‘Relax your rules, let them pick what they want’: 10 page-turners to get kids reading

A report this month revealed fewer children than ever read for pleasure. From spooky tales to choose-your-own-adventure fantasy epics, here are 10 irresistible titles

There is a moral in Jamie Oliver’s story of stereotypical folk, just not one he intended

In offending Australia’s First Nations people, the chef is at least offering a cautionary tale for other celebrity authors

Celebrities need to stop writing children’s books: they’re woefully underqualified

As Jamie Oliver has found out to his cost, write what you know or you could end up with a flop and an international PR disaster, says Arwa Mahdawi

We all have life stories, we just need to learn how to tell them

I’ve spent two months teaching memoir writing to students in years 3 to 6. They just wade right in

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books

From young werewolves’ adventures with vampires to hard-up funeral crashers and the late Jeremy Strong’s wonderful final tale

Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller look back: ‘We were really cross with each other, slamming the door and saying: That’s it’

The comedy double act on playing it cool, bombing at Edinburgh, and how their friendship endured after they branched out on their own

Picture books for children – reviews

Letters between Van Gogh and his brother Theo inspire a delightful biography. Plus, new releases from big-hitters Oliver Jeffers and David Litchfield

Jeremy Strong obituary

Author who won the Children’s Book award in 1997 and whose bestselling series made adults laugh too

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books

A hair-raising gameworld adventure, a dystopian thriller set in Edinburgh and a magical tale involving book jumping are among this month’s highlights

Mr Fib and Little Miss Surprise join ranks of the Mr Men and Little Misses

Top-hatted liar and pink-haired character who never knows what the day will bring are added to classic series of children’s books

Geri Halliwell-Horner reveals writing advice she was given by top authors

Ex-Spice Girl tells Hay festival about tips from William Boyd and Jacqueline Wilson for children’s book

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books

Lauren Child brings a light touch to big issues, Elle McNicoll explores autism – and a secret society is at work in Paris’s sewers

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books

Time travel lessons, secret underwater schools and careers in demon hunting feature among this month’s selection

Today’s lesson: The Boy at the Back of the Class now learns from To Kill a Mockingbird

Adapting Onjali Q Raúf’s novel for the stage proved a challenge but her refugee story, which has a new nod to Harper Lee, is both urgent and unforgettable

The best children’s and YA books of 2023

From a bear who stockpiles dreams to a sisterhood of knights via a tiger sea captain, our critics pick their favourite titles for children and young adults