Cover image Katarina Gasko, published by QuestFriendz, 7 May 2026, ISBN: 9789083294346
Mission: Desert Danger is the third book in the SuperQuesters series, and maintains the high quality of the previous titles, serving a perfect blend of excitement and STEM content to a primary school readership.
Best friends Leo, Lilli and Bea are enjoying a trip to the beach, where sandcastle-building turns into a mini engineering opportunity for Lilli! After finding a message in a bottle, which combines hieroglyphics with a plea for help, the trio are rapidly whisked away to Questland and transform into their alter-egos; Leo Zoom, Lillicorn and Bea Bumble. They find themselves on the bank of a dried up river where they meet Arid, a desert sprite, whose brother Rainveil the water sprite has gone missing. The mystery of Rainveil’s disappearance is explained by Skitter, a scarab beetle, who witnessed the kidnap by a treasure-seeking archaeologist, Professor Vivienne Vortec. It appears that she is ruthless in her pursuit of a cursed treasure which has been hidden away in a sunken temple, and is happy to destroy the local ecological system in her greedy quest. The SuperQuesters have a clear mission ahead, but can they use their STEM skills to save the ecosystem in this corner of Questland?
I think that children will love the interactive nature of this story, where they can join the SuperQuesters in trying to decode messages, debug algorithms to find the most efficient route whilst learning about ecosystems, gears and chemistry. There are four brilliantly engaging STEM activities at the end of the book, which only require resources that can be found at home or in a classroom. The highly engaging illustrated style of this book, and the smart, likeable main characters who transform into the kind of protagonists that might be found in a video game, all add to the appeal for a primary school readership. As someone who studied for a science degree many, many years ago, I love the fact that Dr Paul Ian Cross has produced this brilliant series to encourage the next generation of scientists. I cannot wait to see which corner of QuestLand the SuperQuesters will visit in their next adventure.
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book and invited to join the blog tour by publisher QuestFriendz. All opinions are my own.
Do check out the thoughts of other librarians and teachers who have written reviews for the blog tour.
Cover image by Kasia Fryza, published by Post Wave, 7 May 2026, ISBN: 978-1836271215
The Mole and the Mound (and the House Underground) is a charming, quirky, rhyming story, which takes a familiar narrative and presents it in a unique and engaging style.
Mole is busy digging and designing his grand home underground while his bird and animal friends all brag that their homes are superior. Bird weaves a fine nest and has a great view; Beaver has a house on the waterfront; and Bee’s hive is designer bright. All that can be seen of Mole’s house is an untidy mound of mud, who on earth would want to live there? However, when a fierce storm leaves destruction in its wake, the animals soon learn that appearances can be deceiving.
The rhyming text by Will Hamilton-Davies tells the story with humour and kindness. I think that young children will enjoy the repetition of Mole’s “Scoop, wiggle, wiggle” refrain and will relish joining in with their adult reading companion each time the book is shared. The illustrations by Kasia Fryza are very distinctive and bold. I particularly loved the cross sections of Mole’s underground home, and the cute little snail that young readers are encouraged to find on each spread. The artwork and text complement each other perfectly, resulting in a book that I recommend to parents, caregivers, grandparents, teachers and librarians to share with pre-school and early years children.
Disclaimer: I am grateful to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and publisher Post Wave for sending me a copy of The Mole and the Mound (and the House Underground). It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.
Cover design by Elise Carmichael, published by Tiny Tree, 26 March 2026, ISBN: 978-0722360026
Sammy Versus the Smartphone could not be a more timely publication as the debate around children’s access to smartphones takes centre stage in national and international conversations. This new fictional title from award-winning author, Victoria Williamson, paints a vivid picture of the way that smartphone use can insinuate its way into every aspect of family life, with negative consequences.
Sammy is in her final year at primary school, and like many other children, has been promised a smartphone for her 11th birthday in preparation for the move to secondary school. Her parents have also been persuaded to buy the holographic interface upgrade (Hollis), so that Sammy’s phone features a ‘cooler’, airbrushed, glamorous image of Sammy, who until this point has been a star footballer, happy to live in sports clothing with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Now, she wants to fit in with the on-trend girls at school, and learn to post the selfies that they all believe will make them popular when they move onto secondary school. When a mean comment from JayBoy5 about her thighs appears under one of her photos, this is the message she obsesses over, rather than the many positive reactions that her photos receive. We see the change in Sammy’s life as she decides to start cutting back on food, thus losing the energy, focus and passion that she previously had for football and subsequently losing good friendships along the way. When her two step-siblings move in with Sammy’s family we witness the breakdown of personal communication as another upgrade is purchased to supposedly make family communications more streamlined by taking everything online and basically handing control to a virtual assistant.
I really liked the way that the author showed that despite starting out on a smartphone journey with the best intentions, it can be very easy to become totally distracted by the constant alerts pinging on our smart devices. She cleverly incorporates entries into Sammy’s secret (paper-based) diary to show that Sammy herself is aware of the negative impact of the new phone on her life, even as she is swept up in its messaging and craving the instant gratification from likes and comments. Issues such as online bullying, peer pressure and the danger of online predators are dealt with in an age-appropriate manner, as is the way that the tech companies subtly encourage constant upgrades which many families feel pressured to buy even when they struggle to afford them. As with every book that I’ve read by Victoria Williamson, the characterisation and portrayal of both home and school life is spot-on; I think that many young readers will find situations that they recognise in this story. I hope that reading and discussing the story might encourage constructive discussion of how to use smartphones for their many positive purposes, and how to regulate some of the more addictive behaviour that they can encourage. In my opinion, this is a book that needs to be in every school and I would also recommend it to parents of children at the top end of primary school to perhaps share as a joint read.
Disclaimer: I am grateful to Victoria Williamson and publisher Tiny Tree who sent me a copy of Sammy Versus the Smartphone. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.
This Young Adult trilogy absolutely charmed me, and I only wish that they had been available when one of my own children was ready to move on from MG favourites like the Ruby Redfort series, the Sinclair Mysteries and Murder Most Unladylike but did not want to read the “issues-heavy” YA that seemed to be prevalent at the time. The Agency for Scandal series mixes the thrills of female spies working under the cover of their Victorian era high society personas, with achingly romantic storylines which stay on the “clean” side of romance and therefore suit those readers who are taking their first steps into relationship fiction or (like me) are older than the intended audience but perhaps want to read a purely escapist romance. I have to say that I was enraptured with each of these titles and found them an absolute delight to read, featuring strong female characters, charming men and some well-drawn, loathsome villains.
The Agency for Scandal is the first in the series. The main protagonist is Isabella Stanhope (known as Izzy), who lives in straightened circumstances in the family’s formerly grand, London home, with a bedridden mother and one remaining servant. Izzy is so protective of her mother’s delicate state of health that she has not shared the knowledge that the death of Mr Stanhope left them with no money to maintain their high society lifestyle. His only legacy to Izzy was to have shared with her the locksmithing skills which he pursued as a hobby, but on which she now relies to put food on the table. Thanks to her close friends, Izzy is still able to attend society events, and is quickly recruited into The Aviary, a secret network of women who use their unique talents to help other women who find themselves in any kind of trouble.
Izzy is soon working on a case, investigating a seriously cruel example of gaslighting by a man who holds a position of considerable power in society. The interactions between the different members of The Aviary’s charm of spies is both fun and inspiring, showing that there are no limits to what women can achieve when they work together. They also can rely on some seriously honourable men, one of whom is Max, the Duke of Roxton, on whom Izzy has had a distant crush since first meeting him at a ball. Their relationship is swoony and idyllic, with Max being portrayed as an absolute gentleman, who is deeply respectful of Izzy’s wishes and admiring of her courage and independence. I found the story to be an absolute page-turner, and at the end of a long working day it was a totally pleasurable read.
The Agency for Scandal was my own purchase, on the recommendation of many of my favourite book bloggers, it sat on my bookshelf for far too long, but as soon as I had finished it I was fortunately able to read the next two books in the series!
Book two is A Season for Scandal in which we meet the capable, determined and innovative florist Marigold Bloom on the day that her fiancé breaks off their engagement because he thinks she doesn’t match his ridiculous standards of ‘ladylike’ behaviour, and his sleazy father promptly propositions her! Determined to save the family business that she has worked so hard to build up, Marigold takes herself to the best place to solve any problem…the library. There she makes quite an impression on Oliver Lockhart (who appeared in book 1 of the series) and he sends her to The Aviary, where Mrs Finch and her charm of agents are quick to offer help and subsequently recruit Mari to participate in an undercover mission.
Her role involves spending a lot of time in the company of devastatingly handsome, but gruff and anti-social Oliver Lockhart. The mission takes them to Paris, where hearts pound, and not just when in pursuit of a pair of scoundrels. Laura Wood writes so beautifully that I could not bear to put this book down. Her blend of clean romance and crime-solving adventure is populated by well-rounded characters, whose story arcs are engaging and entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone aged 12/13+. I borrowed a copy of A Season for Scandal from my public library.
The third book is A Game of Scandal, in which the main protagonist is Felicity Vane, the younger sister of Max Vane, the Duke of Roxton. Felicity is a brilliant and largely self-taught mathematician, whose ambition is to enrol at university to study mathematics, in direct opposition to her mother’s plans to marry her off to another aristocrat during her first social season. Despairing that Max, who is overly protective of his little sister, will take their mother’s viewpoint, Felicity decides that she will use her mathematical brain to generate the funding to enrol at university through gambling! Thus she visits the Lucky Penny, a gambling den in Whitechapel, which has become popular with the high society crowd. After an evening of amassing a considerable sum of money through card counting and probability calculations, suspicions are aroused about cheating and Felicity is taken to the co-owner of the Lucky Penny…the gorgeously handsome and piratical Ash.
Electricity crackles between them, but their tête-à-tête is crashed by Izzy, who is working on a mission for the Aviary and spying on another client of the Lucky Penny, the mysterious Edward Laing. Inevitably, Felicity becomes a part of the Aviary’s charm of spies and is swept up in a game of cat and mouse with a ruthless foe, while her heart takes a gamble of its own. This is an unputdownable, high stakes adventure which also surfaces insights into the pioneers who paved the way for women’s university education (for which I, and I am sure many other readers, will be grateful). As with the other books in the series, the writing flows so smoothly that you are just carried along on a cracking, escapist adventure. It is a romance which I would categorise under the ‘clean teen’ label, so I would recommend to secondary school librarians and parents/caregivers of early teenagers and YA readers. I borrowed a copy of A Game of Scandal from my local public library.
I would highly recommend this series to secondary school librarians, sixth form college librarians and parents/carers of teen readers who wish to provide their young readers with an exciting historical adventure. Although each book builds a story around a character met in a previous adventure, they could be read as standalones in any order, which is important for readers whose main access to books is through the library. If your teenager loved the Enola Holmes films, I think that they will thoroughly enjoy these books.
Cover image by Keith Robinson, published by Rock the Boat, 14 May 2026, ISBN: 978-1836431800
Three birds, an adventure fraught with danger, one very special book!
I finished reading Birdlands, the new novel from Carnegie-winning author Anthony McGowan, a week ago. Despite trying to pull my thoughts into order since then, I really do not think that my words can do it justice. Below the surface of this pacy animal adventure, there is a story so profound that it brings a lump to my throat each time I think about it. I am many years older than the intended middle grade readership and I suspect that this is a book which will be enjoyed by many young readers who will initially delight in the thrilling and perilous journey, and perhaps as they grow older, revisit the book and appreciate the deeper themes. It is one of those books that lodges so deeply in your heart that you want to encourage everyone to read it and to see it passed down through generations.
The story begins with a young boy, Jordie, throwing his cheese sandwich towards three scrawny birds on a station platform and from that moment we fully enter the lives of the bird protagonists. Herman was once a leader of crows, and maintains an air of authority despite his broken wing. Beaky is a jackdaw who finds it difficult to feed due to his twisted beak, leaving him half-starved and with no muscle strength for flying. Pidge is afraid to fly after experiencing a traumatic event in the air, and now hobbles around on badly damaged and painful feet. When their prize of bread and cheese is cruelly snatched away by more agile birds, Herman tells Beaky and Pidge of the paradise known as ‘dump’ where food is plentiful and birds are watched over by angels. Despite scepticism from Beaky and Pidge, the three birds set off walking towards the setting sun in search of this haven and their journey is recounted with wry humour, beautiful descriptions of the landscape and pinpoint detail of the fine balance between predator and prey.
I cannot do justice in this review to the exquisitely written quest that unfolds. Not only is the story infused with a real love of the natural world and acute observation of bird behaviour, but the developing bond of comradeship between the three birds is a joy to read. It is a story that reminds us that all life, no matter how small, or how damaged, is precious, and that courage and togetherness are essential to overcoming difficulties. There are also occasional greyscale illustrations by Keith Robinson and every chapter is headed by his artwork. This is a short book, just under 200 pages in length, and not a single word is wasted. I loved the circularity of the story and the way that the emotional impact never became sentimental. As I said at the start, I think this is a very special book indeed. I think that it would be a wonderful book to read aloud to Year 6/Year 7 children, and I would strongly encourage all school librarians to add it to their collections.
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of Birdlands by publicist Dannie Price and Rock The Boat ahead of publication on 14 May 2026. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.
Artwork by Julien Arnal, published by Post Wave, 30 April 2026, ISBN: 978-1836271208
Mabel and Merryglow: The Spark is an astonishingly beautiful, graphic-novel style picture book, originally published in French and now translated by Charis Ainslie and published by PostWave in English. I have to describe this book as an absolute work of art, every single panel contains gorgeously detailed illustrations of the forest habitat and the colour choices bring to life the emotion which is described in the sparse text. The end papers alone express the level of careful thought that has been applied to this story, although they both contain the map of the story’s landscape, the different colour palettes and names of the locations visually summarise the story arc.
Mabel is a tortoise who suffers from nyctophobia – extreme fear of the dark. She is so terrified that she cannot even bring herself to hide inside her shell because it is dark in there! Sadly for Mabel, she is made to feel even worse by her family’s lack of empathy, and plods through every day simply dreading the night ahead. The night time scenes are rendered in purples and blues with clever use of silhouettes to portray Mabel’s fears. Then one day a travelling firefly appears in the forest, introducing itself as Merryglow and sparking a friendship that leads to a rapid improvement in Mabel’s quality of life.
This is a gorgeous tale about the importance of friendship to light up a life, which I think will appeal to children throughout primary school and which contains so much to enjoy in the artwork that it will likely be read repeatedly. Apparently, this is the first book in a series; I will certainly look forward to reading further adventures of this adorable duo.
Disclaimer: I am very grateful to Post Wave Publishing for sending me a copy of this lovely hardback book ahead of publication on 30 April 2026. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.
cover art by Richard Johnson, published by Rock the Boat, 4 June 2026, ISBN: 978-1836433095
The Ocean and the Bones is the debut middle grade adventure from Genevieve Carver, whose background in archaeology inspires and shapes this impressive, lyrical, and thought-provoking novel. Set during the Neolithic era (approximately 6000 years ago) this story is told in the first person voice of Meg, an orphan, haunted by her fear of water ever since both her parents drowned. Meg has been chosen as the Sunhealer’s Shadow, and is being trained to learn the ways of the Spirits on which her tribe depend for the success of their crops and their livestock. However, their settlement of Chalk Howe has been beset by storms and rain, and the inhabitants are filled with suspicion that something or someone has upset the Water Spirits.
Into this cauldron of discontent arrives Kalø, a girl of roughly the same age as Meg, who speaks a different language, and who has washed up on the beach during a storm which has wrecked the Midsummer Eve celebrations. Meg is assigned the tasks of looking after Kalø and additionally finding out where she has come from, and the reason for her appearance at Chalk Howe. Their friendship develops as they learn to communicate with each other. However, rivalries, jealousies and suspicion of difference lead to Kalø being scapegoated for the climatic events affecting the settlement and Meg needs to vercome her deepest fear to accompany her friend in a quest to seek her island home.
This is a beautifully crafted adventure, with plenty of high-stakes drama, threaded through with lyrical reflective passages, particularly as we enter Kalø’s memories of her family. I found that the descriptions of the food and drink, the knapping of flint tools and the boat-building process all firmly rooted the story in its time period. Like all the best stories written for children, the author brings her scholarship to life through an engaging story, so that readers (young, and significantly older in my case) learn by literary osmosis. Although set in a period of pre-history, I think that the story will make many middle grade readers reflect on the climate changes which are causing migration in our present time. Furthermore, the blaming of a stranger for the misfortunes of a local population also bears some parallels to scenes that we witness in society.
I highly recommend The Ocean and the Bones to librarians, teachers and parents who want to put an intriguing story into the hands of readers aged 9 years and above. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I am grateful to publicist Dannie Price and publisher Rock the Boat for sending me a proof copy of The Ocean and the Bones ahead of publication on 4 June 2026.
Cover art by Laura Ellen Anderson, published by Farshore, 7 May 2026, ISBN: 978-0008678906
Cuter than a basketful of kittens, this first story in a new series from Laura Ellen Anderson is an absolute treasure for readers aged 5 years and above!
Welcome to the planet Whiskery Paw, a cat-kingdom in a hidden corner of the galaxy, accessible only via a portal at the bottom of Tabitha Flair’s garden at number 25 Whiskery Way. Tabitha is in possession of a star-shaped key, which opens the door of her garden shed, taking her directly to Whiskery Paw and its friendly, feline inhabitants. Each Star Kitty has a shiny star on its tummy, its own unique role in the kingdom and the ability to talk. Tabitha visits the Star Kitties at the end of each school week, and on the Friday that we meet her, she is even more excited than usual because it just happens to be her birthday. Tabitha knows how much the Star Kitties love to celebrate special occasions and therefore anticipates some sort of special treatment from her feline friends. However, she arrives to find the inhabitants of Tabby Town in a state of panic because Queen Moggaline has gone missing. Her expected birthday party instantly turns into a search party, because who can possibly think of birthdays when a beloved monarch has disappeared?
Tabitha is introduced to Purrlock Holmes, a deer-stalker and checked-cape-wearing detective kitty, and accompanies the rather distracted sleuth around the town and surrounding forest, on the trail of the missing Queen. They meet a variety of the delightful Star Kitties during their investigations, but Tabitha cannot help feeling that something is amiss in Moggaline’s kingdom. What will she find at the end of the trail? Pre-order this book today, and all will be revealed when it is published on 7th May 2026!
Everything about this book is utterly charming, from the unique characters, to the gently humorous tale of kindness and friendship. There is an introduction here to some of the tropes of detective fiction, some beautiful word play and of course Laura Ellen Anderson’s signature style of elegantly appealing illustration. The size of the book is just right to be held by the little hands of its intended readership, there is a map and an illustrated guide to the main characters at the start, and the entire book is illustrated in two colours, turquoise and grey-scale, giving young emerging readers plenty of visual cues and pausing places to encourage their reading for pleasure. My proof copy does not contain all of the final illustrations, but those that are present indicate that this book will appeal hugely to Key Stage 1 and probably many Year 3 children. I will certainly be buying finished copies as gifts for young relatives, and I strongly urge school librarians and KS1 teachers to add Star Kitties: Detective Kitty is on the Case! to their collections. If like me, you have young relatives, this book would make a delightful gift.
Disclaimer: I am most grateful to Farshore Books and to publicist Amy Dobson for sending me a proof copy of Star Kitties: Detective Kitty is on the Case! ahead of publication on 7th May 2026. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own. I am also deeply grateful to author and illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson for sending me a gorgeous Reviewer Kitty notecard. This did not influence my review, I am genuinely a huge fan of her books which I feel contain all the elements which make reading a pleasure for children.
You can find out more about Laura Ellen Anderson and her books at her website: landoflaura.co.uk
Reviews that I have written for other books by Laura Ellen Anderson can be found at the links below:
Cover image by Karítas Gunnarsdóttìr, published by Nosy Crow, 9 April 2026, ISBN: 978-1805131274
We Are Dragon is the final title in the I Am Wolf trilogy, and brings the series to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. This is a truly remarkable work of science fiction which I think will appeal to sci-fi fans of any age, although it is primarily aimed for a middle grade readership. It probably could be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel, but I think that readers will get far more out of it if they have read I Am Wolf and I Am Raven beforehand.
In the land where Constructs (mechanical creatures fabricated from a massive variety of materials and powered by the thought energy of the humans who inhabit them) have battled each other for territory throughout the lifetimes of the young main protagonists, new battle lines have been drawn. Now the remaining free constructs need to work together to fight the massed ranks of Dragons which have been created by Queenie, an AI program. With the odds very definitely not in their favour, it will take original thinking and technological brilliance to outwit Queenie’s army. Fortunately, among the four inhabitants of Cub, Rieka is uniquely equipped for this challenge. She has always considered herself to be a uniquely gifted Tock, has always felt more at home communicating with machines rather than humans, and is fiercely ambitious to receive the approval of Ander, the leader of Lion clan. When she devises a plan and manufactures the technology to control and use the Wild Ants to fight against the mighty Dragon contructs, she is convinced that she alone can bring down Queenie’s military superiority.
At first the crew members of Cub, Coll, Brann, Fillan and Kevin (a small Ant construct who is devoted to Fillan) are happy to support and follow their fellow crew member. However, as her victories mount up and Rieka’s power grows, she begins to feel increasingly isolated and unable to communicate with those who love her, and fear for her.
In my opinion, this is a brilliantly written story, which ratchets up the tension to a supremely impressive final conclusion. It can be read as an all-action, thrilling, battle for supremacy between two intelligent foes who will stop at nothing to defeat their enemy. For any reader who wishes to reflect more deeply, it is a wonderful exploration of what it means to be human, to have free will, and to overcome the barriers which divide us. For any teachers or librarians who run book clubs for readers aged 9+, this would be an excellent book to include in your book club choices and the author has provided some great questions for discussion at the end of the novel.
Disclaimer: I am grateful to Sian at Nosy Crow for sending me a copy of We Are Dragon ahead of publication on 9th April 2026. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.
I’m almost embarrassed to write this post as I have managed to find so little time for reading during March. The chaos resulting from some home renovations has left me with very little time for reading, although I have enjoyed listening to two audiobooks as I painted the new woodwork!
I borrowed both The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver from my local public library as audiobooks. The former is a crime thriller on the unusual subject of the illegal trade in rare bird eggs and kept me intrigued from beginning to end. The latter is a reimagining of David Copperfield, set in the Appalachians and exploring the communities devastated by the opioid crisis. Once again, I was so grateful to have the opportunity to listen to brilliant narrators (Phil Dunster and Charlie Thurston) reading these fantastic works of fiction, for free, whilst I could get on with a practical task.
Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans was actually a re-read for me, in preparation for a book group meeting later this month. It is a gentle, whimsical story of a family of the landed gentry coming to terms with the breaking down of class barriers after the end of WWII. I have read many of the author Lissa Evans’ previous novels (both adult and children’s fiction) and I love her sharp observation, lyrical writing and the way in which she threads her historical research so naturally throughout her narratives.
Mummy’s Promise is a beautiful picture book written by Michelle Robinson and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly, which was published just in time for Mothering Sunday this year.
The Flying Feminist by Mary Boone, illustrated by Andrea Turk is an excellent non-fiction book for a middle grade which tells the story of Lilian Bland, the first woman to both build and fly her own aeroplane.
Finally, I was delighted to be invited to join the blog tour for the first title in a new, illustrated, detective fiction series; Will Shakespeare Mysteries: The Stinky Stolen Toenails. Author Kaz Penney has crafted a novel packed with the sort of humour which will have middle grade readers hooting with laughter, whilst also introducing them to some characters and plot lines that they will meet as they begin to study Shakespeare’s work. The book is wittily illustrated throughout by Sammy Elgie.
Have you read any of these books? Do let me know in the comments. I hope that you had a better reading month than mine, and I hope to do better in April!
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