A selection of new books for children

Picture Books

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop.    Jen Campbell

Franklin is a dragon who loves books. He lives alone in his cave with only mice and bats for company. On the rare occasions he comes across any people they always become frightened and run away. Then one day he meets a little girl named Luna who also loves books and life changes dramatically for the lonely dragon.  

Ruby in the Ruins.  Shirley Hughes

Ruby and her mother live in London. World War 2 has just finished and they are awaiting Ruby’s father’s return from the war. His arrival home means a lot of adjustment for Ruby: she has to sleep in her own room and share the house with someone who seems a bit like a stranger. When Ruby falls while playing at a bomb site it is her father who comes to her rescue and to take her home and her fondness for her father is rekindled.

Fiction 7-9

Marge and the Secret Tunnel.  Isla Fisher

Jemma and Jake are so excited about a hole they find in their back garden that they decide to share the secret with their babysitter Marge. The three go down the hole on a mission of discovery and end up having quite an adventure. Marge has a great repertoire of silly songs and rhymes that help make this is a really funny book that is bound to entertain.

The Great Flytrap Disaster.   Chris Mould

The characters in this book live in a junk shop and are so small that a ship in a bottle is their home. Life is never dull for this crew as they try to stay out of sight of the owner, dodge flies and avoid being engulfed by a giant spider web. This is a fun and intriguing tale and is one of the popular Pocket Pirates series.

Fiction 10+

Secrets of a Sun King.   Emma Carroll

When Lillian finds a parcel on her grandfather’s doorstep she quickly works out that it was sent by a man who has been found dead (without his feet). Naturally intrigued, she tries to get to the bottom of this mystery.  Set in 1922, this is an excellent read that takes the reader to exotic places and involves archaeology, pharaoh's tombs, mystery and travel.  

The Polar Bear Explorers Club.   Alex Bell

Stella’s father is about to embark on a Polar Bear Expedition, leaving his daughter in the care of his sister while he’s away. However when Aunty Agatha announces her unpopular idea to enrol the young girl in a finishing school plans quickly change and her father insists on taking Stella with him. This is a great story full of quirky creatures like unicorns and little dinosaurs and a lot of adventure.