Making books, magic books and a book of everything by various authors – children’s book reviews –

Age 9 plus:

Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Everything: The Ultimate Guide to the World Around You

Imagine journeying through the world’s most amazing nature, science, history, images and stories in one mind-blowing, jaw-dropping book!

From botanists to brain surgeons, and palaeontologists to pilots, the world’s leading experts and ‘ologists’ are ready and waiting to take readers through four hundred pages of fascinating facts, eyewitness interviews and so much more.

The fully illustrated Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Everything – created by the experienced team at DK Books – is the perfect antidote to the internet... an expertly written and beautifully presented reference book for a world overloaded with unreliable information.

From quantum physics to the square of the hypotenuse, and from Ancient Rome to the depths of the oceans, this is a spectacular one-stop knowledge shop for the digital age full of clear, simple, accurate and unbiased information.

Encounter the world’s most deadly creatures and stunning natural wonders, history’s heroes and villains, and science’s most incredible breakthroughs and inventions... and all as you’ve never seen them before.

This action-packed compendium will keep children – and their grown-ups – engrossed for hours and much like DK’s hugely successful Eyewitness series itself, this ultimate encyclopedia provides the museum experience from the comfort of your own home and contains every topic children could want to read about.

With an engaging text, graphics and facts that stand the test of time, and breathtaking photography which includes over 1,500 captivating images, the encyclopedia brings a fun twist to the exploration of the core subjects of nature, science, technology, history, and culture, and tackles each topic in an exciting, unusual, attention-grabbing way.

Featuring knowledge from over thirty experts across many different fields, from zoology to egyptology, Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Everything enables adults to test a child’s knowledge with the abundance of information, and picture quizzes dotted throughout the book. Enjoy pages full of facts and stats, and interviews with experts – from astronauts to zoologists – who answer children’s questions about what they do and why they love it.

So if you want to discover the world’s most deadly creatures and natural wonders, learn about history’s heroes and villains, meet the world’s greatest record-breakers, and explore science’s most incredible breakthroughs and inventions, and all as you’ve never before seen them, look no further than this big, beautiful and breathtaking book!

(DK Children’s Books, hardback, £25)

Age 9 plus:

Utterly Dark and the Tides of Time

Philip Reeve

The dark and delicious fantasy, starring a girl called Utterly Dark with a mysterious connection to the sea, reaches its final, thrilling resolution in a mesmerising new adventure.

Utterly Dark and the Tides of Time – the highly anticipated sequel to Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep and Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild – comes from Philip Reeve, one of the most exciting authors working in children’s fiction. His outstanding debut, Mortal Engines, won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize and Blue Peter Book Award, and was made into a blockbuster film, and Here Lies Arthur, his take on the Arthurian legends, won the Carnegie Medal.

And now this master storyteller has chilled and thrilled readers again with these magical tales set in an extraordinary and atmospheric ‘other world’ called Wildsea. When Utterly Dark was a baby, she was washed up on the shores of the Autumn Isles and taken in by the Watcher of Wildsea. But everything changed when the Watcher drowned and someone new was needed to make sure Wildsea stays safe from the strange forces teeming in the ocean. Utterly now knows that she has a special link with the sea and has made a promise... to leave everything she has ever known and go and live in the sea with her mystical, oceanic mother. Leaving home is difficult enough but soon Utterly learns that someone is hunting her... and amazingly, it’s someone, or something, from a different time. Utterly will have to delve to the ocean’s magical depths, swim through impossible timeslips and face painful choices if she is to save herself, and those she loves.

These enchanting world-building stories of nature, fantasy, family and friendship have all the vibes of Dickens but with an electrifying thread of magical realism running through their core. Brave, caring and determined, the utterly wonderful Utterly is at the centre of all the action and danger, and Reeve – with his enviable gift for characterisation – surrounds her with a brilliantly imagined cast of supporting characters. Add on a heady mix of warmth and humour, and you have the perfect reading package.

(David Fickling Books, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

The Weather Well

Vashti Hardy and Natalie Smillie

If mystery, monsters, maps, amazing inventions and dangerous missions set your pulse racing, head off to a land called Moreland and join a crime-fighting girl for her final fantastical adventure! Produced in a super readable format by innovative publisher Barrington Stoke, and especially suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers, The Weather Well brings to a thrilling close an exhilarating, fantasy-fuelled steampunk series from Blue Peter award-winning author Vashti Hardy and talented illustrator Natalie Smillie. Grace Griffin’s family are wardens of the Griffin Map which was invented by her Great Grandma and is the most important piece of technology in the city of Copperport. The Griffins use the map – which shows the entire country of Moreland – and its teleport technology to fight crime and keep law and order across the land. It’s now the height of summer in Moreland, and Grace and her fellow warden Tom Eely are sweltering in the heat until they answer a strange call for help that comes through on the Griffin map. After teleporting to Oakwell, they find the town paralysed by a freezing snowstorm which is ruining the famous summer market that brings in visitors and trade. Using their mystery-solving skills and inventions, can Grace and Tom find the cause for the weird weather and restore summer from the snow? Adventure is once more the name of the game in the final book of this gripping series which has all the hallmarks of Hardy’s rich imaginative powers… a stunningly created ‘other’ world, brilliantly inventive kids, a charismatic supporting cast, and a story full of twists, turns, kindness and big-hearted family values. Add on Smillie’s superbly detailed and evocative black and white illustrations, and you have a reading treat for all fantasy-loving middle-graders.

(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus:

Books and the People Who Make Them

Stéphanie Vernet and Camille de Cussac

You might (mistakenly!) have thought there is nothing missing the world of children’s books... but how about a book about how a book gets made?

Stepping into this missing ‘page’ are creative French duo Stéphanie Vernet, founder of France’s Picture Book Agency, and Camille de Cussac, a member of the Jaune Cochon illustrator collective, who regularly collaborates with children’s book publishers.

The result is Books and the People Who Make Them, a fascinating behind-the-scenes exploration featuring delightful double page spreads that depict every stage in the life of a book. Young readers learn why an editor’s to-do list is so long, what’s important to a book designer, how a book gets sold to libraries and stores, and what a printing press looks like.

They can also discover jobs which they might not have known about, including literary critics, librarians, and sales reps, and learn about topics beyond publishing, such as fan fiction, ebooks and audiobooks, and book collecting. But, most importantly of all, young readers will understand how the book they are reading actually came to be made.

Filled with rich detail about each process in the making of a book, and de Cussac’s distinctive artwork, this unique, fun and informative journey from the writer’s notebook to the reader’s hands is the perfect addition to every young book lover’s library!

(Prestel, hardback, £14.99)

Age 8 plus:

What it was like to be an Ancient Roman

David Long and Stefano Tambellini

From ordinary citizens to famous emperors, the remarkable Romans established the largest empire the world has ever seen. Award-winning non-fiction writer David Long takes readers on an amazing journey through Roman daily life in the second book of his enthralling What it was like to be... series. An expert in distilling complex stories from the past into an informative and entertaining format for young readers, Long skilfully explains how a small tribe of Romans, who lived in a group of huts on a hilltop, came to build the most important city in the world, dominate the whole of Italy and then create a vast and sprawling empire. Why were the Romans such brilliant and ingenious innovators, responsible for inventions including newspapers, concrete, surgeon’s tools and even an efficient postal system? What made their army invincible and their buildings so remarkable, and why, eventually, did the whole empire come crashing down? Long explains what life was actually like for ordinary Romans as well as their long line of emperors, including education, religion, their notorious games, and their military tactics, and looks at the lingering influence of Roman civilisation throughout the world. With all the intriguing facts and characters brought to vivid life by Stefano Tambellini’s rich artwork, and published in Barrington Stoke’s trademark dyslexia-friendly format, this is a top class series from a dynamic writing and illustration duo.

(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £7.99)

Age 7 plus:

Evil Emperor Penguin: The World Will Be Mine!

Laura Ellen Anderson

Who doesn’t love a comic book supervillain... especially when he’s a genius, a penguin and ever so cute! A comic genius herself, Laura Ellen Anderson is knee deep in the snow and ice of Antarctica again with her super creation, Evil Emperor Penguin, and his madcap team. This hilarious graphic novel series starring the world’s most lovable villain has been a favourite with young readers for years and now the books are being republished as part of a partnership between David Fickling Books and The Phoenix comic. In the snow-covered depths of Antarctica is the secret lair of an extraordinary penguin... Evil Emperor Penguin! His plans to take over planet Earth are in place, and nothing can stop him... he has a time-travelling machine that will give him the key to world domination. But wait, is that his arch-nemesis, Evi l Cat?! Surely the world is too small for TWO evil geniuses! Who will become the cutest evil genius in the world? The comics in this book were originally published as Evil Emperor Penguin (Almost) Takes Over the World and Evil Emperor Penguin: Winging It! but these super new editions have an appealing chunky format with extra ‘how-to-draw’ tips. Brim full of Anderson’s fabulously detailed illustrations and spilling over with giggles, guffaws and puns, these riotous romps spell fun from first page to last.

(David Fickling Books, paperback, £9.99)

Age 7 plus:

Llama Can’t Cook, But You Can!: A first cookery book

Sarah Walden, Mr Griff and Tina Knowles

Would you like to learn how to make soups, salads, pasta and noodle dishes? Or maybe even learn the skills to cook up paella, jambalaya, burgers, dips and a roast chicken with all the trimmings? Well here’s your chance to join Llama (who has a lot to learn!), Guinea Pig (the expert chef) and Parrot (in charge of Health and Safety) as Llama learns how to cook over 70 recipes, from a simple boiled egg to that delicious roast chicken dinner! Youngsters will love joining Llama and his hilarious friends in this this unique first cookery course which is served up with information about key ingredients, and popular dishes from around the world. As well as pasta and rice dishes, plus lots of plant-based recipes, Llama learns to make salads, things on toast, and curries. He finds out how to cook eggs, cheese, fish, meat and chicken, and learns about core cookery techniques along the way. Ideal for anyone starting out in the kitchen, the book has colourful illustrations and helpful tips, and Tina Knowles’ step-by-step photography is simple to follow and instils confidence in beginner cooks, whether they are young or old, while the quirky cast of characters ensure that the reader has fun while learning essential life skills. Llama Can’t Cook, But You Can! has been created by Noodle Juice, a children’s publisher which aims to make young brains ‘fizz,’ and this new book is part of their Practically Awesome Animals series that uses detailed instructions and hilarious animal characters to teach kids how to draw, bake, cook and create comics. Exciting life skills for a new generation!

(Noodle Juice, hardback, £12.99)

Age 6 plus:

Barb the Brave: The Shadow Army

Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson