Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Children's Book Picks - JULY 2025 UK

 

Pil Van Martin - The Spick and the Span - Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books (31 July 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008724788 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

Imaginative, magical, wildly funny, and with a truly unique world, The Spick and the Span is an extraordinary, exciting fantasy middle grade adventure – perfect for fans of Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor, Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood and Co, Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

Thanks to many generations of careless magicians, the city of Helm is overflowing with magic, which has made it a very dangerous place to live. Leave anything alone for too long and it will transform into something else: your house will turn to gingerbread, your teapot will start pouring pond water or – if you're really unlucky – your floor will turn to lava.

The magicians liked to pretend it’s them who keep the worst magical hiccups in check, but the real heroes of the whole sorry situation are of a wholly different occupation: equally well known but decidedly less respected.

The heroes of the city of Helm are the cleaners.

Ward, an ambitious twelve-year-old cleaner, wants nothing more than to belong to the League of Cleaners, who will grant him the prestige and popularity he's been looking for all his life – if only he can pass three near-impossible tests. Struggling toward this goal with a team he doesn't trust, Ward's world is upended when his friend disappears and mysterious magic-eating monsters appear all over the city and start tearing holes in the fabric of reality. Suddenly his ambitions are the least of his problems…

Hugely funny and exciting, and with an incredibly imaginative, original story, The Spick and the Span is the unmissable fantasy middle grade debut of 2025 – you'll never look at magic the same way again…

Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick - The Museum of Lost Umbrellas - Published by Faber & Faber (31 July 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571385720 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

Discover a magical island where the houses grant you wishes and the alleyways are secret portals . . .
Faber is proud to launch a show-stopping debut fantasy middle-grade series, The Cloud Witch Chronicles, from award-winning Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick!

When Dilly arrives on the island of Ollipest, she is unsure what to expect from her new life . . . She certainly doesn't expect to find magic!

Until now, the magic of Ollipest Island has been a well-kept secret. Then the Museum of Lost Umbrellas opens after many years of closure . . .

And when the museum attracts some unsavoury anti-magic outsiders, Dilly must unlock her ancestral powers to help keep the island safe.

A dazzling, epic adventure where witches fly with umbrellas, magical dogs walk out of the sea and pet parrots suddenly become humans. This will keep readers on their edge of the seats and leave them desperate for the next instalment.

Ross MacKenzie - The Uninvited - Published Andersen Press (31 July 2025)  - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1839133176 - Paperback - Age: 10+ 

When the Faerie folk flee their world and come to ours, running from the nightmare of war, nobody in the everyday knows what to do. So they are locked away.

Thirteen-year-old Samm Wolfback lives in Glass Forest, a sprawling Faerae refugee camp in England. Life in Glass Forest is hard, poisoned by disease and crime and poverty. But Samm has a unique gift that lines his pockets – he can find lost things.
When Samm is thrust into the centre of a plot to escape Glass Forest and return home, he must use his gifts to unearth two treasures lost in the everyday: a relic that will end the war back in Faerae; and the only person with the power to reopen the door between worlds – the Locksmith. The task will take Samm to dark places filled with danger, from a grimly enchanted circus of nightmares to a museum housing a murderous exhibit, and he will have to use all of his skills to stay alive.
Meanwhile, in the human world, a kidnapped boy with a dark secret begins to realise that he might hold the key to the Faerae folks’ fate. Before all is said and done, destiny’s web will entangle him with Samm and send them spinning towards a showdown with the great evil that lurks in the world beyond the door.

Bali Rai - Escape From Amritsar - Bloomsbury Education (3 July 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1801997720 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

Amritsar, India, 1919. A city on the brink of violence, as tensions between the local people and the British colonial rulers explode.

12-year-old Arjan Singh learns that his father has been falsely charged with serious crimes. But there has been a terrible massacre in the city, as British troops fired on unarmed Indians, and the city is under curfew. Anger and fear have left the population seething and danger lurks around every corner.

Arjan sets out on a perilous mission to save his father, in the face of armed troops, martial curfew, and vicious local bandits. Can he escape and get to his father before it's too late?

The Best Children's Book Picks: JUNE 2025 US POST Edition - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Lauren Magaziner - The Incorruptibles - Publisher ‏: Aladdin - Publication date : ‎June 10, 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎978-1665968669 - Hardback - Age: 9+ 

A girl joins the human resistance against sorcerer tyranny in this “breathless” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) first book in the exciting upper middle grade fantasy series The Incorruptibles that’s Keeper of the Lost Cities meets The Marvellers.

Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance—the very worst of the sorcerers—she’s whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles (“Inc”) Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn’t earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs?

Amber Chen - The Blood Phoenix - Publisher:  Viking Books for Young Readers - Publication date ‏: ‎June 17, 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏: ‎ 978-0593622780 - Hardback - Age: 10+

The sequel to Of Jade and Dragons, a thrilling and epic silkpunk fantasy inspired by the legendary Qing dynasty. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Lim and Xiran Jay Zhao.

Two years after Ying leaves the Engineer’s Guild and the ghost of her father’s unjust death behind, life seems to regain a semblance of normalcy. But the winds of unrest continue to stir within the Nine Isles, and the aftermath of a horrific pirate attack by the mysterious Blood Phoenix fleet forces Ying back into the tense political world of the new High Commander, Ye-yang. And soon, Ying, Ye-yang and her former friends from the guild must work together to find a way to outsmart the cunning pirates who terrorize the straits—and the elusive mastermind who’s controlling them.

Meanwhile, Ying’s sister, Nian, now lives in the capital, awaiting the day she will finally marry the High Commander. While her relationship with Ye-yang remains distant, she finds company in her friendship with the fourteenth prince, Ye-kan, and discovers her unexpected affinity for governance and strategy. But the capital is more dangerous than she expects, and when a dark conspiracy arises, Nian and Ye-kan must unravel the mystery in time to prevent the High Command from collapsing from within.

New dangers arise at every moment, threatening to tear the Nine Isles apart. In order to sail through this storm, Ying and her loved ones must make difficult choices amidst terrible betrayals. With the world on the brink of destruction, will they find a way to defeat their enemies and survive? And will it be worth the cost?

• Rosalyn Ransaw - Smoke & Mirrors Publisher : ‎Amulet Books - Publication date ‏: ‎June 10, 2025 - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎978-1419770135 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 

An exciting and twisty middle-grade debut mystery novel—perfect for fans of From the Desk of Zoe Washington and The Parker Inheritance—about the disappearance of a famous magician, and one boy’s quest to find the truth

Spending the summer with his aunt as the only Black kid in a small Midwestern town was bad enough, but now Andy Carter’s summer has been effectively ruined.

His dad’s parole hearing is postponed, he misses his friends, and—when an old barn burns down—he’s stuck taking the blame. Andy is sentenced with helping the barn’s owner, a cantankerous old man, renovate his crumbling mansion—a mansion that hides a mystery.

It was once owned by the famous magician the Red Knave. In 1954, the Knave was a wanted suspect in the town’s most infamous murder before disappearing without a trace.

The whole town is sure the Red Knave is guilty, but to Andy, things just don’t add up. Investigating a mystery from the ’50s isn’t the same as spending time with his dad, but Andy can’t help but be drawn into the Red Knave’s exciting world of magic and illusion. To solve the Knave’s final vanishing act, Andy teams up with another boy he doesn’t quite trust. Secret by secret, they try to uncover the Red Knave’s identity and learn why his last performance came to such a tragic end.

With a gripping combination of hidden doors, shocking twists, and deep emotional heart, Smoke & Mirrors asks the question: How much of the truth is what you can get people to believe?

Rachel Hartman - Among Ghosts - Publisher ‏: ‎Random House Books for Young Readers - Publication date : June 24, 2025 - ISBN-13 : 978-0593813720 - Hardback - Age: 10+ 

A few things to know about the town of St. Muckle’s: It’s too out-of-the-way to interest greedy lords, and too damp and muddy for marauding dragons to burn. And anyone, from a humble serf to a runaway nun, may earn their freedom by living for a year and a day within the town walls. Seven years ago, Charl and his mother fled to St. Muckle’s and made it their safe-haven, building a new life in this so called Peasant’s Paradise. But when Charl sees something impossible—a ghost—soon the embers of his past are threatening to engulf his world in flame. A tragic accident is quickly followed by murder, a deadly plague, and a mercenary dragon.

Charl manages to escape to an abandoned abbey outside of town, but finds no safety within those ruined walls. A treacherous nun, a chorus of murdered girls, and the fearsome Battle Bishop await, ready to ensnare him in a complex web of history, magic and fate. For some things should never be forgotten, however much they haunt us, and Charl will need all his wisdom and resiliency if he is to fight for the world he knows…and the people he calls home.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Children's Book Picks - APRIL 2025 UK

 

Soman Chainani (Author), Joel Gennari (Illustrator) - Coven - Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books (10 April 2025) -ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008734749 - Paperback - Age: 9+ (Graphic Novel)

Need your magical crime solved?

Call the Witch Coven.

Hester, Anadil, and Dot are legendary across the Endless Woods as vigilante detectives and protectors of the peace. The famed trio are not only talented witches, but also ride-or-die friends who’ve never left a case unsolved.

That is, until the Coven answers a call for help from a mysterious new world―Red Isle, where the Light and Dark Lands are on the brink of all-out war, each blaming the other for a grim spree of deaths. Now the Coven must work together and unmask the killer before Red Isle tears itself apart. Little do they know: the real enemy might be hiding in plain sight …

Anna Kemp (Author), David Wyatt (Illustrator) - The Howling Mountain (A Goblyn Wood Adventure Vol3) - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK (24 April 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398503960 - Paperback - Age: 8+

Looming ahead of them, black against the darkening sky, was the rocky bulk of a mountain . . . brave the perilous heights and fulfill the prophecy. Will you climb the Howling Mountain?

Hazel and Portunia have discovered that the plan to steal magic, involving an alliance between the Fae and the humans, is bigger than they could have ever imagined - and every day more and more children are disappearing.

To save Goblyn Wood, Hazel must climb to the Howling Mountain and retrieve the fabled Fairy Axe. She will be tested again and again on her journey. Can she fulfill the prophecy of the slipskin before the magic of Goblyn Wood is gone forever?

The spectacular conclusion to this imaginative fantasy world by Waterstones prize-shortlisted author Anna Kemp perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Podkin One-Ear!

Georgia Channon - The Curse of the Silvan Oaks - Published by Pushkin Children's Books (10 April 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1782695011 - Paperback - Age: 6+

May the moon light your way...

All is not well in the kingdom of Silvanland. The ancient feud between Queen Titania and King Oberon has turned into a merciless war, and a deadly curse festers in the sacred woods.

When young Prince Cory is kidnapped by Oberon's ruthless soldiers, the Silvan forces think all hope is lost. But fate has other plans. In the mortal world, hidden away in an old oak tree, there lies a portal. And through this portal a girl called Oli will soon fall. Her arrival in the magical land will change everything...

S.A Reyhani - A Sequence of Cosmic Accidents - Published by Rock the Boat (3 April 2025) -ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0861548774 - Paperback - Age: 9+ 

A National Book Tokens 'best new children's books of 2025' pick

 The universe makes no mistakes…

Twelve-year-old Arian never wanted a foster sister, much less the weird and annoying one who has joined his family. From her outlandish outfits and bizarre behaviour to her claim that the random stick she carries is a magical weapon, Madlock is creeping Arian out. There’s just one thing the pair can agree on: that she’s from another planet. Of course, Arian never meant literally…

When Madlock summons a portal to another world, Arian is launched into an adventure of intergalactic proportions. For an ancient enemy is stirring in the shadows, and the universe has a bigger plan for them than the pair could ever have imagined.

The Best Children's Book Picks: FEB 2025 US POST Edition - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Isaac Rundansky - Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot - Published by Greenleaf Book Group (February 4, 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8886453164 - Hardback - Age: 9+

Exciting CRACK THE CODE adventure inside! Each and every reader who deciphers the hidden clue in each chapter will be entered to win incredible prizes and giveaways! 

In a world where fiction is a crime, young Georgie Summers must write a story to save everyone he loves …

When twelve-year-old Georgie Summers isn’t cooking dinner for his sick dad or trying to survive middle school bullies, you’ll find him in his backyard, slingshot in hand, nailing soda cans from 200 feet out … probably the only sixth grader who could pull off a shot like that.

Sure, life for Georgie was a little lonely, but at least it made sense.

That is, until a terrifying man—a man dressed in shiny black boots and bugs crawling out of a hole in his neck—climbs through a portal in midair and kidnaps Georgie’s father. Where did this man come from? Why was he looking for an ancient fountain pen? What secrets has Georgie’s father been keeping from him?

Completely alone and not to mention scared out of his wits, Georgie quickly teams up with two unlikely allies: Apurva Aluwhalia, an aspiring astronomer and just about the prettiest girl in school (in all of New York as far as Georgie is concerned), and Roscoe Harris, a self-proclaimed YouTube sensation with a whopping fourteen bored subscribers. But hey, big dreams, right?

Together, they stumble into Scatterplot, a hidden realm where mysterious Scribes record the memories of everyone on Earth. Without the Scribes, people would forget everything … they’d lose their minds. Literally.

As the adventure grows increasingly dangerous, Georgie uncovers the evil Flint Eldritch’s plan to destroy those very memories, erasing everyone Georgie has ever loved.

Armed with nothing but courage, friendship, and a magical but extremely dangerous pen, Georgie must race against time to save not just his dad … but the minds of everyone on Earth.

… including yours.

In this exhilarating middle-grade debut, perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, author Isaac Rudansky spins a heart-pounding adventure of courage, hope, and the power of friendship to lift you from the depths of loneliness and despair.

You’ll be on the edge of your seat … just hope you’ll be able to remember it all when it’s over.

I.M. Dehd (Author), B. Sabo (Illustrator) - Terror from Beyond the Mirror - Published by Raintree (13 Feb. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398259171 - Hardback - Age: 8+ 

Mac has always been a loner. After all, it’s hard to make friends when you’re constantly moving. Why would this year be any different? At her new school, though, there’s a rumour that a mirror in the old second-floor toilets will grant any wish you whisper to it. Believing it to be a cruel prank, Mac is skeptical. But she tries anyway. She wishes for a friend. Unfortunately, the legend is no joke and the thing that lies beyond the mirror wants nothing more than for others to join it in its nightmarish home, forever and ever . . . Will Mac be taken in by the terror or can she find something to bring her back to reality? Prepared to be scared in this chilling chapter book for young readers by the master of misery and fright, I.M. Dehd.

Rosanne Parry (Author), Mónica Armiño (Illustrator) - A Wolf Called Fire - Published by Greenwillow Books (February 4, 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063415133 - Hardback - Age: 7+ 

The stand-alone companion to Rosanne Parry’s New York Times bestseller A Wolf Called Wander tells the wilderness survival story of the wolf pup known as Warm and is illustrated in black and white throughout. This Voice of the Wilderness Novel features informational backmatter, including a map.

Warm is the smallest pup, the one his father calls the heart of the pack. But all Warm sees is his bigger brothers Sharp and Swift, and even his sisters Pounce and Wag, winning all the wrestling matches. Just as Warm is finding his place, enemy wolves destroy and scatter the pack. Warm helps lead the pups away from the fight, only to find himself alone with four pups to defend and feed. Can he be both the heart and the head of a new pack? Does he have to choose the aggressive leadership style of his father and brothers? Or is there another way?

Carina Finn - The Last Great Heir - Published by Sourcebooks Young Readers (4 Feb. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1728298337 - Hardback - Age: 8+

The female heirs of two opposing families must duel for guardianship of the land in this stunning fantasy adventure debut!

Merriment Feast's life is one constant party, complete with dazzling gowns and delicious pastries. Well, except for her aunt's physically grueling training. Merri believes it's her responsibility to protect her family's traditions and the power they've held for generations.

Rue Famine knows that only Feasts benefit from Feast rule. As the heir of House Famine, she spends her days studying potion-making in an enormous, dusty library and learning how to use her magic to help others.

Custom dictates that the heirs of Feast and Famine must duel on their thirteenth birthday. Only one family can rule the land of Fauret, and Merri and Rue have been raised as rivals.

But as the contest draws near and dangers escalate, their true enemy may be a shared one…

The Best Children's Book Picks FEB 2025 - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Kieran Larwood (Author), Joe Todd Stanton (Illustrator) - Dungeon Runners: Sky Battles - Published by Nosy Crow Ltd (13 Feb. 2025) -ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1839945212 - Paperback - Age: 7

An action-packed new adventure series from Blue Peter Award-winning author Kieran Larwood and Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner Joe Todd Stanton. Young readers will love discovering the world of the Dungeon Runners!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHALLENGE? It's time to fight or take flight!

"Highly illustrated, humorous and immediately enthralling" - The Guardian

Kit can hardly believe he's now a professional Dungeon Runner. With his teammates Sandy and Thorn, they set off to a city in the clouds to compete.

But with new dangers at every turn, Kit and his friends will need their wits and bravery to take on enemies as well as monsters. Are they ready for the big leagues? There's only one way to find out!

Have you got what it takes to survive the Dungeon? Now is your chance to prove it!

Helen Fairley - The Soul Collector - Published by The Book Guild Ltd (28 Feb. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1835741320 - Paperback - Age: 8+ 

When siblings Sam and Jude are forced to leave London for a quiet village in the countryside due to their mother's illness, they expect boredom and isolation. But the village isn’t as peaceful as it seems. Next to their new home is an old graveyard with dark secrets.

One night, Sam sees strange flashing lights in the graveyard. He realises the village has mysteries waiting to be solved. Sam and Jude team up to uncover a mystery that has haunted the village for centuries.

Can they help the spirits that wander the village? Can they stop the monster who’s collecting souls?

With time running out, Sam, Jude, and their friends must act quickly to solve the puzzle before the Soul Collector claims his next victim.

Lucy Strange (Author), Rohan Eason (Illustrator) -  The Boy At The Window - Published by Barrington Stoke (13 Feb. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008712785 - Paperback - Age: 9+ 

A spine-tingling ghost story from bestselling author Lucy Strange

Folk say the fog plays tricks – that it shapes itself into little hands and frightened faces that press at people’s doors and windows, desperate to come inside. But Hugo is convinced the ghost he has seen at the window is no trick of the fog. The boy’s hollow eyes are haunting him. What would happen if Hugo were to open the door and let him in? Brace yourselves for a chilling, wintery ghost story …

Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Sam Sedgman - The Forbidden Atlas (Isaac Turner Investigates) - Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books (27 Feb. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526665430 - Paperback - Age: 8+

The exhilarating sequel to The Clockwork Conspiracy, Isaac Turner is back for another action-packed mystery adventure.

Isaac and Hattie have been invited to a high-profile event at the French National Archives in Paris to finally celebrate their achievement in saving time. But as Isaac prepares to make his speech, the lights go out and a single shot is fired.

The police think it was an assassination attempt on the infamous businessman Balthazar Blaise, but Isaac and Hattie realise that something very different is going on when they discover a boy taking something from the archives before vanishing without a trace.

As they investigate, Isaac and Hattie are pulled into an underground world, searching secret and forgotten places for a stolen letter, a missing sister and a map that will unearth a long buried secret ...

The Best Children's Book Picks JAN 2025 - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Penny Boxall - Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread - Published by Puffin (30 Jan. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241657447 - Paperback - Age: 8+

Anybody who found themselves in the rigging of the good ship Lotus very early that morning would have seen an unusual sight: a shy, plump girl with a magpie fidgeting on her shoulder, holding in her hand a glinting coin…

We begin in LONDON, 1774.

Twelve-year-old Lettice Breech is excited to visit Europe with her Pa, who is eternally fascinated by ancient objects. Together they’re going to admire breathtaking French art, astounding Roman ruins, and spectacular Greek carvings.

But their plans are dashed when part of a famous statue is exposed as a forgery, and Pa is thrown in gaol for the crime.

Susan Brownrigg (Author), Jenny Czerwonka (Illustrator) - Wrong Tracks - UCLan Publishing (9 Jan. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916747340 - Paperback - Age: 8+

Who is sabotaging the Rainhill Trials?

It is 1829. Everyone is talking about the exciting new rail ways and young Edward Entwistle cannot believe his good fortune: a chance encounter sees him offered a job at the Stephensons’ Steam Locomotive Manufactory.

The Stephensons are preparing for an important competition – The Rainhill Trials. A race of innovation and daring which will award the winner a contract to run the new Liverpool & Manchester Rail Way. Edward must protect the father and son inventors’ latest creation – their precious Premium Engine – but strange and dangerous accidents keep stalling construction.

Edward and his new loco-mad friend Prudence soon realise someone is trying to scupper the Stephensons’ chances. It is up to the friends to spot sabotage and chase down spies in a thrilling race against the clock.

Inspired by the Rainhill Trials.

Jo Todd-Stanton - The Comet - Published by Flying Eye Books (2 Jan. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1838741242 - Paperback - Age: 4+ (Picture Book) 

When Nyla has to leave her home in the countryside to start life again in the city, all she can think about is everything she misses from before. So when a comet comes crashing through the city streets and starts to glow and grow, Nyla can’t resist a chance to head somewhere that feels closer to what she had before … but what starts as an escape could be just the thing to make her finally feel at home. From the award-winning Joe Todd-Stanton, comes an exquisite and heartfelt picture book touching on the bewildering experience of moving house. This beautiful story explores how this can affect a child's sense of belonging, but also how it can open them up to new and wonderful experiences.

Alice Nuttall - The Zombie Project - Published by Chicken House (2 Jan. 2025) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915947345 - Paperback - Age: 9+ 

The action-packed and horrorful zombie adventure from debut author Alice Nuttall, with an original environmental twist . . .

In a world without bees, death-flies are needed to grow food. But death-flies need bodies – lots of them. And bodies mean zombies.
Merian understands this, but others are afraid. Can one girl prove that zombies are the future?

• The action-packed debut novel of MSLexia Children’s and YA 2023 winner, Alice Nuttall.
• An original idea that turns the usual zombie story on its head – save the zombies, don’t kill them!
• With environmental themes packaged alongside age-appropriate horror and scares.

Read Extract HERE