INTERVIEW

WITH BLACKBEARD & OTHER VICIOUS VILLAINS

by Andy Seed

The Storm Child

8+ by Gabriela Houston

UCLAN PUBLISHING, £7.99

Gabriela Houston's The Wind Child duology concludes with this fast-paced adventure about Mara, the granddaughter of the God of Winter Winds. Having defied the laws of gods and men, she and Torniv, her shape-shifting friend, are on the run. Their enemy is Koschei the Deathless, who will stop at nothing to destroy them. Inspired by the ancient folklore and vast forests of Eastern Europe, and the author's Polish homeland, this is a gripping yarn about all-powerful beings and monsters, and with positive messages about courage, friendship and loyalty.

Andy Seed had a lot of fun creating this set of entirely fictional interviews with celebrated baddies through time. Subjects include the infamous pirate of the title (unsurprisingly, his first answer is: "Arrr", although not for the reasons you might think). Others in the mix include Emperor Nero, Guy Fawkes, Vlad the Impaler, Bonny and Clyde and fearsome female pirate Zheng Yi Sao. You find out what happened next to each of them, plus there are maps, illustrations and a quiz and glossary at the back.

Approximately 1 in 4 children leave primary school unable to read at the expected level.1

Coram creates better chances for children. Our specialist reading charity, Coram Beanstalk has supported over 250,000 children over the last 50 years through dedicated 1-2-1 reading support. Find out how you can help children get back on track to a bright future at coram.org.uk

1.Now the whole school is reading: supporting struggling readers in secondary school. Ofsted Report. *Images, names and some of the details of the children mentioned have been changed to protect their identities. Funds will be used where the need is greatest. Coram Campus, 41 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ Phone: 020 7520 0330 fundraising@coram.org.uk www.coram.org.uk

The Thomas Coram Foundation for Children (registered charity no. 312278) was established by Royal Charter in 1739.

Kate on the Case: The Headline Hoax

by Hannah Peck PICCADILLY

The third in this illustrated series about a female newspaper reporter and her sidekick mouse Rupert, The Headline Hoax sees Kate invited. to the HQ of The Lookout Post to help her idol, reporter Catherine Rodriguez. But when she gets there, this dream assignment turns sour. She discovers that all is not as it should be because someone is tampering with stories and the famous paper might even be forced to close.

Ably assisted by Rupert, will she solve the mystery, catch the culprit and make the scoop of the century?