Should you require a comprehensive guide to mythical and magical creatures, Believe’s knowledgeable narrator, Sage Brightwing, is here to help! Doyle’s obvious affection for fantasy characters in combination with Hartas’s vivid, colourful illustrations results in a book with an absorbing level of detail.
Owais seems to epitomise London swagger, whether navigating his extended family, school, or the gangs in his neighbourhood. Committed to his comedic persona, the patter of groan-inducing puns conceals an unfocused, uncertain yet charming teenager, struggling with self-doubt and fear of the future. Failing grades lands Owais in a summer programme and life is further complicated by the disruptive arrival of his moody and troubled cousin Abass into the midst of his stable and loving family.
From the tips of her antennae to her brightly coloured boots, Mimi is the cheerful face of non-threatening minibeasts! She may be small, she may be quiet, but she’s a bee who can bust a move, a talent that comes in handy when her Queen needs to find the perfect location for a new hive.
Following the death of her mother, Dilly moves to the small island of Ollipest to live with her Grand-Aunt Florence. Ollipest is home to practitioners of magic or, more accurately, former practitioners, the reasons for which are revealed as the story unfurls. Dilly and her new friend Callum’s efforts to help a friend reveals their own inheritance of magic and the prejudice, external and internalised, experienced by those who are ‘different’.
Entrancing and immersive from the moment the cover is cracked, the reader is irresistibly lured into this stunning book. The imagery whispers of a sinister edge to the faerie folk, Dermot Flynn’s use of a ‘spikiness’ in the illustrations of the featured fae matches precisely Síne Quinn’s authentic description of fickle magical creatures who might be friend or foe based on whim, or on their treatment by humans. Each element from the cover to endpapers is indicative of a considered whole, the text and illustrations are equal partners and complement each other perfectly.
Cleverly mirroring the school year, Finbar and Molly’s shared story begins in autumn and unfolds over the seasons, culminating, rather than concluding, in summer. The central event of the novel is Molly’s dramatic experience of a near-fatal illness. This explodes the lives of the two teens, becoming the catalyst for huge personal change for both of them. Dealing with themes of family dysfunction, loss, serious illness and poor self-esteem, this is not a ‘light’ read, though a consistent thread of humour and romance lifts the story into hopefulness.
A throbbing red tonsil, vivid green waterfalls of snot and a dramatically expelled sneeze make it very apparent from the outset that when Devolle says germs, he means germs!
This colourful collaboration from Hemming and Slater is emphatically full of the joys of spring! Squirrel pops their little red head out of their home to be greeted by sunshine and the welcome sight of new leaves and is startled by the fly-by of a returning swallow. Their friend Bird explains that the buzzing and cuckooing are further confirmation that springtime has arrived, and reassures Squirrel that this is very good news.
Mark Sperring’s rhyming eco-plea on behalf of our planet captures the reader’s attention from the first colourful spread of pages. The vibrant illustrations provided by Natelle Quek are stunning, even when depicting the ugliness of pollution and mass littering. Her representation of ethnically diverse children enhances the narrative, visually underscoring the global nature of the issue and, of course, the solution.
Boldly declaring itself ‘The Only Book You Will Need to Become an Expert Beekeeper’ from the outset, this witty and engaging guide to beekeeping for bears has instant appeal. As any worthwhile guide should, it begins with Bear, our aspiring beekeeper, wielding this essential manual to find those crucial bees.
