Hotel capers, a pampered pooch and our amazing planet - book reviews

Age 6 plus:

Sea-ing is Believing!

Steven Butler and Steven Lenton

Welcome back to the hilarious hotel where bed and board means you’ll never be… bored!

Sea-ing is Believing! is our third, action-packed visit to The Nothing to See Here Hotel, a place full of magical creatures, where weird is normal for fun-loving troll boy Frankie Banister and his truly extraordinary parents, and where laughter is assured from the moment you check in.

This number one destination is the creation of top comedy team, inventive author Steven Butler and illustrator extraordinaire Steven Lenton, who bring to life a cast of the wackiest characters imaginable for rip-roaring adventures.

Frankie’s story began when his great-great-great-grandad Abraham Banister fell madly in love with troll girl Regurgita Glump (she’s still alive because trolls live hundreds of years!) and they married in the sewers under Brighton high street.

Fast forward a hundred years and here is Frankie… his dad Bargeous is a Halfling, his mum Rani is completely human, and Frankie is a quarterling (his pointy ears and copper-coloured eyes are the only outward signs of his troll blood).

In their new adventure, Frankie and his family are preparing to celebrate Grandad Abraham’s 175th birthday – an occasion that is going to be even more HONKHUMPTIOUS now that Abe’s ghost has shown up!

When the unexpected spook reveals a secret underwater wing of the hotel that has been hidden away for years, the Banisters decide there’s only one thing for it … a whopping welcome home bash in the spectacular Briny Ballroom.

But memories aren’t the only things waiting at the bottom of the ocean. Secrets and sea monsters are lurking in the shadows, and is everything as it seems with Grandad Abraham’s ghost? Or is there something fishy going on?

Starring a hotel that hosts everything from trolls, goblins and harpies to witches, puddle-nymphs and bogrunts, this brilliantly funny series offers room service with a difference as youngsters enter a wonderfully imagined and magical world in which humour, adventure and the totally bizarre are the order of the day.

You can check out any time you like from The Nothing to See Here Hotel, but you can never leave without laughing!

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus:

Mutant Zombies Cursed My School Trip

Matt Brown and Paco Sordo

Zany zombies, comedy and chaos… could there be a more potent and perfect recipe for fun reading!

The award-winning Matt Brown, who has worked as a radio producer, DJ and TV presenter, is back with a hilarious new novel in his brilliant series charting the adventures (well, mainly misadventures!) of the pupils at Dreary Inkling Primary School’s Year Six class.

Ian Iansson is a little bit worried about his school trip. Firstly, Ian doesn’t have any friends, plus his mum has packed him ten pairs of pants for the two-day trip. But as it turns out, these are the least of Ian's problems…

Because when Ian’s class arrives at the spooky old house, there is something very weird going on. Something that looks awfully like zombies… groaning, dribbling zombies that no one but Ian seems to have noticed.

If your youngsters are addicted to crazy capers and laugh-out-loud humour, then this brilliantly bonkers, irreverent and off-the-wall series is certainly guaranteed to push all the right comedy buttons.

Fully illustrated throughout by Paco Sordo’s anarchic black-and-white pictures, the madcap mishaps of the gloriously inane Ian Iansson are guaranteed to win top marks!

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus:

Be Green! and Be Kind! Mindful Kids

Our increasingly endangered planet is encouraging many young people to take more interest in the world around them and the vast global community.

So here are two thoughtful and informative activity books for children who want to sustain and protect the world we live in, and to learn just what we can do to be more caring and kind to those who share our planet.

Many schools are now introducing mindful techniques to the classroom and this spring Studio Press have published two new carefully created activity books in their Mindful Kids series.

Be Green! – written by Mandy Archer and illustrated by Katie Abey – is a superb Mindful Kids Global Citizen activity book for young people to colour, doodle and DIY their way to living a more responsible, sustainable life.

Using creativity to explore the environmental issues facing planet Earth, children can discover how to make a difference, and learn top tips on how to protect the environment for future generations.

Be Green! features the charming and quirky illustrations of Katie Abey, a UK-based illustrator. Her quirky pictures will keep the reader entertained and focused as they work through the book, or youngsters can simply dip into the pages for ten minutes of calm colouring.

In Be Kind!, written Stephanie Clarkson and illustrated by Katie Abey, children can colour, doodle and DIY their way to a more caring, kinder and accepting world. Explore your place in the world, discover the amazing power of acceptance, and learn top tips on how to spread joy through being kind.

With their wide range of activities, thoughtful information and a helpful introduction and notes for grown-ups, these books are ideal for use both at home and at school.

(Studio Press, paperback, £8.99 each)

Age 7 plus:

Planetarium: Junior Edition

Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell

Welcome to the Planetarium… home to an incredible collection of astronomical wonders from icy moons to swirling galaxies!

Published in association with the Science Museum, Planetarium is part of the exciting Welcome To The Museum series from the Big Picture Press which offers tours in museums that are always open and this new junior edition opens up this popular and informative series to a younger age group.

The series includes the hugely successful Historium, a collection of objects from ancient civilisations, Animalium, a detailed exploration of more than 160 animal specimens, Botanicum, a super-sized book of stunning botanical delights, and the dangerously entertaining Dinosaurium.

The books enable readers to wander the galleries from the comfort of home and discover a collection of curated exhibits on every page, all accompanied by informative text.

Each book is also packed with the finely detailed and incredibly coloured artwork of Chris Wormell, a self-taught artist who uses a digital adaptation of the engraving process to create his stunning images.

The eye-catching Planetarium: Junior Edition is packed with amazing pictures and fascinating facts as children learn about all aspects of space, from the Sun and our solar system to the lives of stars, the Milky Way and the universe beyond.

How big is the Universe, how did it start and when will it end? What exactly is a black hole and are we really alone in the Universe?

The special text for younger readers is written by Professor of Astrophysics, Raman Prinja, who takes us over the horizon of our blue-green planet and into a space world that has fascinated humans since the dawn of time.

So step inside the pages of this spellbinding book and discover everything you ever wanted to know about space, planets and all things galactic.

(Big Picture Press, hardback, £10.99)

Age 5 plus:

Planetarium Activity Book

Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell

Following the incredible Planetarium, Chris Wormell’s Planetarium companion activity book offers hours of entertainment to artists and space lovers. Beautiful and inspiring, the myriad activities in this book challenge the reader to discover something new and use their imagination to draw, decorate and design on every pull-out page.