More Great Children’s Books for Christmas

Highway Robbery by Kate Thompson
Published by The Bodley Head, 2008
Robbery and trickery abound in the smelly back streets of old London town but who is robbing whom? When the street urchin is promised a guinea to hold the mare for a mysterious stranger, he wonders if all his Christmases have come together. Who is this strange dark rider and why does his horse cause such a stir? Prolific and multi-award winning writer, Kate Thompson has produced another great story in a slim hardback, beautifully bound in black velvet – a fabulous Christmas present.

Swap by Malachy Doyle
Published by The O’Brien Press, 2008
Huw, from Wales, and Marcus, from Dublin, meet up on holiday in County Cork. It turns out they’re unbelievably identical to each other - ‘the perfect spit’! Even their own mothers can’t tell them apart. The boys decide to switch places for a bet to see how long it is before they’re discovered. But things go slightly different to plan when Huw’s mother gets an emergency call from Wales in the night and heads for home in her camper van with a boy whom she thinks is her son, asleep in the back. A modern mistaken identity story and a great light-hearted read for the holidays.

Teenage Reads
The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan
Published by The O’Brien Press, 2008
This is Book 1 in the Moorhawke Trilogy and comes to us courtesy of one of the strongest emerging authors in Ireland. Fifteen year old Wynter returns to her homeland with her ailing father after five years. The idyllic kingdom she knew and loved has become a place of intrigue, power play, dark torture chambers and violent ghosts. Total allegiance to the King is not even enough. Wynter must decide whether to help her friend Razi restore stability to their beloved homeland, knowing that she will risk her life in doing so or remain with her father who very much needs her. A page-turning fantasy story.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Published by HarperCollins, 2008
A dark adventure full of suspense tells of the murders of a man, woman and child and allows us the follow the most unusual upbringing of a baby who is raised by the dead Mr. and Mrs. Owens. A whole graveyard community is brought to life in a surprisingly realistic way and all contribute to the development of Bod right up to the age of 15 when he’s ready for the world at large. A world of shadows, horrible happenings always around the corner, strange supernatural creatures, and midnight parades where ghosts dance with the living are just some of the treats in store for brave readers.

Diamond Star Girl by Judy May
Published by The O’Brien Press 2008
Being smart and funny isn’t enough for Lemony. She’s fifteen and wishes more than anything to be cool and stylish like her best friend Ro. But when she and her friends work as extras on a film, she sees the importance of friendship and realizes that being ‘cool’ is not all life’s about. Romance, mystery and regency costumes – what more could a girl want at this time of year?

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
For those of you who have been at a loss for something to read since finishing the last Harry Potter book, here’s a cause for celebration. The eagerly-awaited Tales of Beedle the Bard consisting of five fairy tales, was originally released with just seven copies for sale. The mass market edition was released on December 4th. This book alleges to be the storybook of the same name mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book of the Harry Potter series. Each of the five tales offers advice for children and parents alike and a strong message that we, like all the characters in the book are responsible for their own fate. Potter fans will be delighted with the comprehensive commentary by the much loved Professor Dumbledore. What more can true Potter fans hope for than explanatory notes by Albus Dumbledore, and a text has been freshly translated by Hermione Granger? All proceeds from the sale of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is published by The Children’s High Level Group (CHLG), a registered charity co-founded in 2005 by J.K. Rowling and Emma Nicholson MEP to make life better for vulnerable children.