Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children meets The Addams Family is what ultimately sold this book to me – give me dark, brooding, gothic tales any day. But let’s be clear for a second, The Addams Family are BIG shoes to fill and they will always and forever remain top tier on the ghoulish, chaotic clan-o-meter. The Zarrin Family sit comfortably at mid point. There are a whole lot of fanged snouts, sinister shadows and ghostly encounters lurking deep within the pages of this deliciously dark book but the characters felt empty and disjointed and the plot just plain perplexing. Rose Szabo writes beyond the weird, instead boldly stepping into an otherness that is unapologetically and beautifully strange. Some readers are gonna love it, others not so much. If I had to some this book up in two words it would be, imperfectly peculiar. Fans of Rory Power’s Wilder Girls will devour this. One side point though, the title gave me serious Little Red Riding Hood vibes but the plot couldn’t be further from this. This is no fairytale folks! Also, thumbs up to the US cover - it's so eerily enchanting! Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT

The chilling premise of Karl Olsberg’s Boy in a White Room is enough to lure any reader, let alone its intended YA audience, into reading this futuristic sci-fi thriller. Not to mention it has sold over 40,000 copies in Germany alone and has since been optioned for TV development by Netflix. The story goes like this, a boy wakes to find himself locked in an enclosed white room. He has no memories, no idea who he is or how he got there. His only link to finding out the truth is through a computer generated AI. But as the boy gradually pieces together his story – an abduction, a critical injury, a murder – the lines between reality and fantasy, truth and deception, begin to blur. Who is he really? And what lies beyond the white room… What originally gave me serious Inception meets Ready Player One meets Alex Rider vibes, quickly became this bizarre, anticlimactic, down-the-rabbit-hole storyline that haphazardly weaves in the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. With that said, Olsberg does pack a lot of thought-provoking and philosophical themes into his short, punchy chapters. The overall journey into the protagonist’s subconscious is artfully executed, and the topics surrounding identity, creation, and artificial intelligence make for fascinating conservation starters. Fans of Ben Oliver’s The Loop, Celia Rees’s Glass Town Wars, and More Than This by Patrick Ness will enjoy this one. Also, for further reading, I read in an interview with Karl Olsberg that he was inspired by an essay by Nick Bostrom, ‘Are You Living in a Computer Stimulation?’. IF YOU LIKED THIS TRY

Celebrate this frabjous day and all things Wonderland with Bluebird's top 5 most beautiful editions of Alice in Wonderland. If you're looking for original text, original illustrations and original publisher, look no further than this beautiful complete edition of Alice adventures. With a fitting foreword by Philip Pullman, stunning colour illustrations, a glorious die-cut cover with intricate embossed two foil detail, head and tail bands, glistening red foiled edges and a ribbon marker, this truly is a book to love and treasure. Buy The Complete Alice This MinaLima (the award-winning design studio behind the graphics for the Harry Potter) edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass is to die for! Children and adults alike will awe over the whimsical full colour artwork and the intricate, interactive features. A whimsical, wonderful masterpiece. Buy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (MinaLima Edition) I'm a massive fan of Júlia Sardà's artwork and her hauntingly magical illustrations breathe new life into the famous story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Also, I love that Sardà's Alice with her short brunette hair and white dress resembles the real-life Alice who inspired the book. So gorgeous. Also see Sardà's and Kathleen Krull's, One Day in Wonderland, for a joyful non-fiction exploration of Lewis Carroll's life and the origin of Alice's Adventures. Buy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland One of the best pop-up children's books ever. Intricate, innovative and incredibly imaginative, this is wonderland 3D style! Utterly breathtaking. Buy Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland Illustrations by Chris Riddell An iconic tale with iconic illustrations - Chris Riddell's rich and evocative reimagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is spectacularly sumptuous. Instantly captivating, readers will pore over these books time and time again. Buy Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland Buy Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Congratulations Aisha on the publication of City of the Sun, the second book in your magical Moonchild series! What adventures await readers in this sequel? Thank you! The second MOONCHILD book is all about balancing moon magic with sun magic, and so we discover the latter and what it represents. The journey takes Farah (our new protagonist) beneath the sands to a mysterious city… There are lots of animals to contend with and new magic to harness. One of your main inspirations for your series was The Arabian Nights, what originally drew you to this? In the way of fairytales, the stories were always on my periphery. I picked the book up for general research but ended up falling in love with the structure - a narrator who tells stories within stories. I knew then that I wanted to replicate it in my own way. Can you recommend any books for those wanting to read more Middle Eastern myths? A few years ago I read and absolutely fell in love with The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards. It’s such a fun and exciting read and I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone. Moonchild is set in a Middle Eastern inspired landscape called ‘The Sahar Peninsula’ which lies just beyond the horizon. How did you go about planning and building this world? It started with the moon cycle and its patterns. I had also just moved to Brighton when I started writing the series, and was lucky enough to live close to the sea. I found myself staring into the horizon and imagining shapes and colours beyond it. That, added with the fact that the moon affects tides - and I knew at this point I wanted to set the first story on the seas - resulted into the blend of magic and world-building I play with in the series. What gravitates you to writing magical adventures? And what do you enjoy most about writing for a middle grade audience? I love magic as a way to make sense of/navigate our own brains. With my debut it was dealing with grief, with the MOONCHILD series it was emotions, and with my next book (a standalone), I do something similar (hoping I can talk about it soon!) My favourite/most memorable books are middle grade. It’s funny because when I started writing I didn’t realise I was writing middle grade - I thought I was writing YA. But now that I write for this age group I honestly couldn’t imagine anything different. I love writing for a middle grade audience for the audience. They’re so astute and curious. But I also love the way you can blend genres, and push your imagination to its farthest reaches. It feels limitless. What’s the most unexpected thing you learnt while writing this series? I worked to base my magical systems/planetary movement on real-world science and in order to try and envisage what would happen in CITY OF THE SUN if the sun actually disappeared - particularly in desert conditions - I read up a little on terraforming on Mars. I can’t actually take the credit though as I did ask my science-obsessed dad to help me theorise it. One of the most important themes your series explores is the power of emotions, why did you want to include this in Moonchild and what do you hope readers take away from your books? I’ve always been quite an emotional person. When I was younger (and actually, even now), that’s often seen as a weakness. People call you sensitive as if that’s a bad thing. In particular, I can be quick to anger which is quite a taboo emotion but a valid one, too. I wanted to start with that, but explore a range of emotions to show that feeling them is good (to the point where it can be powerful), and that holding them in can often cause more harm in the long run. I hope these books (and all the books I write, quite honestly) help readers learn that they can be themselves unashamedly. Amira’s magical jinni is a cat, Leo’s is a fish and Farah’s is a lizard – what would your magical animal companion be? I have always said a cat, because one of my predominant emotions is anger. But I also spend a lot of the time feeling guilty, too. And I love frogs, so maybe mine would be a guilty frog that croaks to give my emotions away. You were born in Bahrain and have lived in Kuwait, England and Canada. Does travelling have a big impact on your writing? For me it’s living in a country where a lot of the norms here are things I first discovered at age 8/9 when I moved from Kuwait. It gives me a unique perspective on England, and I find I view the world through a slightly different lens to my peers here. Kuwait makes up my formative years, so I have a lot of childhood nostalgia attached to it that feeds into my work. Once we can travel with leisure again, where will your top destination be? Kuwait, actually! I haven’t seen my sister in person since 2015, so I’m desperate to visit her. In book 2, City of the Sun, the moonchildren find themselves in the heart of the magical desert. Can you give us a hint of when we’ll be seeing more of Amira, Leo and Farah? What’s next for your writing journey? Alas, that’s it for the MOONCHILD gang for now, but I’d love to revisit their world again someday. Next I’m working on something younger (a secret), and another middle grade (a secret). I hope I’ll be able to talk about both soon! Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring children’s writers? I’m not one for writing tips, but I have this thing where I need to eat the words I enjoy before I can write them, so it would simply be: read what you love! What’s the last ‘armchair travel’ book you read? Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traoré which is set in a remote Nigerian village. It’s a beautiful read - totally immersive. This question is about your favourite children’s/YA books. What’s a book you loved as a child, a book you love now, and a book you can’t wait to read? For the book I loved as a child, I am going to cheat and pick three children’s books that essentially sum up my personality: The Animals of Farthing Wood, Warrior Cats, and The Illustrated Mum. Right now I’m super obsessed with Francesca Gibbons’ A Clock of Stars series. I was lucky enough to read an early version of the second book and it’s everything child me would have wanted. Anything by Kiran Millwood-Hargrave. I’m really excited about Julia and the Shark, which she’s collaborated on with her husband Tom de Freston. I also can’t wait for The Chime Seekers by Ross Montgomery. If you could invite any five people – past and present, real and fictional – to a dinner party, who would you invite and why? I’m going to be really annoying and say I’m quite introverted (which I think surprises people) so I would never host a dinner party with anyone I admired because I’d find the whole thing too stressful. As an example of how I would behave: I once interned at the literary agency Jacqueline Wilson is with and walked into the staff toilets where she was washing her hands and immediately said ‘sorry’ before running into a stall, locking it, and standing there completely silent and still until she left. Aisha's Booklist Aisha was born in Bahrain and has lived in Kuwait, England and Canada. She was selected as one of only four previously unpublished authors in the Stripes anthology for BAME writers, A Change is Gonna Come. The anthology was awarded a YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award. Since then Aisha has been taking part in panels, interviews and events across the UK, from Bristol Waterstones to Manchester Academy, Birmingham Literature Festival to Southbank YALW, BBC Radio 3 to Buzzfeed. aishabushby.com | @aishabushby

The circus has seen better days, but for Bastjan it’s home. He will do anything he can to save it, even if it means participating in a death-defying new act. But when that fails to draw in the crowds, the ringmaster makes a deal with a mysterious man by the name of Dr Bauer. In exchange for his help, Bauer wants a box that belonged to Bastjan’s mother and came from her birthplace – the faraway island of Melita. Bastjan is desperate to keep his only memento of his mother out of Bauer’s hands. And as he uncovers more about the strange objects contained within, he realizes it’s not only the circus that’s in terrible danger… * Prepare to be dazzled! The magical, mesmerising prequel to The Eye of the North, Sinéad O’Hart's Skyborn is a fantastical, steampunk circus romp that will captivate you from the first page. Set against a gripping Victorian London backdrop, middle grade readers will be plunged into an immersive world full of daring stunts, villainous ringmasters, soaring airships and shapeshifting creatures. Daring, dazzling and deliciously imaginative, there's magic in every page. The Eye of the North Emmeline Widget has never left Widget Manor – and that’s the way she likes it. But when her scientist parents mysteriously disappear she finds herself being packed off on a ship to France, heading for a safe house in Paris. Onboard she is befriended by an urchin stowaway called Thing. But before she can reach her destination she is kidnapped by the sinister Dr Siegfried Bauer. Dr Bauer is bound for the ice fields of Greenland to summon a legendary monster from the deep. And he isn’t the only one determined to unleash the creature. The Northwitch has laid claim to the beast, too. Can Emmeline and Thing stop their fiendish plans and save the world? WHAT TO READ NEXT

Illustrated by Rachael Dean Published by Farshore Books Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found Inspired by The Arabian Nights and set in an enchanting Middle Eastern inspired landscape that lies just beyond the horizon, Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found is storytelling at its finest. And it's a story that has it all - mysterious midnight souks, cursed cities, magical jinni animals, fearless sea witches, a destructive firebird, a seafaring adventure and a spellbinding voyage of friendship and self-discovery. And at the heart of all this is a beautifully inclusive and powerful exploration of emotions. Anger, anxiety, and curiosity are just a few of the untamed feelings that bubble at the surface of Bushby's narrative and with it is the honesty, acceptance and magic that comes from understanding and sharing them. Irresistably evocative and gorgeously rich, I was utterly captivated and charmed by Bushby's lyrical writing style. Like The Arabian Nights, the way Bushby weaves stories and fables into the main narrative is seamlessly done, and this coupled with Rachael Dean's stunning black and white illustrations makes this a beautiful book to own. Oozing with magic and infused with passion, Aisha Bushby is a force to be reckoned with. Moonchild is definitely a book to read aloud - the taste of magic on your tongue is tingle inducing. Fans of Philip Pullman, Jasbinder Bilan and Maria Kuzniar will adore this! Support indies and get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Moonchild: City of the Sun WATCH THIS SPACE! REVIEW TO COME! WHAT TO READ NEXT

By Jodie Lancet-Grant Illustrated by Lydia Corry Oh, what a wonderful picture book this is! A swashbuckling, riot-rollicking, deliciously joyful adventure featuring two fiercely, lovable female pirates who remind you that being different is makes you special. This is 5-star storytelling - powerful and bold in all its storytelling simplicity. Love, acceptance, pirate banter and sea shanties sparkle off every heartfelt, rapturous page, and the celebration of family and embracing your uniqueness resonates like a warm, well-timed hug. Lydia Corry's illustrations are bright, expressive and full of warmth, beautifully echoing the importance of openness and inclusivity. A truly charming book that deserves pride of place on any bookshelf. I really hope this isn't the last we'll see of Billy and his extraordinary pirate family. PERFECT FOR FANS OF For more rainbow filled recommendations check out my pride kids booklist here! ABOUT THE CREATORS Jodie Lancet-Grant is an award-winning publishing professional and children's author. She was moved to write for children after she searched for picture books featuring LGBT+ families, to read to her twin daughters, wanting to see their family reflected back at them. Follow Jodie on Twitter @jodiemullish and on Instagram @jodielancetgrant Lydia Corry is a British illustrator based in Brighton who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2009. Since graduating she has followed in the footsteps of her mother Sally Gardner and devoted herself to children's books. The Pirate Mums is her debut picture book. Follow Lydia on Instagram @lydiacorryillustration A massive thank you to Liz Scott and OUP for inviting me to be a part of this gorgeous blog tour to celebrate such a special book. Be sure to follow along for plenty of pirate and pride content.

By Melissa Harrison Illustrated by Lauren O'Hara A whimsical, wonderful masterpiece. By Ash, Oak and Thorn is one of the most beautiful children's books I've read in a long time. For a story about three tiny beings, their hearts and message are the biggest. Perfectly pitched as The Borrowers in the wild world, Harrison's timely, and timeless, tale of friendship, harmony and nature, will unearth a curiosity within its little readers and inspire a new found love and respect for the wilderness we call our home. After reading, walks became adventures, with the exciting possibility that little Hidden Folk may be scurrying beneath fallen leaves. Acorns are fashionable, fairies once again live at the bottom of the garden, and our steps are taken with kindness and care. But like our own natural world, the Hidden Folk, the ancient Guardians of the Wild World, are disappearing and with it our protectors of the environment. Delicate in her approach, Harrison offers us a connection to the wild world, and with it the hope and encouragement to love, protect and restore it. Thoughtful, friendly, and sprinkled with wisdom, wit and wonder, By Ash, Oak and Thorn is a book that demands to be read again and again. It's an undeniable classic in the making, echoing the impressive likes of The Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh and BB’s The Little Grey Men. And I'm overjoyed that this won't be the last we hear of Moss, Burnet and Cumulus, Spangle the cheeky starling, Vesper the city fox and all their other wild and wonderful friends! PERFECT FOR FANS OF Melissa Harrison is an award-winning novelist and nature writer who lives in Suffolk. Melissa contributes a monthly Nature Notebook column to The Times and is the writer and presenter of the hit nature podcast ‘The Stubborn Light of Things’. She has appeared on Springwatch and Springwatch Unsprung, and speaks regularly on the radio. For information check out Melissa's website at melissaharrison.co.uk, and follow her on Twitter @M_Z_Harrison. 'Stories were a crucial way in which I connected with nature as a little girl, imaginatively and emotionally. I'd love to see a new wave of children's nature writing follow these books and help today's kids do the same. I wanted to write something that was accessible and inclusive, funny and magical – that didn’t prioritise the countryside over the city, and that allowed children to understand that other creatures are as real as they are – that humans are not the only actors on the stage.' Melissa Harrison

By David C. Flanagan Illustrated by Will Hughes Say goodnight to counting sheep because this is one book you'll want to stay wide-awake for! Harry never went to sleep. Not ever! In fact, Harry had been wide-awake since the day he was born and no amount of bedtime stories and milky hot drinks would lull him to sleep. Just when his mum and dad and all the towns people had run out of ideas, Uncle Pete the explorer arrives on their doorstep with his rickety old aeroplane, his courageous little companion, and a very special (and sleepy) plan in tow. With all the lovable wackiness of Neil Gaiman's Fortunately, the Milk, the quirkiness of Quentin Blake, an added sprinkle of stardust and some strawberry jam sandwiches, Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn't Sleep is a marvellously imaginative, outstandingly original, starry adventure to fall in love with. And there's so much to love from this cloud-soaring, moonlight search for a sleep solution - from eccentric explorer Uncle Pete himself and his fearless mousey sidekick TM (Tiny Mouse), to the pod of slivery whales gliding through the night ocean and one very special, very hilarious cloud eating sheep. And effortlessly weaved into all this magic, wonder and adventure is a story built on kindness and collaboration. I do hope this isn't the last we see of this dream duo. With bite sized chapters and laughs aplenty, Uncle Pete and the Boy Who Couldn't Sleep is perfect for newly-independent young readers aged 6+. READ IF YOU LOVED... ...READ NEXT LET THE FUN CONTINUE!

F&F's Top Sporty Girls in Kid's Lit Jaz Santos vs. the World by Priscilla Mante (9+) Olá! I'm Jasmina Santos-Campbell (but you can call me Jaz). You've probably heard of me and my football team the Bramrock Stars before. No? Well, you will soon because we're almost famous! Forming the Stars was my genius idea - you see I need to prove to Mãe (that's my mum!) that I'm a football star so she'll want to come back home. The idea was the easy part, though. Now I've got a team of seven very different girls and we need to work together, to be taken seriously as footballers. We are the DREAM TEAM and we're going to show the world that girls CAN play football! Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Princess BMX by Marie Basting (7+) Enchanted meets BMX in this hilarious, spellbinding adventure! Trust me, the fairy tales have it so wrong. Dingy towers and wicked step-mums are the least of my worries: it's the boredom that will kill me. Honestly, apart from the endless supply of cupcakes, being a princess is pretty rubbish. I used to think about locking myself in a tower and throwing away the key. Thank the good goblin I discovered BMX. If it wasn't for BMX, nothing would have changed... Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Circus Maximus: Race to the Death by Annelise Gray (9+) Circus Maximus, the greatest sporting stage of the ancient Roman world, where the best horses and charioteers compete in a race to the death, and one girl dreams of glory. Twelve-year-old Dido dreams of becoming the first female charioteer at the great Circus Maximus but such ambitions are forbidden to girls. When her father is brutally murdered, she is forced to seek refuge with an unlikely ally and face a powerful and terrifying new enemy... the emperor Caligula. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (9+) Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So when Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for a summer camp, she's sure Nicole will be right by her side - until Nicole signs up for ballet camp instead, with Astrid's biggest rival. So begins the hardest summer of Astrid's life, as she struggles to stay on her skates, to learn who she is without Nicole... and to find out what it takes to be a strong, tough, awesome roller girl. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Gloves Off by Louisa Reid (YA) Everyone deserves a fighting chance A page-turning and immersive YA novel in verse, telling the story of Lily who is mercilessly bullied at school and who, with her dad, turns to boxing in an attempt to fight back. A story of hope, resilience and loving yourself. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Splash by Charli Howard (9+) Molly is in her final year of primary school, with secret dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer. Having always lived in the shadow of her manipulative friend, Chloe, Molly finally has the chance to compete in a regional swimming contest and define herself on her own terms. But with the pressure of fitting in, and the sudden arrival of her mysterious mum, will she give up on her dreams for a shot at popularity? A hugely exciting debut with a classic underdog story, a wonderfully relatable protagonist, and an important message of friendship, body positivity, and celebrating who you are. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson (9+) Reema runs to remember the life she left behind in Syria. Caylin runs to find what she's lost. When they discover an injured fox and her cubs hiding on their estate, the girls form a wary friendship. And they are more alike than they could have imagined: they both love to run. As Reema and Caylin learn to believe again, in themselves and in others, they find friendship, freedom and the discovery that home isn't a place, it's the people you love. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (YA) In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother's narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother's shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton (9+) Aya is eleven years old and has just arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves and to find Aya's father - separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. The Race by Roy Peachey (9+) 12-year-old Lili is determined to defeat her arch rival in front of the Queen during her school’s anniversary celebrations. But when her training is thrown into chaos by events outside her control, she realises that she must choose between family and the race of her life. Meanwhile in 1944, Eric Liddell, hero of the 1924 Olympics, finds himself in a war zone. Separated from his family, he is getting ready to run his final race in a prison camp in China when his lifelong principles are challenged by the imprisoned children he is trying to help… Get your copy of Bookshop UK here. Fig Swims the World by Lou Abercrombie (10+) Fig Fitzsherbert is good at a lot of things: making lists, playing the piano, advanced mathematics. But it’s never quite enough for her high-flying mother, who every New Year’s Day sets Fig an impossible resolution. So one year, Fig decides to set her own challenge instead: she’s going to swim her way round the world. There’s just one tiny problem… Fig can’t swim. Taking it one length at a time, Fig embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. But with her mother closing in, will she be able to keep her head above water and complete her challenge? Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli (YA) The only thing seventeen-year-old Audrey Lee dreams about is swinging her way to Olympic glory. But none of her training prepares her for her coach being led away in handcuffs, accused by a fellow gymnast of the unthinkable. No one knows what, or who to believe and Audrey's teammates go into meltdown. The only thing Audrey can do is hope that, belief in herself and what's left of her team, will be enough for gold. A fiercely told survivorship novel about one girl's determination to push her body to win gold at the Olympics, and the power of uniting as women to speak out. Get your copy of Bookshop UK here. Armistice Runner by Tom Palmer (8+) Lily has lots of worries. She's struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, she's losing her gran to Alzheimer's. But then she discovers her great-great-grandfather's diaries from the First World War. Could his incredible story of bravery help her reconnect with her gran and even give her the inspiration she needs to push through and win? Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Mina vs. the Monsoon by Rukhsanna Guidroz Illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta (4+) A charming story about soccer-mad Mina who tries just about any trick to stop the monsoon clouds from raining on her game. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk (YA) For fans of Sarah Dessen and Mary H.K. Choi, this lyrical and emotionally driven novel follows Alina, a young aspiring dancer who suffers a devastating injury and must face a world without ballet, as well as the darker side of her former dream. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Women in Sport by Rachel Ignotofsky Celebrate the successes of the tough, bold and fearless women who paved the way for today's athletes, from the first woman to swim the English Channel to the highest-ranked female judoka in history. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. Rebel Girls Champions: 25 Tales of Unstoppable Athletes Discover and celebrate the stories of 25 phenomenal women in sports, written in signature Rebel Girls fairytale style. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here.

It's a warm Thursday afternoon, the beginning to a long Easter weekend. I'm about to interview an award-winning novelist who has sold over 2 million books in the UK and whose work has been translated in to more than 22 languages. I take a moment to think of the 9-year-old me, curled up with a copy of I, Coriander that my grandma had given to me. 9-year-old me would be proud. I press the call button and am instantly greeted with a warm, kind voice on the other end. This April will see the third Tindim book by dazzling mother-and-daughter duo Sally Gardner and Lydia Corry publish. Inspired by their own concerns of the rubbish washed up on their hometown beach in Hastings, The Tindims of Rubbish Island is an empowering new series for 5+ readers that uniquely explores the importance of climate change, conservation and recycling. From fish hospitals and musical Bottleramas, to mountains made out of bottles, Sally and illustrator Lydia have invented an incredibly resourceful, considerate world in Rubbish Island that comes completely to life through its wonderfully eccentric cast of miniature inhabitants (perfectly described as the Borrowers-on-Sea) and their own terminology and quirky habits in tow. ‘I’ve loved writing these books,’ says Sally. ‘They’ve been a real joy. And the thing about the Tindims is that they’re very sweet to each other, they’re very loving and kind.’ Sparked by a love of hearing A. A. Milne, The Wind in the Willows and Paddington Bear read aloud, Sally found great comfort in storytelling: ‘I couldn’t read but one of the things that helped me a great deal was telling myself stories. I stopped myself being bullied at one of the schools I went to by telling stories. I told ghost stories and made everyone so bloody scared that they never touched me again. The art of story is the telling of it. Learning what makes your heart beat when you tell yourself a story, what gives you rush of excitement, what makes you cry.’ Deemed by many as brain damaged, word-blind, unteachable, Sally describes her school years and growing up with dyslexia as mitigated hell: ‘I couldn’t do childhood again. I was a failure at school to be quite honest with you. I was badly bullied at school because I was different from other children. My brain was said to be a sieve rather than a sponge – I was the child who lost the information rather than retained it. I came from two very clever parents and they gave up on me, thought that maybe I was brain damaged, as that was the best way to explain the level of knotted weakness in my brain.’ But it was later when Sally went to Central St. Martin’s Art School that she shot up from the bottom and went to being quite the superstar: ‘I got a first class honours degree and I won awards. I really found myself in the visual world. And the people I liked were quirky. Here’s to the crazy ones – I used to love that piece of writing,’ Sally laughs. ‘I thought, yeah, here’s the crazy ones.’ And if you could go back and tell your younger self one piece of advice? ‘Don’t panic,’ Sally begins. ‘It’s going to be alright. You’re not stupid. Don’t think you are; don’t let this get you down.’ 'I don’t think of dyslexia as a disability. It’s a gift.' And Sally isn’t alone as recent NHS statistics estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. That’s around 10% of the UK population. It’s a lifelong learning difficulty yet the condition remains a taboo subject among many. ‘I’ve heard of a writer who happier to come out gay than she was dyslexic,’ Sally states. ‘But I do understand it. I remember when I went to work in theatre in the 70s and I refused to acknowledge my dyslexia. In the 70s there was this awful thing where people would say it’s a “middle class disease”. But the thing about dyslexia – and as Steve McQueen’s Small Axe: Education series brilliantly illustrated – it isn’t white middle class, it’s a worldwide problem. Dyslexia has no class barrier, no colour barrier, it goes everywhere.’ The Tindims is printed in a dyslexia-friendly font with charming illustrations on every page but Sally wants every book published in dyslexia font: 'I would like to do a piece where the reader sees all the words moving – sentences in wiggly lines, word disappearing and flickering on the screen to a point where you can’t read it and I would like those without dyslexia to try to read it. Because we do that every day. That’s what it’s like every single day.' Currently a four book series, is that it for the lovable Tindims? ‘Well I think it could be more,’ Sally hints. ‘The thing about the Tindims tales is that something’s in peril but something’s put right and everything is okay with a Granny gold tea at the end and that’s a fact. I think that’s really important for children.’ Sally is currently working on an adult novel called The Weather Woman due to be published with Head of Zeus. 'The art of story is the telling of it. Learning what makes your heart beat when you tell yourself a story.' After a glorious, inspiring hour of talking about the Tindims, environmentalism, dyslexia, dogs and books my final question for Sally was of course her dream dinner party guest list: 'I’m definitely inviting Charles Dickens – I would LOVE to meet him. Charles Dickens faced with real women would be really fascinating. I’d have to have Angela Carter, I adore her. I would love to meet Edward Lear, he’d be very entertaining. Mary Shelley and Virginia Woolf. It would be great wouldn’t it!' This interview is part of the The Tindims Blog Tour! With massive thanks to Zephyr Books for sending me copies of the books. Connect with Sally on Twitter @TheSallyGardner.

By Gianna Pollero Illustrated by Sarah Horne Debut author Gianna Pollero knows the perfect recipe for a fun time - two feisty little master bakers turned monster hunters, a doughnut-loving, people-eating, board-game-playing cyclops, a whole load of delicious bakery treats and some exploding baking powder..! Monster Doughnuts is quite literally that - monsters with a weakness for sweet treats, be it a mountainous chocolate cake, gloriously glazed doughnuts, a killer mille-feuille or some heavenly peanut butter and marmite cookies. And for ten-year-old Grace they just so happen to make the perfect secret weapon because fighting monsters just got a whole lot sweeter (and stickier)! A wonderfully wild, delightfully madcap-monster-mischief adventure, served with a sharp wit, lively humour and plenty of sprinkles, Monster Doughnuts is the perfect book to enjoy in one big, delicious bite! Fans of Jack Meggitt Phillips' The Beast and the Bethany will adore this. Buy Monster Doughnuts: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org | Book Depository | Waterstones IF YOU LIKED THIS TRY Buy Monster Doughnuts: Amazon | Blackwells | Bookshop.org | Book Depository | Waterstones