Cloud Boy by Greg Stobbs, Oxford, £7.99
Sights, sounds, smells – the world around Bobby is just too enticing, and he’s always floating off into the clouds. How can his friends keep his feet on the ground – or should they try to be more like him? A lively, empathetic picture book, which may provide particular insights for families managing ADHD.
Corrie Doon by Jackie Kay, illustrated by Jill Calder, Walker, £12.99
Little Shona’s parents sing her to sleep with traditional Scottish folk songs in this wild, imaginative picture book, filled with enduring tenderness and softly rambling dreams.
The Bicycle by Patricia McCormick and Mevan Babakar, illustrated by Yas Imamura, Farshore, £7.99
Generations of Mevan’s family live in Kurdistan, until the Iraqi government forces them to flee. As a refugee, Mevan feels rootless and desolate, but a stranger’s gift finally creates a sense of home and belonging in this absorbing, moving picture book, based on a true story.
Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim by Kobina Commeh, illustrated by Bárbara Quintino, Barefoot, £7.99
Kwesi is afraid of water, so Nana Ruby makes a deal – Nana will learn to swim too, with the help of Mami Water, a powerful west African legend. A bright, engaging, 5+ picture book about overcoming intergenerational fears.
The Gnome Book by Loes Riphagen, translated by Michele Hutchison, Pushkin, £12.99
What do gnomes eat? Where do they live? Readers of 5+ with a taste for miniature worlds will happily get lost in this intricate, colourful catalogue of gnome foods, pastimes, pets and homes.
Squirrel and Duck: Mission Improbable by Tom Percival, Bloomsbury, £7.99
Irritable Squirrel and jolly, sanguine Duck live together in an abandoned fibreglass tree – until their home is destroyed and they’re drawn into a saga of stolen paintings and helicopter heists in their quest for a new one. A hilarious, highly illustrated beginning to an addictive new 6+ series.
The Great Theatre Rescue by Judith Eagle, Faber, £7.99
Charley’s childhood has been spent behind the scenes at the Wren, a small but beloved West End theatre, but her dancing dreams are shattered when she’s sent to boarding school and the Wren is threatened with closure. Can she escape in time to save her home? A gutsy historical adventure for 8+, with compelling hints of Streatfeild and Aiken.
The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen, Oneworld, £7.99
The landscape of Mars makes survival a constant battle, as young scavenger Lunar Jones knows all too well – until he finds a legendary creature hidden underground, and discovers his extraordinary destiny: to bond with a dragon and save his dying planet. This instantly gripping take on the Chosen One trope fuses sci-fi and fantasy in a brilliant first instalment of a series for 9+, with a sympathetic, inspiring hero.
The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet by Claire Hatcher-Smith, illustrated by Lester McGoogan, Farshore, £7.99
Twelve-year-old Mizzy is a great detective, and when she uncovers an unsolved murder in her own family, nothing will stand in the way of her discovering whodunnit: not unconvinced cousins, disapproving parents or her own Down’s syndrome. Mizzy the Marvellous is on the case in this funny, tautly plotted and twisty 9+ debut with a unique and delightful heroine.
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World of Wanda by Karen McCombie, UCLan, £7.99
This poignant, comic, 11+ dual-perspective modern novel follows 12-year-old Wanda, who doesn’t go to school, but follows her mum from adventure to adventure, and Margot, who’s just discovered Wanda is her sister. With acute insights into neurodiversity, family challenges and becoming a teenager, it’s a lighthearted read that packs a subtle but sizeable punch.
Black Star by Kwame Alexander, Andersen, £14.99
In segregation-era Virgina, Charley is determined to become a professional baseball player, despite the obstacles facing a 12-year-old Black girl with such lofty dreams. But when she dares to play in a forbidden place, the terrible fallout threatens to destroy not just her family but her whole community. Following on from The Door of No Return (though it can also be read as a standalone), this superb 12+ verse novel demonstrates all Alexander’s characteristic power to move, shock and transport.
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours, Bloomsbury, £8.99
Sariyah knows what other people need before they know it themselves, so she’s worried when she senses a “need” from her friend Deja for pepper spray – a worry confirmed when Deja disappears. Though police and media downplay the vanishing of another Black teenager, Sariyah and her friends are determined to discover the truth. But is Sariyah’s gift a blessing or a curse? Memorable, fascinating and full of emotional complexity, this is an original, layered YA thriller.
This Feast of a Life by Cynthia So, Little Tiger, £8.99
On the verge of leaving home, 17-year-old Auden tries out a new name and a new food blog, sharing family recipes and a developing sense of their real self. Valerie, grieving for her mum, who loved to cook, has been unable to face the empty kitchen, until she stumbles across Auden’s blog. When they meet, Valerie and Auden are instantly drawn to each other, but can the two of them really add up to a recipe for happiness? Sumptuous, thoughtful and delicious, this nuanced second novel for 14+ deals tenderly with ideas of identity and attraction.