Hello Bunny! by Sharon King-Chai, Two Hoots, £8.99
An entrancingly bold, shiny board book, full of bright creatures, joyous greetings, and a baby-pleasing mirror at the end.
Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron, Puffin, £7.99
Featuring a catalogue of sleepy monsters from cyborg to yeti, winding down alongside the cute little blob of the title, this rhyming bedtime picture book is a witty, tender mix of the adorable and the appalling.
Jenny Peckles Lays Eggs With Speckles by Rachel Emily and Paul Delaney, Farshore, £7.99
Only hens with rhyming eggs are allowed in this picture book – but are they all telling the truth? A glorious riot of eggstravagant claims and subverted expectations, in the vein of Hairy Maclary.
Dadbot by Jack Noel, Piccadilly, £8.99
At a car boot sale, Josh and Daisy buy a broken robot – but when Dadbot starts up, his butt-based printer and limitless hot chocolate come with a side order of vengeful evil inventor. Ideal for Dog Man fans, this sweet, silly, pun-crammed 6+ graphic novel is rich in satirical observation.
Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion by Abiola Bello, illustrated by Emma McCann, Simon & Schuster, £6.99
Twins Misha and Ziggy have secret powers – Misha can talk to animals, Ziggy can turn into them – so they’re thrilled when their wildlife presenter dad sets out to film the legendary Ethiopian black lion. When the lion goes missing, though, the twins must save him from poachers in this lively story, first in a new series of 5+ wildlife adventures.
Solving Crimes is NOT My Super Power by Nathanael Lessore, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh, Little Tiger, £7.99
Whether it’s controlling electricity or farting in colours, everyone in Walsham has a superpower, except late bloomer Sara. But when the school football trophy is stolen and the town’s powers are endangered, it’s Sara and her friends who must save the day in this engagingly daft, highly illustrated 7+ story.
Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer by Lucy Edwards and Katy Birchall, Scholastic, £7.99
Manipulated by an ambitious villain, the Celtic god Lugh has stolen the sun, plunging the world into darkness. Now it’s up to Ella Jones, who lost her vision two years ago, and her guide dog Maisie to lead her sister and best friend on a desperate quest to restore the light. A thrilling 8+ adventure with a gutsy, determined protagonist.
Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton, Bloomsbury, £14.99
Bo and Billy both live by the Thames, becoming friends when Bo finds a jewelled moon in the river – half of a treasure with the power to return a lost soul. Now dangerous people want what they’ve found, and Bo herself faces a desperate choice, in this hauntingly beautiful 9+ historical fantasy by the author of The Miniaturist.
After by Pádraig Kenny, Walker, £7.99
A cataclysm has destroyed all technology, killing everyone connected to the central information system; now Jen and Father search their deserted world for survivors. Father, however, is not human, but an AI glitch – a secret they must keep to ensure their safety. When they are welcomed into a new community, Jen is tempted to reveal Father’s true nature, but another dark secret lies at the community’s heart. This thought-provoking, elegantly condensed dystopian novel for 9+ addresses ethics, innovation and what it means to be human.
Deep Dark – A Cassia Thorne Mystery by Zohra Nabi, Simon & Schuster, £7.99
By day Cassia Thorne sells ballads in Clerkenwell; at night she returns to the Fleet prison, where she lives with her debt-laden father. But Cassia’s plans for a better life are disrupted when she hears rumours of disappearing children, and is drawn into a terrifying conspiracy of blue-coated men who feed a beast trapped under London. Meticulously researched and sparklingly written, with an irresistible heroine, this superb 9+ fantasy takes a searching look at the history of London’s wealth.
The Beck by Anthony McGowan, Barrington Stoke, £7.99
Kyle is annoyed to be dumped on his eccentric grandfather, but when Grandad introduces him to the teeming beck at the bottom of his garden, Kyle and Karthi, Grandad’s neighbour, become determined to protect the stream against developers. When Grandad falls ill, can Kyle carry out his brilliant, devious plan? A funny, poignant, heartfelt and hopeful 11+ story, from a Carnegie-winning author and a dyslexia-friendly press.
The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton, Faber, £8.99
Nora’s mother is the heiress of the Holtzfall family, the clan who control Walstead’s money and magic. When her mother is murdered, however, Nora is thrown into the Veritaz, a gruelling series of magical trials to determine her successor. Competing against her cousins, including Lotte, the Holtzfall no one knew existed, Nora must fight for her standing while searching for her mother’s killer … Rich, fabulous and intricate, this addictive YA fantasy is the first in a new trilogy.
Vanishing Edge by Zillah Bethell, Firefly, £8.99
Port Talbot teens Charlie and Apricot are wildly dissimilar best friends. Risk-taking Apricot throws parties in empty houses; Charlie cares for her disabled mother and cleans up after everyone, including Apricot. But when a black Jag appears in town, the driver looking for Apricot’s mother, the result will be a bigger mess than Charlie has ever tackled – and a seismic change for both. Harrowing, poetic, hilarious and tragic, this is a strikingly memorable contemporary YA novel.
They Bloom at Night by Trang Tranh Tran, Bloomsbury, £8.99
Mercy, Louisiana was drowned when a hurricane struck; then red mutation-causing algae bloomed in its wake. Even before that the town had its monsters, as teenage Noon knows all too well. But Noon’s grieving mother won’t let them leave, and now a powerful gangster is forcing them to hunt the creature drowning Mercy’s last few residents. Meanwhile, Noon feels less and less at home in her own skin. Atmospheric, powerful and layered with Vietnamese folklore, this unsettling speculative novel is a queer YA horror with a difference.
