10 of the best children's books for summer 2013
The best-friend story
The Chocolate Box Girls: Coco Caramel by Cathy Cassidy
(Puffin, £12.99)
A new book in the Chocolate Box Girls series from bestselling girls' author, Cathy Cassidy. Coco Caramel is all about Coco – crazy about riding and Caramel, her favourite pony at the stables.
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Now Caramel needs help and there’s no-one to ask – but will a new friend come to Coco’s rescue?
The supernatural epic
Welcome to Weirdsville: Happyland by I. M. Strange
(Little Brown, £4.99)
Aimed at children aged 8+, Happyland is a genuinely spooky series in the vein of the classic Goosebumps books. On Toby’s eleventh birthday he receives a mysterious invitation to an abandoned funfair. Of course, even though the place is incredibly eerie, he and his friends can’t resist taking a look – and soon find that getting out of Happyland will be very hard indeed…
The laugh-out-loud comic adventure
My Brother’s Famous Bottom Gets Crowned! by Jeremy Strong
(Puffin, £5.99)
Silliness and slapstick abound in the latest madcap adventure from Jeremy Strong. Nicholas's neighbours are in a royal frenzy! They're celebrating the Queen's coronation (whatever that means!) and everyone's gone BONKERS! It's going to be the biggest street party they've ever had, until a letter from the Prince and Princess announcing the arrival of THEIR very own twins adds an extra-special surprise!
The action-packed page-turner
Mysterium: The Black Dragon by Julian Sedgewick
(Hodder, £6.99)
Twelve-year-old Danny Woo is half-Chinese, half-British. His parents are performers in the Mysterium, a circus with dark and thrilling secrets at its heart. Following their death in a mysterious fire, Danny is sent to live with his aunt, an investigative journalist. When she disappears, Danny is plunged into a dangerous quest to find her – and uncover the secrets buried in his past.
The junior chick lit read
Rainbow Magic: Carly the Schoolfriend Fairy by Daisy Meadows
(Hachette, £5.99)
Rachel and Kirsty are very excited about taking part in a school competition, but Jack Frost and his goblins soon arrive. Can the girls help Carly the Schoolfriend Fairy keep the competition safe and fun? The latest book in the best-selling girls’ series in the UK, perfect for new readers.
The new friends’ gang classi
The Abominators… and the Forces of Evil by J.L. SMITH
(Little Brown, £4.99 )
Move over Horrid Henry and wimpy kids everywhere – the Abominators are the terrors of Grimely East Primary School. Filling the toilet with strawberry jelly, blocking the school water fountain with worms, stink-bombing parents’ evening and hiding a gerbil in the school piano… the gang is unstoppable. But then the Forces of Evil turn up in the shape of two VERY mean teachers – and they’re planning a fate worse than detention for the Abominators…
The historical novel
Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin
(Corgi, £6.99)
As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, Jenny is the young queen's closest childhood friend. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless French court, surrounded by enemies and traitors, Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress. But when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, closely followed by several unexplained deaths at court, she puts her own life in danger and turns spy for Mary…
The Royal-themed picture story
The Royal Nappy by Nicholas Allan
(Red Fox, £5.99)
Meet the Royal Baby and of course, Nanny, who looks after the Royal Baby and the all-important Royal Nappy Cabinet! A funny, warm look at the royal nappy through history, from Henry VIII to the present day and a very special new arrival, from the author of the comic classic The Queen’s Knickers. A great memento of summer 2013!
The do-it-yourself confessional
My Summer Holiday Journal, Jacqueline Wilson
(Random House, £6.99)
Sometimes the best stories are the ones we write for ourselves. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson, this summer scrapbook diary offers stickers, a quiz and lots of blank pages, all waiting to be filled with memories of a wonderful summer holiday.
The time-travel adventure
The History Keepers Circus Maximus by Damian Dibben
(Corgi, £6.99)
Time travel, secret societies, double agents and lost parents (they could be anywhere in time) – Jake Djones’ adventures take him from nineteenth-century Paris to the Roman empire in AD27. The past is in danger… can the History Keepers’ Secret Service save the world as we know it?
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