Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Children's Book Picks - September 2026 - UK Post

 

Gryffin Murphy - Twig's Traveling Tomes - Published by Zaffre (8 Sept. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1806171521 - Hardback - Age: 9+

A witch with a magical affinity for books who owns a travelling bookstore reluctantly teams up with a charming rogue, her former professor and a gnome in search of a rare stolen grimoire. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Thorne, India Holton, Travis Baldree and Sarah Beth Durst. 

Louella Twig is the only witch of her kind, much to the disappointment of her former mentor and her previous academic ambitions. While others connect to nature as their source of magic, Louella has an affinity with books. Denied her graduation broom, Louella carves a new path using her talent, creating a magical ambulatory bookshop that travels throughout the realm, uniting readers with stories.

She lives a cosy, stable life, until she collides - quite literally - with a mysterious man between the Romance and Adventure aisles. Everett Sharp is handsome, charming ... and a rogue on the run. He's absolutely not someone Louella wishes to share either an adventure or a romance with. But then her old mentor arrives with a desperate request: a valuable grimoire has been stolen and there is only one witch who can retrieve what has been lost ... a witch who now finds herself in need of a bandit with experience.

Together with friends both old and new, Louella and Everett embark on an adventure across the four kingdoms, encountering whimsical creatures, a flying greenhouse full of plant pirates and a magical World's Fair. Along the way, Louella starts to wonder if this new chapter of her life could include some romance after all ...

 P. J. Killburn (Author), Markia Jenai (Illustrator) - Deep Yard: Deep Trouble - Published by ‎Little Tiger (3 Sept. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1788957922 - Paperback - Age: 8

Jermaine is determined to put the events of his great-great-uncle Carl's Dead Yard behind him. No more supernatural shenanigans! 

But that's easier said than done, and soon Jermaine is hearing a voice calling out to him from the water. Then several kids in his class disappear into the Thames and return with zombie-like personalities, to top it off, snakes are bursting out of the school sinks. 

Jermaine and his friends reluctantly admit there must be a new spooky threat in town. Could it be another monster from Caribbean legend, and does Jermaine have what it takes to stop it? 

The second in a spook-tastic new series, perfect for fans of Goosebumps, Hide and Seekerand Dread Wood.

Emma Carroll - Dracula & Daughters: School for Slayers - Published by Faber & Faber (10 Sept. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571388820 - Paperback - Age: 9+

At last . . .

Dracula & Daughters are open for business.

Their mission: to heal vampires and keep the streets of Temstown safe.

Trouble is, the new Guildmaster is insisting the city is now vampire-free, and wants Dracula & Daughters to close.

But the undead are still lurking. After a string of strange events at the prestigious Poisonwood School for Boys, frightened pupils start holding vampire slaying lessons in secret.

It's up to Mina, Buffy and Bella to convince them that slaying isn't the answer. But when vampires are appearing by the classful, is it already too late?

The granddaughters of Dracula are about to have their healing skills firmly put to the test . . . And are reminded never to underestimate the undead.

9+ readers will devour the atmospheric setting, the vampish powers and the gothic details - including a talking raven - perfect for fans of Murder Most Unladylike, The Swifts and TV show, Wednesday.

Guy Bass & David Roberts - The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen - Published by Little Tiger (3 Sept. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1788954198 - Paperback - Age: 8 

I have a question.
What's the worst thing that could happen?
Wait.
Before you decide, let me tell you a story...

Take a trip through the sideways door and let supernatural secrets come alive in these chilling tales of terror! Meet the nightmare pig, a sinister swine with teeth on her mind. Witness the terrifying reality of swapping places with your reflection or visit the ravenous monster in the shed. And, if you dare, come face to fear-filled face with Doctor Panic, who's seen far too much of the world behind the sideways door. But be warned - your world may never be the same again...

The Trouble with Magic: The Hexton Chronicles by Amy Wilson - Book Review - Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books

Somewhere beyond the last ordinary street—and perhaps just behind the nearest shadow—lies Hexton, a town where magic crackles in the air, old grudges have roots as deep as trees, and a family name can be more dangerous than any spell.

Amy Wilson’s The Trouble with Magic: The Hexton Chronicles is a wonderfully atmospheric beginning to a dark new fantasy series. At its heart is Fray Mantel, a boy who has spent his life trying to smother the strange power stirring inside him. But when a formidable family heirloom awakens and amplifies his magic, Fray is drawn out of hiding and forced towards Hexton—the very place from which his family was banished after a terrible betrayal.

Hexton is a deliciously shadowy creation: part secret sanctuary, part haunted inheritance, and part ticking magical timepiece. Wilson fills it with menace, mystery, and the tantalising sense that every doorway may open onto an old secret. Her prose has a rich, spellbinding quality, conjuring a world where magic is not simply a gift, but a dangerous seed that may grow into something magnificent—or something monstrous.

Fray makes an immediately compelling hero. He is frightened of his powers, suspicious of those who claim to understand him, and burdened by the sins of people who came before him. As he struggles to decide whether he is destined to repeat his family’s mistakes or break free from them, the story asks an enchanting question: are we shaped by our inheritance, or can we choose what we become?

Adding to the book’s gothic charm are Eric Deschamps’s evocative black-and-white illustrations, which lend the story a wonderfully old-fashioned, storybook darkness. Their shadowy detail and eerie atmosphere feel perfectly at home beside Wilson’s magical world, offering glimpses of Hexton’s secrets without giving them all away.

With its cursed legacy, forbidden power and beautifully brooding setting, *The Trouble with Magic* is an inviting first step into a series that promises danger behind every curtain and wonder beneath every stone. Hexton awaits—and readers may find it very difficult to leave.

**Title:** *The Trouble with Magic: The Hexton Chronicles*

- **Author:** Amy Wilson- **Illustrations:** Eric Deschamps, Black and White- **Publisher:** Nosy Crow- **Publication Date:** 10 September 2026- **Format:** Paperback **ISBN:** 9781805135647- **Price:** £7.99 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Children's Book Picks - AUGUST 2026 - UK Post

 

Freddie Kölsch - SPINDLEWOOD - Published by Puffin (27 Aug. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241753873 - Paperback - Age: 7+

Lilac Black does not believe in ghosts. So she’s rather surprised to learn she comes from a long line of gifted Seers, all of whom attended Spindlewood: a top-secret boarding school for children with the power to see, hear and communicate with spirits.

And now, Lilac has an invitation to Spindlewood herself. The only problem? There's been a huge misunderstanding. Lilac does not have the gift.

Reluctant to disappoint her proud uncles, and curious to see this mysterious school for herself, she decides to play along. But as Lilac’s web of lies becomes more tangled, one thing is clear: there is something wrong at Spindlewood. Something ancient and sinister, hidden beneath the library. Something connected to the long-ago disappearance of Lilac's parents.

  Eiko Kadono (Author), Joe Todd-Stanton (Illustrator), Emily Balistrieri (Translator) - Kiki and the New Magic - Published by Puffin (27 Aug. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241825198 - Paperback - Age: 7+

Join Kiki, the beloved young witch, and her clever cat Jiji in the enchanting sequel to the modern classic! 

This new translation will reveal more about the story that inspired the Hiyao Miyazaki film, Kiki's Delivery Service.

It has been a year since Kiki started her new life as an honest-to-goodness witch, and the - not quite so - little courier has become a real celebrity.

But fame comes with its own set of challenges. As Kiki faces increasingly perilous tasks, her friendships with Jiji and Tombo are put to the test. Doubts creep in, leading her to question her purpose.

Danny Wallace (Author), Tor Freeman (Illustrator), - Henry Tudor: The Incredible Diaries of Me!- Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (27 Aug. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398554412 - Age: 7+

Horrible Histories meets Horrid Henry meets Loki, in the laugh-out-loud funny diary adventures of a royally awful young Henry VIII. Enjoy immersive sound design, silly sound effects, and the incredible combined vocal talents of Jude Farrant and Danny Wallace in the must-listen audiobook of The Incredible Diaries of Me!

Prince Henry is eight and a half, and definitely the BEST at EVERYTHING. The best at jousting, the best at sword fighting, the best at archery and wrestling, and stealing pies from the kitchen. But after a mysterious stranger challenges Henry to a series of competitions, nothing seems to be going his way. Can Henry prove to everyone that they’re wrong, he’s right (as always), and he IS the best at everything? And just who is this mysterious stranger anyway?! 

Discover the rudest, snobbiest, most chaotic new voice in middle grade, with this hilarious, mostly historical diary series starring the famous royal that everyone loves to hate, from bestseller Danny Wallace.

Annie Graves  (Author), Glenn McElhinney (Illustrator) - The Nightmare Club: The Elsewhere Funfair - Published by LITTLE ISLAND (‎ 6 Aug. 2026) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1912417179 - Age: 7+

Welcome to the Nightmare Club, the sleepover that is definitely not for wimps. Annie Graves is your host, and she only invites guests who can tell really creepy stories.

Lynn thinks her granny is really cool, until family secrets start creeping out… Reader be warned – a trip to the funfair does not always turn out as planned!

Don’t come snivelling to Annie if you’re sorry you ever opened this book … You’ve been warned!