Wild Child, Dara McAnulty
A stroll through the natural world with award winning writer and naturalist Dara McAnulty. The illustrations are just beautiful and the prose is poetic and lovely to read, with just enough information about plants, animals and habitats to hold young minds captive. Activities, such as creating your own bird feeder, are easy to follow and lots of fun. 7+
Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep, Philip Reeve
Washed up on the shores of the Autumn Isles as a baby, Utterly Dark is adopted by the Watcher of Wildsea who keeps lookout over the sea and the menace that it threatens to bring to the shore. When the Watcher is drowned and the islanders' safety is compromised, the adventure begins. Unusual, beautiful, full of myth, mystery and the very best kind of writing. 9+
Noah's Gold, Frank Cotterell-Boyce
A bit of humour to start off the new year can't hurt. Boyce is a master storyteller, who writes with real empathy and humour. In this story, his latest, a group of children are left stranded on an island with no means of communicating with the outside world, when Noah inadvertently breaks the internet. With a nod to our over-reliance on technology this is a brilliantly inventive read. Interesting narrative structure too - it is written in a series of letters. 9+
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (Graphic Novel)
Why not mix things up and try a modern classic in a graphic novel format this year? Perfect for teens.