YOUNG FICTION
Leonard’s debut, Beetle Boy, was an international bestseller and this sequel picks up the story after darkus, our beetle-loving hero, has rescued his professor father from the evil clutches of the deliciously wicked fashion designer, Lucretia Cutter.
a former scientist, Lucretia’s desire for world domination has tempted her to genetically modify insects — with catastrophic consequences.
But surely darkus’s father won’t betray him by siding with Cutter? This is a glorious romp with a truly terrifying central character, plucky children, beetles that understand human speech and plenty of facts about the insect world.
I can’t wait for the final book in this creepy crawly series. Age 9+ (Nosy Crow £6.99) ThIs tautly written timeslip novel begins in the present day, when evie’s mother sets off on a honeymoon with her new husband, leaving evie in the care of an elderly godmother in a remote, old house.
on the first night, she notices a message scratched into her bedroom window, then wakes to see a girl’s face through the glass, crying for help.
This Wuthering heights parallel then takes on a life of its own, as evie gets up next morning dressed as a housemaid and discovers it’s 1814.
In the house, she meets sophia, the daughter of the family, who is resisting an arranged marriage.
has evie been sent back in time for a reason?
Inspired by the history of a real manor house, this is an exciting drama with an engaging heroine. Age 11+
PADDINGTON’S FINEST HOUR
by Michael Bond (Harper Collins £12.99) Fresh from the success of his own blockbuster movie, Paddington Bear is back in a very modern set of adventures with his long-suffering family.
a surly policeman suspects him of being an illegal immigrant or possibly a member of a Peruvian gang.
Paddington enters a TV cookery show, only to utterly misunderstand the rules. and he befuddles a stage hypnotist when his notorious hard stare proves more effective than the showman’s tricks.
This bear’s charm is utterly timeless and with a new film coming this autumn, it’s marmalade sandwiches all round! Age 7+