Review: Billy and the Dragon

Title: Billy and the Dragon
Author: Nadia Shireen
Series: Billy and the… #2
Genre: Picture Book
Available: Now

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‘Shireen’s latest book confirms her as one of the brightest and best picture book creators working in Britain today… Sensational.’ – The Observer 

Our fearless heroine Billy is back!

Whilst at a fancy-dress party, something terrible happens: Billy’s loyal sidekick Fatcat is kidnapped by a fire-breathing dragon. Uh-oh!

But luckily for Fatcat, Billy won’t stand for that: off she goes on a brave rescue mission…

Join Billy for a fairytale adventure with a twist. 

‘It’s a great story for everyone, especially those not used to seeing themselves centre-stage’- The Guardian on Billy and the Beast

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Review: Billy and the Beast

Title: Billy and the Beast
Author: Nadia Shireen
Series: Billy and the… #1
Genre: Picture Book
Available: Now

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‘It’s a great story for everyone, especially those not used to seeing themselves centre-stage’- The Guardian

From the author of Bumblebear, comes a new hero for our times. Introducing: Billy!

Whilst on a lovely walk in the woods, Billy and her trusty sidekick Fatcat hear a terrible rumble… a terrible rumble coming from a Terrible Beast…

He’s making a Terrible Soup out of all of Billy and Fatcat’s friends!

Luckily, our brave heroine Billy has a trick or two up her sleeve (or in her hair)…

Join Billy on her mission to defeat the Terrible Beast (and save those adorable little bunny rabbits too).

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Review: Magic at Midnight

Title: Magic at Midnight
Author: Lindsey Kelk
Illustrator: Pippa Curnick
Series: Cinders and Sparks
Age Range: 7+
Available: Now

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A funked up, funny and fabulous twist on the Cinderella story for every reader of 7+ who loves Frozen and Shrek, by bestselling queen of comedy Lindsey Kelk.

She will go to the ball. But nothing will go to plan…

Cinders lives a boring life with her selfish stepsisters and grumpy stepmother. So when her wishes start magically coming true, and her dog Sparks starts to talk, it’s a surprise to say the least.

Then Cinders meets her fairy godmother: she’s magic, she can fly, and she’s called… Brian. (Apparently it’s a perfectly sensible name for a fairy.)

But Brian is NOT very reliable and Cinders is NOT very good at magic. Soon, Cinders finds herself living a life that is not boring at all – it’s total chaos!

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Review: The Legend of Kevin

Title: The Legend of Kevin
Author: Philip Reeve
Illustrator: Sarah McIntyre
Series: Legend of Kevin #1
Age Range: 7+
Available: Now

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Max is a young boy living in an ordinary tower block. He longs for adventure in his life – then one day – DOOF! – a flying pony called Kevin crashes into his flat, blown in by a magical storm! 

The storm causes a huge flood and soon Max’s town submerged by water. Luckily for the town, Max has a flying pony to come to the rescue, and luckily for Kevin, he has a new best friend and a constant supply of his favourite thing – biscuits. 

Together Max and Kevin will embark on many wild adventures together . . . 

This is the start of a hilarious new series brought to you by the creative and inspiring duo Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre and is packed with amazing two-colour illustrations.

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Review: Walls

Title: Walls
Author: Emma Fischel
Series: – –
Genre: Children’s Fantasy
Age Range: 9+
Available: Now

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An unforgettable hero. A fresh and unique voice. 

Meet Ned Harrison Arkle-Smith – he’s grumpy, bossy, and exasperating, but you can’t help liking him. Oh, and he’s just discovered he can walk through walls . . . 
Ned’s world is collapsing. His parents have split up, his best friend is behaving strangely, he has an awful new neighbour, and Snapper is making his life a misery.

In fact NOBODY is behaving the way Ned wants. 

And then there’s the wall. Right down the middle of Ivy Lodge and cutting up Ned’s life. A big brick reminder of all that’s going wrong in his life. Until, that is, the night when Ned discovers he has an astonishing new skill . . . 

A fun and intriguing concept that readers will delight in. Perfect for fans of Ross Welford and Lara Williamson.

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Review: The Sleepy Hummingbirds

Title: The Sleepy Hummingbirds
Series: Magical Kingdom of Birds
Author: Anne Booth
Illustrator: Rosie Butcher
Age Range: 7+
Available: Now

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To the Keeper of this Book – it’s time for you to visit the magical Kingdom waiting within. Believe in yourself – that will give you wings to fly!

When Maya receives a special colouring book – The Magical Kingdom of Birds – she is transported to a beautiful realm filled with magnificent birds and their fairy friends. But the kingdom is in trouble – evil Lord Astor has a plan to capture and cage the tiniest residents, the hummingbirds – and as Keeper of the Book it’s up to Maya to protect them. 

Packed with beautiful illustrations, information on the real birds that inspired the story, and includes a special colouring page!

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Review: Controlling Magic

Title: Controlling Magic
Author: Alex C. Vick
Series: Legacy of Androva #4
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: 9+
Available: Now

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Far away, on a world of rock and water, live a brother and sister. They have a special talent. So special that, when applied correctly, it enables them to live forever. Androva hasn’t visited this world since before the Treaty. It was so horrified by what it found there, it closed the portals and never went back. 

Right now on Androva, everyone is trying to come up with the best Entertainment Spell for the Spring Festival. And there is also an important question to answer. Just how many magicians should Terra be allowed to have anyway? No-one realises that there is a deadly enemy lurking in the background. An enemy so devious that it can get your own force field to work against you.

Jax has been saying he wants to go to Imbera since the end of Seeking Magic. He doesn’t realise that Imbera is actually coming for him. Be careful what you wish for…

The Legacy of Androva is a series of contemporary fantasy books, for middle grade and older. The stories are self-contained, with no cliffhangers in between books.

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Review: Dark Tricks

Title: Dark Tricks
Author: Linda Chapman
Illustrator: Lucy Fleming
Series: Star Friends #4
Age Range: 7+
Available: 5th April

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Do you believe in magic? Sita and her friends do! When they meet the Star Animals, a whole world of adventure unfolds. Sita and her star animal, a deer called Willow, must use their special powers to stop the forces of dark magic.

As the Star Friends’ ability to use their magic gets stronger, the forces of dark magic working against them become more intense, too. But the person using dark magic is taking risks – can the girls find out who their enemy is and confront them once and for all?

Perfect for fans of MY SECRET UNICORN and THE RESCUE PRINCESSES and for RAINBOW MAGIC readers looking to move on to a more challenging adventure.

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Review: Secret Spell

Title: Secret Spell
Author: Linda Chapman
Illustrator: Lucy Fleming
Series: Star Friends #3
Age Range: 7+
Available: Now

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Do you believe in magic?

Maia and her friends do! And when they meet the Star Animals, a whole world of magical adventure unfolds.

Someone in the village is using dark magic and the Star Friends need to work together to figure it out who it is. But things keep going wrong! Sita is convinced a Shade is following her, Lottie is sure she’s going to fail her piano exam and Ionie thinks the others don’t want to be her friends. Only Maia seems her usual self. She needs to find out what is happening and how to stop it!

Perfect for fans of My Secret Unicorn and The Rescue Princesses, and for Rainbow Magic readers looking to move on to a more challenging adventure.

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Review: The Moonlight Statue

Title: The Moonlight Statue
Author: Holly Webb
Illustrator: Jason Cockcroft
Series: The Hounds of Penhallow Hall
Ages: 8+
Available: 9th Feb

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For Polly, moving to Penhallow Hall is the fresh start she’s been longing for since the death of her father. Her mum has got a job managing the stately home and once the last of the visitors leave for the day the place is all theirs!

One night, Polly sleepwalks into the garden and wakes to find her hand on the head of one of the stone dogs that guard the steps down to the lawn. Then she feels him lick her cheek! The dog introduces himself as Rex, an Irish Wolfhound who lived at Penhallow many hundreds of years earlier.

And he is not the only resident ghost – Polly has also glimpsed a strange boy around the place. With Rex’s help she finds herself unravelling the story of his beloved master, William Penhallow, who was killed in the First World War aged only 17.

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