Macmillan Children's Books

Chris Riddell’s work is always a delight, and this – the second in his Cloud Horse Chronicles duology – is no exception. We follow the tale of Tiggy (whose name is a vital plot point) as she travels, Dorothy-like with friends gathered along the way, to undo the terrible magic keeping her homeland of Thrynne trapped in perpetual winter. As the story unfolds we learn, via chapters told in different points of view, about the history and magic of Thrynne and its peoples.

Can you imagine anything more enchanting than a picture book in which you create your very own adventure? This clever storytelling concept more familiar in fiction for older readers translates perfectly to the picture book format, as we venture through a stunning imaginary world taking unexpected turns and meeting a myriad of unusual characters.

It feels wrong to play favourites, but of all the many skills Frances Hardinge displays in each of her novels, world-building ranks very high indeed in this reviewer’s list. From underground cities to gods-infested islands, Hardinge’s settings always come with wonderful depth and detail, making them much more than just a background to a character’s progression.

Join Hal and his Uncle Nat on a trip aboard the night train to Narvik, just in time for Christmas. This time they are determined to enjoy a trip to the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights, with no unforeseen adventures! However, things take a turn when Uncle Nat becomes convinced that he’s seen an assassin called the Shadow, previously believed to be long dead, aboard the train.

Making friends is a tricky business. What makes one person like another? The deceptively simple storyline of this book helps to explain how friendships begin. Here is a story with diversity at its heart. Five very different bears meet: black bear, curly bear, black and white grunty bear, a very big brown bear, and a stuck-up white bear. Do they know one another? No, they have never met. Do they like one another? Not particularly. In fact, their indifference to one another is marked.

Set in Northern Ireland in the year 2019, Sue Divin’s latest novel explores themes of sectarianism, religion, politics, sexuality, family bonds, suicide and loss. The book focuses on two female protagonists: Tara, a Catholic living in Derry with her grandmother and mother; and Faith, the daughter of strict evangelical Protestants from Armagh, who has been hiding her true sexuality from her family for fear of being disowned.

Aidan spiralled into grief after his mother died, making every mistake a teenager can possibly make. Now, he’s focused on finishing his exams, and determined to get a one-way ticket out of Derry. Not that he doesn’t love his city, but the wider world beckons – a world where it doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic, an Irish speaker or if your father carried a gun.

Inspired by real-life events that saw three British Muslim schoolgirls leave their lives behind to become brides of ISIS, this outstanding début interrogates religious extremism and what it really means to be both British and Muslim.

In a world where magic has disappeared and maji have been slaughtered by a ruthless king, a girl named Zélie joins forces with the Princess Amari and embarks on a quest to restore magic and to strike back against the forces that have been oppressing the lands of Orïsha.

Angels are falling from the sky and it seems as if the world itself is ending. But the world keeps turning even as the angels keep falling. For Jaya it’s a moot point – her world ended when her mother died, two weeks before the first angel fell. Falling at fatal speed from the sky, none of the angels survive their descent from the heavens, and as the world becomes obsessed with these strange beings, Jaya’s father moves his family to Edinburgh, spurred on by the hope of capturing a live angel.