The best children’s fiction out now: PORRIDGE PLEASE! by Laura Mucha Illustrated by Marc
PORRIDGE PLEASE! by Laura Mucha Illustrated by Marc Boutavant (Walker Books £12.99, 48pp)
All Bear wants to do is snuggle up in bed and read the last page of his book – but someone is knocking on the door. Who could it be?
It’s Goldilocks, who’s run out of porridge, so Bear shares his big pot before racing back upstairs to finish his book.
But there’s another knock –and a series of favourite fairy-tale characters troop in, eager to share breakfast. But hang on, how come an unusually hairy Grandma is here when Little Red Riding Hood said she has been eaten by the Big Bad Wolf? Young ones will love their favourite characters and delight in the way Bear saves the day in this funny story with bright, bold illustrations. Age 3+
ROBIN by Sarah Ann Juckes (S&S £12.99, 288pp)
Eddie is staying with his uncle in the forest as his younger sister undergoes yet another heart operation.
Feeling unheard and unseen, he confesses his feelings to the trees, where he glimpses a monster that grows bigger before his eyes.
After a chirpy robin introduces Eddie to Mari, an intimidating wild woodland girl, she encourages him to shout, make friends and enjoy singing.
The powerful, honest message of the book will resonate not just with children overshadowed by ill siblings but with any child struggling to find their own voice.
Tender, emotional and beautifully written, it’s reminiscent of Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls. 8+
WE FELL APART by E. Lockhart (Hot Key Books £8.99, 320pp)
Following the popular Amazon Prime dramatisation of her previous title, We Were Liars, Lockhart returns to the privileged world of Martha’s Vineyard where teenage Matilda is invited by the father she’s never met; renowned, reclusive artist Kingsley Cello.
But he’s nowhere to be seen and instead she finds her half-brother Meer; hostile, troubled Tatum; and former child-star Brock. When Matilda starts to unravel the family’s silence and secrecy, she discovers a web of lies, dating back generations, that threatens to destroy her.
Read as a standalone but it’s more exciting if you know the Sinclair family history – and no doubt Amazon has already signed it up. 14+