21st March 2025


Pari Thomson, Elisa Paganelli (illus) Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky


Macmillan Children’s Books, 5th, £14.99, HB, 9781035021208


Daisy and Max are separated during a trip to rescue the botanists being held in the Amazon rainforest in the third instalment in Thomson’s Greenwild series. A key launch for Macmillan in June.


Ross Welford The Unlikely Diary of Prince Kal the Alien


HarperCollins Children’s Books, 5th, £7.99, PB, 9780008544805


Prince Kalimonka Evergreen Wildgore – Prince Kal for short – finds himself stranded on Earth, although no one believes him when he explains where he came from. This diary detailing his predicament is from the author of Time Travelling with a Hamster.


Jacqueline Wilson, Rachael Dean (illus) Star of the Show


Puffin, 5th, £7.99, PB, 9780241684177


Paperback publication of Wilson’s latest novel, which is about a poor girl who is determined to dance in the Cinderella performance at the grand theatre. Historical adventure for readers aged seven to 11.


Teenage & YA


Becky Albertalli Amelia, If Only HarperFire, 19th, £8.99, PB, 9780008610067


Amelia Applebaum goes on a journey of self-discovery when she thinks she is in love with Walter Holland, a moderately famous YouTuber, but realises that her butterflies are not really for Walter after all. From the author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda.


Amber Chen


The Blood Phoenix Penguin, 19th, £9.99, PB, 9780241624395


Ying returns to the tense political world of the Nine Isles, where she unravels a far-reaching conspiracy in the second book in the fantasy duology, set in a Chinese-inspired world.


Joseph Coelho, Kate Milner (illus) The Boy Lost in the Maze


Otter-Barry, 8th, £9.99, PB, 9781915659750


Paperback publication of Coelho’s Carnegie Medal-winning verse novel about two young men – Theseus from ancient Greek mythology


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and Theo, a modern-day boy who is on a quest to find his father. Moving, affecting and unique.


Helen Comerford The Hero Complex Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9781526667632


Jenna Ray was the love interest in Comerford’s previous superhero YA drama, but now she is an official superhero. This means she and Blaze cannot be together, so she tries to keep up with her intensive training programme and battle world disasters, while keeping her feelings for Blaze at the friendship level.


Ava Eldred Exit Stage Death UCLan, 5th £8.99, PB, 9781916747586


Livi wants to get the lead role in the showcase at acting camp, but when a fellow camper shows up dead she must team up with her camp-mates to catch the culprit before they kill again.


Simon James Green, Tosin Akinkunmi (illus) Cold Turkey


Barrington Stoke, 5th, £7.99, PB, 9780008732141


Former best friends Kit and Hamza fell out over a girl, but when they are offered an unusual job – delivering a turkey across London – they team up and the task becomes a race against time, the police, the bomb squad and a scary street gang. Edited to a reading age of seven, this book is aimed at struggling teen readers and EAL learners, says Barrington Stoke.


Sophie Gonzales Nobody in Particular Hachette Children’s Group, 5th, £9.99, PB, 9781444982671


In this sapphic YA romance American-born Danni receives a scholarship to Bramppath College in Europe, she finds herself falling for Rose, the crown princess of Henland. But Danni and Rose must keep their relationship a secret or risk a royal scandal that could separate them forever.


Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner Lady’s Knight


Electric Monkey, 5th, £9.99, PB, 9780008714062


Gwen the blacksmith enters into a jousting tournament, where she catches the eye of wily Lady Isobelle, who has been promised in marriage to whoever wins. Sapphic romantasy, pitched at fans of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love.


Xan Kaur When Devils Sing First Ink, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9781035045174


Neera Singh tries to save her family’s future from the debt they have been


battling by entering the Cicada Song, a competition to find the best musician in the state. But when someone disappears, Neera and her estranged childhood friend Isaiah Johnson get caught up in supernatural forces rooted in a creepy local legend.


Ann Liang Never Thought I’d End Up Here


Scholastic, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9780702340949


Leah Zhang’s parents get tired of their daughter’s broken Mandarin so send her on an intensive two- week travel programme across China, where she finds herself falling in love with a boy she initially despised.


Kate Mallinder


Summer Under the Stars Firefly Press, 12th, £8.99, PB, 9781913102852


In this sequel to Summer of No Regrets, the four friends drive across France but all are dealing with a secret: Sashaʼs struggling with her dad getting remarried; Cam is reeling from being rejected by her birth grandparents; Hetalʼs terrified of letting everyone down; and Nell is worried about her relationship with Tom. Will they survive the inevitable arguments and make it to Sasha’s dad’s wedding on time?


Sunya Mara


Embrace the Serpent Hachette Children’s Group, 26th, £18.99, HB, 9781444983050


A young jeweller’s apprentice finds herself caught between her cold, serpentine husband and his cunning, handsome huntsman after making a dangerous deal in this sweeping romantic fantasy. Also published in paperback (067).


Elle McNicoll Wish You Were Her First Ink, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9781035027873


A superstar actress escapes to her father’s bookshop to help run a book festival and meets unfriendly bookseller Jonah. The two don’t get on, so Allegra retreats into the emails she has been exchanging with an anonymous bookseller who is much friendlier. But do this mystery person and Jonah have


more in common than Allegra realises? Cosy enemies-to-lovers romcom, whose two autistic leads will chime with readers for whom artistic endeavours are places of sanctuary.


Calum McSwiggan ( 6) Masquerade Penguin, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9780241554418


After a kiss from a masked stranger, Zach finds himself in a time loop, repeating prom night over and over again. He thinks he needs to find the identity of the kisser, but when everyone around him is wearing masks how can he work out who his true love might be? LGBTQ+ romance from the author of Straight Expectations.


Alexandra Moody Grumpy Darling Electric Monkey, 5th, £9.99, PB, 9780008762261


Reed’s bad boy older brother Grayson and his best friend Paige take centre stage in this romantic sequel to Rival Darling, an e-book bestseller in the UK, US and Australia, says Farshore.


Molly Morris Rewind to Us HarperFire, 19th, £8.99, PB, 9780008756123


When Dixie decides to tell best friend Sawyer she is in love with him she sees him kissing someone else. Luckily, Dixie’s family have each been gifted with a Rewind – a single opportunity to redo one moment from the past 365 days. Can she rewind time and redo a conversation that doomed their relationship in the first place? Swoony romcom from US-based author Morris.


Abdi Nazemian Like a Love Story Little Tiger, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9781788957946


This New York, 1980s- set novel is about the relationships between Reza, who is terrified of


people finding out that he is gay, aspiring fashion designer Judy, and Art, Judy’s best friend who is out and proud. A big-hearted novel about love, friendship and living authentically.


Caroline O’Donoghue Skipshock Walker Books, 5th, £16.99, HB, 9781529507966


Margo is on a train to a new boarding school when she slips into an alien dimension - a world scarred by uprisings, travel bans and world sealings. There she meets Moon, a travelling salesman, and must decide whether she will try to return to her life in Ireland or stay with her new love interest.


Leah Osakwe Rock Band: Music and Misfits


Little Tiger, 5th, £8.99, PB, 9781788957519


Galaxy and school troublemaker Sabrina form a rock band, but the only students interested in joining their band are Grace, a socially awkward goody two shoes, and Galaxy’s little sister Zaya. Is Galaxy’s chance at stardom over before it has even begun? First in a new teen series, pitched at fans of Holly Smale.


Luke Palmer Live Firefly Press, 5th, £9.99, PB, 9781915444967


Year 12 pupil George is passionate about music and his band, but disaster strikes one of the musicians. The whole year group must deal with loss and grief, and work out who their true friends are. This third novel from Palmer comes with song lyrics and an accompanying playlist.


AB Poranek A Treachery of Swans Penguin, 26th, £16.99, HB, 9780241622209


Poranek takes inspiration from Swan Lake in this queer retelling, in which Odile is preparing to


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Books Children’s Previews


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