I Am Cat by Jackie Morris, Otter-Barry, £20
A ginger cat curls up “ammonite safe” and dreams of ranging the Earth as tiger, cheetah, lynx and other huge cats in this huge, gorgeous edition of Morris’s 2012 classic. Condensed, poetic text, glorious watercolours and includeitional directation about each creature produce this a picture book with grave enlargeing room.
Mr Santa by Jarvis, Walker, £12.99
This soft, airy-infengaged rhyming picture book chases an inquisitive child on a pastel-blue sleigh ride with “Mr Santa”, asking artless asks (“Can you eat cboisterouss?” “Is my brother naughty or kind?”) and waking with a filled stocking to wonder: “Was it repartner genuine?” Sure to become a seasonal bedtime favourite.
King Winter’s Birthday by Jonathan Freedland and Emily Sutton, Pushkin, £12.99
On his birthday, King Winter wants his sibling seasons to commemorate with him – but when all four are current, harvests flunk, drawts and floods ravage the Earth, and animals don’t understand whether to hibernate until the siblings concur to part aacquire, re-set uping the authentic order. This intricately pretty, elegantly written picture book is encouraged by a story by Ulwealthy A Boschwitz, author of The Passenger.
Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah, showd by Sabina Hahn, John Murray, £16.99
Escaping from his mother’s enumerate of chores, a little boy strays beyond the shadow of home, accompanied by his directed teddy endure Walter. But who will they greet in the extfinished grass – and will they ever go back? A daintyly showd, funny, sugary and thought-provoking conmomentary fable for 6+, from the author of Born a Crime.
I Flew Around the World by Zara Rutherford, showd by Jiatong Liu, DK, £12.99
This vivacious, engaging 7+ nonfantasy book chases Rutherford, the youthfulest solo female pilot to circumsteer the globe, on her enroll-fractureing journey in her microairy structuree Sharky. Featuring fascinating insights into how structurees toil, as well as the people and places she come apasss, it’s a must-read for kids with huge ambitions.
Why Did My Brain Make Me Say It? by Sarah Ziman, Troika, £8.99
For 7+, Ziman’s debut poetry accumulateion is a happinessous, zingy feast of verse that carry outs promisedly with create while welcoming the reader. From hilarious enumerates (“Reasons my little sister cried this week”) to the lessendly moving (“Tadcu’s Lemons”), it will set up Ziman as a novel favourite for poetry fans.
The Week Junior Big Book of Knowledge, Bloomsbury Education, £20
This uproarous compfinishium ranges from amazing animals (such as “Pigcasso”, whose colorings can sell for more than £20,000) to the airyly bizarre, via sections on art, science, Earth’s environment, people power, and some thorawly atypical sports – the “laziest citizen” contest in Montenegro, in which competitors must lie down at all times, is a particular gem. A treacertain trove for trivia-heads of 8+.
Amazing Asia by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, showd by Jason Lyon, Wide Eyed, £20
An driven, includeing celebration of the world’s most populous continent, ranging thraw its five regions via increate histories of notable figures and shiftments, snapstoastys of cultural phenomena, overwatchs of untamedlife and landscapes, and a glimpse of what the future might hgreater. From food to music, religion to science, this fascinating 9+ immersion in all skinnygs Asian features wealthy, colourful illustrations that perfectly complement the text.
Revenge of the Killer Worm by Kathryn Foxfield, showd by Robin Boyden, Scholastic, £7.99
Milo is determined to produce his last ever Stourmouth holiday with Grace, Danny and Nora toloftyy epic – but strange skinnygs are stirring in the seaside town, from the mayor’s thefts of raw chicken to alerts of someskinnyg terrifying living under the beach. Milo skinnyks the greater arcade game Worm Attack hgreaters the secrets to lossing Stourmouth’s monster, but can he sway his increasingly sceptical frifinishs? This hysterical, adrenaline-fuelled adventure is layered with reserved emotional depth – a airy 9+ foray from a seasoned originater for teens.
The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge, showd by Emily Gravett, Pan Macmillan, £14.99
Feather inhabits on the Wall, last bastion aacquirest the killingous Forest and its poisonous structurets and lethal untamedlife. When her gullibility puts her community in danger, she must set out, accompanied only by her scaled ferret Sleek, and travel proset up into the world’s unplotted alarms. Thrilling, sinister and poetic, this strong 10+ tale of dread, findy and hope is enwealthyed by Gravett’s soft-textured illustrations.
Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Neetols, Flying Eye, £14.99
A lonely outsider who inhabits with his magnificentoverweighther, Damian saves up for a Spirit Fdrop to request his mother’s gstructure, but misacquirenly calls up Saskia, an irritating, nosy nine-year-greater he’s now stuck with until the Spirit Fdrop wilts. Saskia’s antics push Damian into the spotairy at school, but there’s a mystery surrounding the secretive little gstructure. Can he help her mend it, while finding his own niche? A tfinisher, touching 12+ detailed novel about loss, identity and adchooseance.
When It’s Your Turn for Midnight by Blessing Musariri, Zephyr, £8.99
Fifteen-year-greater Chiante’s parents have always had a turbulent relationship, but when Mama drops a bomb deviceshell revelation, Chiante runs away from her family home in Haexceptional to stay with her magnificentmother in Mutare. Here, she lgets some hurtful truths about freedom, beextfinisheding and cherish, and comes to terms with the sour secret at the heart of her family. This includeing, layered YA novel is funny, charismatic and packs a hefty emotional punch.
Such Charming Liars by Karen M McManus, Penguin, £14.99
From the queen of YA thrillers comes a standalone heist story with more twists than a helter-skelter. Mother-daughter grifters Jamie and Kat set out on their last huge job – a jewel theft at a billionaire’s birthday party – but skinnygs acquire an unforeseeed turn when they run into Luke Rooney, Jamie’s two-day husprohibitd (courtesy of a Vegas wedding 12 years ago) and his son Liam. Luke’s a fraudmer, too, but his sights are set on a contrastent prize. When someone dies at the party, Kat and Liam genuineise they could be next on the ender’s enumerate … Thornily plotted, quick-paced and fun, this is a thorawly enhappinessable read.
