Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A tender-hearted knight; a malodorous mutt; a very mean goose; the last dragon on earth; enemies-to-lovers romance and more
Orlando by Virginia Woolf audiobook review – a superb reading by Juliet Stevenson
The actor expertly navigates the detours of Virginia Woolf’s adventure – a feminist fantasy that speaks to our times
The Truth About English Grammar by Geoffrey K Pullum review – the pants rule and other pipe dreams
A breezy guide to grammar sides with the ordinary Joe against the nitpickers
Psykhe by Kate Forsyth review – a cosy escape into Greek myth
This novel, by an assured writer known for her female-led stories, succeeds in its ambition to entice and delight
The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks review – a wild journey
A train journey takes an ever more phantasmagorical turn in this vivid eco-fable with a dash of romance
The Endless Country by Sami Kent review – After Atatürk
Cruelty and courage in a panoramic history of Turkey
Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands review – growing up with ADHD
This coming-of-age debut set in an impoverished Scottish coastal town is exuberantly memorable
Sexed by Susanna Rustin review – a new history of British feminism
The Guardian writer offers a mostly even-handed account of the successes, failures and faultlines within the feminist movement
At the Edge of Empire by Edward Wong review – changing state
A journalist merges family history with his own experience in Beijing to provide a fascinating insight into Chinese life and politics
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen review – a sweeping Sámi epic
Scandinavian missionaries wreak destruction on the Sámi way of life in an atmospheric tale of love and colonial conflict
Coming of Age by Lucy Foulkes review – the truth about teenagers
From being popular to taking risks, this wise and revelatory study overturns received wisdom about adolescence
A Greyhound of a Girl review – Roddy Doyle story is beautiful take on childhood grief
Heart-lifting adaptation of Doyle’s children’s novel follows cheeky 12-year-old Mia as she faces the loss of her beloved granny
My Family: The Memoir by David Baddiel review – sex, lies and the making of a standup
This book-length version of the revelations that informed the comedian’s hit show – ‘a twisted love letter’ to his parents – possesses an unhinged poignancy
Some Men in London: Queer Life, 1945-1959 review – when being gay meant going underground
These beautifully written letters, diary entries and extracts from novels, skilfully edited by Peter Parker, add up to an essential study of postwar gay life
Picture books for children – reviews
From the tale of a dog taking a much-needed beach break to a fact-filled dive into the monsters of the deep – and an ode to the skies above