Books Children’s Spotlight


Her first novel since The Lie Tree, Costa Book of the Year winner and a major bestseller. Nothing to read yet but, set dur- ing the English Civil War, this will tell the tale of a family with a dark, super- natural secret.


Patrice Lawrence Indigo Donut


Hodder, 13th July, £7.99, pb, 9781444927184


A story of longing, belonging, love and trust when two very different young people—mixed- race Bailey and care- home girl Indigo—meet in sixth form. Her excel- lent YA début, Orangeboy, was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year and the YA Book Prize too.


Paul Magrs The Heart of Mars


Firefly, 1st September, £7.99, pb, 9781910080580


Lora’s quest takes her deep into the heart of the Red Planet in the final part of this beguil- ing sci-fi epic. Other Fire-


Patrick Ness Release


Walker, 4th May, £12.99, hb, 9781406331172


Love, heartbreak and confrontation in a beautifully crafted and complex novel told over the course of a single day. The love story is so tender and honest and could well become a 21st-century Forever for LGBT teens.


Sally Nicholls Things a Bright Girl Can Do


Andersen, 7th September, £12.99, hb, 9781783445257


fly highlights include Horatio Clare’s Aubrey and the Terrible Lady- birds (for young readers), and Rhian Ivory’s new YA novel Hope.


Three courageous teen- age girls from very differ- ent backgrounds join the fight for the vote. I’m for- ever decrying the lack of teen and YA Suffragette novels, so this is very good news indeed.


Pam Smy Thornhill


David Fickling, 24th August, £14.99, hb, 9781910200612


This is an intriguing one. Described as a story in two strands, words and pictures converge in a narrative style reminis- cent of Brian Selznick. The stories of two girls, 30 years apart, are pulled together by the unset- tling Thornhill Institute. On my “to read” list.


Emily Suvada This Mortal Coil


Puffin, 2nd November, £7.99, pb, 9780141379272


ONE TO WATCH


Set in a world where biology and technology


are combined, one girl searches for the truth about a devastating virus that threatens


humanity. A big YA lead for PRH, which calls it “a blockbuster with real heart and emotional punch, exquisite world- building and a heroine to remember”. Sci-fi thrill- ers are big news this year—see also Nemesis by Brendan Reichs (Mac- millan, July) and I am Traitor by Sif Sigmarsdót- tir (Hodder, September).


Angie Thomas The Hate U Give


Walker, 6th April, £7.99, pb, 9781406372151


I’ve written about this before—it was my April Book of the Month—but it feels wrong not to include it here. One of the most unforget- table YA débuts I’ve read in years, it’s bold, big- hearted and unmissable.


Maria Turtschaninoff Naondel


Pushkin, 6th April, £12.99, hb, 9781782690931


Pushkin lead with the prequel to Maresi, a dark and brutal feminist fan- tasy epic. In July comes The Disappearances by Emily Murphy, Sarah Odedina’s first acquisi- tion, a magical story of love, loss and life.


Various


A Change is Gonna Come


Stripes, 10th August, £7.99, pb, 9781847158390


ONE TO WATCH


A YA anthology with a difference, this will feature


short stories and poems by authors of BAME backgrounds on the topic of change. Commis- sioned in response to the lack of diverse voices in UK publishing, con- tributors include estab- lished names such as Nikesh Shukla, Patrice Lawrence, Catherine Johnson and Ayisha Malik, alongside unpub- lished and unagented


newcomers. I kept a tally of UK BAME writers who had children’s fiction or YA published by main- stream houses in 2016, and came up with only 11 names. This is such an important and much- needed project.


Alex Wheatle Straight Outta Crongton


Atom, 6th April, £6.99, pb, 9780349002880


The third novel set on the South Crong council estate follows Crongton Knights, which won the Guardian Children’s Fic- tion Prize and is short- listed for the YA Book Prize. I love the heart and humour in Wheatle’s writing and this is one on my reading list.


Gift books


Jessica Courtney-Tickle The Nutcracker


Frances Lincoln, 5th October £14.99, hb, 9781786030009


The second Story Orches- tra title, a lavish and magical imagining of the


20


24th March 2017


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56