New Harry Potter covers – in animated gifs

To celebrate Harry Potter Book Night we have a mesmerising insight into how Jonny Duddle created new Harry Potter covers for JK Rowling’s beloved series. So feast your eyes and enjoy these process animations

The night sky astronomy quiz

Do you know what a supernova is or where Betelgeuse lives? Test your space skills with Professor Raman Prinja's star-studded astronomy quiz!

Branford Boase longlist announced!

Newsflash: check out which debut authors and their editors have made the list for this literary prize!

What’s happening in children’s books in 2015? A literary calendar

Want to know when your favourite author has a new book out? What festivals are lighting up your holidays? When the awards are being dished out? Check out our literary calendar for 2015, the year the new Children’s Laureate is announced…

Lionboy review – Complicite’s cat-powered adventure lacks claws

The Zizou Corder children’s story about a boy who can talk to cats packs in kidnaps and circuses, but somehow this adaptation fails to thrill

Kate Saunders wins the Costa children’s book award with Five Children On The Western Front

Sequel to E Nesbit’s Five Children and It set on the eve of the first world war takes the Costa children’s prize

Tim Bowler: it’s fun. It’s joyous. It’s life affirming. Reading is great!

Group members Millennium RIOT Readers interview the Carnegie-winning author of over 20 books about winning awards, writer’s block, studying Swedish and his latest book, Night Runner

Why the Moomins are fiction’s perfect family

Tove Jansson’s Finnish troll creations have beguiling adventures with a host of strange characters. But, at heart, their strength comes from being a loving family, writes Stuart Kelly

Top 10 fictional feasts in children’s books

From Harry Potter’s first meal at Hogwarts to the picnics of the Famous Five, Christopher William Hill slavers over fictional food in literature

Meet the children’s books site members: 8-12 years, G-L

This site belongs to kids who love reading. Find out more about the people who contribute to it here

What are the best children’s books of 2014?

The Guardian children’s books team and site members young and old(er) share their favourite books from the past year – is your top read up there?

What are the best children’s books on the nativity?

From Nicholas Allan’s Jesus’ Christmas Party to Jan Pienkowski’s The First Christmas, the Book Doctor seeks out the books which most beautifully tell the Christmas story

The best fiction for older children this Christmas

A teenage boy enjoys an incident-packed train ride, parents are chosen in a parallel universe and Michael Morpurgo is on thrilling form, writes Kitty Empire

The best picture books for children this Christmas

Snow, sisters and a delinquent dragon star in the best tales for tots this winter, writes Kate Kellaway

Cressida Cowell launches Christmas reading challenge for young readers

Newsflash: The Christmas Mini-Challenge, a festive version of the massively popular Summer Reading Challenge, is back for a second year! Find out how to join in here