0-5 years
Goldilocks and Just the One Bear
Leigh Hodgkinson
£6.99
9780857630445
It's not just a corking title, either. This is the tale of a kindly bear who takes a wrong turn in the forest one day and winds up in the big city. Seeking refuge he wanders into a random snazzy apartment, and tries out various beds, chairs and bowls of porridge to gauge their relative suitability. Suddenly the resident family returns home and causes a fuss. But then it strikes the lady of the house that she recognises this bear, back from when he was a baby bear and she was a naughty golden-haired girl. It's very much a case of history repeating.
Leigh Hodgkinson is a name to keep tabs on. Her distinctive approach is a delight, bringing an effervescent, colourful, eccentric tone to both text and illustrations. In her hand this is a gloriously funny read and the big twist is delivered with impeccable timing. There may have been follow-ons to classic fairy tales before now, but this one brims over with imaginative detail and a huge sense of fun.
5-9 years
Ellie May Would Like to Be Taken Seriously for a Change
Marianne Levy
£5.99
9781405260299
As per the title, Ellie May, a celebrity film star, is eager to broaden her range in life and do something worthwhile. This departure isn't borne of profound soul-searching though: it's just that Giggle magazine is looking for nominees for their annual SAUSAGE award (Seriously and Unbelievably Stunningly Amazingest Girl Ever!). Moreover, Ellie's rival Cassie Craven is already in the running, having devoted herself to environmental issues. There's only one thing for it. Unfortunately, Ellie doesn't know the first thing about the environment. For instance, her attempts to protect butterflies go awry because she reckons they eat caterpillars. Vying for the SAUSAGE is going to be an uphill struggle.
This is a fast, daft and funny yarn, not a million miles from the style of Andy Stanton's madcap Mr Gum books. But marbled in amongst the barminess, there's a good old-fashioned message: Ellie comes to accept that being fabulous and famous isn't everything, not by a long chalk. Along the way to Ellie's revelation, though, you're guaranteed unalloyed hilarity.
9-12 years
A Monster Calls
Patrick Ness
£6.99
9781406336511
When author Siobhan Dowd (Bog Child, The London Eye Mystery) died in 2007, she left behind detailed notes for an unrealised novel. Later, via their shared agent, fellow author Patrick Ness (the Chaos Walking trilogy) took the project on. The end result has been enormously acclaimed and has already won several major children's book awards. Now it's available in a handsome new paperback edition – the only downside being that it loses out on the evocative illustrations of the original.
Just after midnight, 13-year-old Conor O'Malley is visited by a weird, elemental monster who is strikes a deal with him. The monster will tell Conor three stories, and then Conor must tell the monster his. The monster's instructive tales are of ancient princes, apothecaries and invisible men. And Conor's story is absolutely heartbreaking: his mother is terminally ill and he's petrified about what's going to become of him. Compared to this, the story-telling monster isn't scary at all. In fact, he's here to offer Conor comfort, and help him face up to the difficult truth about letting his mother go.
This is weighty stuff, obviously, but it's delivered so skillfully, so lyrically, that it manages to convey its message to young readers without ever patronising or overwhelming them. It's a real achievement, magical, beautiful and genuinely moving, and it now looks sure to become a modern classic.
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