#Christmas Anthology: A Children’s Literary Christmas, compiled and edited by Anna James

Published 2019 by The British Library, ISBN: 978-0712352796

This wonderful anthology of Christmas tales is a perfect collection for busy teachers, parents and carers, and children to dip into for bite-sized chunks of seasonal wonder, in between all the activities which seem to fill December. The carefully curated selection of short stories, poems or extracts from longer books, put together by Anna James, provides something for every taste. In her introduction she points out that some of the extracts have been included because they have a snowy, wintery setting and the content points to “the spirit of Christmas – kindness and taking care of those around us.”

The book is divided into five parts:

Father Christmas

The Magic of Christmas

Family Celebrations

The Gift of Giving

Christmas Spirit

The first item dates from 1823; the classic poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C Moore, there are stories and letters written by many well-known authors from the Victorian and Edwardian periods and more recent stories and extracts from works by contemporary authors, Kes Gray, Swapna Haddow, Michael Morpurgo and Matt Haig. The range of imagination celebrated in this book is immense, and will entertain young readers (or listeners) as well as conjuring up some nostalgia for older consumers. I was delighted to find extracts from a number of stories that I had previously enjoyed reading both as a child myself as well as to my own children. Particular highlights for me were Chapter 6 from The Phoenix and the Carpet which rekindled childhood memories, and Chapter 1 from A House at Pooh Corner by A A Milne, In Which a House is Built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore (which I have probably read aloud more than a hundred times). The moment when Piglet says “Only warmer” to explain the position of Eeyore’s house makes me smile every single time I read it!

I think that this is a charming book to gift to a child, and I would also imagine that school librarians and classroom teachers would find it a valuable addition to their collections at this time of year.

This book was my own purchase.

#MG Christmas Books: Operation Nativity by Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Katie Kear

Cover image by Katie Kear, published by Usborne, 9 November 2023,
ISBN: 978-1801315111

Jenny Pearson has built a reputation in the middle grade books market for her talent of creating stories which combine laugh-out-loud humour with genuine heartfelt emotion and this Christmas story is a wonderful demonstration of her skill. Readers are likely to chuckle through the majority of this warm-hearted story of a traditional Nativity play, and then find their eyes welling up at certain moments, the content of which I will not disclose as I don’t want to spoil the story for those who have not read it yet.

The story is recounted in the first person voice of 11-year-old Oscar, who, with his 5-year-old sister Molly, and Mum and Dad, have been commanded to spend Christmas at the stately home of Dad’s parents, aka Lord and Lady Cuthbert-Anderson. Mum has always tried her best to avoid Christmas with the in-laws, mainly because Grandmother, Araminta (Minty) directs a very ambitious Nativity play in the village church and insists that all the family take starring roles in the production. This year however, Mum has run out of excuses and there is word that Grandfather is sick, so the family make the trek from the Midlands to Chipping Bottom in Hampshire to join Dad’s extended family for the holiday.

On the first night at Barlington Hall, Oscar sees a bright flash in the sky followed by the sound of a crash. He and Molly go out to the fields to investigate and are hugely surprised by the discovery of a discombobulated Angel Gabriel. It turns out that he overdid his “announcing” role 2000-odd years ago, and has somehow transported Mary, Joseph, a donkey, Balthazar and a shepherd called Steve, forward in time and to a destination rather far from Bethlehem. What’s more, he has lost his companions en route to Hampshire and now needs to enlist the help of Oscar and Molly to save Christmas! The story that follows combines Araminta’s efforts to ensure that the 100th anniversary production of the Chipping Bottom Nativity is the best ever performance, with Oscar and Molly’s quest to round up the participants from the original Nativity so that they can be transported back to Bethlehem. The resulting crossed-wires, subterfuge and mix-ups are very funny indeed.

This tale has a lovely underlying theme of a family drawing closer together; the bonding that occurs over the course of the story is beautifully constructed. I really loved the multi-generational links as well as the sibling relationships and the very moving depiction of the love built up over a long marriage between the grandparents. I think that Operation Nativity would be an ideal book for adults and children to read together, it is also perfect for independent readers aged 9+. There are delightful greyscale illustrations by Katie Kear throughout the book and she has also decorated the chapter titles (which are puns on Christmas carols and songs) with baubles, lights and greenery.

This book was my own purchase and I would recommend it to everyone building a collection of Christmas stories for children.

#Christmas Picture Book Review: I Am Wishing Every Minute for Christmas by Lauren Child

Cover image by Lauren Child, Published by Simon & Schuster, 9 October 2025,
ISBN: 978-1398542792

A new Charlie and Lola picture book, published 25 years after the first tale of these delightful siblings appeared, is definitely worth celebrating. I Am Wishing Every Minute for Christmas beautifully captures that childhood longing for Christmas Day to arrive, with every minute seeming to last for an eternity in the lead up to the main event. As with the other books in the series, the story is told by big brother Charlie and starts with the familiar lines

I have this little sister Lola.

She is small and very funny.

We then hear about the many ways that Lola expresses her excitement about Christmas. Her anticipation starts to build from the moment that the trees begin dropping their leaves in the autumn, so Charlie has his work cut out as he relates the various ways that he tries to distract Lola from her impatience. There is not a huge amount of text, but it wonderfully demonstrates the two children’s personalities. Charlie is the kindest of big brothers and provides all kinds of practical, pre-Christmas activities for Lola, including inventive use of their Advent calendar. Lola has a huge imagination and the most adorably quirky speech patterns, showcased magnificently as she longs for the arrival of the big day.

The joy of this book, along with all of the previous stories in the series, is the alchemy that author/illustrator, Lauren Child, conjures on every page with her amalgamation of characters, playful typography (which seems to wander around the page with the same freedom as Lola’s thinking) and distinctive illustration style which combines drawings with collage. The drawings look deceptively simple, but they convey so much expression. Every page contains so many little details and is so visually striking, that both adults and children will want to revisit the book endlessly. If you know of a young child who is finding the build up to Christmas slightly overwhelming, sit down with them and share this book, so that they can enjoy the Advent anticipation in the charming company of Charlie and Lola.

This book was my own purchase.

Christmas Books Review: Daisy and the Trouble With Christmas by Kes Gray

Cover image by Nick Sharratt, published by Red Fox, 2009, ISBN: 978-1862304970

As you can probably guess from the battered state of the front cover, Daisy and the Trouble With Christmas was a much loved and frequently re-read book in this house! It is a delightfully funny tale for children who are just gaining confidence in reading independently, and the storyline of participation in a school Christmas play will be familiar to many readers and any adults with whom they might share this book.

According to Daisy, the trouble with Christmas is that it is just too exciting. As if writing to Santa wasn’t exciting enough, Daisy has been cast as Mary’s helper in the Nativity play and will be performing in front of the whole school and loads of parents and other family members. Unfortunately, Daisy’s mounting excitement causes a slight disaster during the performance…but it really wasn’t her fault. After all, it was Mrs Peters who told her to cradle and rock the baby Jesus before handing him to Mary. So really it should be Mrs Peters who has to report to the headteacher’s office, not Daisy!

The entire story is narrated by Daisy, and Kes Gray does a magnificent job of capturing the voice of a Key Stage 1 child as the tension builds to reveal the dramatic events on stage. You just can’t help but love Daisy’s view of her world; the story is charming and absolutely hilarious. I love that this book (along with all the others in the series) is printed in a large, simple font, with plenty of white space around the text and has loads of cute illustrations (by Garry Parsons) breaking up the text. I cannot recommend this illustrated, early-reader highly enough for children aged 6-8 to enjoy during December.

This book was a personal purchase.

#MG Christmas Review: The Miraculous Sweetmakers – The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings, illustrated by Alex T Smith

Cover image by Alex T Smith, published by Harper Collins, October 2023, ISBN: 978-0008496081.

A perfect book to read when the first frosts appear in the run up to Christmas, The Miraculous Sweetmakers – The Frost Fair took my breath away! It is a book which I bought several years ago after reading gushing reviews by many blogging friends, but as with many books which I actually buy myself, it kept on slipping down the TBR stack due to the number of books that I am sent by publishers.

There were many aspects of this middle grade novel that I enjoyed. Firstly, it is beautifully written in a style and rhythm that just compelled me to read one more chapter even when my eyes were drooping with tiredness. The historical setting of the London borough of Southwark during the Great Frost of 1683, had clearly been deeply researched, and provided a fascinating and authentic backdrop to a tale of mystery and magic. Layered into the fantasy plot was a sophisticated and subtle exploration of grief, mental health and the ability of females to manage their own livelihood during a period of history when women could be carted off to Bedlam to be treated like circus exhibits by the medical professionals of the day. As a librarian who works in an NHS library, I am always happy to find books which highlight both mental and physical health issues, because they can provide readers with the vocabulary to discuss their own health. One of the main protagonists in this book, Thomasina, loses her twin brother to an asthma attack in the first chapter, and also suffers from ‘the wheeze’ herself, and early treatments for this illness are described when Thomasina befriends Anne who is training as an apothecary. I loved this element of medical history running through the storyline.

After the death of Arthur, her twin, Thomasina lives a life wracked by a combination of guilt and grief. Her mother has taken to her bed and become a silent ghost in the house, while her father continues to run the family sweet making business but has lost all of his previous joy. Thomasina helps with the business and tries to take care of her mother, but life is harsh and lonely, until the Thames freezes over and the local merchants of Southwark decide to take their business out onto the ice. For Thomasina, the Frost Fair brings two opportunities. She meets Anne, who works in her uncle’s apothecary shop, and with whom she begins to create sweets with healing ingredients, the two girls building a firm friendship as they develop their business. Secondly, she is visited by a spectre who leads her to the Other Frost Fair, where she encounters the mysterious Father Winter, who offers her a deadly bargain. Will the offer to raise her brother from the dead prove too tempting to refuse? Will Thomasina’s friends, Anne and Henry, be able to save her from the fate of the Frost Folk? And can anything be done to save Thomasina’s mother from her deep melancholy? This glittering adventure will sweep readers through an ice-covered landscape to the answers.

The Miraculous Sweetmakers – The Frost Fair is a perfect book to snuggle up with during the winter months, and would make an ideal Christmas present for children aged 9+. I am kicking myself that I waited so long to pick it up from my bookshelf, my consolation being that there is a second book in the series ready for me to enjoy. This is definitely a book that I would place firmly in the ‘reading for pleasure’ category, and I should mention that throughout the book there are beautifully atmospheric illustrations by Alex T Smith. It is a frosty adventure to warm the heart.

#MG Christmas Fiction: A Stocking Full of Spies by Robin Stevens

Published by Puffin Books, 11 September 2025, ISBN: 978-0241429952

A Stocking Full of Spies is the third middle grade novel in The Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens. It is set during December 1941, with most of the action taking place at Bletchley Park, and for those readers like me who love to settle down with a cosy crime mystery during the Christmas season, it is a perfect seasonal entertainment.

As with all of her previous novels (I will include some links to my reviews at the end of this post), Robin Stevens combines meticulously researched historical detail with a brilliantly plotted murder mystery that makes the book almost impossible to put down. I have seen this author often described as the ‘Agatha Christie’ of the middle grade market, in my opinion, she has certainly heralded a golden age of MG cosy crime, and in this novel I detect the influence of Patricia Highsmith. I suspect that many young readers will smile in recognition later in their reading journeys when they read some of the adult golden age crime mysteries. This story is recounted through the diary entries and case notes of the three tween protagonists, May Wong, Fionnuala O’Malley and Eric Schlossbauer, who find themselves working a messengers at Bletchley Park as cover for their latest WOE mission. There has been a suspicious death at the Park and there are indications that Bertie Wells the older brother of Daisy Wells (from the Murder Most Unladylike series which predated this series) has been framed for murder. When a second death occurs and all clues point to Bertie, their mission to detect the real murderer becomes even more urgent.

For fear of giving away spoilers, or ruining anyone’s enjoyment of the sophisticated plot, I will not discuss too many details here. There is a lovely map of Bletchley Park, created by Sophia Watts, at the front of the book, to help young readers track the locations as the action unfolds. I enjoyed the way that the local environment of the main mystery was placed in the wider geographical context of the Second World War, and the impact that world events had on different characters in the novel. This is literally the first time that I have read a book about WWII that mentions the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong (the home of May and Hazel Wong). I am hoping that my reading of the ending of the book means that a subsequent story might provide more insight into the war time experiences of Hong Kong residents.

At the end of the book there is an interesting essay by the author providing details about her inspiration for this novel and some analysis of the workforce at Bletchley Park through the lens of modern-day understanding of neurodiversity. I applaud the way that Robin Stevens always ensures that her books display kind understanding of minoritised groups and encourage inclusive behaviour. A Stocking Full of Spies is an essential book to add to primary and secondary school library collections, and one that I would recommend to any adults seeking to buy a book that youngsters aged 10+ will want to read for pleasure.

This book was my own purchase, not only do I have the sprayed edge edition, but I was also fortunate that Robin Stevens visited a local bookshop on her publication tour, so I was able to get a dedicated and signed copy to add to the ‘Bookshelves’ collection!

My roundup of the Murder Most Unladylike series can be found here.

My review of the final book in the MMU series, Death Sets Sail can be found here.

MG Fiction Review: The Feathered Book by Charlie Nutbrown, illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska

Cover image by Holly Ovenden, published September 2025 by Everything With Words, ISBN:978-1911427476

The Feathered Book is a magnificent middle grade debut by author Charlie Nutbrown, with internal illustrations by Ewa Beniak-Haremska. I fear that my words will not be able to do justice to the genius of this book, so I will start by saying that it is one of the best books I have read this year, it deserves to be a future classic, and if I had to deliver an elevator pitch I would describe it as The Wind in the Willows meets The Name of the Rose.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I adore detective fiction, and as a professional librarian, I also love books which feature a library. So, imagine my delight in discovering that the opening chapter is titled ‘The Impossible Crime’ and that it begins with two cloaked figures moving quietly through a silent, dark library. I was hooked from page one, and as the story of the intricately planned theft of the ancient and dangerous ‘Feathered Book’ and the subsequent unconventional detective work unfolded, I was torn between racing to turn the pages and wanting to read slowly to fully appreciated the author’s beautiful writing. For alongside a wonderfully plotted detective novel, Charlie Nutbrown has also created a fully-formed natural location amongst the islands and waterways of The Lake, and a gloriously labyrinthine library with its own legendary backstory, both of which are described in vibrant detail. Some of the descriptions of the landscape left me breathless, and metaphorically reaching for the dictionary; this is a definitely a book which can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter their age.

The final layer, which makes this book whimsical for adult readers and likely to be hugely engaging for child readers is that all of the characters are anthropomorphised animals. Now I must admit that this would not usually be my personal favourite genre, but here, the characterisation is so deftly drawn and the characters and situations so entertaining, that I absolutely loved it. The head librarian, Pecksniff is a wonderfully crotchety ancient squirrel, while the assistant librarian, Ticklepenny is a self-effacing dormouse. Monty the Fox, a debonair creature who we learn is prone to changing his occupation on a regular basis, has decided that he wants to follow in the detecting footsteps of his fictional idol, Professor Meerschaum, and enlists his long-suffering but loyal best friend, Nettle the rabbit, as his ‘Watson”. Together, their instinctive and serendipitous style of clue-chasing, will take the reader on a chase around The Lake, featuring daring encounters with pirates, master criminals and avaricious collectors of stolen treasures. Every chapter heading is lavishly decorated with a pencil sketch of the oak tree library, and there are gorgeous illustrations of the main characters throughout the book. I certainly hope that Monty decides to continue his detective work, and that this is the start of a series!

I cannot recommend The Feathered Book highly enough to school librarians, or to parents, carers or relatives who want to put a book into the hands of middle grade readers that will make their imaginations take flight. Suggested reading age 9+ but I would have read this to my own children as a bedtime story probably from age 7.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to publisher Everything With Words for sending me a copy of The Feathered Book. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#NNFN: Tina The Dog Who Changed the World by Niall Harbison

Cover image by Happy Doggo and Shutterstock, Published by Farshore,
6 November 2025, ISBN: 978-0008798864

Tina The Dog Who Changed the World is a book which I am sure will delight many readers aged 9-years-old and above; it is a new child-friendly publication of a book, which was previously published for adults, to celebrate during National Non-fiction November. It provides a wonderful example of how one person’s passion and activism can make big change, which is a great message for children who can sometimes feel helpless in the face of the many challenges that the world currently faces.

The book combines the story of Niall Harbison, an Irish street dog rescuer who lives in Thailand, with the short biographical tales of some of the remarkably resilient street dogs that he has saved through his “Happy Doggo Land” organisation. There are both colour and black and white photos of Niall and the dogs whose stories are featured. The details of the conditions that lead Niall and his team to their rescues are quite harrowing and heart-breaking; some of the dogs have been kept on very short chains for years, some have been starved, some injured and all suffer from skin conditions, parasites etc. However, many of the dogs make full recoveries once they have received veterinary treatment and then been nursed back to full health at Happy Doggo Land. Some of the canines are adopted by people from all corners of the world and many of their stories can be followed on various social media platforms. Even those dogs who sadly don’t make it are given the love, dignity and care that they need to die in peaceful circumstances. The story of Tina, a golden retriever, who was found in a condition where she was close to death and carefully nursed so that she enjoyed 6 months of happy life with Niall, captured the hearts of many when shared online. After Tina died, Niall began raising funds to build a veterinary hospital at Happy Doggo Land, in her name. By the end of this book, the plans for the dog hospital have been drawn up for free by a New York architect, and the foundations have been laid.

It would appear that Tina the golden retriever really has melted hearts around the world, and through donations to Niall’s charity the lives of many, many street dogs in Thailand will be changed for the better. This is an inspirational and hopeful book for all readers, but I imagine it will hold special appeal for all who have a pet pooch at home.

Disclaimer: I am very grateful to publicist Hannah Penney and Farshore books for sending me a copy of Tina The Dog Who Changed the World. It was my decision to write a review and all opinions are my own.

#YA Review: A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once by Lucas Maxwell

Proof copy, to be published on 9 April 2026, Chicken House Books, ISBN: 978-1917171397

A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once is the debut novel written by award-winning school librarian Lucas Maxwell, it was the winner of the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction competition 2024, and is due for publication in spring 2026. For transparency, I should state that I have been in contact with the author via social media for the past 6 years because his generous sharing of school library ideas and resources provided inspiration to me in my previous library role. However, this prior contact has not biased my review for his extraordinary book.

Inspired by the author’s own childhood, growing up as a neurodivergent child in Nova Scotia, the fictional story of fourteen-year-old Elias is utterly heart-wrenching, completely compelling and ultimately hopeful. The immediacy of the writing transported me into a life which was so different to my own, providing real insight into the experience of a neurodivergent child living in an environment where everything is harsh; from the weather conditions to the attitudes and insults of the townsfolk. From the opening page, where Elias’s first person narrative tells you that his own father describes him as not being ‘all there in the head’, you realise that this boy is sadly misunderstood; his high intelligence is only recognised by those characters who care to take the time to get to know the unique way that his brain works.

Set during a winter when the snow and ice storms extend right through to April, Elias provides a unique perspective on a family which is being shattered like icicles hit with a baseball bat. Deep crevasses are being driven into the family unit by older brother Bo’s aggressive behaviour, caused by his descent into the local drug culture. Their parents are constantly arguing over how to deal with the wayward teenager, and Dad’s long hours at work and his profession as a policeman in a small town is not helpful to the family’s situation. Elias cannot fully grasp what is going on with the older brother that he adores, but knows that things need to be fixed and feels that it is his responsibility to bring his fractured family back together. His solution is to win the school talent contest with his repertoire of clever jokes, thinking that the free Pizza Hut meal, awarded to the winner, will glue his family back together.

In a short novel of just over 200 pages, Lucas Maxwell deftly explores human relationships, presenting his readers with a fascinating cast of characters each of whom are navigating their way through the missiles that life hurls at them. Elias is a character who will live long in my heart, with his single-minded determination to save his brother, regardless of the consequences for himself, and his ferocious and precise wit. Some of his snarky ripostes to those who belittled him made me laugh out loud, providing welcome relief during some of the tenser episodes of the story. I also loved the depiction of the extreme weather, which seemed to emphasise the ice-cold hearts of some of the unsavoury inhabitants of the town.

In my opinion, this YA novel is an essential for secondary school library collections and is also likely to appeal to many adult readers when it is published in April 2026.

I am very grateful to Lucas Maxwell and to Chicken House Books for sending me an uncorrected proof ahead of publication. It was my choice to write a review and all opinions are my own.

Blog Tour – Super Questers Mission: Rainforest Magic by Paul Ian Cross, illustrator Katarina Gasko

Front cover artwork by Katarina Gasko, published by QuestFriendz, 6 November 2025, ISBN: 978-9083294377

I am so thrilled to be invited to join the blog tour for the second SuperQuesters adventure, Mission: Rainforest Magic, written by Dr Paul Ian Cross and illustrated by Katarina Gasko. This book perfectly blends a fantasy adventure with a multiplicity of STEM content to excite primary school children about scientific learning.

The three friends, Bea, Leo and Lilli are pitching a tent in Auntie Bumble’s garden when they discover a distressed guinea pig, which seems to be suffering from an allergic reaction and possibly an infection. Before they have a chance to find out how their Aunt will treat the unwell animal, their SuperQuester amulets carry them away on a wave of magic, placing them in the exotic surroundings of Questland’s rainforest. Now in their superhero guises, Bea Bumble, Leo Zoom and Lillicorn meet Jamac, a magnificent jaguar, and take on a quest to find a cure for Puddle Waddle, a capybara who seems to be exhibiting the same symptoms as Popcorn the guinea pig. As their mission leads them through the rainforest, the SuperQuesters become aware of the healing properties of the diverse selection of plants, solve logic problems and learn to navigate like the jungle animals.

Like the earlier book in the series, Mission: Rainforest Magic has been very carefully researched and designed to be enjoyable, interactive and educational. It covers many STEM concepts which are taught in the primary school curriculum; I was very impressed this time, with a storyline that will make children think about how medicines can be developed from plants. Additionally, I was excited to find a page displaying a directional algorithm which all teachers or teaching assistants who deliver computing lessons using Bee-Bots will be familiar with. Reading this book adjacent to computing lessons would provide great consolidation of learning. Biological concepts are explained in child-friendly language, and the necessity of protecting the environment which might be capable of providing solutions to health challenges is made clear.

The illustrations throughout the book by Katarina Gasko, add greatly to its appeal and I am delighted that I have permission to share some of them with you in this post. A comprehensive glossary is provided, giving accessible explanations of scientific vocabulary. Finally, there are four activity suggestions at the end of the book, which could be performed at school or home to engage children in scientific experimentation. I highly recommend SuperQuesters Mission: Rainforest Magic to primary school librarians, teachers, parents and carers as a brilliant book to explore with young readers.

My thanks to the publishers, QuestFriendz, for sending me a review copy of this book. Do check out the other posts on the tour schedule.