The Smallpox Slayer, by Alan Brown

(Hodder Children's Books, www.madaboutbooks.com, tel: 01235 400400, £3.99)

Age 8-12 yrs

This exploration of the life and work of Edward Jenner - the man behind the concept of vaccination - is timely, given the MMR controversy. The narrative bobs between dramatic description of his rudimentary medical techniques, social documentary and extracts from letters and papers exchanged between medical practitioners across the world. There were no health watchdogs in 1796, so a man appalled by horrifically high mortality rates - 25% of children died from smallpox - could experiment fairly freely. His theory later proved adrift, but the practice was almost spot on. A story worth telling.

After Juliet, by Sharman Macdonald

(Nelson Thornes/ Faber/ Royal National Theatre, £6)

Age: 11-19 yrs

Plays for young people are hard to come by and it was the unfulfilled demand that inspired the Royal National Theatre, with funding from BT, to invite established playwrights to contribute scripts. These were distributed amongst schools, some of which attended workshops with the writers. The result is an inspired series, Connections, featuring such writers as Liz Lochhead and Alan Ayckbourn, amongst others. Macdonald's play is an intriguing sequel to the original Shakespeare. There is also a dedicated website (www.connections plays.co.uk). Check there to confirm appropriate age-range for individual plays.