cover illustration by George Ermos

  This inventive fantasy adventure is set in the world of the Piper of Hamelyn, where music means magic and a darkness* of dragons roams the skies. Like The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood (who adds his recommendat...

  2018 is proving to be an excellent year for poetry aimed at children and young people. Newly published I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree continues this welcome trend and is the most beautiful poetry anthology I have seen for some time.

  The selection is extensive...

  "Dear You, Whoever You Are, Who Lives on the Other Side of the Horizon,

  I am Giraffe. I live in Africa. I'm famous for my long neck. Please tell me all about yourself.

  Yours sincerely,

  Giraffe."

  One day, out on the African savanna, a giraffe is going about his da...

  When Kat and her mother leave London for a new life in scenic Dorset, she wastes no time setting up a pet-sitting agency.

  Everything is falling into place a little too nicely. No sooner has she a few clients on her books than a mystery appears and beckons...

   Pippin lives with her grandmother, who was once a master detective and scientist. When the animals in the magic forest are in danger and there is not enough water, it is young Pippin and her mouse, Tony, who set out to help them (fortunately she can talk to ani...

  When we last met Dave the dragon, he was enthusiastically pursuing his goal of becoming a knight. Now he is back, accompanied by his eccentric sidekick Albrecht, who is still pungent, glossy of coat and prone to telling improbable stories. And still a goat.

  Indeed,...

  When I was young I knew of an old lodge in the woods near the river where we lived. My brothers and I often wondered who had lived there and if any ghosts appeared after dark.

  Perhaps that is what draws me to this book, with its wonderings and what ifs, its gentle c...

 This mysterious, imaginative debut from Australian author Jessica Miller wrapped round my mind like out-of-control ivy in a neglected garden. And while Elizabeth would find that image terrifying, I think Zenobia would be delighted. 

  Elizabeth is moving...

  This is a huge, rich tapestry translated from the Japanese and published by the always interesting Pushkin Press. 

  First we meet Erin and her mother, who care for the Toda — huge and magnificent beasts of war. After her mother dies, Erin finds herself caught in...

  Bluebell loves her food. Whether it be crumpets oozing butter, caramel waffles melting over hot drinks, pomegranates, noodles, fruit salads, chocolate cornflake cakes, toast; Bluebell loves it. So when she's instructed to keep a food diary and join the gym, she's not...