Lovereading 4 Kids Updates from the world of children’s books

Some heroes of children’s literature were born in the month of March, including Kenneth Grahame (1859) and Anna Sewell (1820). Grahame had been telling stories to his son about Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger for several years before he wrote The Wind in the Willows. Sewell, who penned one of the most popular children’s books of all time – Black Beauty – originally intended it for horse-lovers more than kids. It just goes to show – wherever there’s a brilliant story, children will latch onto it and love it to bits even into adulthood.

This month’s Highlights

Help your kids’ imaginations with the books behind the films

Films are a wonderful way of piquing children’s interest in stories, but sometimes it’s good for them to read the book before they see the movie – it’s brilliant creative brain training. Upcoming film releases include the new Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (screenplay by the wonderful Emma Thompson), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid . The books behind them are truly fantastic – download free Opening Extracts of and whet your kids’ appetites for the films.

Great books for Boys

Lots of research suggests that boys don’t read as much as girls. We want to help redress the balance, so we’ve created a special category of books our experts think will appeal to boys through their exciting action and fast-moving plots. We hope this will be a useful resource for parents! As always you can download free Opening Extracts of each book and buy with a 25% discount, and we will be adding to the new section regularly.

Be the first to discover – Lovereading4kids Pre-publication exclusives

Where I Belong Gillian Cross 11+ A powerful coming-of-age novel about three friends who have to come to terms with some tough issues – people smuggling and kidnapping, fashion and falsehoods. Download Extract Buy £5.24 Saving £1.75 (25%)	Koh Tabu Ann Kelley 11+ This very cool novel sees a trip to a tropical island turn from paradise to death, danger and a struggle for survival – all in one terrible night. Download Extract Buy £5.24 Saving £1.75 (25%)	The Truth About Leo David Yelland 11+ An incredibly moving and insightful story about a kid trying to cope with his father’s alcoholism handled by the author with a deftness of touch. Download Extract Buy £5.24 Saving £1.75 (25%)
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey Trenton Lee Stewart Don’t let any 9+ year old miss this one. Fast-paced, brilliantly plotted and the children in the story are incredibly endearing Download Extract Buy £5.24 Saving £1.75 (25%)	A Web of Air :Mortal Engines 6 Fever Crumb 2 Philip Reeve 9+ Reeve’s Mortal Engines sequence has just got even more gripping if that were possible. Fever Crumb is recruited by a strange recluse to build a flying machine – but ruthless enemies will kill to get their secrets! Download Extract Buy £9.74 Saving £3.25 (25%)	The Pasta Detectives Andreas Steinhofel 9+ A fantastically quirky debut mystery starring two unlikely boy detectives, the mildly autistic Rico and the brainy but anxiety-ridden Oscar. Download Extract Buy £4.49 Saving £1.50 (25%)
Vampireology Nick Holt 7+ Part of the absorbing, sumptuous ‘ology’ series that gives readers hours of entertainent. Vampireology explores ‘the true history of the fallen’ – the vampires who have lived among us for hundreds of years.. Download Extract Buy £13.49 Saving £4.50 (25%)	Triskellion 3: The Gathering Will Peterson 11+ The third and final instalment in this gripping paranormal adventure trilogy. Download Extract Buy £5.24 Saving £1.75 (25%)

Even more unfortunate events from our Series of the Year

Dive in to the next three books (5,6 and 7) of the incredible and immersive world of Lemony Snicket. The titles about the ill-fated Baudelaire orphans were the 5th most popular books of the last decade and got more kids reading than Harry Potter. Now, at long last, they are available to buy in great value paperback for a whole new generation of fans!

Michael Morpurgo needs YOU

Bestselling author Michael Morpurgo is sponsoring the exciting new Wicked Young Writers’ Award, in association with Wicked, the musical that turns the story of The Wizard of Oz on its head. It’s a great way to encourage children and young adults to get creative – entrants aged from 5 to 25 can write about whatever they like, in prose or poetry. Michael Morpurgo comments, ‘All children are born with a sort of spark of genius. Growing up should fan it’. There are five different age categories and the deadline for this year’s award is July 23. For more details go to the award website – www.wickedyoungwriters.com. Enjoy!

Books for Babies and Toddlers

1		How to Catch a Star Oliver Jeffers A prize winning illustrator with a reputation for spare illustrations which pack a huge emotional punch. A little boy so loves the stars that he decides to set off and try to catch one. But catching a star is not as easy as … Download free opening extract
2		Playtime (Slip and Slide Book) Maureen Roffey This is a lovely book for little hands.  Slip and slide the tab to make the pages come alive in this robust and playful book for toddlers. Painting, drumming, skipping and reading are just some of the activities in Playtime … Download free opening extract
3		I Like Fruit (Petit Collage) Lorena Siminovich This is one of the most beautiful and touchy feely books I’ve seen for babies and toddlers for a while.  Each spread depicts a colour and a fruit; for example, a strawberry and alongside it, the words and pictures of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 3+ readers

1		The Heart and the Bottle Oliver Jeffers Award winning Oliver Jeffers’s latest book is wholly compelling for the importance of its message and the brilliance of how that is conveyed in words and pictures. To overcome her sadness when her grandfather dies a little girl decides to … Download free opening extract
2		Caterpillar Dreams Jeanne Willis This is a magical picture book from what you could call the dream team of Jeanne Willis (who writes the words) and Tony Ross (who creates the illustrations). Caterpillar Dreams celebrates the life of two curly caterpillars who dream of … Download free opening extract
3		Tiggy Jacquie Trajan A delightful picture book written and illustrated by a newcomer to the world of picture books. Tiggy is the story of an unhappy pig, a pig who desperately wants to look different, perhaps with long legs or a different nose … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Flossie Crums: The Fairies Cupcake Ball Nathan, Helen This is not just a wonderful story of Flossie Crums the Fairy, this is also a wonderful baking adventure too.  Simple mouth-watering recipes are woven into the story so that parents and children together can have fun baking alongside the … Download free opening extract
2		Dinosaur Cove: Clash of the Monster Crocs Rex Stone The dinosaurs in Dinosaur Cove are unusual: they are ALIVE! Jamie, Tom and Wanna can slip back into the Triassic period where they are on the trail of an enormous prehistoric crocodile. The crocodile is a dangerous creature and it … Download free opening extract
3		Winnie Goes Batty Laura Owen Well-loved Winnie the Witch is back in four new adventures each as madcap as the one before! Entranced by a visit to the circus, Winnie decides she’ll have a go herself. Inevitably, Wilbur the cat gets involved too and the … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		Raven Mysteries 3: Lunatics and Luck Marcus Sedgwick As told by a raven, this Gothic horror richly laced in humour is a delicious read – especially when the moon is full! Castle Otherhand is beset by problems. There are the usual ones of money troubles but this time … Download free opening extract
2		The Great Hamster Massacre Katie Davies Winner of the Waterstone’s Book Award 2010 An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at family life in all its intricacies as it revolves around pet ownership and the drama that surrounds it. Nine year old Anna tells how she and her younger brother … Download free opening extract
3		Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder Jo Nesbo Fuelled by farts, this is fast-paced and a delightfully ridiculous adventure. Newly moved into the neighbourhood, Nilly meets a strange old man who turns out to be Doctor Proctor, an almost famous inventor who is about to come up with … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Little Darlings Jacqueline Wilson Bestselling Jacqueline Wilson tells a fairy tale story of the unlikely intertwining of two very different families against a strong and realistic background. Destiny is growing up poor with her mum who does three jobs and struggles to pay the … Download free opening extract
2		The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 Harriet Goodwin Shortlisted for the 2010 Blue Peter ‘Book I Couldn’t Put Down’ Award. Adventurous, charming and poignant by turns, The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 is a quirky debut novel laced with humour and a dollop of magic. … Download free opening extract
3		The Queen Must Die: Chronicles of the Tempus K.A.S. Quinn Completely gripping, this rollercoaster time travel adventure takes Katie, a contemporary New York teenager, back right into the heart of Queen Victoria’s reign. Landing unexpectedly in the Buckingham Palace bedroom of Alice, Queen Victoria’s younger daughter, Katie is swiftly caught … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend Cora Harrison Rich in period detail and full of romance and fantasy, this is a delightful imaginary diary of Jenny Cooper which gives entertaining insights into what Jane Austen might have been like as a teenager.  Jenny is the pretty, clever but … Download free opening extract
2		Luke and Jon Robert Williams This is a wonderfully original and arresting debut novel about friendship, grief and love.  Written with great power, warmth and humour with not a word out of place you feel utterly compelled to read on.  Luke and Jon is a … Download free opening extract
3		This Book is Not Good for You Pseudonymous Bosch Mysterious, marvellous, witty, exciting and dangerous.  Here, in this the author’s 3rd book that you really shouldn’t be reading but few have taken heed, you’ll meet a cursed aztec artefact, an evil and deranged chef, a secret jungle lair inahibited … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Drawing with Light Julia Green A touching and tender teenage novel of love and exploration this tells how sixteen-year-old Emily finds first love and also begins an important search to find her mother. Emily was only two when her artist mother left home and she … Download free opening extract
2		The Facts of Life Joanna Nadin In this, another brilliant installment of Rachel Riley’s hilarious diaries, join her in her no-nonsense, fact-based approach to life.  Just when she thought she had finally found her knight in shining skinny jeans i.e. the ONE, an accidental snog with … Download free opening extract
3		No and Me Delphine de Vigan Deeply moving, this is the touching story of two teenagers from very different backgrounds whose friendship raises huge questions about what concepts of home and family really mean. Lou is bright and successful at school but her home is unhappy … Download free opening extract

Books for Babies and Toddlers

1		How to Catch a Star Oliver Jeffers A prize winning illustrator with a reputation for spare illustrations which pack a huge emotional punch. A little boy so loves the stars that he decides to set off and try to catch one. But catching a star is not as easy as … Download free opening extract
2		Playtime (Slip and Slide Book) Maureen Roffey This is a lovely book for little hands.  Slip and slide the tab to make the pages come alive in this robust and playful book for toddlers. Painting, drumming, skipping and reading are just some of the activities in Playtime … Download free opening extract
3		I Like Fruit (Petit Collage) Lorena Siminovich This is one of the most beautiful and touchy feely books I’ve seen for babies and toddlers for a while.  Each spread depicts a colour and a fruit; for example, a strawberry and alongside it, the words and pictures of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 3+ readers

1		The Heart and the Bottle Oliver Jeffers Award winning Oliver Jeffers’s latest book is wholly compelling for the importance of its message and the brilliance of how that is conveyed in words and pictures. To overcome her sadness when her grandfather dies a little girl decides to … Download free opening extract
2		Don’t Want to Go! Shirley Hughes In her warm and readily recognisable illustrations, award winning illustrator Shirley Hughes always captures the small but important details of how young children feel. When Mum is ill one day, Dad says Lily has to go to Melanie’s house, but Lily … Download free opening extract
3		Caterpillar Dreams Jeanne Willis This is a magical picture book from what you could call the dream team of Jeanne Willis (who writes the words) and Tony Ross (who creates the illustrations). Caterpillar Dreams celebrates the life of two curly caterpillars who dream of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Flossie Crums: The Fairies Cupcake Ball Nathan, Helen This is not just a wonderful story of Flossie Crums the Fairy, this is also a wonderful baking adventure too.  Simple mouth-watering recipes are woven into the story so that parents and children together can have fun baking alongside the … Download free opening extract
2		The Pain and the Great One: Going Going Gone Judy Blume The Pain (aka Jake Porter) is six years old. His sister, The Great One (aka Abigail Porter), is eight. Like any siblings, they drive each other mad but they have fun adventures. In funny, warm and characterful episodes, the Porter family comes to … Download free opening extract
3		Bob and Barry’s Lunar Adventures 2: A Right Royal Disaster Simon Bartram Bob, the much loved Man on the Moon, is back in a new adventure for beginner readers. As ever, he doesn’t believe in aliens! But when it looks as if he might lose his head after he tinkers with a … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		The Great Hamster Massacre Katie Davies Winner of the Waterstone’s Book Award 2010 An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at family life in all its intricacies as it revolves around pet ownership and the drama that surrounds it. Nine year old Anna tells how she and her younger brother … Download free opening extract
2		Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder Jo Nesbo Fuelled by farts, this is fast-paced and a delightfully ridiculous adventure. Newly moved into the neighbourhood, Nilly meets a strange old man who turns out to be Doctor Proctor, an almost famous inventor who is about to come up with … Download free opening extract
3		Raven Mysteries 3: Lunatics and Luck Marcus Sedgwick As told by a raven, this Gothic horror richly laced in humour is a delicious read – especially when the moon is full! Castle Otherhand is beset by problems. There are the usual ones of money troubles but this time … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 Harriet Goodwin Shortlisted for the 2010 Blue Peter ‘Book I Couldn’t Put Down’ Award. Adventurous, charming and poignant by turns, The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 is a quirky debut novel laced with humour and a dollop of magic. … Download free opening extract
2		Little Darlings Jacqueline Wilson Bestselling Jacqueline Wilson tells a fairy tale story of the unlikely intertwining of two very different families against a strong and realistic background. Destiny is growing up poor with her mum who does three jobs and struggles to pay the … Download free opening extract
3		The Queen Must Die: Chronicles of the Tempus K.A.S. Quinn Completely gripping, this rollercoaster time travel adventure takes Katie, a contemporary New York teenager, back right into the heart of Queen Victoria’s reign. Landing unexpectedly in the Buckingham Palace bedroom of Alice, Queen Victoria’s younger daughter, Katie is swiftly caught … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend Cora Harrison Rich in period detail and full of romance and fantasy, this is a delightful imaginary diary of Jenny Cooper which gives entertaining insights into what Jane Austen might have been like as a teenager.  Jenny is the pretty, clever but … Download free opening extract
2		Time Riders Alex Scarrow This is a thrilling action adventure which hurtles across time and place at breakneck speed. Three children are on the bring of death: Liam is about to drown as the Titanic sinks in 1912, Maddy is on an aeroplane fitted … Download free opening extract
3		This Book is Not Good for You Pseudonymous Bosch Mysterious, marvellous, witty, exciting and dangerous.  Here, in this the author’s 3rd book that you really shouldn’t be reading but few have taken heed, you’ll meet a cursed aztec artefact, an evil and deranged chef, a secret jungle lair inahibited … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Drawing with Light Julia Green A touching and tender teenage novel of love and exploration this tells how sixteen-year-old Emily finds first love and also begins an important search to find her mother. Emily was only two when her artist mother left home and she … Download free opening extract
2		The Facts of Life Joanna Nadin In this, another brilliant installment of Rachel Riley’s hilarious diaries, join her in her no-nonsense, fact-based approach to life.  Just when she thought she had finally found her knight in shining skinny jeans i.e. the ONE, an accidental snog with … Download free opening extract
3		No and Me Delphine de Vigan Deeply moving, this is the touching story of two teenagers from very different backgrounds whose friendship raises huge questions about what concepts of home and family really mean. Lou is bright and successful at school but her home is unhappy … Download free opening extract