This preview highlights titles to be published in May
05
Simon & Schuster, 30th April, £6.99, pb, 9781471190377 When young orphan Leander becomes part of Madame Pinchbeck’s trav- elling show, he steps into a world of secrets, folklore, trickery and illusion. This dark and thrilling début follows three stolen children as they conspire against their captor.
Thomas Taylor Gargantis Walker, 7th, £7.99, pb, 9781406386295 My May 2019 Book of the Month, Malamander, was a stand-out in a busy middle-grade market. In the sequel, a storm is raging in Eerie-on-Sea. Has the mighty Gargantis risen from the deep?
discovers might just hold the future to the planet. The début children’s book from BBC journalist Wilson.
Lauren Wolk Echo Mountain Puffin, 7th, £12.99, hb, 9780241424155 In Depression-era America, Ellie and her family are rebuilding their lives in the unforgiving terrain of Echo Mountain. A “beautiful and unforget- table” story of tolerance, perseverance and friend- ship, says Puffin. No proof yet, but Wolk is a superb writer; both of her previ- ous books were shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Teen & YA
avoided at all cost; she’s seen her best friend turn into a sex-obsessed bore. So Phoebe isn’t going to fall in love, ever... until she meets Emma. Told in diary form, this début has a terrific voice: very funny and spirited with a sex- positive message.
Juno Dawson Wonderland Quercus, 28th, £7.99, pb, 9781786541055 What happens when you fall down the rabbit hole? Expect a “groundbreak- ing” take on Alice in Wonderland, exploring mental health, gender and privilege.
Melvin Burgess The Lost Witch Andersen, 7th, £7.99, pb, 9781783448357 When Bea discovers she has the powers of a witch, her parents think she is hallucinating and strang- ers warn her she is being hunted. Ancient myth and magic collide with the contemporary in a dark and beguiling fantasy thriller, now in paperback.
Eloise Williams Wilde Firefly Press, 1st, £6.99, pb, 9781913102180 Desperate to fit in at her new school, Wilde is afraid of the strange things happening around her. I loved this contemporary adventure of witches, curses, identity and belonging, from Wales’ children’s laureate.
Joe Wilson
The Island That Didn’t Exist OUP, 7th, £6.99, pb, 9780192775092 When Rixon’s great-uncle leaves him a mysterious island in his will, he sets off to find it. What he
Picture Book
Ibitha J Muhammad & S K Ali, Hatem Aly (illus)
The Proudest Blue Andersen, 7th, £7.99, pb, 9781783449729
One to Watch
It’s Faizah’s first day of school and her older sister’s first day of hijab, made of a vivid blue fabric. But Faizah quickly realises that
not everyone sees hijab as beautiful. There are very few picture books featuring Muslim girls and this is beautifully done; a celebration of the sibling bond and a powerful story of resilience and being proud of who you are. Muhammad is the first Muslim American woman in hijab to compete and win an Olympic medal for the US.
Elizabeth Acevedo Clap When You Land Hot Key, 14th, £7.99, pb, 9781471409127 A “poignant, powerful and passionate” novel in verse, told in the dual narrative of two girls who have lost their father in a plane crash. Nothing to read yet, but this is much anticipated; Acevedo won the 2019 Carnegie Medal for her verse début, The Poet X.
Wibke Brueggemann Love is for Losers Macmillan, 28th, £7.99, pb, 9781529033724 As far as Phoebe Davies is concerned, love is to be
Kat Dunn Dangerous Remedy Zephyr, 7th, £12.99, hb, 9781789543643 The deadly world of the French Revolution gets a fantastical twist in the first of a “dazzling, commercial” new series following a diverse band of fearless rebels. Wonderfully atmospheric, full of strange science, mysterious powers and fearless heroines.
Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Aurora Burning Rock the Boat, 5th, £14.99, hb 9781786077745 Second in the interga- lactic space opera series which began in Aurora Rising. The duo are also co-authors of the Illuminae Files series.
Kiera Cass The Betrothed HarperCollins, 14th, £7.99, pb, 9780008158828 Is falling in love with a king and becoming queen the happily-ever-after it is billed as? First in a steamy new royal romance duol- ogy from the author of The Selection saga, which has sold over 66,000 copies through the TCM.
Taran Matharu The Challenger Hodder, 14th, £9.99, tpb, 9781444939002 In a world far from our own, in a realm of monsters and warriors, the ultimate battle for survival continues. Book two in The Contender series.
Patrick Ness Burn Walker Books, 7th, £12.99, hb, 9781406375503 February 1956, in the Pacific Northwest.
Fiction 9–12 Tom Palmer
After the War Barrington Stoke, 7th, £6.99, pb, 9781781129487
One to Watch
Yossi, Ben and Mordecai are among 300 children who have survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, and arrive for a new life in the Lake
District. Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, this is rooted in the real events and lives of the Windermere Boys. Palmer is a leading author for Barrington Stoke, for both his football and war stories: 2019’s D-Day Dog sold close to 4,000 copies through the TCM.
Eisenhower is president. Sputnik is close to launch. And Sarah Dewhurst and her father reluctantly hire a dragon to work on their farm. I’m 100 pages in and completely gripped by this story of revenge, redemption and dragons from the double Carnegie Medal-winner.
Lucy Powrie Read with Pride Hodder, 28th, £7.99, pb, 9781444949254 Second in the The Paper and Hearts Society series, where each title is told from the perspective of a different friend. Here, Olivia risks burnout as she juggles a new book club, exams and a girlfriend.
Medal for her previous book, Salt to the Sea.
Holly Smale Far From Perfect HarperCollins, 14th, £7.99, pb, 9780008254179 Faith Valentine has it all: fame, money and beauty. But is there more to perfection than meets the eye? The second book in The Valentine series, addressing contemporary pressures on young teens with Smale’s trademark warmth and wisdom.
Ali & Aisha Saeed, Iman Rasheed (illus) Once Upon an Eid Amulet, 5th, £12.99, hb, 9781419740831
An anthology of hope and joy from 15 Muslim voices. Contributors include Randa Abdel-Fattah and Rukhsana Khan; a poem, graphic-novel chapter and spot illustration sit along- side the short stories.
Ruta Sepetys The Fountains of Silence Penguin, 28th, £7.99, pb, 9780241421857 A “haunting and roman- tic” novel set in post-war Spain in the fascist dicta- torship of General Franco. Sepetys won the Carnegie
Rutendo Tavengerwei The Colours That Bind Hot Key, 14th, £7.99, pb, 9781471408182 From the author of Hope is Our Only Wing comes a new novel set in Zimbabwe about free- dom, inter-generational friendships and forgiving the past.
Elizabeth Wein The Enigma Game Bloomsbury, 14th, £7.99, pb, 9781526601650 There are wartime secrets, women code-breakers, intrigue and wild courage in Wein’s latest Second World War adventure.
TheBookseller.com
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