Books: children & YA

Published by Chicken House, Last Chance Hotel by Nicki Thornton is an engaging  murder mystery with a heavy dose of magic. Anne Coates reviews.

Sharna Jackson's High Rise Mystery has all the ingredients for a great crime novel. Only in this instance the two super-sleuths are teenage sisters  Nik and Norva who not only find the body on their South London estate but realise that the father, the caretaker of the flats, is the prime suspect. Anne Coates reviews.

Now in its third year the Morecambe & Vice Crime Festival has a fabulous range of panels and speakers. Anne Coates will be talking to Sharna Jackson, Nicki Thornton and Sarah Todd Taylor about writing crime for young adult readers on Saturday 28 September, 2019.

What better way to end the school year than with the latest David Walliams book – The World's Worst Teachers, reviewed by Harriet and Anne Coates

Noel Streatfeild's Holiday Stories make perfect bedtime reading for youngsters, writes Anne Coates.

The paperback edition of Tilly and the Bookwanderers, the first in the Pages & Co series by Anna James has just been published and it is a gem of a book, writes Anne Coates.

The arrival of a David Walliam's book for review is greeted with utter delight by Harriet. It took her a while to read the 422 pages of Bad Dad, illustrated by Tony Ross, but each one was enjoyed to the full.

The second in this engaging series by the talented author/illustrator Sophy Henn, Bad Nana explores All the Fun of the Fair. Review by Anne Coates. 

Written and researched by Rachel Dixon and illustrated by Livi Gosling, Maps of the United Kingdom presents a tour of the countries via county maps travelling through time as well as place. Reviewed by Anne Coates.

The Big Book OF Birds by award winning author and illustrator Yuval Zommer is the perfect introduction to our feathered friends for young readers – and adults as Anne Coates discovered.  

Illustrated by Michael Muller, Amazing Expeditions - Journeys That Changed the World by Anita Ganeri is a great reference book to have on your child's bookshelves, writes Anne Coates.

Oscar’s Book Prize, the £5,000 literary award recognising excellence in books for children under five, has revealed its 2019 shortlist. Now in its sixth year, the award saw 117 entries, with submissions from across the country, from publishers new and old. 

Illustrated by Luciano Lozano, Brilliant Ideas from Wonderful Women by Aitziber Lopez is perfect for inspiring young minds, writes Anne Coates.

Work it, Girl by Caroline Moss and Sinem Erkas is a new series of biographies for aspiring future girl bosses: the first two explore the lives of media mogul, Oprah Winfrey and one of the most celebrated authors J. K. Rowling. Anne Coates 

With brilliant illustrations from Nila Aye, Katie Haworth's Fearless Mirabelle is a charming tale celebrating being different, writes Anne Coates.

Illustrated by Valpuri Kerttula, The Everyday Journeys of Ordinary Things by Libby Deutsch is the perfect fact book for children who ask "how", writes Anne Coates.

Introducing the new My Big Wimmelbooks series – board books to delight very young children from Workman Publishing. Anne Coates loves them.

Published by Thames & Hudson, Harold Snipperpot's Best Disaster Ever by Beatrice Alemagna is a fabulous book designed to be enjoyed over and again, writes Anne Coates.