Salty Dog and Pals: The Storm and Other Stories by Helen Stephens and Katie Chappell (Walker Books) Perfect for readers age 5+, Salty Dog and Pals is a delightful collection of four seaside adventures. Celebrating friendship, fun and island life, these gorgeous characters will have readers completely enthralled. These short stories are wonderful for beginning… Continue reading Delightful Books for KS1 / LKS2
Category: Illustrated Fiction
Monsieur Mustard: The Disappearance of Fabio Fangtooth by Charley Rabbit ~ Blog Tour
Move over Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, there's a new detective in town and he's ready for anything. Tiny yet charming, Monsieur Mouse is the world's best (but not smallest) detective. This debonaire creature with his smart monocle and snazzy outfit always looks great and when his whiskers of suspicion start twitching, there's… Continue reading Monsieur Mustard: The Disappearance of Fabio Fangtooth by Charley Rabbit ~ Blog Tour
The O.D.D. Squad: Operation Hyperkitty By Stuart Heritage & Vincent Batignole
Fans of Happy Hills will love this fun illustrated series by Stuart Heritage and Vincent Batignole. The O.D.D. Squad has a new recruit. Hyperkitty is joining Invisidog, Detective Octopus and Quack Attack to solve mysteries and defeat supervillains. After discovering a glowing meteorite in an alleyway, Hyperkitty went from ordinary ginger cat to having the… Continue reading The O.D.D. Squad: Operation Hyperkitty By Stuart Heritage & Vincent Batignole
Cinnamon Crumb, Baking Detective: The Great Cake Caper by Harry Woodgate
September 2026 Deliciously delightful and absolutely engaging, Cinnamon Crumb, Baking Detective: The Great Cake Caper is the first book in a wonderful new illustrated series for readers age 8+. Harry Woodgate has created a scrumptious world for readers to get lost in with a brilliant heroine bursting with personality. Addressing the audience directly, Cinnamon Crumb… Continue reading Cinnamon Crumb, Baking Detective: The Great Cake Caper by Harry Woodgate
Will Shakespeare Mysteries: The Stinky Stolen Toenails by Kaz Penney & illustrated by Sammy Elgie ~ Blog Tour
This hilarious, historical diary-style who-dunnit is perfect for fans of Horrible Histories. Readers are welcomed into the world of a young Will Shakespeare who dreams of becoming the greatest "PERSON WHO SOLVES CRIMES IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD". The trouble is, he comes from a dull family in a dull town and has nothing… Continue reading Will Shakespeare Mysteries: The Stinky Stolen Toenails by Kaz Penney & illustrated by Sammy Elgie ~ Blog Tour
Fun New Books
Unicorns in Uniform: The Yeti's Sneeze by Tracy Curran & Steve Wood (Uclan Publishing - October 2025) Unicorns in Uniforms: The Yeti's Sneeze is equal parts educational, fantastical and fun. The second book in a new, brightly illustrated chapter book series, it’s a brillliant adventure following the Air and Mountain rescue team as they set out… Continue reading Fun New Books
Lockett & Wilde’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries: The Ghosts of London by Lucy Strange
I couldn't wait to be back in the delightfully gothic world of Matilda Lockett and her ghostly friend, Edgar Wilde. Brimming with questions, clues and plenty of peril, readers are whisked away to a richly atmospheric and brilliantly entertaining, supernatural Victorian mystery. As the features of this 19th century detective story unfold, we learn more… Continue reading Lockett & Wilde’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries: The Ghosts of London by Lucy Strange
Hercules: A Hero’s Journey (On A School Trip) by Tom Vaughan & David O’Connell ~ Blog Tour
Hercules: A Hero's Journey is a chaotic, laugh-out-loud adventure! Written in the diary style kids love, this delightfully illustrated story will have them hooked from start to finish. In the first book, Hercules: the Diary or a (Sort of) Hero, 11-year-old Hercules Braver learns he is a demigod - a child of Zeus. Everyone knows… Continue reading Hercules: A Hero’s Journey (On A School Trip) by Tom Vaughan & David O’Connell ~ Blog Tour
The Taming of the Cat by Helen Cooper
The Taming ot the Cat is a charming story of Brie (a story-telling mouse) and a murderous cheese-shop cat. It's the classic tale of cat and mouse and lots of cheese but with a delightful twist. The other greedy mice task Brie with distracting Gorgonzola, the guard cat, with imaginative stories while they scurry in… Continue reading The Taming of the Cat by Helen Cooper
The Magic of the Ballet: Seven Classic Stories by Vivian French & Lauren O’Hara
The Magic of the Ballet is a gorgeous hardback book of classic ballet stories. The Nutcracker Swan Lake Coppélia Giselle The Sleeping Beauty La Sylphide The Firebird Beautifully retold through immersive language that will spark imagination and accompained by dream-like illustrations that remind me of the bedtime story books of my childhood, this is a… Continue reading The Magic of the Ballet: Seven Classic Stories by Vivian French & Lauren O’Hara
