BOOKS
Phil Earle, Steve May (illus) Supernan’s Day Out Barrington Stoke, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781800901100 A day out at the seaside with Stanley’s nan and her care home friends turns into an action-packed caper in a big-hearted family adventure. New in the Little Gems range.
Maz Evans, Chris Jevons (illus) The Wobbly Life of Scarlett Fife Hodder, 12th, £6.99, pb 9781444957778 Second in the heartwarm- ing illustrated comedy series about anxiety, friends and family, star- ring a girl with big feel- ings—who is about to get into big trouble...
Beth Garrod & Jess Hitchman, Chris Danger (illus) The Inflatables Scholastic, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780702311710 Four inflatable pool floats star in a fresh, funny new series set in a waterpark, full of humour, friendship and themes of fitting in. Aimed at readers aged six-plus, this is Garrod’s younger fiction début.
Paula Harrison, Jenny Lovlie (illus) Kitty and the Star Stone Robber OUP, 5th, £5.99, pb, 9780192777874 Kitty investigates a museum robbery in the latest in the popular superhero-in-training series for newly indepen- dent readers.
Serena Holly, Selom Sunu (illus)
Picture book
Mariajo Illustrajo Flooded Frances Lincoln, 3rd, £12.99, hb, 9780711276765
Previews Children’s Previews
The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me: Animal Magic Simon & Schuster, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781398503069 Second in the series following Jada, who vows to help Granny realise her secret dream of becoming a magician. Inspired by the true story of Jenny Mayers, the first Black woman to be accepted by the Magic Circle.
Sarah Horne
Panda in the Spotlight Chicken House, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781913696245 An ambitious journalist twigs that Pudding is a real-life talking panda in the sequel to Panda at the Door. Cosy young fiction with spot illustrations.
Judith Kerr
The Curse of the School Rabbit HarperCollins, 26th, £6.99, pb, 9780008352622 Now in paperback, the fully illustrated young fiction story of a boy, a rabbit and a big dose of bad luck.
Karen Owen, Louise Forshaw (illus) Major and Mynah Firefly, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781913102746 Callie doesn’t like her new hearing aid—until she realises it will enable her to communicate with Mynah bird Bo. A fast-paced mystery with an unlikely friendship at its heart.
Mark Powers, Dapo Adeola (illus) Space Detectives: Cosmic Pet Puzzle Bloomsbury, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781526603210
The Space Detectives return for a third out- of-this-world adventure involving a very peculiar missing pet.
Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre Kevin vs the Unicorns Oxford, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780192766182 Back to Bumbleford as Max and his roly-poly flying pony Kevin enter the Magical Pony Club Steeplechase, taking on a group of super- snooty unicorns. Heavily illustrated in the duo’s dynamic two-colour style, now in paperback.
Alex T Smith Mr Penguin and the Tomb of Doom Hodder, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781444944617 Can Mr Penguin and Colin survive a perilous trip to the great pyramids? Fourth in the highly illus- trated comedy mystery series, now in paperback.
Jim Smith Barry Loser: Total Winner Farshore, 12th, £8.99, pb, 9780008497217 The Roald Dahl Funny Prize-winning series returns with a brand new story in a full-colour graphic novel format, ideal to display alongside Dog Man and Bunny vs Monkey titles.
Polly Ho Yen, Sojung Kim McCarthy (illus) The Boy Who Grew a Tree Knights Of, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781913311308 Unsettled by the arrival of a new sibling, Timi turns to tending a seedling in his local library. This, however, is a magical tree
and it is growing fast… A gorgeous tale of nature and community.
Fiction 9-12
Ivor Baddiel, James Lancett (illus) Britain’s Smartest Kid… On Ice! Scholastic, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780702313752 Twelve-year-old Marsham is signed up for his favou- rite TV show by his gran. Can he outsmart an evil genius who will stop at nothing to win?
Adam Baron Some Sunny Day HarperCollins, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9780008422370 When the beloved school cook is hospi- talised with Covid, Cymbeline starts a project about her childhood, sparking a mystery that will change everything. Nothing to read yet but HarperCollins calls it funny and incredibly moving.
Remi Blackwood Future Hero: Race to Fire Mountain Scholastic, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9780702311758 First in a major high- octane series for Scholastic, starring a young Black hero who discovers that the fantasy world he loves to doodle is actually real. The series is created by Jasmine Richards; Blackwood is the collective pen name for a team of writers.
Sophie Cameron Our Sister, Again Stripes, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781788953917 Isla and her family are mourning the loss of her sister Flora when they are offered the chance to be part of a top-secret trial which will revive their loved ones as AI robots. A poignant, thought- provoking coming-of-age story.
Jennifer Bell Imaginarium Walker, 5th, £7.99, pb, 9781406391732 Second in the highly inventive duology set in an epic “in-reality” adventure game, explor- ing famous legends from across the globe. Book one, Wonderscape, was a Waterstones Book of the Month in 2020.
One to Watch
In a city that is slowly starting to flood, its animal inhabit- ants can no longer ignore the rising water and must work together to fix things. A gentle story of climate change and community, this is a visually stunning début using a minimal text, richly
detailed images and a limited palette of striking Pantone colours. Quarto is tipping Ilustrajo as a significant new talent in children’s illustration—an early version of the book was the overall winner of the 2020 Association of Illustrators’ World Illustration Awards.
© Lou Abercrombie 54 18th February 2022 Fiction 9-12 Caryl Lewis, George Ermos (illus)
Seed Macmillan, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781529077667
Kate DiCamillo, Sophie Blackall (illus) The Beatryce Prophecy Walker, 5TH, £6.99, pb, 9781529503623 Now in paperback, a magical medieval tale about fate, love and the power of words from the two-time winner of the US Newbery Medal. A Children’s Book of the Week in the Times.
Sarah Driver, Fabi Santiago (illus) Twice We Make Magic Farshore, 12th £7.99, pb, 9781405295567 Second in the fantasy series which began in Once We Were Witches, following two sisters who discover they are witches in a world where magic is
banished. Now in a coven, the sisters must master their new powers.
Hannah Durkan Zeina Starborn and the Sky Whale Orion, 12th, £7.99, pb, 9781510109599 A girl finds herself in a daring adventure of explorers, inventors and mighty sky whales. A richly inventive fantasy, says the publisher, and winner of the Northern Writers’ Children’s Novel Award.
Alex Evelyn, George Ermos (illus) The Secret Wild Walker, 5th, £6.99, pb, 9781406399394 After leaving her rainforest life behind, Fern struggles with life in London—until she meets a very special plant. A magical botanical adventure, says Walker, of friendship, bravery and finding a place to call home.
Simon Farnaby, Claire Powell (illus) The Warrior in My Wardrobe Hodder, 12th, £6.99, pb, 9781444954395 More misadventures with Merdyn the Wild as the greatest wizard of the Dark Ages goes time- travelling with his 21st descendant, Rose. Now in paperback, this is the sequel to The Wizard in
One to Watch
Life is difficult for Marty: his mum struggles with her mental health and is a hoarder, their house heaving with old things. But when his grandad gives him a special seed for his birthday, so begins the most incredible adventure.
Macmillan’s lead middle-grade launch of the year, a funny and uplifting, hope-filled story about family and following your dreams. Lewis is an award- winning Welsh novelist, children’s author and screenwriter; this is her English-language début for children.
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