Saying Goodbye
Ifeoma Onyefulu
(Frances Lincoln)
Price £10.99
Age 6-10 yrs

One in a series of books illuminating life in an Igbo community in Nigeria, by a writer and photographer who grew up there. The author's son, Ikenna, shows the elaborate rituals involving the whole community as they remember the extraordinary life of the author's grandmother, Mama Nkwelle. Culturally, this is a fascinating story, simply described with photography that is informal and informative, powerfully evoking the time and care taken to remember a respected family member. But essentially the book is about Ikenna who has lost a great-grandmother, and the importance of shared memories in celebrating her remarkable life.

Pure Dead Magic
Debi Gliori
(Doubleday, £10.99 )
Age 9-14 yrs

This, the first novel from a prolific creator of picture story books, will easily find devotees amongst younger, confident readers, but should also appeal to older pupils seeking something original, challenging, entertaining and, frankly, bizarre. The Strega-Borgia family is not dysfunctional - like most families it has its eccentricities, arguments and resolutions. It's just that they involve hitching lifts on emails; brushes with the Mafia; large, dim beasts in dungeons; and a host of larger-than-life human and animal characters. The result is a warm and hilarious, highly individual literary style which crackles with energy.