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14 of the best books for children for summer 2016

Best books for children for summer 2016
This summer help your child survive a giant-slug attack, explore the streets under London, travel to outer space (by pressing a button hidden in the kitchen), be a bridesmaid and learn to take care of a pet dragon... all without leaving the sofa! From picture books to tween thrillers, we've got 14 brilliant books for kids to fall in love with over the 2016 summer holiday.

The modern classic

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (Headline, £14.99)
A beautifully illustrated edition of Gaiman's beloved story about the magical world that lies underneath the streets of London... and the people, monsters and angels that ordinary boy Richard meets there.
 
   

The secret agent thriller

New Guard by Robert Muchamore (Hodder Children's Books, £12.99)
Gritty, fast-paced spy plots are a hallmark of the best-selling CHERUB series. Enter a world of trained agents (who just happen to be children as well as world-class spies), ruthless criminals and non-stop action. This is the final novel in the series, and there are 16 previous titles to read if your child is hooked!

Please note: the CHERUB series is aimed at teenagers and is only suitable for Y6+ children.

  
  

The laugh-out-loud comic caper

Jack Beechwhistle: Attack of the Giant Slugs by Kes Gray (Red Fox, £5.99)
Fans of Kes Gray's brilliant Daisy books will love Daisy's classroom nemesis Jack's first stand-alone adventure. Protecting the world from aliens, zombie sweet-shop owners and exploding conkers is what undercover agent Jack does... but now giant slugs are on the loose and bound for school, right in the middle of a maths lesson...
 
   

The holiday compilation

Enid Blyton's Summer Stories (Hodder Children's Books, £6.99)
The sun is always shining in Enid Blyton's summer stories, and picnics, seaside fun and outdoor games are the only items on the daily to-do list! A lovely collection of timeless stories, ideal for newly confident readers.
  

The perfect picture book

Quick Quack Quentin by Kes Gray (Hodder Children's Books, £6.99)
Get younger children looking at letters and identifying vowels with this tale of a duck who's lost his quack... and how he manages to find it again. Great for reading aloud – very loudly!
 
   

The time-travel adventure

Myth Raiders: Claw of the Sphinx by A.J. Hunter (Little Brown, £5.99)
Mummies (not the human kind), beast-headed warriors and a fearsome sphinx all stand between Sam and Trey and saving the world from destruction... will they survive their trip to Ancient Egypt? A pacy, fun read for new chapter-book readers.
  

The summer-of-sport read

Ready Steady Mo! (Hodder Children's Books, £6.99)
An ode to the joys of running from Olympic athlete Mo Farah, packed with bright pictures and guaranteed to inspire kids to get moving anytime and anywhere.
 
   

The best beach read

Rent a Bridesmaid by Jacqueline Wilson (Doubleday, £12.99)
Friendship, love and gorgeous dresses... all the ingredients for a fantastic summer read for KS2 girls from multi-award-winning, best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson.

  

The fictional instruction manual

Dare to Care: Pet Dragon (Frances Lincoln, £11.99)
Hoping to raise a healthy, happy dragon? From choosing the right breed (and egg) to hatching out, grooming and flying, this comprehensive guide prepares you for life as a dragon owner (well, we can dream, can't we?). Quirky and packed with glorious details.
 
   

The uplifting tear-jerker

The Bubble Boy by Stuart Foster (Simon & Schuster Children's, £6.99)
From inside a 'bubble', eleven-year-old Joe watches the world at a distance until a new person comes into his life and changes it forever. This story of a real superhero might have your child reaching for the tissues, but it's hopeful and inspiring too.
  

The inter-galactic quest

The Invincible Tony Spears by Neal Layton (Hodder Children's Books, £7.99)
Tony Spears presses a button hidden in his kitchen cupboard and is transported to the flight deck of a spaceship. Saving the universe is the first order of the day... but will Tony find a way to solve his 'real life' problems too? Perfect for new readers, with illustrations on every page.

  

The historical best-seller

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley (Text Publishing Company, £6.99)
Nine-year-old Ada and her brother are evacuated to the country during WWII. Scarred by their life in London, they slowly start to trust again – and build a new family. A new classic wartime story for children.

  

The packed-with-a-menagerie-of-characters tale

You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip (Simon & Schuster, £6.99)
Required: a monacle-wearing monkey, piano-playing badger, tutu-wearing elephant and – of course – a hat. You are invited to a very memorable party... but only if you can find all the props you need! Great fun and packed with gloriously silly illustrations.

  

The wordless masterpiece

Return by Aaron Becker (Candlewick Press, £8.99)

A story without words which describes a fantastical journey only though images, colours and your own imagination. You'll pore over the pages, brilliant starting points for discussion with your child. Wonderful.

  
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