CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEWS IN THE SOUTH WALES EVENING POST JULY 22-23

This week my children's book reviews include a spellbinding young adult fantasy, a ladybird in search of spots, a nostalgic look at A Midsummer Night's Dream and a contemporary romance for the holidays.

All in the Weekend section of The South Wales Evening Post. Enjoy

BOOK OF THE WEEK

THE HAWKWEED LEGACY BY IRENA BRIGNULL

YOUNG ADULT 12+

A bewitching tale of two girls, one boy and an ancient prophecy. Poppy and Ember are bound together by a ravens spell and a battle to become the Queen of the Witches. In the sequel to the Hawkweed Prophecy, will Poppy fulfil her destiny to succeed the throne? Or will her enemies come back from the dead? This beguiling magical tale and its strong female leads, full of betrayal, sorcery and friendship, is spellbinding.

ISBN 9781408341896 PB Orchard Books £7.99

LUCY LADYBIRD BY SHARON KING-CHAI

PICTURE 3+

Lucy ladybird has no spots! To try and fit in she collects different coloured spots from other animals. Her new spots are so pretty and unusual the other ladybirds want to be just like her. Bold and beautiful illustrations take us through the seasons, with a rainbow of colour and has a BIG fold out surprise at the end to captivate children. Shows that enhancing your individuality is a good thing. A joyful read.

ISBN 9781783703920 PB Templar £6.99

TITANIA AND OBERON BY JO MANTON & ILLUSTRATED BY PHYLLIS BRAY

CHILDREN 6+

A glorious hardback reissue of a classic tale, originally published in 1945. Written by Jo Manton, in a mix of prose interspersed with Shakespeare's original verse, this is the perfect introduction to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ethereal, full colour illustrations, perfectly capture the magic and mystery of the story, with an abundance of fairies, flora and fauna on every page. A stunning gift for all ages.

ISBN 9781843653295 HB Pavilion £12.99

THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED BY BECKY ALBERTALLI

YOUNG ADULT 12+

Molly knows all about unrequited love, despite her twin, Cassie, encouraging her to be more confident. Cassie, even tries to set her up with her girlfriend's cute best friend,Will. He'd be a perfect first boyfriend, wouldn't he? So why can't Molly stop thinking about her co worker, Reid, an awkward Tolkien super fan? A coming of age romance about first love, dealing with changing friendships and growing up. Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and John Green.

ISBN 97801413561122 PB Penguin £7.99