Nottinghamshire &amp; Derbyshire

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-picture-books">PICTURE BOOKS</h2>



We Disagree About This Tree&nbsp;by Ross Collins (Nosy Crow, £7.99)&nbsp;



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Bear and Mouse are back and are finally living in peaceful harmony… until that is, it’s time to decorate the Christmas Tree. Are giant baubles best, or a million fairy lights, or a manatee angel (wait. What!)?&nbsp;A favourite amongst our booksellers that will make toddlers chuckle with delight.



How Does Santa Go Down The Chimney&nbsp;by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, (Walker Books, £12.99)&nbsp;



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How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney&nbsp;considers all the plausible (and utterly wacky ways) that Santa tackles delivering our presents every year. Does he shrink, flow in through the tap, turn into fire?! This is sure to be a Christmas classic and joins&nbsp;Well Done Mummy Penguin,&nbsp;We Disagree About this Tree&nbsp;and&nbsp;You Choose Christmas&nbsp;as our favourite feelgood picture books this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Big Dreaming&nbsp;by Michael Rosen and Daniel Egneus (Bloomsbury, £12.99)



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Winter is approaching and Big Bear and Little Bear are getting ready for the Big Sleep, but Little Bear is worried that he might run out of dreams. So, he bravely sets out on a journey and discovers beautiful dreams about love, hope and home. But will he make it back in time for The Big Sleep?&nbsp;This is the perfect bedtime book to calm those who may be a little too excited to sleep.



Iron Robin&nbsp;by Rose Tremain and Richard Jones, (Penguin, £14.99)&nbsp;



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Taking place through the seasons, this is the tale of a little boy with a love of birds, his slightly cynical pet dragon, and the iron robin who comes into their lives bringing a little magic with him. It’s a book about loyalty, friendship and hope, and is filled with gentle humour.&nbsp;Rose Tremain is better known of course for her novels, but here she turns her hand to her first children’s book and we think it’s a little special. Perfect for reading to 4-7 year olds at bedtime, the ending will make your heart swell.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-readers">EARLY READERS</h2>



A Whale of a Time&nbsp;by Lou Peacock, (Nosy Crow, £25)&nbsp;



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Following&nbsp;Tiger Tiger Burning Bright&nbsp;and&nbsp;I Am the Seed that Grew the Tree, this is Nosy Crow’s quarter cloth bound poetry collection for 2023, with a funny poem for every day of the year. Guaranteed to make the whole family chuckle and the poems are short enough for early readers to tackle successfully. A gorgeous book for all the family, this is surely a collection of poetry to treasure.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Frost Goblin&nbsp;by Abi Elphinstone, (Simon &amp; Schuster, £8.99)&nbsp;



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‘The real story of frost has nothing to do with Jack Frost and everything to do with goblins…’ Bertie Crash-Wallop’s family are a rowdy bunch, and so sometimes he feels a little lost in the noise. But when he meets a frost goblin on the coldest night of the year and helps him to scatter frost magic, he just might discover what it means to belong. We adore Abi Elphinstone and&nbsp;The Frost Goblin&nbsp;has her usual blend of heart and humour. This is the perfect story for six- and seven-year-olds to read alone, or for younger children to be read to.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Gnome Alone at Christmas&nbsp;by Nick Pine, (Hachette Children’s Group, £6.99)&nbsp;



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Noah’s not having the best Christmas. Mum and Dad are preoccupied as gran isn’t too well, and on Christmas Eve the Christmas tree decorations are still in their box. But when Tommy, a magical Nordic gnome decoration comes to life, Christmas suddenly gets much more exciting.&nbsp;This is a hilarious and heart-warming story for 5-7 year olds to enjoy, perhaps with a gingerbread man or two.&nbsp;



The Great Reindeer Rescue&nbsp;by Stephen Mangan, (Scholastic, £10.99)&nbsp;



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When a mishap causes Santa’s sleigh to fall out of the sky and onto Holly’s home, causing an explosion which scatters Santa’s reindeer to the four corners of the earth, it’s up to newest reindeer recruit Dave and Holly to round up the other reindeer and save Christmas, but will they make it in time?&nbsp;This is a brilliantly bonkers book for 7-9 year olds, with Stephen Mangan’s trademark humour and Anita Mangan’s awesome illustrations. Great for anyone who loves a giggle (and the odd fart joke)!&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chapter-books">CHAPTER BOOKS</h2>



Impossible Creatures&nbsp;by Katherine Rundell, (Bloomsbury, £14.99)&nbsp;



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When Christopher visits his grandfather in the Scottish highlands he discovers a portal to The Archipelago, which is home to wondrous beasts including murderous centaurs and wild unicorns. There he meets Mal, a girl with a baby griffin and a flying coat, and adventure awaits. For all is not well in The Archipelago, the gilmourie that protects the mythological creatures there is fading. Can Mal and Christopher protect the magic, and save the wild creatures or will all that is evil prevail? This is Katherine Rundell’s first foray into fantasy for 9-12 year olds and it is an epic story that will make them laugh, and in all possibility sob a little &#8211; we can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Stepfather Christmas&nbsp;by LD Lapinski, (Hachette, £7.99)&nbsp;



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There are 25 chapters in&nbsp;Stepfather Christmas, which is designed to be read each night in the lead up to Christmas. Harper and Will’s mum has a new boyfriend, who looks uncannily like Father Christmas, but he couldn’t be, could he?&nbsp;This is a laugh out loud Christmas book for 8-11 years that will get the whole family in the Christmas spirit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Ice Children&nbsp;– MG Leonard, (Pan Macmillan, £12.99)&nbsp;



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When Bianca Albedo’s 5 year old brother Fin is found frozen in a city park at midnight, Bianca believes that it may be linked to a glittering book Fin had found in the library, but refused to let her read. As more frozen children are discovered, Bianca is plunged into a frozen world to discover not only how, but why the children are being frozen.&nbsp;Reminiscent of the Snow Queen, this is a wonderful winter adventure about loyalty, family and love.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teen-amp-ya">TEEN &amp; YA</h2>



Island of Whispers&nbsp;by Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett, (Pan Macmillan, £14.99)&nbsp;



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Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman,&nbsp;Island of Whispers&nbsp;is about Milo, who inherits the role of Ferryman to the dead on the death of his father. This is a book about grief, growing up, kindness, and about doing the right thing. Perfect for 12 plus and also for teens who enjoy graphic novels / illustrated books.&nbsp;&nbsp;



You Better Watch Out&nbsp;by Sarah Naughton, (Scholastic, £8.99)&nbsp;



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Psychological mysteries always sell well at Christmas, and this mystery set in London is the best of the bunch! When Eleri initially begins to receive a gift each day in December, she is flattered. Could they be from her secret crush? But then the gifts get deadlier, and Eleri fears they may have some link to the disappearance of a girl the year before. Could Eleri be next?&nbsp;This is a creepy read for 12 years and up that will have them turning the pages long after lights out.&nbsp;



Mythos – Illustrated Edition,&nbsp;by Stephen Fry, (Penguin, £35)&nbsp;



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This stunningly illustrated edition of Stephen Fry’s bestseller Mythos is perfect for older teens who are captivated by the Greek myths. Fry addresses some of the most well-known myths here including Pandora, Persephone, Cupid and Psyche and Gaia and Uranus, all with his trademark wit.&nbsp;This is a gorgeous gift to keep and treasure, suitable for 15 and up.&nbsp;



Sisters of Sword and Shadow&nbsp;by Laura Bates (Simon &amp; Schuster, £16.99)



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Cass lives in Ancient Britain during the time of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. She is in servitude and is dreading her father making an arranged marriage for her at a young age, as was her sister’s fate. Whilst trying to escape, she meets a beautiful warrior and is taken to Lady Angharad’s manor, where she is introduced to the Sisterhood of Silk Knights, who swear to protect women from wrongs perpetrated by men.&nbsp;This is the first of a duology for 13 years and up, written by feminist Laura Bates, author of&nbsp;The Trial&nbsp;and&nbsp;Everyday Sexism.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Season’s readings: the best books to buy for children

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