Variants: Impostor by Susanne Winnacker – review
Lyd: 'when reading I was constantly on my toes'
Lips Touch by Laini Taylor – review
helloitsheath: 'Lips Touch has everything a short story collection should have plus the most beautiful illustrations'
Tania Unsworth: ‘Something far-fetched will pop into my mind and then my job is to make it plausible’
Tania Unsworth, author of The One Safe Place, a dystopian thriller about a mysterious children's home in a post-apocalyptic world, speaks to site member ellathebookworm
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton-review
helloitsheath: 'The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is just that - strange and beautiful'
Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud – review
Amazed Earthling: 'Warning: you might not be able to put it down!'
Brendon Chase: the thrill of escaping into the wild
B.B's novel of young runaway boys turning feral in the countryside is filled with sensual detail, and a love for the natural world
Holes by Louis Sachar – review
Amazed Earthling: 'sometimes its impact is so strong that you want to stop for breath'
The Reindeer Girl by Holly Webb – review
Bookworm Reader: 'I absolutely loved this book!'
Tom Gates: Extra Special Treats (Not) by Liz Pichon – review
fluffyni: 'My brother and I read the book and we think it is awesome!'
Father Christmas Comes Up Trumps by Nicholas Allen – review
Nicki and Luke, aged 5: 'Luke was even persuaded to draw a picture of his favourite part of the book which I have never managed before'
Father Christmas in fiction – quiz
As we get ever closer to Father Christmas's busiest night of the year, we're getting more than a little bit excited! But how much do you know about Father Christmas's appearances in the land of fiction? Take our quiz to see if you'll be getting treats or coal in your stocking!
Ellie May Can Definitely be Trusted to Keep a Secret by Marianne Levy – review
Amazed Earthling: 'The plot moves briskly along and is full of wit and charm'
No more Disney: where are the picture books with smart female role models?
Don't despair of Disney heroine-dazzled small girls, there are lots more feisty female role models to capture their imagination in children's fiction
Emil and the Detectives, by Erich Kästner: an adventure for the child in us all
Paul Simon: The story of Kästner's schoolboy sleuth throws a lasting light on Germany in the 1920s, before the darkness fell
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant – review
dewdrop: 'Luck must have been on my side, because this book is one of my favourites'