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Reading For Pleasure: Books We Love This Month

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in July 2023.

Eleven-year-old Ailsa Craig is always late! To everything – her own birth, school, and even her own house exploding! Although it is certainly better to be late for that than early…

But then one day, Ailsa discovers the secret of a lifetime: An extra hour in the day. The Magic Hour which exists in a fantastical, parallel Edinburgh, accessed at twilight. As she explores this extraordinary place where anything seems possible, Ailsa can’t believe her luck. Her grades improve and life seems to be on the up – even the popular kids start liking her.

But messing with time, can have desperate consequences. When Ailsa discovers that the extra time comes at a terrible cost, she must battle the sinister forces at work and save herself, her parents and the world.

What would you do with an extra hour in the day?

A funny, high-octane, race-against-time adventure that is perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, Amari and the Night Brothers, Pages & Co and Nevermoor.

Beautifully illustrated and brought to life by Alessia Trunfio.

From award-winning and celebrated creator of Spooks and Versailles, David Wolstencroft.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in June 2023.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in May 2023.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in April 2023.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in March 2023.

Chapter book

Everything so far, if Peijing had to sum it up, was a string of small awkward experiences that she hoped would end soon.

The night of the Mid-Autumn festival, making mooncakes with Ah-Ma, was the last time Peijing remembers her life being the same. Now facing a new home, a new school and a new language, everything is different. But Peijing hopes her new friend Joanna can show her the way.

Soon though, cracks start to appear in Peijing’s family. The grown-ups are no longer themselves and Biju needs her to be the dependable big sister. Peijing has no idea how she’s supposed to cope with the uncertainties of her own world while shouldering the burden of everyone else.

If her family are the four quarters of the mooncake, where does she even fit in?

A big-hearted, magical story about sisterhood and a family finding their way in a new place.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in February 2023.

Chapter book

Being BAD has never felt so GOOD! The first in a villainously funny, highly illustrated young middle-grade series from author-illustrator Ryan Hammond. For fans of Amelia Fang, Dog Man and Grimwood.

Welcome to Villains Academy – the most prestigious villain school in the ENTIRE land. You will either leave here as a fully-formed villain . . . or in tatters.

It’s werewolf Bram’s first day at Villains Academy. He really doesn’t feel like a villain at all, but the coveted Villain of the Week trophy is up for grabs, and Bram knows he’ll have to dig deep. With the help of new friends Mona the elf-witch, Bryan the lion, Shelia the ghost and Tony the skeleton, can Bram find his inner badness and become the villain he’s always dreamed of being?

Chapter book

Save the universe in the awesome and hilarious space-themed adventure series from bestselling authors Katie and Kevin Tsang!

Suzie Wen can’t believe her luck – she’s the newest crew member of the Spaceblasters! She gets to explore the galaxy on a spaceship and meet lots of aliens.

But when Suzie and her friends crash land on a mystery jungle planet, they face an infestation of moon bugs!

It’s up to Suzie and the crew to fix their spaceship, defeat an evil Queen AND save the universe!

Funny, accessible and highly illustrated stories, perfect for readers aged 6 and up and fans of Bunny vs Monkey, Grimwood, Kitty Quest – and space!

STEM themes woven throughout, including real mindbending space facts and pages from Suzie’s inventors’ notebook.

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Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

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