A delightful new batch of children's and young adult books has arrived, offering everything from a bunny who loves to bake to a verse novel about finding yourself on the dancefloor. Here are some of the standout titles.
Picture Books
Ban Ban’s Bakery by Elena Hiroko Magee (Do Re Mi, £12.99) follows Ban Ban the bunny, who loves baking with Grandma. Can she turn Dusty Cottage into her own bakery? This cute, enticing picture book is full of mouthwatering, pastel-hued treats.
Daddy Is Cleaning by Angel Dike, illustrated by Ebony Glenn (Nosy Crow, £12.99), shows Baby helping with laundry, cooking, and planting. This tender book perfectly evokes the love, humour, and exhaustion of managing chores with an enthusiastic toddler.
Home Is a Hug by Cindy Wume (Post Wave, £12.99) features cut-out, peek-through pages and lift-the-flaps, combined with sweetly coloured illustrations. It's a gentle, playful picture book about the warmth and reassurance of home.
Jolly Monster Town: The Party Pickle by Rong Rong (Nosy Crow, £7.99) introduces Twiggy the Log Monster, who is planning her first sleepover. When things go awry, Twiggy must learn to accept help. This full-colour chapter-book romp for ages 5+ is crammed with offbeat humour.
Poetry and Non-Fiction
Aardvark Day by Victoria Gatehouse, illustrated by Kate Lucy Foster (Emma Press, £9.99), is a wonder-filled poetry collection from a zoologist. It features aardvarks, weeds, lizards, octopuses, and otters, complemented by energetic line drawings.
What Makes a Bird? by Nadeem Perera, illustrated by Montse Galbany (Flying Eye, £14.99), is a gorgeous, brightly graphic guide for young ornithologists. It covers beaks, birdsong, habitats, and nests in absorbing, accessible language.
Middle Grade Novels
The Ministry of Manners by David Solomons, illustrated by Hazem Asif (Picadilly, £7.99), is a dystopian novel where constant politeness is law. Alfie teams up with the rebellious Unsilenced to rescue his outspoken sister, uncovering plans to make rebellion impossible. This thought-provoking book prompts readers aged 8+ to consider the costs of acquiescence.
Witch Light by Zohra Nabi (S&S, £7.99) is a superb sequel to Deep Dark. Cassia Thorne detects sinister undercurrents at her bleak boarding school, Ravening Hall, and teams up with misfit Martha Torrent to investigate a supernatural conspiracy rooted in the Pendle witch trials.
Tadpole Summer by Catherine Bruton (Nosy Crow, £7.99) follows Frog, whose baby brother Tad is ill. As summer progresses, Frog must face an unthinkable future. This beautiful, poignant book for ages 9+ is filled with love, grief, and the natural world's power to nurture hope.
Bím Blake’s Hot Takes – My Pencil Case Doesn’t Define Me by Tolá Okogwu, illustrated by Ariyana Taylor (Puffin, £8.99), is a lively, warm diary series for ages 9+. Bím navigates high school, annoying brothers, a regrettable pencil case, and her dad's strange behaviour.
Young Adult Novels
Wonderland by Patience Agbabi (Firefly, £9.99) is a YA verse novel set in 1980. Tamilola moves to Colwyn Bay and discovers a Northern soul club called Wonderland, where she finds herself and her people on the dancefloor.
Seyoon and Dean, Unscripted by Sujin Witherspoon (Hot Key, £8.99) is a light, swoony romcom. Seyoon and Dean sign up for a reality TV show reboot and pretend their strategic alliance is romantic, despite despising each other.
The Summer After the Night Before by Lisa Williamson (DFB, £8.99) weaves together perspectives of Molly, Ben, and Rhiannon after a party. This gripping novel for ages 14+ explores consent, trauma, and healthy relationships.
This Boy I Hardly Know by Lisa Heathfield (Andersen, £8.99) follows Dusty, who is separated from her little sister Poppy in foster care. With charismatic Cooper, she runs away to find Poppy. This powerful novel chronicles pain and celebrates love.
