THE HAUNTED HILLS

by Berlie Doherty

illustrated by Tamsin

Rosewell

UCLAN PUBLISHING, £7.99

When Carl heads to the Derbyshire Peak District with his parents to recover from the fallout of a dreadful accident and the loss of his best friend Jack, he becomes caught up in a mystery centred on the tale of the Lost Lad. Carl can't decide if the hills around them are haunted, or if these happenings are figments of his imagination and he's being chased by his own demons. Carnegie-Medal winner Berlie Doherty has included a Derbyshire myth rooted in real events within a deeply moving story about the process of coming to terms with grief.

Take A Bite

by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski

BIG PICTURE PRESS, £25

This large-format book is a feast for eyes and stomach, as readers work their way around the globe on a 26-country culinary tour. Fabulously detailed maps, timelines, text and illustrations answer burning questions, such as where corn and wheat came from, how to make Vietnamese pancakes, what happens at a Moroccan feast and the fine art of fermenting fish. There are lots of recipes – everything from injera flatbread to pierogi, salsa and chocotorta – and the author-illustrators have delivered a bellyful of fascinating facts to inspire young gourmets and food scientists alike.

Big Sky Mountain: The Beach Otters

7+ by Alex Milway

PICCADILLY PRESS, £6.99

The third story in Alex Milway's Big Sky Mountain series sees Rosa and her Grandma Nan head off to ToeDipper Bay to find out who has sent up a distress flare. They arrive to find the beach covered in plastic rubbish and a family of beach otters doing their best to clean up. Someone needs to head out to sea and investigate, but it's going to take the animals' assistance. With industrious otters, savvy hermit crabs and hungry puffins, this is an adventure for younger readers with a great cast and a satisfying resolution.