"This appealing book is about losses healed, lies uncovered, cruelty defeated and goodness rewarded..."

"the go-to writer for those that like their science lessons spiced with a good pinch of strong Mancunian humour and lashings of emotional intelligence..."

"The Boy I Am feels too laboured to count as true escapism..."

"Gong’s vivid Shanghai is a place to get enjoyably lost in..."

"The main thrust of the narrative lies not in the legal details but the experiences of a black youth in the criminal justice system..."

"It is a moral story about overcoming self-interest to look after others, and a compelling drama...."

"Pure, glorious escapism...."

"A seasonal treat, to snuggle up with and read aloud..."

"the legacy continues to roar..."

"The acclaimed author's first children's book is elegantly written, but it might leave you a nervous wreck..."

"This is an accomplished and life-affirming story from this talented author..."

"a suspenseful story in which the reader is strongly invested ..."

"The Penguin Books founder has a role to play in this charming tale..."

"The Ickabog won’t just be put under every lucky child’s Christmas tree: it is a monster hit that deserves to be...."

"This wonderful fantasy combines social commentary with laughs..."

" A creepy old book, child scarecrows and a seaside village with a secret: this is Halloween fun for the strong of heart..."

"this engaging and comic tale has a happy ending..."

"A welcome festive sequel to a much-loved doggy tale..."

"The story is mysterious, and has a powerful twist, while also conjuring up moving family relationships..."

"it’s even wittier than the first, with dialogue that dances..."

"It’s a joy of a book..."

"introduces a significant new voice..."

"a story that barks to our age..."

"The novel is very funny and has adorable, fluffy moments..."

"This book will sustain you..."

"they trace Jansson’s life more intimately than any autobiography..."

"his rewarding safari will brighten a year of bedtimes and lodge in the minds of children for a lifetime..."

"It’s passionate, important and Wheatle’s best novel yet..."

"Cowell’s short sentences and scribbly pencil illustrations carry considerable skill and humour,..."

"Underdogs: Tooth and Nail is an admirably unusual book, and one that serves real purpose..."

"a tear-jerker about family that shows us things that are important and true, and promotes compassion..."

"Wilson, again proving she is queen of the teen market, makes this story of family maelstrom look effortless..."

"charming, informative and inspiring motivational book for children..."

"If you miss the warmth and wit of Eva Ibbotson, this book has a similar voice and spirit..."

"...brilliantly strange..."

"an intensive reading experience..."

"There is a cure for pandemic gloom. What you need to do is read a funny novel about an even more deadly plague, the Black Death of the 14th century...."

"Immaculately constructed, acidly observed and gripping from start to finish, A Burning is a brilliant debut...."

"At times, the novel seems less a portrait of a relationship than a splice of two stories on the same theme..."

"Reynolds is a former freestyle snowboarder with an intimate knowledge of the sport and the rivalry it inspires..."

"At the heart of this latest novel from Booker winner Richard Flanagan there is a powerful tale of a family trying to decide whether to prolong the life of a dying relative, but some of the more fantastical elements seem out of kilter..."

"The former Granta Young British Novelist lays himself bare in a moving account of a terminated pregnancy..."

"a caustic, candid and convincing debut..."

"A new book from Harper is always an event..."

" Like its subject, The Death of Francis Bacon is tricky, wicked and wonderfully weird..."

"The Chinese writer’s novel about death and loss is meandering and muddy rather than clear..."

"Modiano’s stories circle, perhaps obsessively, around the same unhealed wounds..."

"beyond gruesome yet the horror is tempered by gallows humour..."

"The novel sounds all the tried and tested noir notes — the brutal, rain-drenched city, the divorce, the obsessive work and professional conflicts — but it makes them chime..."

"an original and absorbing piece of work..."

"Terraforming Mars was never so blue-collar..."

"scalpel-sharp and oddly moving..."

"wanders promiscuously from science fiction to fantasy to historical fiction and back again, jumbling expectations as it goes..."

"one of those exasperating books in which things seem to almost happen..."

"dazzlingly clever..."

"combines crime fiction with elements of gothic horror, set in and around a creepy village churchyard in Sussex..."

"There’s no disgrace in being formulaic when the formula is good... ripping entertainment from start to finish...."

"izzing with revolutionary fervour..."

"Jones’ debut novel is a marvel..."

"a gripping and sharply comic account..."

"the collection feels fully coherent by the end..."

"Sharp exploration of privilege in modern America..."

" told with such authentic detachedness that you could almost miss it..."

"a bold novel addressing timely and controversial issues..."

" a gripping and thoughtful novel, taut with narrative suspense and brimming with emotional insight..."