Published by The O’Brien Press, 2024. As a child, I loved boarding school stories. I devoured the Malory Towers and St Clare’s series. The Tower Ghost, the first book in the Sycamore Hill Mystery series, is wonderfully nostalgic but with modern sensibilities. There’s everything you’d expect from a boarding school story: midnight feasts, dormitories, mean girls, tuck boxes, hockey games, fierce friendships… These are strong girls: bright, brave and resourceful. They are more than capable of solving this mystery on their own. Clare is excited to start her first term at Sycamore Hill. New sports ..read more

Published by Usborne, 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed Peril on the Atlantic, the first book in this series, and so I jumped at the chance to read and review the sequel. The Royal Jewel Plot did not disappoint. It was great to be back on board with Alice and Sonny who, very quickly after setting sail on the Lady Rose, find themselves embroiled in another mystery. Just like Alice and Sonny, I found myself alert for clues and suspicious behaviour; the exciting plot hooked me in right from the start. It’s not just the two children and their father and governess who are sailing on the luxurious yacht ..read more

Published by Little Door Books, 2024. My son and I have really enjoyed reading Kevin the Orange together. I asked Sam to contribute to my review and he said, “My favourite bit was when Kevin realised it’s best just to be yourself.” And this is the book’s key message: self-acceptance. Kevin is the orangiest of oranges but he’s fed up and fancies a change. He’d rather be blue. He talks to his wise book-reading friend, Brian the Pear. Brian recommends a trip to the Arctic and, soon enough, Kevin’s teeth are chattering and his pips are rattling; he’s turned blue with the cold. However, Kevin real ..read more

Published by Little Tiger, 2024. On a school trip to Parliament, Suhana, Mia and Ayaan are mysteriously transported back to 1911! Finding themselves in the middle of a women’s suffrage demonstration, they are amazed to see people from all over the world taking part. Suhana wants to explore but Mia and Ayaan are anxious to get back. Then they lose each other… Will they be able to return to the present without changing the course of history forever? Time Travellers: Adventure Calling is the first book in an exciting adventure series exploring shared British history and introducing young re ..read more

Published by Faber & Faber, 2024. When the school-kitchen pizzeria disappears, newly-formed superhero duo Peng-tastic and Spanners know that only they can help the headmaster find his pizza restaurant in time before the school inspectors arrive to judge the Best School Dinners Award. They just have to defeat a massive pesky robot, avoid Cinderella the caretaker and break out of jail first. The pair form an unlikely crime-fighting duo with Peng initially very unwilling to partner up with Spanners. However, soon they’re working together to solve the crime, having a series of hilarious misha ..read more

Published by Chicken House, 2024. Diamond Jack is a thrilling historical adventure, jam-packed with danger and excitement. While helping in her grandpa’s magical emporium, Bramble unearths a curious scarlet mask. A tingling in her fingers tells her to try it on but, when she does, she can’t take it off… And when she looks in the mirror, none other than Diamond Jack (the notorious highwayman who’s missing, presumed dead) is staring back at her in place of her own reflection. It seems Bramble has been chosen for a mission. Time to stand and deliver! The story hurtles along at a fast pace and th ..read more

Published by Simon & Schuster, 2024. Gail the snail has always been told not to dream too big or reach too far, but Gail is not your average snail, and she has plans to be the first . . . SNAIL IN SPACE! We join Gail on her stellar adventure and discover the magic of reaching for the stars and giving it your all. We’ve previously met Gail in Rachel and Nadia’s fabulous 2021 picture book, Slug in Love (she was the unwilling love-interest of the protagonist), but now, in Snail in Space, we go back to Gail’s youth and discover her backstory. Gail is a snail determined to carve her own path t ..read more

Published by Mama Makes Books, 2023. I have had the pleasure of reading both titles in this newly published non-fiction series and I can’t recommend them highly enough. I love the concept of the books – starting on a very small scale and then widening the focus little by little until we get a global perspective. In the first book, Small, Speckled Egg (illustrated by Anna Terreros-Martin), our story begins with an egg in a nest. Soon the egg hatches and we meet an Arctic tern chick. We follow the chick as she learns to fly and dive for fish. Then we accompany her on her long journey south as t ..read more

Published by The O’Brien Press, 2023. Sally in the City of Dreams is a lovely piece of historical fiction that’s pitched perfectly at its young audience. It’s an easy read with engaging and relatable central characters, lots of super period detail and just the right amount of drama. Young sisters Sally and Bridget are sailing to New York to find work – leaving behind their home and everything they know in Ireland. The city is so big and strange, but the sisters and their new friend Julia (who they meet on the boat) are determined to make the most of this exciting new world. They have each oth ..read more

Illustrated by Alessia Trunfio. Published by Little Tiger, 2023. I absolutely loved Scrap. It’s an exciting futuristic story, set against a sci-fi backdrop, with lovable characters and powerful themes. When the humans arrive on Somewhere 513, they discover that the robots sent to prepare the planet for Humanity’s arrival have chosen to keep it for themselves. Only one robot remains loyal – K1-NG, aka King of the Robots. But, even with the most powerful robot on their side, the outlawed humans don’t stand a chance. Ten years on, Gnat and her sister Paige are the only humans left on the planet ..read more