Children and Teens Roundup – The Best New Picture Books and Novels
A mission to grow plants in the desert; a potato’s adventures; a film-maker’s dreams; wartime bravery; a feminist fantasy and more.
Daniel’s Wet Grey Day
By Tom Percival, Simon & Schuster, £12.99
Daniel’s wet grey day seems like it will never improve—until he hears music and everything changes. This subtly beautiful picture book explores the discovery of small moments of joy and wonder.
Great Green Wall of Africa
By Ken Wilson-Max, Otter-Barry, £12.99
Maryam and Issa join their family and neighbours in planting seedlings in the desert, contributing to the Great Green Wall of Africa. This rhythmic, colourful picture book celebrates community environmental action.
Unicorns in the Clouds
By Jenni Desmond, Hodder, £7.99
This whimsical picture-book guide introduces unicorns who live in the clouds, eat rainbow puffs, and recharge their magic during thunderstorms. It will captivate imaginative children who enjoy seeing pictures in the changing sky.
Castle Secrets
By David Macphail, illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson, Magic Cat, £12.99
A delightful search-and-find picture book for ages 5+, written by a genuine castle steward. It is filled with enticing historical details about castle-building and medieval medicine.
Kid Potato’s Adventures
By Neil Coslett, Hodder, £8.99
Ideal for fans of Dav Pilkey aged 5+, this collection features five highly illustrated stories about a regular kid who happens to be a potato. The tales include cheese-based experiments, confrontations with his grandmother’s toilet, and epic bowling battles, combining accessibility with gross-out humour.
Tiny Hercules and the 12 Tasks
By Jon Lock and Nich Angell, Macmillan, £9.99
After ruining one of Tiny Zeus’s parties, Tiny Hercules is banished to Earth. To return to Tiny Olympus, he must complete 12 legendary tasks. Crash-landing in the town of Chutney-on-Toast, the jam jar-sized hero teams up with reluctant, nerdy Jeff and immediately attempts to defeat a lion (actually a cat) in this wildly comic graphic novel for ages 7+.
Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar
By Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Mamta Singh, HarperCollins, £7.99
Ten-year-old Hari is determined to achieve stardom, especially when a school film-making competition offers him his big break. As his best friends pursue their own ideas and a new kid begins to act more like a villain than a sidekick, Hari’s dream may be at risk. This funny introduction to an engaging neurodivergent hero is presented in a welcoming illustrated diary format for children aged 7+.
Moonhaven and the Nighthawks
By Rob Biddulph, Macmillan, £12.99
In the town of Moonhaven, children Jax, Jovi, Esau, and Fourth enjoy sneaking out at the full moon despite a curfew enforced by the sinister Nighthawks. After a rare werewolf attack, the children are suspected and must go on the run. They strive to uncover the truth behind the attack and the plans of Colonel Pike, the Nighthawks’ leader. This fast-paced, atmospherically illustrated black-and-white story is a thrilling adventure for ages 8+.
A Girl’s Guide to Spying
By Holly Webb, Rock the Boat, £7.99
In 1915, Phyl and Annie join the Girl Guides, learning knots, Morse code, and drill, despite their parents’ disapproval of these unladylike activities. When Phyl and another Guide become War Office messengers and an officer goes missing, Phyl uncovers a spy within MO5, the precursor to MI5. As they work to solve the mystery, they face disbelief and must prove their worth. This is the first in a new series appealing to fans of Murder Most Unladylike, offering a gripping, believable historical mystery for ages 9+ full of courage and quick wits.
Angel’s Challenge
By Kimberly Whittam, Usborne, £7.99
Angel has accumulated more detentions than any other Year 8 student. Despite her poor choices, she wants to improve, make friends, and even win the school bake-off. With her mother unable to care for her, Angel faces overwhelming challenges. This empathetic, moving contemporary story for ages 9+ explores themes of struggle and determination.
Gone for Good
By Sarah Crossan, Simon & Schuster, £9.99
Connie, grieving and angry, is traumatized when sent to Silver Lake Academy, a secure facility for troubled teens. She becomes involved in a disturbing conspiracy after discovering the girl who previously occupied her bunk has disappeared without a trace. This compelling YA verse-novel thriller is highly engaging and difficult to put down.
Simone’s Halloween
By Channelle Desamours, Bloomsbury, £8.99
Known for her legendary Halloween parties, Simone hosts this year’s beside an isolated lake where Regret, a bereaved and malevolent spirit, is said to make deadly deals with those who find her. When her best friend’s life is threatened, Simone must decide how far she will go to save her in this unsettling, page-turning supernatural YA mystery.
Night City and the Turnbull Club
By Caitlin Breeze, Electric Monkey, £16.99
At the University, an ancient pact grants the elite all-male Turnbull Club power in exchange for a sacrifice to a hidden magical world. Unsophisticated Emma is an unlikely match for Jasper, the club’s glamorous president. When Turnbull dinners and parties escalate to a fox hunt where Emma is the quarry, she is pulled from the mortal world and bound to the magical Night City. There, she must summon ferocity and cunning to escape. This richly imagined fantasy elegantly combines feminist fairytale elements with dark academia.
