Books we like: September 2012

There's a wonderful array of great children's books to enjoy this month, including magical new offerings from favourite authors David Almond and Michelle Paver, as well as a whole a host of fantastic first novels. Shrunk is F R Hitchcock's lively tale of a boy with a special ability to make things miniature, whilst My Best Friend and Other Enemies is a humorous story of the ups-and-downs of pre-teen friendship from comedian Catherine Wilkins.

Meanwhile, both debut author Polly Shulman and picture book favourite Debi Gliori present new spins on the fairy-tale tradition: Shulman's contemporary adventure story incorporates elements from Grimm's fairy stories, whilst Gliori presents a favourite fairy-tale villain in a kinder light in her latest book, What's the Time Mr Wolf?

Finally, make sure you don't miss Fire Spell by Laura Amy Schlitz - an appealing Victorian adventure story with plenty of twists and turns that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.