TEN NOT TO MISS Ten titles not to miss Highlights of the Season
Nishani Reed, Junissa Bianda (illus) Nabil Steals a Penguin Nosy Crow, 3 August, pb, £7.99, 9781839945922
Picture Books Pierre the French Penguin
decides to come home with Nabil after tasting his delicious biriyani rice, but will Nabil be able to keep his new visitor a secret? Perhaps his parents will be more welcoming than Nabil once feared. This celebration of friendship, family and food is the first book to be published from Nosy Crow’s 2021 open call for picture book submissions from people of colour, and is illustrated by Bianda, the artist who created Ladybird’s First Festivals: Ramadan.
Rob Biddulph Gigantic HarperCollins Children’s Books, 14 September, hb, £12.99, 9780008413439
Picture Books Gigantic is the smallest blue
whale in his pod, but when his older brother gets stuck on the sand Gigantic shows that you don’t have to be biggest creature in the sea to save the day. This standalone picture book from the creator of The Blue-Footed Booby and Peanut Jones has an important message about teamwork, kindness and how size doesn’t matter and is sure to be a hit with readers aged 4 and up.
Alex T Smith The Nutcracker Macmillan Children’s Books, 5 October, hb, £15.99, 9781035028177
Fiction 5–7
Smith’s Christmas books are
fast becoming a tradition in children’s publishing, and, after How Winston Delivered Christmas and The Grumpus, he rewrites the Nutcracker, adding his own spin, opening his story with a male Sugar Plum Fairy who lives in a palace made out of sweets. The narrative is told in 24 and a half chapters, so is ideal for advent reading, and Macmillan is promising festive events, crafts and bookshop appearances.
Adam Baron Oscar’s Lion HarperCollins Children’s Books, 26 October, hb, £12.99, 9780008596750
Fiction 7–9 A young boy is confused when
his parents have disappeared and a lion has come to babysit, but trepidation turns to joy when the lion lets Oscar eat endless amounts of biscuits and reads his favourite book over and over again. HarperCollins is billing this magical coming-of- age story as an instant classic and it is hard to disagree; Oscar’s Lion is both an adventure story and a beautiful meditation on grief, love and family relationships.
A M Dassu Kicked Out! Old Barn Books, 19 October, pb, £7.99, 9781910646892
Fiction 9–12 Sami is happy playing in his
friend Mark’s pool in this sequel to Boy, Everwhere, but when racism rears its ugly head and Sami’s friend Aadam is accused of theft, Sami and Ali are asked to leave. Can Sami clear Aadam’s name, as well as raise enough money to help his friend stay in the UK? A chance run-in with a famous footballer gives Sami a clever idea. A gripping story told by an extremely talented writer.
Maz Evans Oh Maya Gods! Chicken House, 14 September, pb, £7.99, 9781913696870
Fiction 9–12 Chicken House’s lead title this
autumn is this utterly hilarious novel, set in the world of Who Let the Gods Out?, but this time it is the Maya god Kizin who is making a nuisance of himself, trying to outsmart Vesper, Elliot’s football-mad daughter, and Aster, the son of Virgo. Packed full of jokes while being full of heart, this is the first in a trilogy. The appearance of ancient Egyptian gods and Morgan le Fay hint at challenges to come.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave Geomancer: In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen Orion Children’s Books, 31 August, hb, £14.99, 9781510107816
Fiction 9–12 Bestselling author Millwood
Hargrave spent 14 years dreaming up this epic new fantasy about Ysolda, who must strike a deal with the terrifying Wolf Queen while on a mission to rescue her sister. Inspired by the Welsh rainforest, a microclimate just south of Snowdonia, and rooted firmly in the natural world, this is an epic fantasy for older middle-grade readers and up. First in a trilogy.
Sally Nicholls Yours From the Tower Andersen Press, 7 September, hb, £14.99, 9781839133190
Fiction 12–16 Three friends have left their
Victorian boarding school and are trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Polly is teaching in an orphanage, Sophia is scouting for a rich husband, and Tirzah is stuck with her grandmother. All three have decisions to make about love, careers and finding a place in a world which isn’t always easy for young women and the reader will cheer them on every step of the way. A charming, feel-good pleasure.
Kayvion Lewis Thieves’ Gambit Simon & Schuster Children’s UK, 26 September, pb, £8.99, 9781398522121
Fiction 12–16 Seventeen- year-old
Rosalyn was raised by a legendary family of thieves. She wants to escape the family business but when her mother is kidnapped Rosalyn must enter Thieves’ Gambit—a deadly competition for the world’s up-and-coming thieves—to get her back. S&S UK pre-empted this high-octane, cinematic thriller and several international publishing deals, as well as one over film rights, have already been signed.
Adam Rutherford, E L Norry, Adam Ming (illus) Where Are You Really From? Wren & Rook, 28 September, pb, £9.99, 9781526364241
Science Anti-racism meets science in this guide
to human history and evolution from Adam Rutherford, the geneticist and author of the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist. Rutherford covers the Big Bang, evolution, classification and more. Where Are You Really From? is not just packed with fascinating information, it also encourages children to think differently about some of the messages they have previously been told.
August 2023–January 2024 09
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