BOOK REVIEWS

Do Not Mess with the Mermaids by Michelle Robinson and Sharon Davey, Bloomsbury Looking for a series set in a magical realm, with wonderful characters and some of the funniest one-liners and scenes imaginable? Look no further! We absolutely love Do Not Mess with the Mermaids by Michelle Robinson and Sharon Davey, and its rebellious princesses, Grace and Portia. Although this is a follow-up to the equally excellent, Do Not Disturb the Dragons, it can be enjoyed as a stand-alon

Listen, Layla is a book I enjoyed on so many levels. It’s a story about the search for identity and the struggle for autonomy that so many young people experience. It’s a tale of teamwork, the importance of family obligations, and thinking of the greater good instead of individual gains. It also explores the immigrant experience, what it feels like to be a Muslim in a Western country, and the prejudice that is regularly encountered. Layla is a 14-year-old Muslim who was born

Genie and Teeny: Make a Wish by Steven Lenton, HarperCollins Genie and Teeny is the first in a brand new series by one of our favourite picture book authors and illustrators, Steven Lenton. Grant is a genie with an impressive array of hats. While cap-collecting is one of his strengths, wish-making is not. After a “right royal mistake,” which involved accidentally turning the queen into a snake, Grant finds himself banished from Genie World, and worse – lampless. When Grant ma

Jasper and Scruff: Take a Bow by Nicola Colton, Little Tiger This is the third book in Nicola Colton's charming collection about adorable feline and canine companions, Jasper and Scruff. I've been looking for books for my eldest for when she transitions to reading by herself. She's not quite there yet - we're still at the "first reader" stage - but I know she will love this series when she's ready. Nicola Colton's illustrations are fabulous and will appeal to emerging readers

Do Not Disturb the Dragons by Michelle Robinson and Sharon Davey Find out why it’s important to let sleeping trolls drool, how to tame a unicorn, and why you shouldn’t stand at the wrong end of one. Discover the various uses for witch wax and giants’ toenails and, most importantly, learn why rules are made to be broken! Do Not Disturb the Dragons is not just informative - it’s an entertaining and action-packed adventure with so many laugh-out-loud moments. Princess Grace and

A Most Improper Magick, the first book in the An Improper Adventure/Kat, Incorrigible series by Stephanie Burgis Thanks to the wonders of #Bookstagram, I discovered the Kat, Incorrigible series by Stephanie Burgis after seeing A Most Improper Magick on the Piccadilly Press Instagram page. Originally released in 2010, a new edition with a revamped cover was published in August 2020. When I learned this was a magical middle grade book set in Regency-era England, I couldn't have

by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie, Oxford Children's Books I'm trying to encourage my eldest child to be more interested in reading independently and when I heard about the Kitty series, it sounded ideal. The females in my family, including my kids, are all cat-mad. As one of our favourite picture books is also illustrated by Jenny Løvlie (The Girls), this looked perfect. This story is actually too advanced for the 5.5-year-old just yet - she is only at the "first reader"

Space Detectives by Mark Powers, illustrated by Dapo Adeola, Bloomsbury "It was another perfect day on Starville – the most astonishing place in the galaxy. A gigantic space station, Starville sailed silently overhead in orbit around the Earth and was home to over a million humans and aliens. It was a single, vast city brimming with skyscrapers, lush green parks and even a sparkling artificial sea, all enclosed by a huge and incredibly strong glass dome. Seen through a telesc

"With a ridiculous name like Pizazz, I should probably be a magician, or a pop star, or a really smelly perfume, but I am not any of those things." The first in an exciting new series for readers aged seven and upwards, this introduces Pizazz who is nine-and-a-quarter. She is almost nine-and-a-half (we all know how important those fractions are) and is also a superhero. Pizazz is far from thrilled about this, however, and suffers many indignities and impositions on account of