Magical misfits, girlish giggles and sea storms by various authors – children’s book reviews –

Age 8 plus:

Arkspire

Jamie Littler

Magic, mayhem and misfits! Welcome to the world of Arkspire... a city of twists, turns, tricksters and extraordinary secrets which only one girl can uncover.

Jamie Littler, renowned creator of the bestselling Frostheart books, is back to amaze and entertain us with an extraordinary new middle-grade fantasy series full of thrills, chills, comedy and the talented author-illustrator’s stunning artwork.

Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists – a group of all-powerful magicians – have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who would do anything for her family... even her unbelievably annoying twin sister, Elodie.

Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder, who appears to ‘bond’ with Juni. Problem is that the only creatures that are like Cinder are allegedly dangerous enemies of the Arcanists... and it's not long before they turn their attention to Juni. Soon Juni, Cinder and everyone she loves are pulled into an extraordinary world of magic, power and prestige... but also grave danger. It seems the world Juni thought she knew is nothing but a lie, and now only Juni and Cinder can bring it down.

Magic – powerful magic – lies at the beating heart of Littler’s masterful new series as Juni must pretend to be something she isn’t, struggle to survive living a lie, and cope with a magical creature that has been inadvertently freed from its ancient prison.

Packed with the sort of fabulous characters we have come to expect from Littler, glorious illustrations, and a mesmerising story that reminds us to never give in to self-doubt and to treasure our friends and family, this is storytelling and adventure at its very best.

(Puffin, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

Lottie Brooks’s Totally Disastrous School-Trip

Katie Kirby

‘Woe is me. So much is wrong in my life... 1. Still look like a tomato 2. Am stuck indoors whilst my friends go bowling without me (RUDE) 3. My parents are leaving me to go out on a ‘Date Night.’ GROSS!

If the tone of that message strikes a chord, then you’ll be heading straight off to the shops to buy the fourth brilliant book in Katie Kirby’s hilarious and relatable tales of Lottie Brooks’ adventures and misadventures... part of a runaway successful series that is being devoured by readers in the unique ‘tweenage’ years.

Kirby, who writes and illustrates this perfectly pitched series, has a natural gift for finding humour in recognisable, everyday challenges, and the mega-funny Lottie Brooks books capture all the giggle-worthy and cringe-inducing essence of this often awkward pre-teen time of life.

And after Lottie’s mirth-making mishaps in The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks, The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks and The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks, she’s back for more extremely embarrassing adventures on a residential school trip.

After a summer of meeting handsome French boys and getting a tiny bit sunburnt (OK, fine... a lot sunburnt), Lottie is heading off on a week-long residential school trip to a place called Camp Firefly. It’s going to be a whole week away from embarrassing parents and little brother Toby’s tasty air biscuits! But the trip soon turns into a total disaster. The other girls staying at the camp are MEGA-MEAN, best friend Jess is spending all her time with the new girl, super smiley Isha, and Lottie’s diary gets stolen! Who knew that a school trip could cause so much DRAMA?!

Lottie once more navigates the pitfalls and perils of growing up in this fantastically funny and yet wonderfully life-affirming new story which is filled with friendship troubles, pre-teen politics and embarrassing moments, and is guaranteed to have young readers giggling, gasping and cringing all the way to the start of their own new term!

(Puffin, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

Alex Neptune, Monster Avenger

David Owen and George Ermos

Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean in another ultimate treasure-hunting, puzzle-solving ocean adventure from David Owen, the exciting author whose YA debut novel, Panther, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Monster Avenger is the third book of Owen’s thrilling, all-action and fun-filled Alex Neptune series for younger readers which was inspired by his self-confessed love for nail-biting heists, fantastical monsters and heartfelt friendships. At its core is Alex, the boy born with the power of the ocean in his hands. In his new mission, Alex finds that the sea creatures near Haven Bay are acting very strangely, attacking boats, and he senses some dark power is controlling them. When he tracks down his friend the water dragon, he finds it has been infected too. If he can’t find a way to stop it, the deadly parasite the water dragon is carrying could spread throughout the seas. After battling storms, electric eels and an army of angry crabs, Alex realises that the only way that he and his team can save the dragon and all their ocean friends is by going inside the dragon... With the power of the sea at the centre of a fast-flowing story, the weirdest cast of characters this side of the tide, eco themes that speak as loudly as the crashing of the waves in Haven Bay and the fantastic illustrations of George Ermos, this sparkling maritime odyssey is must reading for all adventure lovers!

(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus:

Super Ghost

Greg James, Chris Smith and Amy Nguyen

Award-winning authors and Radio 1 broadcasters, Greg James and Chris Smith, team up again for a superhero adventure that is guaranteed to have readers laughing all the way to Paragon City!

This is the top team that gave us the hilarious Kid Normal series, and the guffaw-inducing The Great Dream Robbery, so expect to split your sides and giggle till your tummy hurts when you join them on this action-packed journey into the unknown.

It's just another day at the office for world-famous superhero Doctor Extraordinary as he battles his arch-nemesis Captain Chaos in yet another epic showdown. Unfortunately this one doesn’t quite go to plan and they both get blown up inside a giant robot. Doc Ex’s number-one fan, twelve-year-old Sonny Nelson, is devastated. A world without heroes is totally rubbish! But things take an even more extraordinary turn when Doctor Ex returns as a ghost and only Sonny can see him. With Paragon City under attack from cute baby pandas, Sonny and his best friend, Spot, must help Doctor Extraordinary save the world one final time.

There are laughs aplenty in this tale of thrills, spills, chaos and crystals as James and Smith plunge youngsters into their unforgettable comedy caper which has a big, warm heart and carries inspirational messages about friendship, family and what it takes to be a real hero.

Add on the fabulous illustrations of Vietnamese artist Amy Nguyen, and the unforgettable grinning pandas, and you have the perfect book for your own young adventurers!

(Puffin, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus:

Art is Everywhere

Joe Haddow and Ellie Hawes

If you thought that art was just pictures on the walls of a gallery, then you’re in for a BIG surprise when you turn the pages of a fun and fascinating new book from Joe Haddow, the leading light of the BBC Radio 2 Book Club.

Haddow, whose CV includes being a drummer, radio producer, podcast presenter, art collector and a passionate music fan, is a passionate advocate of the arts, and one of his most recent projects is working with Soho House on their How To Be An Artist podcast series.

And now he’s on a mission to teach youngsters that ‘art’ has many different forms – drawing, colouring, writing, poetry, music, film, TV – and wants to share how joyful and inspiring those arts can be, and how great are the people who make ‘art.’

Packed with the engaging and accessible illustrations of artist and designer Ellie Hawes, Art is Everywhere explores the concept of ‘the artist,’ explaining to young readers that while an artist can be someone holding a paintbrush and standing in front of an easel, the term artists can means so much more.

So whether you sing, draw, write, dance, paint, act, play an instrument or tell jokes, or if you are just wanting to find out how to discover what kind of artist you want to be, this inspiring, friendly guide to art and why it matters is the perfect springboard to a future in the arts.

(UCLan Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus:

The Lucky Bottle

Chris Wormell

Ahoy me hearties, here’s a super swashbuckling tale of pirates and witchcraft that is sure to cast a magic spell! Chris Wormell, one of Britain’s most celebrated author-illustrators, sweeps young readers across the ocean to a little desert island for a rip-roaring adventure with a young Robinson Crusoe-esque castaway called Jack Bobbins. Ten-year-old Jack is stranded on a desert island with no way to get home. He’s been very lucky… he has survived a terrible storm and the mysterious island he has found himself on has a kindly (if unusual) inhabitant, fresh water and plenty of food. But Jack needs to find his way home and as he uncovers incredible hidden treasures on the little island, he starts to formulate a plan… a plan that will involve witchcraft, terrifying sea monsters and pirates! But if Jack is going to succeed he will need to be very, very lucky. Packed with Wormell’s evocative and atmospheric illustrations, The Lucky Bottle is a thrilling visual and verbal adventure, full of exhilarating escapades, unexpected friendships, danger, daring and a big dollop of magic. Storytelling and illustration in perfect harmony!

(David Fickling Books, paperback, £7.99)