History and historical fiction

St. Brigid is Ireland’s most famous female patron saint, yet she is not Ireland’s only female saint. This informative book highlights other women whose stories are equally inspiring but not as well-known as St. Brigid’s. Readers are introduced to twenty-three female saints in the main chapters. These include Attracta, who defeated a deadly serpent, Dympna who helped people with anxiety and Lupait, St. Patrick’s sister and a skilled embroiderer and weaver.

This time-slip adventure features Seth, a boy who is good at two things: playing on his XBox and being the class clown. Struggling with lessons and in trouble for playing a prank, he picks up a beetle amulet from his teacher’s desk and finds himself transported back to Ancient Egypt. Staying with a family in a village on the Nile, he plays with the local children, learns new skills and discovers his own bravery. But how will he ever get back home?

My First Book of Dinosaurs is a fun introduction to some incredible prehistoric creatures for young readers. Featuring 20 roarsome dinosaurs, from the well-known Tyrannosaurus Rex to the perhaps not-so-talked-about Coelophysis, this short book is packed with information that will delight both dino-lovers as well as fact-aficionados.

In this almost wordless picturebook, the reader is immediately transported back 40,000 years to the Pleistocene era: a world of marching mammoths, charging bison and erupting volcanoes. Told through beautifully intricate black and white illustrations reminiscent of Brian Selznick, the story follows a pack of early humans journeying across a treacherous landscape to find refuge for winter.

In a vivid and lively opening, an amusing chase ensues through Dublin’s Ormond Market. Eleven-year-old William (Perry) Robinson witnesses his friend stealing apples. It is 1920 and Perry lives with his family in the cramped Ormond Slums. We also meet fourteen-year-old Billy from redbrick Fitzroy Avenue near Croke Park and ten-year-old Jerome (Jerry) from Blessington Street. All three are Gaelic football fans and looking forward to the Dublin versus Tipperary match.

Written for her daughters who have never visited their mother’s homeland, We are Palestinian is a homage to Reem Kassis’ vibrant, intriguing country. The landscape, religions, history and cuisine are described in such detail that there isn’t a need for a map of the geographical area. Details come alive on the pages. The author’s descriptive language makes the reader feel that they have been transported to the heart of the region.

The Door of No Return is the first book in a new trilogy that sees eleven-year-old Kofi Offin growing up in a small village in Africa in which traditional life clashes with the violence of tribal wars and colonial powers. This historical-fiction narrative captures the importance of remembering the devastations of the colonial past of Asante – now known as Ghana – whilst also exploring the powerful coming of age of a teenage boy.

In this retelling of the Irish epic the Táin Bó Cuailnge, Queen Maeve and King Ailill march an army to Ulster, where they plan to steal the Donn Cuailnge, the brown bull of Cooley. On learning of this betrayal, the warrior Cúchulainn is sent to protect his home from the invading soldiers. Loyalties are tested as the fighting becomes more vicious, and Cúchulainn must face those he once loved.

HappyHead is a select programme designed to tackle the unhappiness endemic amongst teenagers. Sebastian is one of the lucky few chosen to attend the special HappyHead camp along with other shy, disengaged, introverted teenagers who are living solitary lives, mainly online.

Set on a ship-theatre, docked in a gloriously stinking, tatterdemalion alt-Bristol, Mouse Heart is the tale of a theatre-orphan turning detective to save her friend from the gallows and the fictional Queen Anne II from assassination.