-global Rubicon group, a privately owned outfit fighting terror threats and organised cruelty, and doing what they can to hold back ‘some of the darkness’ that lies forever on the horizon.

Dane has had a catalogue of ‘near-hits and lucky breaks,’ but he has dedicated his life to protecting others and remains loyal to his inscrutable millionaire boss, Ekko Solomon, who founded the company from humble beginnings in strife-torn East Africa.

But his line of work also means he has collected enemies, and a lot of them, but so far he has got the better of them, and that is thanks in no small part to his highly-trained sniper sidekick Lucy Keyes, ex-US Army and, as a ‘sardonic New Yorker,’ the perfect partner for the ‘impulsive Londoner.’ Lucy is only recently ‘back from the dead’ after being poisoned by a biological virus, and now they are under orders to track down a figure from Dane’s past… a renegade agent who is part of a deadly conspiracy to destroy Rubicon and with it, the world order.

With the clock ticking, Dane and Lucy Keyes must unpick the monstrous plot which stretches from the marinas of Monaco to the mountains of Mozambique, and time is fast running out.

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Swallow is a grand master of spy fiction and his smart, classy, high-octane Marc Dane series, which has included Nomad, Exile, Ghost and Shadow, is now top of the must-read list for discerning espionage and action fans. With a face from Dane’s personal and professional past adding a troubling note to the new mission for the ex-MI6 man and his tough, sharp-shooting partner, Lucy Keyes, the dynamic duo embark on a complex trail that weaves through mystery, intrigue and the kind of danger that might make even the intrepid James Bond feel a shiver of fear.

These are adventures tingling with menace and suspense, and what makes them so addictive and exhilarating is not just the visually stunning action sequences but the sheer exuberance and energy of Swallow’s storytelling and a vibrant cast of characters from all sides of the criminal spectrum.

And fear not if you have so far missed the Marc Dane experience… climbing aboard for the thrill ride is a joy when each book can be read as a standalone. But, like all top-class series, a return journey to the beginning means you pick up all the threads and miss none of the fun.

(Zaffre, hardback, £12.99)

The Devil You Know

Emma Kavanagh

THRILLER fans know that the best crime fiction comes from the sharpest minds…

A former police and military psychologist, Welsh-born Emma Kavanagh has taught police officers and NATO personnel about the psychology of extreme situations, and now she is using her knowledge and experience to pen heart-stopping murder mysteries.

This is an author who looks deep into the complexities of a murderer’s mind… she knows how they think, their obsessions, what makes them tick, and what makes them kill, and it’s this talent that has made her mind game thrillers so exciting and startlingly authentic.

But Kavanagh also displays her mastery of the science of fear, the corrosive fall-out from paranoia, and the sheer power of atmospheric storytelling as she brings us the second book in a loose trilogy which began with To Catch a Killer and follows the trail of a terrifying but elusive killer.

MIND GAMES: Emma Kavanagh

Brimming with menace and stunning plot twists, The Devil You Know is a page-turning, fast-paced thriller which moves from the home of a young psychology student in Madison, Wisconsin, to a small Canadian town where dark secrets from her past are just waiting to be resurrected.

Rosa Fisher has always been the smart girl, the good girl, ‘the baby’ of her family. She was the first one to go to university and at twenty-five and midway through a PhD in the psychology of fraud, she is enjoying studying a topic that has always fascinated her… ‘bad guys.’

Rosa’s siblings have both flown the nest and now she lives with her needy, widowed mother whose warm embrace has started to feel more like ‘a stranglehold.’ Even so, she thinks she has herself and her life all worked out until a terrifying night when her mother is in hospital, she is all alone, the house is dark, and she hears an intruder on the stairs.

Injured during the events of that night, Rosa ends up in hospital where a blood test reveals that she isn’t who she thought she was and, intuitively, she knows immediately that everything has suddenly gone from ‘bad to catastrophically bad.’ But along with the discovery that she must have been adopted and that her life has been ‘an extended series of lies,’ Rosa also knows that the intruder wasn’t looking for Rosa Fisher, he was after someone else.

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Determined to find out who she really is, Rosa traces her origins back to a small Canadian town, to a fire in a barn and a devastating family tragedy. Forced to ask questions about herself, Rosa travels to Ontario to find answers but a killer called Jackson Wolf is on her trail… and he has her in his sights.

Kavanagh delivers a classic psychological mystery, woven through with chills, thrills and intrigue, and exploring the universal concepts of good versus bad and nature versus nurture. Apart from the fascinating mind play of the shadowy and utterly deadly Jackson Wolf, The Devil You Know also brings us the enigma that is Rosa… a complex and often contradictory victim of post-traumatic stress disorder trying to make sense both of her family history and the danger that is fast engulfing her.

Set against a landscape that itself becomes a character, this gripping, white-knuckle rollercoaster ride opens with a night of mystery, followed swiftly by a night of terror, and ends with a twist that will leave you gasping for the next riveting chapter.

(Orion, paperback, £8.99)