Children of the Quicksands
by Efua Traore
Chicken House £7.99Traore’s children’s debut is
the story of 12-year-old Lagos
girl Simi, who is sent to her
grandmother’s remote village
in Nigeria for the summer.
Conjuring the village’s
traditions and myths, and
uncovering the losses in her
family, this is a suspenseful
drama.You Are a Champion by
Marcus Rashford, written with
Carl Anka and Katie Warriner
Macmillan £9.99The Manchester United
footballer shares life lessons
and practical advice he wishesto protect the coast of
Wildsea, is finely wrought,
inventive and pacy.The Swallows’ Flight
by Hilary McKay
Macmillan £12.99McKay’s sequel to her
Costa-winning The Skylarks’
War is no disappointment.
It follows the characters
we learnt to love, the next
generation and an important
dog through the Second World
War, and civilian and military
experience. Full of witty
observation and prose that
rewards close attention, these
books will endure.When the Sky Falls
by Phil Earle
Andersen Press £7.99An angry, dyslexic boy, sent
to live in wartime with Mrs F,
who is trying to save the last
animals in the zoo, finds a
connection with a silverback
gorilla. But he knows that if the
zoo is bombed, the gorilla may
have to be shot. A raw and
heartfelt tale of emerging
secrets, in the tradition of
Goodnight Mister Tom.The Song That Sings Us
by Nicola Davies, illustrated
by Jackie Morris
Firefly £14.99An epic fantasy novel about
a dystopian future in which
four scattered siblings join
a resistance of indigenous
people and animals to battle
for the planet against ruthless
despoilers of the environment.
A passionate adventure, full of
incident, intrigue and rage.The Supreme Lie
by Geraldine McCaughrean
Usborne £8.99Double Carnegie medal-
winner McCaughrean tells
the satirical story of Gloria,
a 15-year-old maid in an
alternative 1928 who is obliged
to stand in for her employer,
the tyrannical ruler of
a state in crisis. The
tale, involving
kidnap and
sabotage, reveals howthe media and governments
can lie to manipulate opinion.Splinters of Sunshine
by Patrice Lawrence
Firefly £14.99This empathetic and
convincing young adult novel
has three powerful narrative
voices: bright 15-year-old
Spey, brought up by his
good-hearted single mother;
his absent father, recently
released from prison; and Dee,
once Spey’s friend, whose life
has spiralled into danger. This
skilful structure unfolds into
a compelling thriller.Everyone Dies Famous in
a Small Town
by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Faber £7.99This ingenious crossover
collection of linked short
stories set in Colorado,
Montana and Alaska is a
beautifully crafted exploration
of life in small towns, with
their summer camps, teenage
sex, abusive authority figures
and scary disappearances of
small children. It unveils
sibling rivalry, unrequited
love, soured friendship,
stranger danger, revenge and
delusion. A remarkable book.Endgame
by Malorie Blackman
Penguin £7.99The last book in Blackman’s
groundbreaking Noughts and
Crosses series is an event. Still
set in Albion, an alternative
Britain in which black people
(Crosses) are the privileged
class, and white people
(Noughts) the underclass, it is
a tense murder mystery and
kidnapping story. With nods
to Brexit and the pandemic,
it offers some closure of
the original romance
between Callum
and Sephy. che had read as a boy. He
encourages reading, hard
work, confidence and
humility. Enlivened with
anecdotes and infographics,
this is clear and inspiring.OVER-12S
Utterly Dark and the Face of
the Deep by Philip Reeve
David Fickling £7.99Reeve is an exceptional
world-builder, and this fantasy
about young foundling Utterly
Dark, who, after the
drowning of her
guardian, hasnewborn rival. When her
parents are replaced by
dangerous doppelgängers,
she has to get rid of them with
the help of talking creatures.
A heartwarming finish is the
reward after the chills.
Adventures in Time
The First World War
by Dominic Sandbrook
Particular Books £14.99
Sandbrook’s narrative series
tells the facts of history by
concentrating on individuals
who played a part, and adding
a sprinkling of imagination.
Besides the Great War he has
addressed other historical
hits: The Second World War,
Alexander the Great and
The Six Wives of Henry VIII. © ALEX T SMITH 2021
28 November 2021 37