#PictureBookFriday Review: Something in the Darkness written by John Dougherty, illustrated by Matt Schu

Cover art by Matt Schu, published by Post Wave Books, 17 September 2026,
ISBN: 9781836271307

Something in the Darkness is a suspenseful story, brilliantly written by award-winning author John Dougherty for children of primary school age. The striking artwork by Matt Schu, in black, shades of blue, and orange, adds a brooding atmosphere to the story, perfectly complementing the rhyming text. The detail in the pictures adds a great deal to the storytelling and will provide lots of opportunities for conversation between adults and children who share this book.

We often fall into the trap of thinking of picture books as being written for very young children, but I would recommend Something in the Darkness to teachers and librarians working with children throughout primary school. The quality of the writing and the imagery it conveys would be an excellent resource for any teacher wishing to use Halloween as a prompt for poetry appreciation or writing. The sense of tension is built with immense skill, building to a crescendo which is dispelled by a humorous ending. The story’s message that some things are more frightening in the dark than they would be in the day is one that all children are likely to appreciate and I feel sure there will be much relieved laughter at the end of the book.

If you are a parent or caregiver, looking for a book to share with children aged 4-11 this half-term, or if you are a primary school teacher or librarian looking for a high quality addition to your ‘spooky season’ collection, I encourage you to keep this book in mind.

Disclaimer: I am immensely grateful to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and Post Wave Books for sending me a copy of Something in the Darkness. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own. I will be passing this book on to a speech therapy team who I am sure will be able to make good use of it.

#MG Review: Grebs & Co. The Secret Lives of Gremlins by D.T. Moorhouse, illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska

Cover design by Jet Purdie, published by Everything With Words, 3 September 2026, ISBN: 978-1911427513

Grebs & Co. The Secret Lives of Gremlins is one of those highly imaginative books that sidle up quietly along the bookcase and completely take you by surprise when you open the cover. It is the kind of book that appeals to those quiet children who notice things and feel things deeply; children, in fact, very much like Alice who is the main protagonist of the story.

Alice is newly arrived in the village of Little Wobbleton, a place where lamp posts and trees seem to lean towards you, and where, to an observant and curious child, the postboxes seem to hum with life. Alice becomes quite familiar with the slightly dilapidated postbox that sits below an oak tree near her home on Muddlesworth Lane. She is a frequent visitor as she sends letter after letter to her absent mother, and as she drops the envelopes in, she becomes increasingly convinced that she can hear something within the letterbox! Wishing to investigate, she composes a note, places it in an envelope accompanied by some extremely tasty-sounding chocolate digestives, and pops it through the delivery slot. As she hoped, the biscuits are the magic key to opening up the secret world of the post box gremlins and before long Alice is welcomed into a magical world.

I do not wish to ruin the discovery of the inner workings of the gremlin postal world to anyone who might be tempted to read this book, it is such a richly imagined world that you need to immerse yourself directly in it. Suffice to say that Alice quickly learns about the different postal tasks, helps out when things get muddled or difficult, and finds some eccentric and fascinating companions who brighten up her rather lonely life. However, jeopardy looms when the mayor and the town council decide that modernisation plans for the village should include the replacement of the shabby, inefficient post boxes by state-of-the-art Mail Drop-off Units. Can Alice convince the clipboard-wielding, spreadsheet-consulting councillors that their quest for a modern village is causing them to overlook the power of words, and the emotional depth of a handwritten delivery? Pick up a copy of this charming book and find out!

I really appreciated this quiet and quirky adventure, which is beautifully written by D.T. Moorhouse, and which made me reflect on the power of handwritten messages. I hope that it will make young readers, who have grown up in the age of instant electronic communication, consider the value of slowing down and thinking deeply about the messages that they want to pass on to others. The story was a lovely blend of the intricately constructed fantasy world with real emotional depth. I also think that middle grade readers will appreciate the striking black and white illustrations by Ewa Beniak-Haremska, which are presented as Alice’s pencil sketches of the inner workings of the postboxes; they are a delight to explore and give independent readers a chance to pause their reading at regular intervals and enjoy meeting the gremlin characters. I would wholeheartedly recommend Grebs & Co. to primary school librarians and class teachers, as well as to parents and caregivers. Advanced readers aged 7 would enjoy this, as would 11 year olds in year 6, it would also be a great classroom readaloud to accompany a topic on letter writing.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to Mikka at Everything With Words for sending me a copy of Grebs & Co. The Secret Lives of Gremlins. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#PictureBook Review: The Green Child written by Hollie Hughes, illustrated by Britta Teckentrup

Cover art by Britta Teckentrup, published by Post Wave Publishing, 3 September 2026, ISBN: 978-1836270577

The Green Child is a charming picture book, written in rhyme by Hollie Hughes and featuring beautiful collage illustrations by Britta Teckentrup.

This story celebrates the natural world as it changes with the seasons, personified by the Green Child. She awakes in the spring and skips through the forest awakening the leaves and rousing the woodland creatures from their hibernation. As the summer flowers bloom and the weather becomes hotter and drier, the Green Child realises that she needs help from the humans to help manage the climate. Her message spreads from one tiny human to another and eventually the earth cools sufficiently for autumn and winter to arrive. The story provides a gentle opportunity for commencing discussions about the need to take care of the environment. The rhyming text has a lovely rhythm which makes it a delight to read aloud, meaning that this book will be a joy for adults to read to young children in either classroom settings or at home. As for the illustrations, there is so much detail in every spread that adults and children could spend endless hours admiring the artwork and having conversations about the woodland plants and animals, and the way that the colours vary across pages depicting the different seasons.

This hardback book would make a lovely gift for a young relative, or alternatively, is sturdy enough to be used in early years or primary classroom or library settings.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and Post Wave Publishing for sending me a copy of The Green Child. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Children’s Non-fiction Review – Footprints: Walk the Path of Our Earliest Ancestors by Stephen Davies and Kalina Muhova

Cover artwork by Kalina Muhova, published by Post Wave Publishing,
17 September 2026, ISBN: 978-1836270829

Footprints: Walk the Path of Our Earliest Ancestors is a fantastic work of narrative non-fiction, written by Stephen Davies, with beautiful artwork by Kalina Muhova. It covers an incredible range of STEM subjects taught in British schools, including rocks, volcanoes, plate tectonics and evolution, bringing them together in a coherent narrative.

The book begins three hundred million years ago when earth had just one landmass, and explains that the continent of Africa emerged nearly four million years ago. Depictions of many of the animals that roamed the land are provided across stunning double-page spreads before a new animal arrives on the scene, an animal with deep set eyes which walks upright on two legs…this human-like creature will much later become known as Australopithecus afarensis.

The latter half of the book explains how a group of paleoanthropologists, led by Mary Leakey found ancient footprints preserved in the volcanic ash of the Laetoli plain in Tanzania, identifying many animals which are the ancestors of the African animals we know today. After years of careful analysis, they identified footprints which looked more like those of humans than apes and realised that our ancestors started walking upright far earlier than had been previously thought. The footprints matched perfectly with the foot bones of the famous fossilised skeleton known as Lucy, which was found in Ethiopia, which gives scientists one more clue into the process of human evolution, although the book points out that there are still some uncertainties about this.

I really like the way this book demonstrates the meticulous analysis of the evidence which is performed by scientists before they can reach their conclusions. There is not too much text, a lot of the information is portrayed in the pictures, with some of the scientific process presented in panels with speech bubbles, which show the logical flow of the work. This would be a great book for curious children aged 7 years and above to explore in either the classroom or at home; I would highly recommend it to school librarians and primary school teachers. It is a high quality hardback which should withstand constant use in school settings.

Disclaimer: I am most grateful to Antonia Wilkinson and Post Wave Publishing for sending me a copy of Footprints: Walk the Path of Our Earliest Ancestors. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#MG Review: Malory Towers Mystery Club Kidnap at Midnight by Fleur Hitchcock, illustrated by Hannah Peck

Cover art by Hannah Peck, published by Hachette, 10 September 2026,
ISBN: 978-1444985337

As someone who grew up reading the original Enid Blyton Malory Towers series, as well as being a long-standing fan of Fleur Hitchcock’s middle grade mysteries, I was very excited to read this newly published title, inspired by an old favourite. And what fun it is! All the classic elements are there; the swimming pool carved from the rocks, the lacrosse pitches, and the same cast of teachers, but enhanced by an international cast of new first-formers and a mystery to solve!

We meet the central character Emma, daughter of a former Malory Towers pupil, on her journey to join the iconic Cornish boarding school. The action begins almost instantly, when the family’s car is run off the road by a speeding lorry. Thankfully, Mum, Dad and Emma are shaken but uninjured, and Emma arrives into the first-year ‘dormy’ only slightly late, where she meets her new classmates and immediately makes friends with horse-loving Sheila and bookish Marie. Despite the bickering between identical twins Nancy and Judith, the first form seem to settle in quickly and get along well, apart from Margaret who appears stressed, disappears frequently and often becomes irritable with the other girls. Emma, Marie and Sheila sense a mystery and decide to try following Margaret to see what she is up to. When a strange couple are spotted near the swimming pool and soon afterwards the horses are set loose from the school stables, their sleuthing takes on a more serious challenge.

School life at Malory Towers encompasses more than the regular curriculum when a plot to sabotage one young rider’s ambitions for international equestrian stardom comes to the attention of the young sleuths. This story holds all the threads that middle grade readers need in a mystery; red herrings, crooks who will stop at nothing to achieve their dastardly aim, and brave girls who will risk everything for their friends. The story flows at a cracking pace, with short chapters which are intermittently illustrated with Hannah Peck’s stylish grayscale illustrations. The book is just under 200 pages in length, making it an achievable and enjoyable read for children aged 8 and above. This is definitely a book which I would recommend to primary school librarians and to classroom teachers throughout key stage 2. I would also suggest that if, like me, you grew up reading the Enid Blyton Malory Towers stories, you might want to purchase this book for a young relative with whom you can then have a lovely bookish conversation.

I borrowed this book from my wonderful local public library, although I will be buying copies for young relatives! All opinions are my own.

#AudioBook Review: Monsieur Mustard The Disappearance of Fabio Fangtooth by Charley Rabbit, read by Ciaran Saward

Screenshot from audiobook, artwork by Charley Rabbit, published by Bolinda Audio, 3 June 2026,
ISBN: 978-1038054326

Monsieur Mustard the Disappearance of Fabio Fangtooth is a welcome and hugely enjoyable addition to the detective fiction genre, written for children aged 7 years and above. In this first adventure, we meet the debonair mouse detective as he arrives in the city of Bath, an event which makes the front page of the local newspaper. It is not long before the world famous detective is called into action to investigate the mysterious disappearance of celebrity restauranteur Fabio Fangtooth, who disappeared from his city restaurant after closing time the previous evening. In the course of his investigations, Monsieur Mustard finds a series of clues which seem to have been deliberately left for him…but are they red herrings or will they lead to the real criminal?

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this story which was expertly read by Ciaran Saward, and which I was able to borrow from my local public library service. I think that the cast which comprises entirely of animal characters, each with distinctive personalities, will be very appealing for the target audience. There is a great deal of humour (I have no doubt that many children will find Monsieur Mustard’s rather flatulent assistant very funny) and clever word play, along with a thoroughly engaging plot which young sleuths are likely to enjoy trying to unravel. Personally, I loved that one of the kidnapped animals that the world famous detective is trying to track down, is apparently the owner of a lovely bookshop which I have visited many times!

Although I listened to this story as an audiobook, I believe that the printed format, published by Andersen Press, is a hybrid of illustrated text fiction interspersed with graphic novel pages, which I am sure would make it a book which independent readers will find appealing. If you are an adult fan of the Hercule Poirot detective novels, I would suggest that you will enjoy reading this story aloud to young relatives, or to a class or group of children in a school or library setting, and perhaps setting them on their way to becoming fans of the genre too.

Disclaimer: This was a borrowed audiobook, it was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Picture Book Review: The Star Tree by Luosha Liu

Cover art by Luosha Liu, published by Post Wave Books 3 September 2026,
ISBN: 978-1836270881

The Star Tree is a beautiful graphic novel story for young children, the first in The Starlit Forest series. For Chinese-born creator Luosha Liu, this is the first comic book that she has both written and illustrated, and I was astonished to learn that she is a self-taught illustrator after initially study economics.

The book begins with a beautiful map of The Starlit Forest, with the Star Tree growing in the centre. We see that the Star Tree is adored by many forest creatures, and most of all by a little mouse named Ellie. Then one day the tree starts producing stars, which is exciting at first but then threatens to overwhelm the forest and its inhabitants. The animals try all sorts of tactics to manage the thousands of stars being produced by the tree, all unsuccessfully. Some voices are calling for the tree to be chopped down before the stars bury the entire forest, while the wise owl is trying to recall an ancient story about the Star Tree and its behaviour. Meanwhile, Ellie is determined that no harm should befall her favourite tree. But how will she convince her animal friends that the stars should be seen as a benefit, not a threat? You will have to read this gentle story to discover the answer.

The Star Tree, with its autumnal colour palette, is a gorgeous book to add to primary school classrooms or libraries as October begins. The story is gentle and hopeful, and the cute animal characters are likely to appeal to readers aged 6 years and above. Not only can they follow the story systematically through the comic-style panels, but the publisher has printed the text in an easy to read, lower case font which will make the reading process easier for this age group than the traditional all-capitalised speech bubbles usually used in comics and graphic novels.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to publicist Susan Barry and Post Wave Publishing for sending me a copy of The Star Tree. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#Non-fiction Review – Mermaid of the Deep: the acquatic adventures of Dr Sylvia Earle by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe and Khoa Le

Cover art by Khoa Le, published by Post Wave, 24 September 2026,
ISBN: 978-1836270553

Mermaid of the Deep is a visually stunning, picture book biography of American ocean explorer Dr Sylvia Earle, written by Australian journalist-author Leisa Stewart-Sharpe. The story of Sylvia Earle’s life is told in simple, accessible paragraphs which accompany the striking artwork, created by a combination of digital and traditional techniques by Vietnam-based artist Khoa Le.

We learn that Sylvia spent her childhood fascinated by the ocean before learning to scuba dive so that she could pursue a career as a scientist of the sea. She became the only woman on an international marine research ship, then the first woman to actually walk on the seabed, and led a crew of female researchers on a two-week stay in a research station based on the ocean floor. Her bravery and curiosity seem to know no bounds, and the more that she observed the ocean and its inhabitants, the more she felt the need to tell the world about the damage that was being done to this vast eco-system by human behaviour. All of this was achieved at a time when there were many barriers to women who wished to pursue scientific careers; Dr Sylvia Earle is presented as a true ‘aquanaut’ pioneer, and a scientist who has led the way in protecting the ocean by creating ‘Hope Spots’ that work like underwater national parks.

Mermaid of the Deep is a wonderful example of narrative non-fiction which shows primary school children the astonishing achievements possible when an individual single-mindedly pursues their passion. I am sure that most children will not have heard of Dr Sylvia Earle prior to picking up this book, but will finish it feeling truly inspired. The artwork depicts the fascinating ocean creatures about which we still have so much to learn. I have to admit that the darkness of the pages that describe Dr Sylvia’s work on the ocean floor sent a shiver down my spine; I hope that all readers will be awestruck by, and grateful to, the scientists who have explored this most alien environment on our planet.

I am hugely impressed by the quality of both the content and the production of this hardback book. I love the way that publisher Post Wave Books is bringing international stories, written and illustrated by international creatives, to the UK market. This book would be an excellent addition to the STEM collections of primary school libraries or classrooms, and would make a lovely gift for any child aged 6 years and above who is curious about the natural world.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and Post Wave Books for sending me a copy of Mermaid of the Deep. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#MG Fiction Review: The Moonlight Dragon by Liz Flanagan

Cover art by Melissa Castrillón, published by Fox & Ink Books, 1 October 2026, ISBN: 978-1917894173

The Moonlight Dragon is the latest children’s book written by Liz Flanagan, and in my opinion will suit a readership which sits perfectly between two of her previous series that I have enjoyed the Wildsmith stories and the Dragon Daughter series (I will include links to my reviews at the end of this post). The Moonlight Dragon is a standalone novel which is pitched for middle grade readers who love fantasy adventure, are ready to move on from illustrated fiction, but who are looking for a shorter novel that the traditional 300-400 page fantasies. This author is such an accomplished storyteller, that she has woven a thoroughly satisfying, action-packed, warm-hearted, adventure in under 200 pages…and there are dragons!

The story centres on Luna, who along with her father and many other folk from the countryside, has been displaced to the city as a result of famine. During the migration, her mother was separated from the family and now Luna visits a stone circle outside the fortified city on every full moon in the hope that her mother will appear. The book begins with Luna witnessing hunters shooting a dragon from the sky on one of these night-time vigils. When she subsequently finds the abandoned baby dragon in a nearby cave, she risks putting her own and the kingdom’s future in peril, if the king’s prophecy is to be believed!

Luna is a beautifully written character; brave, curious and sympathetic. The juxtaposition of the loss of her own mother, with that of the baby dragon, Spark, is finely drawn so that young readers can easily grasp the theme of empathy. She teams up with Tobi, the fearful young prince and Elodie, the daughter of the palace librarian, to take care of Spark and investigate the ancient tomes in the library to try to discover where and when the hatred of dragons arose in the kingdom. Their adventure is thrilling, laced with just the right amount of jeopardy and also has moments of humour, mainly featuring the adorable Spark. There is something about Liz Flanagan’s writing, which I do not have the language to describe, other than to say she makes reading such a pleasure because the story just flows and carries you along on the journey. I think that this is such an important quality for middle grade stories because it encourages children to keep reading rather than getting distracted into another activity. She also very subtly includes themes of environmental damage, social injustice and rewilding into the subtext, which form a very natural part of the narrative without ever seeming didactic. I would highly recommend The Moonlight Dragon for readers aged 8 years and above, who love nature, dragons and fantasy adventures; this is definitely a book to add to primary school library and Key Stage 2 classroom collections.

Disclaimer: I am grateful to Janet at Fox & Ink Books for sending me a copy of The Moonlight Dragon. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

My reviews of Liz Flanagan’s illustrated fiction series for younger readers:

Wildsmith: Into the Dark Forest

Wildsmith: City of Secrets

Wildsmith: The Hidden Sea

My reviews of Liz Flanagan’s books for slightly older middle grade/young teen readers:

Dragon Daughter

Rise of the Shadow Dragons

The Pirate’s Dragon

#Illustrated Fiction Review: The Adventures of Sweet Boo Finding a Father by Taylor Dolan

Cover art by Taylor Dolan, published by Guppy Books, 15 October 2026,
ISBN: 9781916558335

The Adventures of Sweet Boo Finding a Father is a kooky, strikingly illustrated story, presented in a glorious two-colour format. With spooky season fast approaching, this cute tale of a little ghost who suddenly realises that she wants a father, will be a fun addition to book choices for readers aged 6 years and above. This book is part of the mini-guppy series, the smaller format makes it easy for little hands to hold and the short chapters and minimal text make the reading experience easy for newly independent readers.

Much of the story telling is done by the pictures, which are cartoon-like in style. Sweet Boo’s ghost existence does not have too many complications. She does not like being mistaken for a pillow, she is wary of vacuum cleaners, and milk has a terrible effect on her. However, one day she spots a display in a shop window and decides that she really needs to find a father. Unfortunately, her criteria for the perfect dad are entirely influenced by the image of the shop mannequin and it takes her a while to find out what is really important in choosing a perfect dad. There is a heart-warming moment when she finally spots a great example, swiftly followed by a funny twist at the end which I suspect is a hint at a further adventure for Sweet Boo. This is a good choice for primary school librarians looking to add some early chapter books into their reading-for-pleasure Halloween choices.

Author and illustrator Taylor Dolan is based in the US, and the artwork, especially the cityscapes viewed through the windows certainly gave me American vibes. I have previously reviewed the Ghost Scouts series by this same author, also published by Guppy Books in the UK.

Disclaimer: I am grateful to Guppy Books for sending me a copy of The Adventures of Sweet Boo Finding a Father prior to publication on 15 October 2026. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.