Don’t Feed the Troll is available now
DON’T FEED THE TROLL by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots £14.99, 40pp)
When pig invites everyone in Fairytale land to a picnic there’s great excitement – The Emperor will wear his new clothes and Puss his best boots – but to get there they have to trip-trap over a bridge . . .
The tiny troll hiding beneath it insults them all, growing bigger with each divisive remark until he outgrows the giant and the guests start sniping at each other.
How to defeat him? Perhaps kindness and cooperation will shrink him?
This rhyming, read-aloud story with a cast of favourite characters is witty, wise and wonderful and Gravett’s superbly detailed illustrations are packed with humour and expression that merit endless re-readings. Just fabulous.
Age 3+
THE RAMBLER’S CURSE by Mikey Please (HarperCollins £14.99, 320pp)
EXPANDING his Café At The Edge Of The Woods picture book series into older fiction, Please creates an equally madcap adventure in which chef Rene and her goblin waiter, Glumfoot, run a successful woodland café frequented by ogres and monsters.
But one day, something truly terrifying turns up – a human food critic who loves the meals! Rene has her private reasons for distrusting other people and the enchanted wood folk also fear strangers will steal their gold and ruin their world.
The ensuing battle between magic and greed, truth and secrets, tradition and change is pure, high-octane hilarity and will leave readers hungry for the next course in the trilogy.
8+
GOODNIGHT SILVER by Abi Elphinstone (S&S £8.99, 304pp)
Ten-year-old Emmy and her parents are visiting Mongolia’s Altai Mountains after a family tragedy which has left the young girl anxious.
As they set up camp, she wanders off and gets trapped in a blizzard where, sheltering in a cave, she discovers a rare, abandoned snow leopard cub – prized by hunters.
Rescued by local boy Tuli, they embark on a dangerous journey to Whisperfell, a magical land where wild animals are safe, but are followed by a ruthless hunter. Can they use the age-old powers to defeat him?
This thrilling, richly imagined world evokes the beauty of nature and brings a touchingly emotional resolution for Emmy.
9+
