Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		Gorilla Anthony Browne Greenaway winner in 1983.Wonderfully inventive story and almost tear-jerking at times but with a happy ending.  The illustrations are both detailed and colourful and children will delight in them. I’m sure for some parents it really touches a nerve as … Download free opening extract
3		My Mum! Beth Shoshan From the same author that brought us the charmingly funny My Dad! – we now have My Mum! – who is rather silly but simply lovely. Guarenteed to put a smile on your child’s face. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		Weird Street: The Curse Of Captain Cross-eyed Margaret Ryan Weird Street is a terrific little four book series that will get 6-9 year old boys (in particular) and girls really reading and enjoying it.  Weird Street is on Johnny’s paper round, a bizarre, scary and extremely unusual paper round, where he … Download free opening extract
3		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson For parents: There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		Foul Play Tom Palmer On the Blue Peter Award Shortlist – Football mad boys and girls will devour this all-action adventure novel, virtually in a sitting. Hopefully, even the most reluctant reader, just like the author himself was at school, will devour it too. … Download free opening extract
2		Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – Illustrated Edition Lewis Carroll Abundantly illustrated with warmth and humour by Helen Oxenbury, the memorable cast of characters are to be found in all their glory here in this edition, from Alice herself to the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.  … Download free opening extract
3		An Awfully Beastly Business: Bang Goes A Troll! Beastly Boys For fans of dragons, giants and werewolves, this new series entitled An Awfully Beastly Business has proved to be a sure-fire hit with even the most reluctant reader. This is the third title in the series.      Short snappy sentences with pages … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
2		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract
3		Running On The Cracks Julia Donaldson A thrilling corkscrew of a novel that twists and turns weaving several strands of story into one compelling narrative, and the first novel from an established and bestselling picture book author for younger readers. Orphaned after the death of her … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
2		The 13 Treasures Michelle Harrison Winner of the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2009.   This is an enchanting and at times terrifying debut that’s beautifully written. 13 year old Tanya and her mother have an uneasy relationship so for part of the summer she is despatched … Download free opening extract
3		Bog Child Siobhan Dowd   New and challenging book full of mystery and shadows from recently deceased author Siobhan Dowd. Both terrifying and fascinating from the start, Bog Child is a must-read for 2009. The plot follows Fergus a boy who finds the body of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		The One And Only Sophie Mckenzie From the author of the Richard and Judy Children’s Books winner, Girl, Missing comes the final instalment in a terrific teenage love story trilogy, which captures the ups, downs and at times almost unbearable emotions of being in love. To … Download free opening extract
2		Before I Die Jenny Downham Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is a haunting yet truly amazing read but don’t read it too young. Definitely not for someone less than 14 years old. If you knew you were going to die what would … Download free opening extract
3		Numbers Rachel Ward A tough, teenage novel about being different. Jem’s life has been hard from the beginning and it is not made any easier by her dangerous secret; every time she looks into a person’s eyes, she sees the date on which … Download free opening extract

Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		Litterbug Doug: In the Missions of Michael Recycle Ellie Bethel A campaigning picture book that will encourage all to recycle. Litterbug Doug hates recycling; instead he creates a heap of litter all around his home. When green-hero Michael appears Litterbug Doug refuses to listen to the recycling message and does … Download free opening extract
3		Matty Takes Off! Miriam Moss A delightful pair of bear siblings, Matty and Milly make a delightful duo. Matty likes everything to be just-so. He is as neat and tidy as his sister Milly is not. In Matty’s house, everything has its own place but, … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson For parents: There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives … Download free opening extract
3		Weird Street: The Curse Of Captain Cross-eyed Margaret Ryan Weird Street is a terrific little four book series that will get 6-9 year old boys (in particular) and girls really reading and enjoying it.  Weird Street is on Johnny’s paper round, a bizarre, scary and extremely unusual paper round, where he … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		Brilliant Billy Does His Bit Simon Hutton An entertaining story about how one boy gets so absorbed in the effect of the Second World War on ordinary people’s lives that he begins to do things in the same way. When the teacher describes how people managed by … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin Alan Gibbons Discover the world of Darwin through the diary of a ship’s boy.  Combining non-fiction and fiction but factually absolutely accurate, this book is published to coincide with Darwin’s 200th birthday.  It begins with a diary, told from the point of view of … Download free opening extract
3		Foul Play Tom Palmer On the Blue Peter Award Shortlist – Football mad boys and girls will devour this all-action adventure novel, virtually in a sitting. Hopefully, even the most reluctant reader, just like the author himself was at school, will devour it too. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure Amanda Wood This lavish account of Darwin’s life and of the voyage of the Beagle from 1831 to 1836 provides the most detailed but accessible account for children about Darwin, his discoveries and a part of his life that was so important … Download free opening extract
3		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Amy Green Teen Agony Queen: Boy Trouble Sarah Webb Sarah Webb is a debut children’s author but an established chick-lit novelist and her wonderful 13 year old character creation in Amy Green, teen agony aunt extraordinaire, is set to be the new best friend for every pre-teen girl.  Full of humour … Download free opening extract
2		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
3		Bog Child Siobhan Dowd   New and challenging book full of mystery and shadows from recently deceased author Siobhan Dowd. Both terrifying and fascinating from the start, Bog Child is a must-read for 2009. The plot follows Fergus a boy who finds the body of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Before I Die Jenny Downham Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is a haunting yet truly amazing read but don’t read it too young. Definitely not for someone less than 14 years old. If you knew you were going to die what would … Download free opening extract
2		Stop in the Name of Pants! Louise Rennison You can’t stop laughing at and with Georgia Nicolson. Now she’s back with a new diary in which, as ever, she charts the ups and downs of her intense – sometimes imaginary – sex-kitten life as it ricochets from the … Download free opening extract
3		The One And Only Sophie Mckenzie From the author of the Richard and Judy Children’s Books winner, Girl, Missing comes the final instalment in a terrific teenage love story trilogy, which captures the ups, downs and at times almost unbearable emotions of being in love. To … Download free opening extract

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Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		Litterbug Doug: In the Missions of Michael Recycle Ellie Bethel A campaigning picture book that will encourage all to recycle. Litterbug Doug hates recycling; instead he creates a heap of litter all around his home. When green-hero Michael appears Litterbug Doug refuses to listen to the recycling message and does … Download free opening extract
3		Fine As We Are Algy Hall In his first picture book, author and artist Algy Craig Hall has crafted a gentle, charming, and witty story that shows exactly what it means to be a good big brother. Thoroughly delightful illustrations – many featuring a deluge of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives them practical … Download free opening extract
3		What Mr Darwin Saw Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom This picture reference book provides an absolutely terrific insight into one of the world’s most famous scientists and is a great introduction to youngsters of an important piece of history.  Darwin’s adventure on the Beagle and his findings on the islands … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		An Awfully Beastly Business: Bang Goes A Troll! Beastly Boys For fans of dragons, giants and werewolves, this new series entitled An Awfully Beastly Business has proved to be a sure-fire hit with even the most reluctant reader. This is the third title in the series.    Short snappy sentences with pages … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin Alan Gibbons Discover the world of Darwin through the diary of a ship’s boy.  Combining non-fiction and fiction but factually absolutely accurate, this book is published to coincide with Darwin’s 200th birthday.  It begins with a diary, told from the point of view of … Download free opening extract
3		Brilliant Billy Does His Bit Simon Hutton An entertaining story about how one boy gets so absorbed in the effect of the Second World War on ordinary people’s lives that he begins to do things in the same way. When the teacher describes how people managed by … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
2		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract
3		Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure Amanda Wood This lavish account of Darwin’s life and of the voyage of the Beagle from 1831 to 1836 provides the most detailed but accessible account for children about Darwin, his discoveries and a part of his life that was so important … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
2		Amy Green Teen Agony Queen: Boy Trouble Sarah Webb Sarah Webb is a debut children’s author but an established chick-lit novelist and her wonderful 13 year old character creation in Amy Green, teen agony aunt extraordinaire, is set to be the new best friend for every pre-teen girl.  Full of humour … Download free opening extract
3		Just Henry Michelle Magorian Winner of the 2008 Costa Children’s Book Award – What the Costa judges said: ‘This is a master storyteller at work with the sort of descriptive writing that is a joy to read. Just Henry is a soaring, uplifting warm … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Solace Of The Road Siobhan Dowd Beautifully written and achingly moving, Solace of the Road is the poignant and desperate story of one girl’s search for her mother. Running away from her foster home, Holly dons the blonde wig she finds and reinvents herself as the … Download free opening extract
2		The One And Only Sophie Mckenzie From the author of the Richard and Judy Children’s Books winner, Girl, Missing comes the final instalment in a terrific teenage love story trilogy, which captures the ups, downs and at times almost unbearable emotions of being in love. To … Download free opening extract
3		War of the Witches Maite Carranza This is the perfect read for fans of Buffy, Charmed and W.I.T.C.H.  Evocative, timeless storytelling that delves deep into the bond between mothers and daughters and the mysteries of growing up.  For all those magic and astrology obsessed teenagers this … Download free opening extract

We have a veritable treasure trove of books to introduce to you this month, so much so we’ve been burning the midnight oil even more than usual to make our selection for you.

From the latest Prize Winners to some sensational Books of the Month, the most avid to the most reluctant reader will find something tantalisingly good. 

Author of the Month Siobhan Dowd

Author of the Month is the extraordinarily talented Siobhan Dowd, whose life was sadly cut short in 2007. We’re featuring all four of her incredibly moving novels, including her last one, Solace of the Road that she finished writing just before her death and is published this month. Also, do take a peek at the Trust that has been set up in her memory www.siobhandowd.co.uk, to help disadvantaged children enjoy reading.

Photo credit Siobhan at Killarney, 2006: G. Morgan

Darwin Day 12 February 2009

To tie-in with all the excitement of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, we have a wide range of inspirational books to celebrate one of the greatest scientists ever to live, and the founding father of the theory of evolution.

Discover a Debut Author today!

Why not ‘discover someone new’ by reading our Debuts of the Month? Damian Kelleher’s Life Interrupted is a warm novel about a teenager facing the worst and surviving. Secondly, meet teenage agony aunt extraordinaire in Amy Green by Sarah Webb.

Prize Winning Books

The overall winner of the prestigious Costa Award was announced a day or two ago. It rarely goes to the children’s book category winner and sadly this year it didn’t again. But just to remind you the children’s category winner was Just Henry by Michelle Magorian, so if you’ve yet to take get a taster why not click here and read an extract of this soaring and uplifting book. Also in the world of forthcoming awards, you can discover all the books on the shortlist of the Blue Peter Book Awards right here.

February Books of the Month

Our choice for Books of the Month was an incredibly difficult decision this month with such a strong range of titles to choose from but we believe we’ve selected something to suit everyone’s taste.

11+: Henderson’s Boys – Robert Muchamore An incredibly powerful and pacy adventure thriller about kids working for the British Secret Service during World War II by Robert Muchamore, the mega-bestselling author of the Cherub series.		9+: The Sandfather – Linda Newbery This is a gripping read about a 13-year-old boy who is excluded from school and goes to spend a period of reflection on the coast with his aunt.
0-5: Dogs – Emily Gravett A delightful picture book celebrating all kinds of dogs, big and small, stroppy and soppy, with a twist in its tail!		9+: Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney A New York Times bestselling series – part brilliant story, part blank journal for you to fill in, and part interactive game and there’s a film starring the Wimpy Kid scheduled for release in 2010.
14+: Malice – Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel.		0-5: Matty Takes Off – Miriam Moss A gloriously charming and funny picture book about a bear and his tidy house. Perfect for bedtime reading.

101 ways to get your child to read

Finally World Book Day is coming round again on 5 March, and publisher Barrington Stoke has teamed up with the Quick Reads initiative to bring out a wonderful new short book for parents entitled, 101 ways to get your child to read. It’s full of great tips and we rate it highly.

I’m sure you’ll agree there’s plenty for your children to get their teeth into in terms of some wonderful reading so why not visit Lovereading4kids and select the books with them before doing anything else.

Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		I Love You Through And Through Bernadette Rossetti-shustak and Caroline Jayne Church Brim full of the overpowering emotion of unconditional love for all the aspects of a baby, this robust board book is perfect for sharing again and again and again. Each page shows the smiling – and sometimes not so smiling … Download free opening extract
3		Happy Birthday Chimp and Zee Catherine, Anholt, Laurence Anholt “Ha, ha, ha! Hee, hee, hee! Happy Birthday, Chimp and Zee! Mischievous twins Chimp and Zee are celebrating their birthday. There are birthday cards and presents and, as with everything to do with this delightful pair, absolute chaos everywhere they … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		The BFG Roald Dahl This is a delightful, funny and exciting story about a special friendship between two people from different worlds – a giant and a child. As the story develops it shows how trust and love develops between them. It also … Download free opening extract
2		Weird Street: The Curse Of Captain Cross-eyed Margaret Ryan Weird Street is a terrific little four book series that will get 6-9 year old boys (in particular) and girls really reading and enjoying it.  Weird Street is on Johnny’s paper round, a bizarre, scary and extremely unusual paper round, where he … Download free opening extract
3		What Mr Darwin Saw Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom This picture reference book provides an absolutely terrific insight into one of the world’s most famous scientists and is a great introduction to youngsters of an important piece of history.  Darwin’s adventure on the Beagle and his findings on the islands … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		The Monkey Pirates Mark Skelton Imagine monkeys dressed as pirates travelling through space and time in search of treasure and adventure and along the way in their wardrobe they pick up a quite normal girl called Emily Jane and head off in search of her … Download free opening extract
2		Tom Trueheart And The Land Of Dark Stories Ian Beck More fabulous adventures as Tom Trueheart and his brothers return but this time, there may be no more Happy Endings. Perfectly pitched to newly independent readers, this second book about the young and diminutive hero Tom Trueheart takes a different look … Download free opening extract
3		Charles Darwin Alan Gibbons Discover the world of Darwin through the diary of a ship’s boy.  Combining non-fiction and fiction but factually absolutely accurate, this book is published to coincide with Darwin’s 200th birthday.  It begins with a diary, told from the point of view of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Then Morris Gleitzman In Once, Morris Gleitzman created a brilliant and unusual way of telling the story of how two children survived in Nazi Germany. In the sequel Then, Felix and Zelda continue on their journey to safety. Felix, who tells the story … Download free opening extract
2		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract
3		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Just Henry Michelle Magorian Winner of the 2008 Costa Children’s Book Award – What the Costa judges said: ‘This is a master storyteller at work with the sort of descriptive writing that is a joy to read. Just Henry is a soaring, uplifting warm … Download free opening extract
2		Chains Laurie Halse Anderson With a rare and compelling voice, this haunting novel tells not only the story of a remarkable girl and her incredible strength, but also of a time and place in which slavery was the order of the day and lives … Download free opening extract
3		Invitation Only Kate Brian For a teen read Kate Brian really hit the spot with the first in the ‘Private’ series published quite recently and which we at Lovereading picked up on early. Now, with the second in the series beginning where the … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Before I Die Jenny Downham Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is a haunting yet truly amazing read but don’t read it too young. Definitely not for someone less than 14 years old. If you knew you were going to die what would … Download free opening extract
2		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
3		Twilight Stephenie Meyer Deeply seductive and irresistibly compelling, this is an extraordinary love story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. It’s the first in the Twilight series and is a captivating sage of vampire romance. The 2nd … Download free opening extract

We hope your children are having as much fun reading the fantastic array of children’s literature that we selected for you this month as we did when we were making the selection. The power of the story is so important and we only choose those books that really provide that unique something that makes it different or special from the rest.

Next a classic children’s book – The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge – that is about to be released as a film called The Secrets of Moonacre. The book is enchanting and we have an exclusive, free to enter, prize draw where you can win a stunning slipcase edition of the book together with some movie goodie bags!

Prize winning books are always a good place to start if you are stuck for a book to choose from and this month our prize winning section is overflowing with a range of books from the Costa and the Marsh Award for Books in Translation.

The winner of which Toby Alone was announced on 20 January. [add in some copy about the book] Find out more today.

Also did you know that if Charles Darwin were alive he would be 200 on 12 Feb 2009. To celebrate this massively influential scientist and visionary we have a small selection of titles for children that bring his life and exploits to life. Visit our special section to find out more.

And don’t forget to have a look at the other key books this month

Finally, race headlong into the new year and keep ahead of the crowds, by discovering our latest exclusive Pre-Publication titles: All three will we believe be heading for the shortlists of the major awards this year, so why not get in there early.

Henderson Boys – The Escape by Robert Muchamore. Author of the bestselling Cherub series has a new adventure series about child spies helping the British Secret Service in World War Two.

The Sandfather by Linda Newbery is a wonderful story about a boy searching for some grounding in life, and doing a lot of growing up along the way

Dogs, by Emily Gravett, is another awesomely satisfying picture book filled with gorgeous bounding canines of every sort – and a twist in the tail.

Don’t forget you can download free Opening Extracts on every title we feature for your children to whet their appetite to read more and in turn get their 2009 off to an energetic flying start.

Happy 2009!

If the quality of children’s books scheduled for publication in 2009 that we’ve so far read here is anything to go by then there’s going to be no shortage of some terrific literature for the whole family to enjoy throughout 2009 and hopefully our expert guidance will help you to choose between them and in turn help your kids start the new year as you’d like them to go on – reading and learning and enjoying some dazzling stories.

But before going on to the January titles we’ve personally selected for you here at Lovereading4kids, first up is the winner of Costa Children’s Book Award, which has just been announced. Michelle Magorian’s Just Henry, according to the Costa judges ‘is a soaring, uplifting warm bath of a book a wonderful roller-coaster of a story which we all absolutely loved’. At Lovereading4kids we’ve championed it since its publication back in May last year. Whilst on the subject of awards don’t forget to take a peek at the shortlist for the Marsh Award for books in Translation.

There’s also a new category on the site where we’ve gathered all our free-to-enter competitions and prize draws; a one-stop shop for amazing give-away goodies!

Author of the Month

Author of the Month is the brilliant Chris Higgins, whose new story Love ya Babe gives a very astute insight into teenage troubles. Not only does Gabby have to put up with an outrageously embarrassing mum, troubled brothers, and friendship problems at school; but the arrival of a new baby sibling brings chaos to the whole family.

There are three great Books of the Month:

Then, by Morris Gleitzman, tackles a topic most children’s authors would shy away from, following Felix and his friend Zelda as they witness the atrocities being committed by the Nazis in Poland in 1942. 9+ readers will be hooked.

Between Two Seas was a sensation in 2008 and one of our most successful debuts of the year. The Lady in the Tower (3760) is Marie Louise Jensen’s second novel. A rich tapestry of 16th century life centred around Eleanor, a tomboyish young girl who is betrothed to be married, but would rather be riding horses and jousting.

Everything Beautiful is the eagerly awaited and brilliant second novel by the author of Notes from the Teenage Underground.

And January seems to be the month of debuts we have 7 crackers:

Numbers, by Rachel Ward, is a spooky story for teenagers about a girl who can tell the date people will die by the numbers that pop into her head. Waiting to go on the London Eye, she sees everyone in the queue has the same number – something terrible is going to happen…

For 11+ readers

there’s The Bad Tuesdays 1: Twisted Symmetry. An action-packed novel about three street rat children who are being mysteriously pursued by two sinister organisations.Zelah Green – Queen of Clean by Vanessa Curtis deals with the serious subject of OCD by way of a charming tale about a girl coming to terms with personal grief and
The 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison, is a gripping story about a girl who gets in trouble and is sent away from home because nobody believes she can see fairies.

For 9+ year old boys there’s Johnny Macintosh and the Spirit of London, by Keith Mansfield, in which a 13-year-old boy’s life change forever when his computer, Kovac, detects an extraterrestrial signal.And for the girls, How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant is a brilliantly accomplished debut that packs a lot of punch touching as it does on family death and relationships. Finally for 7+ year olds, a mad-cap adventure, The Monkey Pirates, by Mark Skelton will take you on a ride through space in wardrobes in the capable or not so capable hands of some pirate monkeys searching for treasure.

Now to two special promotions:

Firstly, you probably can’t fail to have missed the major TV drama of Anne Frank each day last week and if so, perhaps now is the time to read the full unabridged Diary. Secondly, we were so bowled over by Chains, which tells the story Independence who pursues her own fight for freedom during the American civil war, that we thought we would select a small number of titles that we feel will provide a terrific insight into a time and a place when slavery was the order of the day and in some places still is. So from Roman to contemporary times you’re sure to find something that fascinates.

Finally, race headlong into the new year and keep ahead of the crowds, by discovering our latest exclusive Pre-Publication titles:

Henderson Boys – The Escape, is an exciting adventure by Robert Muchamore about child spies helping the British Secret Service win the war.

The Sandfather by Linda Newbery is a wonderful story about a boy searching for some grounding in life, and doing a lot of growing up along the way.

And Dogs, by Emily Gravett, is another awesomely satisfying picture book filled with gorgeous bounding canines of every sort – and a twist in the tail.

So download a few free Opening Extracts for your children and suss out which are going to get their 2009 off to an energetic flying start.