This preview highlights titles to be published in May
05 Top sellers
Editor’s Choice
Editor’s Choice
Fiction 12-16 Kelly Barnhill
When Women Were Dragons Hot Key, 3rd, £14.99, hb, 9781471412196
Alex and her young cousin Beatrice are grow- ing up in an alternate 1950s America, where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons. I found myself eking out the final chapters of this extraor- dinary coming-of-age story about feminism, freedom, identity and sisterhood, told in an unforgettable voice. Barnhill won the Newbery Medal in 2017 for The Girl Who Drank the Moon: this is her first novel for older readers and has significant crossover appeal. It will be published on an adult imprint in the US.
Fiction 9-12 Peter Bunzl, Maxine Lee Mackie (illus)
Magicborn Usborne, 26th, , £7.99, pb, 9781474964395
The year is 1726 and the Royal Sorcerer of England is on the hunt for those who are magicborn. When Tempest is captured along with wild boy Peter, buried magic and hidden memories flicker to life: they are the lost prince and princess of Fairyland, bound by a deadly curse. First in a historical-fantasy series spanning two worlds, this is glorious storytelling rich in magic, adventure, danger and intrigue. Bunzl’s début Cogheart was a Waterstones Book of the Month and the series continues to sell well.
Ant & Dec, Katie Abey (illus) Propa Happy Farshore, 26 May, pb, £8.99, 9780008524340 Ant & Dec’s children’s début is a non-fiction guide to helping children find what makes them happy. Created in consul- tation with child psychol- ogy expert Dr Miquela Walsh; all proceeds will go to the NSPCC.
Ingela P Arrhenius Where’s Mr Digger? Nosy Crow, 5th, £6.99, board, 9781788006668 A vehicle-themed addition to the hugely popular Felt Flaps series.
David Baddiel, Steven Lenton (illus) The Boy Who Got Accidentally Famous HarperCollins, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9780008334277 What if everybody suddenly knew your name? A laugh-out-loud story of fame and friend- ship, now in paperback.
Bluey
Editor’s Choice
Editor’s Choice
Daddy Putdown Ladybird, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780241550571 New to the fast-growing CBeebies tie-in range, a dad-themed bedtime story in time for Father’s Day.
Rhiannon Fielding, Chris Chatterton (illus) Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Fairy Puffin, 26th, £6.99, pb, 9780241545591 A new story in the bestsell- ing series designed to calm kids down before bed.
Namina Forna The Merciless Ones Usborne, 26th, £8.99, pb, 9781474959582 Six months after the events of The Gilded Ones, war is waging and hidden secrets threaten Deka. I’ve not yet read this, but The Gilded Ones was an Editor’s Choice and one of the bestselling YA débuts of 2021.
Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton (illus) Treehouse Tales Macmillan, 26th, £10.99, hb, 9781529088632 A fully illustrated collec- tion of 13 surreal and supremely funny spin-off tales based on the hit series.
Brigid Kemmerer Forging Silver into Stars Bloomsbury, 3rd, £8.99, pb, 9781526645746 First in a brand new series set in the kingdom of Emberfall, picking up after the events of the Cursebreaker trilogy and starring fan-favourite character Tycho.
Picture book Rachael Davis, Beatrix Hatcher (illus)
I am NOT a Prince Orchard, 26th, £6.99, pb, 9781408362266
On a misty lagoon, young frogs patiently wait to be turned into princes… except for Hopp, who sets out on a transformative journey to find their true self. Identity and pride in yourself is a key theme in picture books this year, but this empowering fairytale feels incredibly fresh and charming, playfully challenging gender stereotypes with a catchy read-aloud refrain and rainbow-bright, bold artwork. Now in paper- back, for Pride and beyond.
Fiction 12-16 Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber
Twin Crowns Electric Monkey, 12th, £8.99, pb, 9780755503643
Two sisters, separated at birth. Princess Rose was raised to rule; Wren was trained to usurp her and avenge her parents. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown? Doyle and Webber—best known for their middle-grade books in The Storm Keeper trilogy and Dragon Realm series—collaborate on this sparkling fantasy, combining magic, adventure, romance and comedy to joyful effect. Already attracting rave reviews, it’s the most fun you will have reading a YA book this year.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Steven Lenton (illus) Noah’s Gold Macmillan, 26th, £7.99, pb, 9781529048278 When a school trip goes wrong, six kids are marooned on an uninhabited island with no teacher, phones or internet. Then Noah finds a treasure map… The hardback enjoyed strong sales and stellar reviews.
Patricia Cleveland-Peck, David Tazzyman (illus) You Can’t Let an Elephant Drive a Racing Car Bloomsbury, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781526635402 Chaos ensues when a host of silly animals try to compete in the most unsuitable sports. Fifth in the popular series.
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Minecraft Amazing Bite Size Builds Farshore, 12th, £9.99, hb, 9780008495954 Design, build and custom- ise over 20 mini-projects. Minecraft has enjoyed a huge resurgence over the pandemic; 2021’s Bite Size Builds sold more than 37,000 copies through the TCM.
E Lockhart Family of Liars Hot Key, 4th, £12.99, hb, 9781471412271 The highly anticipated prequel to We Were Liars takes readers back to the private island off the Massachusetts coast and another generation of the Sinclair family. We Were Liars has recently enjoyed high sales thanks to BookTok.
Stephen Mangan, Anita Mangan (illus) The Fart that Changed the World Scholastic, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780702315008
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© Janna Fraboni
© Ellie Kurttz
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