The best books to keep kids of all ages entertained this summer holiday: LEAVING THE
LEAVING THE HOUSE by Sally Nicholls Illustrated by Ellie Snowdon (Andersen Press £12.99, 32pp)
The first in a new series featuring the O’Hare bunny family, this hilariously captures the chaos of trying to leave the house with small children in tow and will appeal to parents as much as the kids.
Jackson and Harley are easily distracted playing superheroes instead of getting dressed. They bombard their parents with questions such as ‘can I have a helicopter?’ and lose their shoes while Mummy shouts, bribes and cajoles and Dad threatens to go without them.
Snowdon’s fabulously frenetic illustrations conjure up the confusion that will be agonisingly familiar to adults, and the twist at the end reminds us that no one is perfect. Brilliant and bonkers. Age 3+
A DAY OFF SCHOOL by Oliver Jeffers Illustrated by Kevin Waldron (HarperCollins £14.99, 40pp)
Secretly delighted when the sniffles keep him off school, Herbie initially loves playing and drawing with just the cat for company but soon becomes bored and wonders what amazing adventures are happening at school: a birthday with cake, fireworks, an invasion of pirates or even aliens landing . . . He can’t wait to get back to the classroom, but, with a witty twist, he soon discovers reality isn’t the same as fantasy.
Jeffers brings his inimitable imaginative genius to this funny story and Waldron’s illustrations make use of brilliant colour and muted tones to stunning effect. 4+
HOW TO STEAL THE FUTURE by Christopher Edge (Macmillan £7.99, 208pp)
Children who love fast-paced, plot-driven action will be thrilled by this rollercoaster of a sci-fi drama.
Twelve-year-old Drew enters a heavily guarded maze in search of his missing sister Evie, who, like many before her, was trying to reach the Avenir, a secret device at the centre which has the power to unlock the future.
He has just 67 minutes to find her with the help of Meg and Jonas, but can he trust them or are they part of the trap?
Laser trip wires, moving walls, coded doors – it seems mission impossible but Drew eventually faces a totally unexpected decision that brings a lump to the throat.
Drawing on the Minotaur myth, this is a class act. 9+