Book review: A beetle diva, a mad mummy and mirror magic

Beetle-mania returns with the second book of M.G. Leonard’s dark and humorous trilogy, a Victorian adventure is simply out of this world, enjoy a magical new series for young animal lovers and join in the fun of some anarchic picture books.

Age 10 plus:

Beetle Queen by M. G. Leonard

Young readers will be beetling off to the shops this month when they get scent of the second book in M.G. Leonard’s brilliantly dark and addictive Beetle trilogy.

Beetle Queen arrives hot on the tail of Beetle Boy, the first in the trilogy which was shortlisted for the 2017 Waterstones Children’s Book Award and has been longlisted for this year’s Branford Boase Award and CILIP Carnegie Award.

These fast-paced, atmospheric adventures are positively teeming with nasty ninjas, seriously creepy crawlies and vindictive beetles but also provide a fascinating and fun lesson in coleopterology… beetle studies to the uninitiated!

Proud owner of a pet rainbow stag beetle, Leonard confesses she is still overcoming her fear of all things creepy crawly and that element of doubt may be why Beetle Queen stars the nearest thing to Cruella de Vil you will find in a book about beetles.

Beetle Boy introduced us to Darkus, his friends Virginia and Bertolt, and their superhero beetle companions but now fiendish fashionista villainess Lucretia Cutter takes centre stage in an epic story which explores the importance of entomophagy (eating insects) and explains why munching on bugs might just help to save the planet.

Cruel beetle fashionista Lucretia Cutter – parading as a human with the help of special pockets for her extra legs and a pair of oversized sunglasses – is at large with her yellow ladybird spies who have eyes all over the city… and she has a devious plan.

When Darkus, Virginia and Bertolt – who have already fought off Lucretia and an army of belligerent beetles – discover further evidence of the dastardly diva’s evil scheme to release a terrifying new batch of genetically modified and super intelligent beetles into the world, they are determined to stop her.

But the three pals are in trouble. Darkus’s dad, the enigmatic Dr Batholomew Cuttle, has forbidden them to investigate any further and disgusting crooks, Humphrey and Pickering, are out of prison. Hope rests on Novak, Lucretia’s actress daughter, but the nasty Beetle Queen is always one scuttle ahead…

There is menace aplenty in Leonard’s deliciously dark and dystopian beetle blockbuster but there is also laughter, learning and nasty nestfuls of intriguing mystery and high octane adventure.

Lucretia is a dazzling beetle baddie and her extraordinary escapades make for thrilling reading… and with a dictionary of entomological terms in the back of the book to guide youngsters through the wonderful world of insects, anticipation is already building for the third and final book, The Battle of the Beetles.

(Chicken House, paperback, £6.99)

Age 10 plus:

The Mummy’s Revenge: S.C.R.E.A.M. by Andrew Beasley

Primary school teacher and author of the fantastic Battles of Ben Kingdom series, Andrew Beasley’s Victorian-themed, all-action adventure books are simply out of this world!

And now he’s back to send tingles up the spine of young readers in the first book of a funny, fast-paced and drama-filled paranormal crime series, full of fascinating historical detail, monster-sized belly laughs and a super clever, super sarcastic detective duo.

In the dark and winding streets of Edinburgh, a burglar is on the prowl. But this is no ordinary thief. Three thousand years old and risen from the grave, this rampaging robber is a rotting Egyptian Mummy with a stink more disgusting than putrid fruit, overripe cheese and decaying fish. And that’s not all… he’s terrifying the Scottish gentry and he wants rubies and revenge!

But the Mummy is controlled by the mysterious Sandman who plans to create an evil potion using a human heart. There’s only one crime-fighting force who can deal with a menace like this… detectives Billy Flint and Charlotte (‘Charley’) Steel AKA S.C.R.E.A.M. The dynamic duo are top-secret investigators with the Supernatural Crimes, Rescues, Emergencies and Mysteries squad who operate out of a crypt deep beneath Westminster Abbey in London.

Billy and wheelchair-bound Charley might come from very different backgrounds – chalk and cheese, spit and polish – but one is a scientific genius with a flair for deductive reasoning, and the other is ‘sensitive to the spirit realm.’ Together they make a formidable team who can outwit most adults… and any villain!

Beasley’s aim was to mix all his favourite ingredients… adventures, detective stories, monsters and humour. But this master storyteller has also added a few exciting extras like thrills, chills and devilishly clever children.

Dark but not too scary, and packed with humour, hieroglyphics and horror, The Mummy’s Revenge is a sparkling opener to what promises to be an addictive new series.

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 10 plus:

Girls Can Vlog: Hashtag Hermione Wipeout! by Emma Moss

Vlogger extraordinaire Abby and her online friends are back online, and ready for more digital adventures.

Emma Moss’ Girls Can Vlog series, which features fun, modern stories about the world of vlogging, are pitch-perfect fiction for aspirational vloggers, digital devotees and readers with a passion for all things online.

Video blogs – or vlogs as they are known to addicts – are all the rage among the new generation of savvy youngsters and Moss, herself a digital devotee, has created this insightful and entertaining four-book fiction series which explores the online life of four very different girls. Each entertaining story explores family life, young friendships, making the most of your creativity and being true to yourself.

Since Abby and her friends Lucy, Jessie and Hermione set up the Girls Can Vlog YouTube channel, their lives have been a whirlwind.

But now Hermione’s parents are separating and although they are trying to deal with everything in the best way possible, it’s difficult for Hermione not knowing who she will end up living with, or where her home will be. At least she has got the school skiing trip to France to look forward to for a break from all the stress of being at home.

The Girls Can Vlog gang are all excited and busy vlogging about what to pack and how to look good and stay safe on the slopes. Unfortunately for them, Dakota (the prettiest and meanest girl in school) is also coming on the trip, and she is planning to do everything she can to cause trouble. Will the Girls Can Vlog holiday fun be over as soon as it has begun?

With tips for making your own vlogs, a story packed with contemporary issues and plenty of giggles and gossip, this exciting story portrays the fun of vlogging and the power of friendship.

(Macmillan, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus:

Lost Magic: The Very Best of Brian Moses

Children’s poet Brian Moses has been entertaining and inspiring youngsters and their teachers since 1988… in fact, his percussion-filled school visits are legendary.

Lost Magic is a collection of his very best children’s verse and each beautifully crafted poem is guaranteed to win the hearts and minds of a new generation of readers.

There are over a hundred poems here, including favourites like Walking with My Iguana, The Lost Angels, Aliens Stole My Underpants, Behind the Staffroom Door, Lost Magic, The Sssnake Hotel, A Feather from an Angel, Cakes in the Staffroom and many more.

Poetry in motion!

(Macmillan, paperback, £5.99)

Age 7 plus:

Star Friends: Mirror Magic by Linda Chapman and Lucy Fleming

What young dreamer could resist an enchanting combination of magic, friendships, adventure and animals?

Linda Chapman, author of over 200 books for younger children, reaches for the stars in this wonderful and whimsical new series just made for little girls and animal lovers.

Do you believe in magic? Maia and her friends do and when the amazing Star Animals come into their lives, a whole world of magical adventure unfolds. When Maia meets Bracken, a fox with indigo eyes, she is amazed at how beautiful and unusual it is. Then she realises that she can hear the fox speaking to her.

Maia and her friends are Star Friends – girls who can use magic to keep the world in harmony, looking after the environment, healing things and people, but most importantly conquering evil. And now trouble is brewing in the human world. Maia’s older sister has started acting strangely and the Star Animals sense dark magic at work. Can the girls use their new-found Star Magic to help them put a stop to it?

Lucy Fleming provides the gorgeous, contemporary illustrations for a story packed with dreams, dramas and dilemmas as the friends battle to overcome evil using their magical powers.

With animal characters, awesome adventures and a lively group of Star Friends to get to know and like, there is fun and adventure on every page but with important messages about wildlife and the environment.

Exciting reading for young thrill-seekers!

(Stripes, paperback, £5.99)

Age 5 plus:

Alphamals A-Z by Graham Carter

See the natural world in a striking, lyrical and colourful new way in this beautifully illustrated A-Z of the animal kingdom.

Artist and print-maker Graham Carter uses his bold and stylish prints to bring to glorious life animals of every shape, size and colour in a picture book featuring the gentle verse of Ruth Symons.

There is an animal for every letter of the alphabet in this stunning collection of poems and prints. Graham Carter's Alphamals captures the strange and striking beauty of the animal kingdom, from the gauzy wings of a dragonfly to the chiselled jaw of a jaguar. With a read-aloud text and breathtaking art, this is an A-Z to mesmerise the whole family.

Marvel at a manatee marine mammal floating in a blue lagoon, enjoy the vivid colours of a rhinoceros pawing the ground and follow the giraffe’s long neck as he stretches into the treetops, grasping for leaves.

Carter, who has been at the forefront of his industry for the last 16 years, uses his artistic and print-making skills to give children a visually and verbally exciting new perspective on animals and their habitats in a gorgeous book bulging with colour and form.

A picture perfect gift for animal lovers of every age…

(Big Picture Press, hardback, £10.99)

Age 5 plus: