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CHILDREN’S

MEANWHILE BACK ON EARTH

Oliver Jeffers

HarperCollins £16.99 3+ History and astronomy collide in this tale, which sees a family road trip (right) transform into a fantastical journey across the galaxy. As they reach each planet, the father encourages his children to look at what was happening on Earth the equivalent number of years in the past. So Venus (which is 78 years away) takes us to the Second World War, and so on all the way back to the Stone Age. In this way, Jeffers demonstrates that what unites us is more important than what keeps us apart.

THE ZEBRA’S GREAT ESCAPE

Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie Bloomsbury £14.99 5+ Rundell’s foray into longform picture books with this tale of Mink, who must help reunite a lost baby zebra (left) with his parents. Along with other animals, they have been captured by the evil Mr Spit. The combination of Sara Ogilvie’s illustrations and Rundell’s pacy storytelling make this a perfect read for early independent readers.

OPERATION NATIVITY

Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Katie Kear

Usborne £12.99 9+

A hilarious festive caper that sees Oscar and his sister Molly face a race against time to save Christmas after a dazed Angel Gabriel crash-lands in their grandparents’ garden, having travelled through time and mislaid Joseph and a pregnant Mary along the way. Katie Kear’s images help bring the story to life and Pearson weaves in some heartwarming moments among the rollicking adventure.

THE MIRACULOUS SWEETMAKERS:

THE FROST FAIR

Natasha Hastings, illustrated by Alex T. Smith

HarperCollins £12.99 9+ Hastings’s evocative debut, the first in a series, set during the Great Frost of 1683. Adult themes such as grief and guilt run through the tale of 13-year-old Thomasina, who ventures into an enchanted Frost Fair with her friend Anne when a stranger offers the hope of bringing her twin brother Arthur back to life. But is the offer too good to be true?

FIVE SURVIVE

Holly Jackson

Electric Monkey £14.99

14+ Another edge-of-the-seat thriller from the British Book Award-winner following a group of six friends who are besieged by a sniper while on a road trip. The trigger-happy baddie will stop at nothing to extract the secret that one of the friends is hiding. With a claustrophobic setting and taut plotting, this twisty mystery will keep you guessing until the last page.

Reviews by Hephzibah Anderson, Neil Armstrong and Keeba Critchlow

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2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

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