CHILDREN’S NOVELS

Moonrise Sarah Crossan Bloomsbury €17.99

Shortlisted for the children’s category of the Costa Book award, this latest offering by Crossan adheres to her signature style of sparse writing in verse form. She packs a powerful punch in this haunting story of two brothers, one of whom is about to be executed in Texas on a trumped-up murder conviction.

Stand by Me Judi Curtin O’Brien Press €12.99

Winner of the Children’s Book of the Year (Senior) at this year’s Irish Book Awards, this is the second instalment in Curtin’s Time After Time series. Time travelling friends Molly and Beth head back to the Sixties to fix things for Molly’s uncle.

The Wizards Of Once Cressida Cowell Hodder €12.99, 7+

Another surefire hit for the How To Train Your Dragon author. Set in an ancient Britain where magical Wizards have been taught to hate nonmagical Warriors, it’s actionpacked, darkly atmospheric and laugh-out-loud funny.

Raptors Of Paradise Jay Jay Burridge Supersaurs €14.99, 9+

What if dinosaurs never died out? This new series opens with Bea and her grandmother’s arrival on a remote island. There’s also an accompanying app, which brings the book’s striking black-andwhite illustrations to life.

The Secret Of The Purple Lake Yaba Badoe Cassava Republic Press €11.19 10+

Mermaids, magical elephants and singing walruses all feature in Badoe’s enchanting collection of five interlinked fables.

Turtles All The Way Down John Green Penguin €21, 13+

Green fans will be familiar with the themes of first love and teenage friendships in his witty latest novel seen through the prism of 16-yearold Aza’s OCD.