Confident readers
Goblins vs Dwarves by Philip Reeve
Goblins are the bad guys, right? Everybody knows that. They're just like orcs and trolls: ugly, smelly, and evil through and through, with no interest in life but eating anything that moves and having a good punch up now and again (preferably both at the same time). But what if they weren't all like that? What if one of them turned out to be a tad brighter than his greedy, thieving, brawling brothers? Full review...
My Best Friend And Other Enemies by Catherine Wilkins
Jessica and Natalie have been best friends for ages. But in the last year of primary school, when new girl Amelia moves to their school, she starts to come between them, forming a secret society with Natalie - and not letting Jessica join. Can Jessica repair her friendship with Natalie, or find some new friends? Armed with only her ability to draw great cartoons, she sets out to find out. Full review...
Grown-ups Can't be Friends with Dragons by Antony Wootten
Brian finds home a bit of a trial these days. Since Mum went, Dad seem to have spent as much time as he could down at the pub. Big sister Emily does her best to keep them all fed and the washing done, but she's not that old herself and her only support is her boyfriend Mark. School's not going too well for Brian either. Whatever he does he seems to land in trouble, even when he doesn't mean to and his teacher sometimes despairs of him. What that boy needs is a good listening to. Brian does have a secret though - his cave. Full review...
Three Pickled Herrings (Wings and Co 2) by Sally Gardner
Emily Vole and the rest of the team at Wings and Co Fairy Detective Agency are worried. They have been open for five months and have not had a single case to solve. Then Sir Walter Cross dies in strange circumstances; shooting into the sky in a cloud of purple smoke before falling to his death. Shortly afterwards they receive more tales of bad luck and disaster from Mr. Rollo the tailor and the Smith family who have been preparing for their daughter Pandora’s wedding. Suddenly Emily, the Fairy Detectives and of course, the remarkable talking cat, Fidget, find themselves with not one but three cases to solve. Are Wings and Co. up to the task? Of course they are! Full review...
Binny for Short by Hilary McKay
It can be quite risky to start a book with what is almost the final scene, especially for younger readers. Prize-winning author Hilary McKay, however, writes with such a sure hand that by the time the end comes round for the second time everything has dovetailed beautifully and is yet, somehow, full of surprises. In fact, it is a sure bet that many readers will want to immediately return to the beginning and read the book again, just to see how she does it. Full review...
Curse of Kings (The Trials of Oland Born, Book 1) by Alex Barclay
In a land tormented by the screams of 999 souls, victims of dreadful experiments which have taken place since the despicable coward Villius Ren betrayed a king and seized power for himself, a young boy is about to become a hero. Servant to Ren and the rest of the Craven Lodge, 14-year-old Oland Born takes a stand and is forced to flee the castle after reading a mysterious letter addressed to him, but written by a king who died before he was even born. Trying to find out more about his background and how to save the kingdom from the Lodge, Oland sets out on a quest. Full review...
Tarzan: The Savage Lands by Andy Briggs
Lord Greystoke is looking for his cousin Tarzan – but while he claims he merely wants to be reunited with his long-lost relation, Robbie and Jane are suspicious of his true motives. Can they find their friend to warn him before the nobleman reaches him, and just why is Lord Greystoke so keen to brave the wilds of Africa? Full review...
The Hanged Man Rises by Sarah Naughton
The Wigman is at large, murdering children. You'd think this would be the first concern for Titus Adams, as he's only fifteen, his parents are incorrigible drunks and he has a young sister, Hannah, to look out for. But in London in the late 1800s, there are more pressing concerns than serial killers on the loose. Like how to pay the rent. Like where the next meal is coming from. Like staying out of the workhouse. Like keeping your sister on the right side of the law. Thankfully, Titus has a friend in Inspector Pilsbury. He doesn't arrest Hannah when she's caught with pickpockets. He feeds her and keeps her safe at the station until Titus comes to collect her. Full review...
Back to Blackbrick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald
Cosmo thought he had enough problems, with his absent mother, ridiculous name, and status as 'loser kid' at school. But his Grandfather isn't the man he used to be - the man that Cosmo idolised. Sometimes, he can't remember what day it is, or where certain things go in the kitchen. And then other times, he can't remember who Cosmo is, or that Brian, Cosmo's brother, died. Cosmo does all he can to help him, but post-its on the cupboards and omega-3 oils aren't enough to keep doctors from coming to assess Grandfather and deciding he needs to be taken into full time care. Full review...
Sorrowline by Niel Bushnell
Jack's mother was killed when he was a young boy and now, just before his thirteenth birthday, he learns that his father is leaving him too — for a spell in prison. And then things get seriously weird, because his long-dead grandfather appears to warn him that his life in in danger. The old man is closely followed by a bunch of murderous creatures called the Dustmen, and in order to escape them Jack is forced to flee back to 1940, using a sorrowline. Full review...
Angel Creek by Sally Rippin
It is Christmas Eve and Jelly's family are gathered together to celebrate. It should have been a perfect night but for Jelly it is not because her family have recently moved to the other side of the city, far from all her friends, just as she is about to start at senior school. She is feeling so alone and miserable that nothing will brighten her mood and to avoid the festivities Jelly and her two cousins slip away in the darkness to the nearby creek. Full review...
House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini
The Walker family used to have a big house in San Francisco, but after their father lost his job in mysterious circumstances, they were forced to move into the spooky Kristoff House, a strange place once occupied by a disturbed fantasy author. Soon after they move in, they realise that their arrival has set terrible events in motion, and children Cordelia, Brendan and Eleanor are forced to try and rescue their parents from a terrible fate. Full review...
About Zooming Time, Opal Moonbaby! by Maudie Smith
Martha feels lonely without her Best and Only Friend, Opal Moonbaby. That's obviously a rather unusual name but it's not the only thing about Opal which is unusual. She's an alien from Carnelia and she originally came to earth as part of a challenge. She had to make a human friend and despite the fact that Martha was determined that she would never have another friend, the relationship somehow worked. When we last saw her she was on her way back to Carnelia and Uncle Bixie. Martha was heartbroken to see her go - and I'll confess to being just a little bit upset myself. But don't worry - she's back! Full review...
Monstrous Maud: Scary Show by A B Saddlewick
If you have a series of books set in a school, all to feature a different aspect of school life, you are duty bound it seems to feature a talent contest for the pupils. This series is no different, although of course the school is. It's where Maud goes, and she's the only human. So her fellow pupils can do formation vampire bat flying, or a wicked spell casting, and even the invisible girl will join in, showing off her gymnastics. What hope the poor human girl Maud, who has pretended to be an evil nasty 'Tutu' all year just to try and fit in? Full review...
A Horse For Angel by Sarah Lean
Eleven year old Nell feels as though her life is a list of pointless activities that she didn't choose and that she doesn't enjoy; the drama club, the maths tutor, the swimming lessons and the endless waiting for her busy, single mum between them all. Nell is looking forward to spending two restful weeks with her Grandma over the Easter holiday but at the last minute she discovers that she is to stay with relations that she doesn't know. Nell has a secret and when she travels to her Aunt's home she takes a suitcase containing her secret with her and on the first day of her stay she has a chance encounter with a local girl, Angel, who has secrets of her own. Despite the initial hostility between the two girls they gradually realise that they must learn to trust each other if they are to care for the things they love. Full review...
Monstrous Maud: Horror Holiday by A B Saddlewick
And you think you have it tough… Maud is the only human at a school entirely populated by monsters – vampires, zombies, invisible people and so on. So just put yourself in her shoes when it's parents' evening, trying to divert her family from realising the truth about everyone and everything around them. Worse than that, try and put yourself in her shoes when it's revealed that she has to get an impossibly high score on an essay to not be kept back a year and lose contact with all her best friends. Worse than that, empathise with Maud as her folks meet another pupil's family at the parents' evening, and they therefore agree to go on holiday with a family of werewolves… at full moon… Full review...
The Queen at War (Chronicles of the Tempus) by K A S Quinn
Katie Berger-Jones-Burg is puzzled. Living with her former pop-star mother in a New York apartment she is having strange visions. It seems she has forgotten all about her previous time travelling adventures (in The Queen Must Die) although someone appears to be trying to send her some clues to prompt her memory. Her friends from Victorian England, Princess Alice and James, are facing difficulties of their own, with a very sick friend and also the threat of war. They need Katie's help, but how can they get her to travel back in time to them? Full review...
The Revenge of the Ballybogs by Siobhan Rowden
Not much has changed in Barnaby's world since the first book in this series. His grandmother is still smelly, burpy, purple and a pickler on an industrial scale. Barnaby is at last working alongside her as opposed to hating her, but not everything is running completely smoothly, and Barnaby still doesn't know everything there is to know about his heritage – either the pickle factory he is supposed to inherit, or the bogle blood his unusual background has left him with. These short, dirty, hairy, stinking critters live in a world of their own underneath an unusual nearby bog – when they're not invading people's homes and causing mischief. Once again, however much Barnaby is reluctant to, he is forced to enter their world in an effort to solve a major calamity in his family, but this time without the help of his mother – for someone or something has kidnapped her… Full review...
How To Scare The Pants Off Your Pets (Ghost Buddy) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Billy is the only person who can see the ghost of Hoover Porterhouse the Third that he shares a bedroom with. While nobody else knows about the phantom's existence, Billy certainly knows about his character – his arrant braggadocio and the many self-serving rules he demands he lives his afterlife by. The problem is that that same lack of respect and responsibility is what is keeping Hoover in Billy's life and not moving on, and his attitude is so bad he's been grounded by the Higher-Ups in charge of such things. Billy's not one to live with an annoyance like that, though, and decides to prove the Hoove can be responsible – and caring for a pet should be the obvious proof with which to start… Full review...
Little Manfred by Michael Morpurgo
In The Imperial War Museum, a little wooden dog stands in a glass display case. He was donated to the museum in 2005 by a family who lived at a farm in Kent. The little dog was made from cast-off apple boxes by a German prisoner of war who worked at the farm. Full review...
Stick Dog by Tom Watson
'I Can’t Draw, Okay?' Tom Watson apologises in the opening chapter of Stick Dog. He then goes on to lay some ground rules with the reader, explaining that:
'....this Stick Dog story (with the bad pictures that my art teacher doesn’t like) will also be told in a way that I like (but my English teacher doesn’t).'
'Good deal?'
'Excellent. Let’s move on.'
'This is going to be fun.' Full review...
The Smug Pug by Anna Wilson
We first met Pippa Peppercorn and the pooch-pampering parlour in The Poodle Problem and then in The Dotty Dalmatian. Pippa is a whole six months (and a little bit) older now but she still bounces off the page like a rubber ball with red pigtails. I did worry about her just a little bit as she didn't seem to have any friends of her own age. The elderly Mrs Fudge, the ladies who have their hair done at the salon and Raphael the postman are really no substitute for someone of your own age with whom you can have fun and giggles. And pass notes to each other in school - which is an essential part of growing up. Full review...
The Dogs of Winter by Bobbie Pyron
Little Mishka finds his cosy world turned upside down after the death of his beloved Babushka Ina. Unable to cope, his desperate mother finds solace in the arms of an abusive, alcoholic boyfriend and things go from bad to worse. When his mother mysteriously disappears, five year old Mishka flees to the heart of the city, where he joins up with a gang of street children, begging and stealing to survive. Full review...
Secret Meeting by Jean Ure
Megan loves to read and she especially loves to read books by her very favourite author, Harriet Chance. Over the years she has collected all of Harriet’s books and as her birthday approaches Megan wonders if she will be able to buy a copy of Harriet’s latest novel with her birthday book tokens. Megan’s best friend, Annie, is determined that Megan should have a birthday she will never forget so when she meets Harriet’s daughter in an on-line chat room she decides to arrange the best birthday present ever for her friend. Megan is stunned when Annie reveals that Harriet has agreed to meet Megan and have a special birthday tea with her as part of her birthday celebrations. The two friends plot the secret meeting with care and feel sure that nothing can go wrong but when they finally meet the celebrated author Megan has an uneasy feeling that all is not as it seems. Should she have listened to her mother’s warnings about the dangers of meeting people you chat to on the Internet? Full review...
Cockadoodle-Doo, Mr Sultana! by Michael Morpurgo
There was once a very rich and very greedy and very fat sultan who kept his people in poverty and everything else for himself. One day when he was out riding (and being very mean to his horse) he lost a diamond button. His people were made to search for it on their hands and knees, but it was found by a little red rooster, who was very cheeky and who forced the sultan into a merry chase and finally a humiliating defeat. It's the stuff of traditional fairy tales given some delightful twists by a master storyteller and hilariously illustrated by Shoo Rayner. Full review...
Pea's Book of Big Dreams by Susie Day
For as long as she can remember, Pea has wanted to be a writer like her mother, the famous Marina Cove. But when she loses confidence in her writing ability, she decides it's time to look for a new career to aspire to. What should she be? An artist, a footballer, a pet therapist, or something else? One thing's for sure... there'll be lots of laughs, love, and even a little lunacy as she finds out. (Especially when little sister Tinkerbell, in her most Stinkerbellish of moods, gets involved!) Full review...
Never Odd Or Even by John Townsend
Elliot is twelve. He's obsessed with numbers and letters, especially palindromes. He loves to spend his spare time playing about with words or numbers, when he can avoid school bully Victor Criddle, his arch-enemy. But when 'the biggest mystery that struck our school in the history of the world' has to be solved, Elliot's forced to use all of his brain power. Full review...
Unleashed 2: Mind Over Matter by Ali Sparkes
To recap; this is the second in a series of five stand-alone books, where Ali Sparkes drags all the minor characters from her first, Shapeshifter, set of five books out into the daylight. They've all got to be introduced with the intention to make us aware how rare it is that they see the light of day – as Children of Limitless Ability they're normally stuck in a school for the superpowered. But here are Gideon and Luke, the boys who can move things with thoughts alone, on holiday. For their own adventure Sparkes has put them together with prehistoric animals, a girl with a weirdly old-fashioned, almost Dickensian problem, and a dog called Fish. Oh, and some very nasty men with guns… Full review...
Shadows of the Silver Screen by Christopher Edge
Kids these days have it pretty good. Not that my generation weren’t lucky – after all, we had first access to J K Rowling – but in 2013 there seems to be a greater choice of good books being published, for a wider range of abilities and interests, than my friends and I ever had access to. Full review...
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M Valente
September has had various wonderful adventures in Fairyland already, and because she ate Fairy food she knows she will return. But a year has gone by without a word from her friends, and in the meantime she has become a teenager. This changes her, for it is the time when human children grow a heart, and when at last the summons comes, she finds her adventures are far more complex than they were before. Full review...
Fluff the Farting Fish by Michael Rosen and Tony Ross
Elvie wanted a puppy but she was still rather surprised when her mother agreed. Unfortunately what her mother brought home wasn’t a puppy but a goldfish. Now it wasn’t just a pet to cuddle and play with that Elvie had been after - she’d wanted to train the dog. Being a resourceful young lady she decided to train the goldfish instead. Sit was always going to be rather more than a challenge, but Elvie discovered that much could be achieved with Fluff’s bubbles. Go on - you know exactly what I mean! Soon Fluff was doing mental arithmetic and finally singing. Before long he was in demand at pop concerts and for television appearances. Full review...
Into That Forest by Louis Nowra
Almost every child dreams about freedom. The idea of being able to make your own decisions about how you live your life is, as anyone who has ever been told to eat up your greens and go to bed will know, a deeply seductive one. Many adults, of course, have the opposite fear: that children are really little monsters dressed up in human clothes, ready to break away and go wild at the slightest provocation. It’s not hard to see, therefore, why both adults and children are so fascinated by the idea of children alone in the wild. From Lord of the Flies to Where the Wild Things Are, there’s a pervasive dream in children’s fiction – a dream that’s sometimes closer to a nightmare – about the child gone feral. Full review...