Family bonds, going for gold and animal scientists by various authors – children’s book reviews –

Age 9 plus:

Granny Was a Buffer Girl

Berlie Doherty

A beautiful, Carnegie Medal-winning book – which brings together the stories of three generations of a Sheffield family with exquisite emotional resonance – is brought to vivid life again for a new generation of young readers.

Brimming with poignancy and the joys of family bonds, Granny Was a Buffer Girl is as powerful now as when it grabbed the headlines in 1986 and is the work of Derbyshire-based Berlie Doherty, author of over 60 books for children, teenagers and adults, and twice winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal.

Doherty was inspired to write Granny Was a Buffer Girl after seeing the Sir William Rothenstein painting, Sheffield Buffer Girls, which hangs in Sheffield Museums and Art Galleries and depicts two young women in their work clothes.

The ‘buffer girls’ worked in the cutlery industry, using special polishing machinery on steel tableware in a job that was hot and dirty, and required protective clothing. And it is against this industrial backdrop, that Doherty weaves a cross-generational story steeped in the landscape of the city and its people.

Before leaving Sheffield for a year’s adventure in France, 18-year-old Jess joins a family gathering. They share stories that have bound them together through generations... stories of heartbreak, humour and romance. She listens to the tale of her grandparents, Bridie and Jack, whose love kept them together in spite of family conflicts over crossing religious boundaries. There is also the story of her other granny Dorothy... her daily toil from the dirt and grime of the buffing wheel, and the weight of expectation and tradition that she must marry a man from her own working class. And then Jess learns of her parents’ first meeting... and, of course, there’s Jess’s own story too, one of love, disappointment, grief and new beginnings.

With beautiful cover artwork by Tamsin Rosewell, this emotion-packed and thought-provoking tale is as powerful today as it was when it was first published 38 years ago. Spanning life in industrial Sheffield from the 1930s to the 1980s, we hear family stories of hardship, work and romance that are both heartbreaking and funny, but which bind together its various members in a circle of love and shared understanding.

(UCLan Publishing, paperback, £7.99)

Age 10 plus:

Winner Takes Gold

Eloise Smith

It takes courage to follow your dreams! Former Olympic fencer and three times Commonwealth gold medal winner Eloise Smith raises the bar high in the second thrills and spills adventure set in the high stakes world of champions and ambitious athletes.

After hitting home with her debut book, Sister to a Star – set against the backdrop of Smith’s own sport of fencing and featuring two warring siblings – this exciting new storytelling talent takes a running jump into the action, hardships and drama of gymnastic competitions.

And what a cut-throat world it turns out to be as readers are taken on a rollercoaster ride through the challenges of navigating friendships, the pressures of top-level competitions, and exploring whether winning is really the most important thing.

Pearl is a 12-year-old gymnast, hoping to be selected for the World Cup in Paris and tumbling her way to medals in memory of her ace gymnast mother who died a year ago. The pinnacle of Pearl’s dreams would be to win gold in Paris and she knows it’s what Mum would have wanted. However, being invited to join the elite training camp is super tough for Pearl (think ice baths and intense rivalry!) and that’s even with the help of her best friend Ryan and rising star Jada-Rae. There are rumours of a curse in their training group but as more problems occur with their equipment, suspicions arise that it could be down to one of the competitors. All of the young gymnasts face fear, falls and injury but then there’s the cheating, bullying... and now sabotage. When others will do anything to win, what will Pearl risk... safety, morals, friendships?

Smith’s understanding of high-level sport – here seen through the lens of gymnastics – speaks volumes in this gripping, all-action adventure which reminds us that sport generally is about so much more than medals.

Filled with passion, intensity, challenges and intrigue, plus timely lessons about making friends, being brave and freeing your soul, Winner Takes Gold is a dazzling warm-up for this summer’s Paris Olympics, and the perfect match for ‘tween’ readers aged 10-13 years.

(Chicken House, paperback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?

Brooke Barker

Did you know that crows never forget a face, or that jaguars have a favourite perfume? We all love reading about the world’s wildest, wackiest and most fascinating creatures... but what about the scientists who study them. What strange methods do they employ to learn all about the habitats and behaviour of these incredible animals?

The answers, and lots more, are packed into the pages of this fun and informative book from American writer and illustrator Brooke Barker whose successful Instagram account, @SadAnimalFacts, became the basis for her books.

In How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?, she uses vibrant comic strip graphics to bring readers this funny and factual introduction to the amazing lives of creatures such as bonobos, lizards, humpback whales by revealing the bizarre things human scientists do to understand them.

Have you ever wondered how to pet a yeti crab or whether dogs can tell if you’re smiling? And just what is a burrowing bettong? From crafting fake poo to slurping up bugs with a straw, it seems there’s nothing these amazing scientists won’t do to help us learn more about the animals around us.

From unearthing secrets like why roosters crow, and discovering how meerkats make decisions as a group – all brought to life by diagrams, dialogues, colourful illustrations and laugh-out-loud humour – this book is a valuable resource for natural science education and a joy to read and share.

(Faber Children’s Books, paperback, £10.99)

Age 9 plus:

Rise of the Shadow Dragons

Liz Flanagan

Set your January reading on fire with the mesmerising second book in Yorkshire writer Liz Flanagan’s thrilling Legends of the Sky fantasy trilogy which began with the much acclaimed Dragon Daughter.

Inspired by many of the beautiful places she has visited, these dazzling stories sweep youngsters into a magic land of dragons and evil deeds where thrilling adventures bristle with tension, danger, fast-paced action, fiery friendships and daring dragon riders.

In Dragon Daughter, we met 12-year-old servant girl Milla on the island of Arcosi and followed her epic quest to discover her hidden past and her true destiny as a dragonrider. But now the action leaps forward several years and we find that Milla is nearly twenty five years old and still fighting their old enemy, the Brotherhood. Her cousin Jowan (Joe) Thornsen is growing up fast and wants only one thing... to bond with a dragon of his own on his upcoming birthday. Then disaster strikes and Joe’s world suddenly turns into a darker and more dangerous place. But a new friend and an astonishing discovery could lead him to what he has always wanted... if he is just willing to take a leap of faith and brave the impossible in the face of an erupting volcano. Can he act before it’s too late?

Flanagan has a true gift for world building and this breathtaking tale of redemption, bravery and acceptance tingles with powerful emotions, political skulduggery and a sense of danger that is almost tangible.

Set in a superbly imagined and richly detailed world, Rise of the Shadow Dragons brings readers a cast of unforgettable characters who face trials, tribulations and fire at every turn but find strength in their friendships, unity and shared loyalties.

Fantasy writing at its very best!

(UCLan Publishing, paperback, £8.99)

Age 9 plus:

The Creatures of Killburn Mine

Dan Smith and Chris King

Get ready to have your spine well and truly tingled as award-winning author and master of creepy sci-fi, Dan Smith, returns to reunite his ever-popular Crooked Oak mystery-solving gang for their most horrifying case yet. The Creatures of Killburn Mine is the fifth book in this wonderfully spooky series, which is brought to life by Chris King’s enthralling artwork and this time features an outer-space visitation and its seriously scary consequences. What’s slithering about deep underground? When a meteorite crashes to Earth near Crooked Oak, Pete, Nancy and Krish are determined to find it... but they’re not the only ones. After spotting one of their teachers up on the moor where the meteorite landed, they start to wonder if his strangely altered behaviour and appearance might be connected to the arrival from outer space. But nothing could prepare them for the horror they uncover deep down in Killburn Mine. With a twisting, terrifying plot, King’s wonderfully atmospheric black and white illustrations, and published in Barrington Stoke’s trademark dyslexia-friendly format, this is a terrific, fast-paced tale of three brave youngsters caught up in an out-of-this-world adventure. Expect thrills, chills and spills… and best read in daylight hours!

(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £7.99)

Age 8 plus:

Diamond Jack: Your Magic or Your Life

Anna Rainbow

Get ready to stand and deliver as born storyteller Anna Rainbow – author of middle-grade debut thriller Antigua de Fortune of the High Seas – pulls out all the stops for the first book of a new swashbuckling adventure series. Action-packed from first to last, Diamond Jack: Your Magic or Your Life stars a highway-girl with both attitude and fortitude, and is set to win the hearts of all young daredevils. While helping in Grandpa’s shop, Mr Browning’s Emporium of Strange and Magical Things, eleven-year-old Bramble (Bram) discovers a strange scarlet mask. A tingling in her fingers tells her to try it on, but when she does she finds it fits so well that she can't take it off. And when she looks in the mirror, the face of a famous missing/presumed dead highwayman called Diamond Jack stares back. It seems Bramble has been chosen for a mission and she’s more than up for the job. Your magic or your life! With its fun and feminist theme, and a familiar but wholly original mash-up of classic tales like The Red Shoes, The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood, this magical series is set to deliver everything young adventurers could want!

(Chicken House, paperback, £7.99)

Age 7 plus:

Bunny vs Monkey: Bunny Bonanza

Jamie Smart

Monkey and the gang are on a hunt to find Bunny, after he mysteriously disappeared... On their search they'll be bamboozled by Old Bunny, Neanderbunny, the mysterious Shadow Bunny and the always-confusing Not Bunny. Will they ever find their faithful friend? It's a rollicking race in this cornucopia of chuckles!

Buckle yourself in and get ready for an exciting rabbit rumble! Yes, Bunny and Monkey are back in their exhilarating remastered series which delivers all the comedy and chaos of the daffy duo’s helter-skelter world! This outrageously funny ninth book in the super-popular series – published in a sturdy hardback edition – features an abundance of bunnies, 216 pages of fast and furry-ous exuberant fun, and a draw-it-yourself activity.

Bunny and Monkey are part of the Phoenix Presents series, published by David Fickling Books in partnership with The Phoenix comic, which goes from strength to strength. And much of that success is due to the genius of the extraordinarily talented illustrator Jamie Smart whose ingenious comic-strip Bunny vs Monkey books create giant waves of laughter across a sea of young readers.

These manic, high-energy stories are perfectly created for fidgety readers who like their books to come with plenty of comic-strip illustrations and loads of snorts and sniggers. Madcap antics for your action kids!

(David Fickling Books, hardback, £12.99)

Age 6 plus:

Find Peace in a Poem

Various authors and various illustrators

‘In poetry there is a kind of quiet magic. For all its wordy wonder, it holds a hush at its centre – a silence that promises refuge from the hustle and bustle of the world.’

Open the pages of this beautiful, illustrated book of verse and discover a treasure trove of writing that celebrates calm, quiet and mindfulness and features powerful poems written by a wide range of contemporary voices.

Read the poems aloud or curl up with them in a quiet corner as you begin the wonder-filled journey into a lifelong love of poetry. The diverse range of poets share their unique perspectives on the topic of mindfulness, from listening for silence and living in the moment to the colour of dreams and what the trees can teach us.

From exploring our own thoughts and feelings to learning to admire the tiniest details in our surroundings, this warm and gentle anthology demonstrates how mindfulness and poetry can help readers to escape the everyday and see the world anew.

Showcasing original verse alongside existing works, Find Peace in a Poem features the powerful words of Mandy Coe, Jack Prelutsky, Pat Mora, Kate Wakeling, James Carter, Nikita Gill, Joseph Coelho, Valerie Bloom, Amina Jama, Michael Rosen, Sue Hardy-Dawson, Mary Ann Hoberman, Georgia Heard, Sophia Thakur, Sanah Ahsan, Elizabeth Acevedo, Kit Wright, Naomi Shihab Nye and Zaro Weil.

Add on rich, colourful and vibrant illustrations which give extra life and meaning to youngsters as they read the text and enjoy the visual representation of words on the page, and you have a book to share and cherish... and an invaluable starter for a lifelong love of poetry.

(Little Tiger Press, hardback, £12.99)

Age 5 plus:

Sidney and Carrie Have a Party

Lisa Thompson and Jess Rose