YOUNG ADULT

KIDS’ BUY

BURN

PATRICK NESS writes searing YA fiction that burrows into your consciousness, and both emboldens you, and helps smooth out the rough corners of being human – whether you’re a teenager, or a grown-up who’s meant to have figured everything out by now. Burn is no different.

It’s 1957, and the world is much like ours, except dragons exist, and keep to an uneasy truce with humans. Struggling to maintain the family farm, Sarah’s dad hires one to clear some land – an observant, snarky blue dragon called Kazimir – but he’s not just come to work, he’s drawn by a prophecy set to change everything. Meanwhile, a scrawny kid called Malcolm is on a mission of his own.

What could be a fire-breathing lark, becomes a compelling and touching story that winds together grief, first love, fear and the power of responsibility.

Burn is imbued with huge amounts of heart and curiosity, and doesn’t recoil from politics, or a few brutal shocks that keep the pace electric. An incredibly touching, powerful and startling read.

LIDL has launched a massive range of kids’ outdoor play equipment to turn your garden into a haven of fun this summer. The Deimos climbing dome’s geometric frame, £69.99 (£199.99 RRP), is made from powder coated steel with a textured finish, and is built to last. Lidl is also selling a bouncy castle, complete with basketball hoop and hoopla game (£34.99) in two designs, multi-coloured or fairy bouncy castle. The range also features a play tent with tunnel (£12.99), and a play and picnic table (£29.99), designed as a practical table that also comes with two robust plastic tubs for filling with water and sand. The range is in stores now.