Want the kids to read more? 15 modern classics for all ages
From greedy dogs to shimmering dragons and from dance competitions to grisly murder – these books can inspire a lifetime of reading
Clive King obituary
Author of Stig of the Dump, the children’s classic that has never been out of print since it was published in 1963
The best recent fiction for children
A magical trio of books, including a Hogwarts for baddies, and a ‘frenemy’ tale of a schoolgirl swimmer
Salley Vickers on Stoke-on-Trent: ‘Thanks to my upbringing, my books have a tenderness for misfits’
The former therapist and novelist on her ‘committed communist’ parents, seeing Paul Robeson sing and her abiding love for the Potteries
The Lifters by Dave Eggers review – a strong first children’s book
The plot may not be very original, but Dave Eggers can’t write a boring sentence - kids will love this tale of dark underground forces
Book clinic: what titles might help children deal with grief?
The Bookseller’s children’s and YA previews editor selects three titles offering a variety of perspectives on bereavement
The quest for bike-friendly children’s books in a world where cars rule
From cute cars to smiley emergency vehicles, kids’ culture is awash with rosy images of driving, so a new Mr Men book about cycling is a welcome read. What are your favourite cycling-friendly children’s books?
‘God, I love Oprah’ – what happened when I met my idol on the set of Wrinkle in Time
Oprah Winfrey is perhaps the biggest draw in Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation of the children’s classic – but behind the scenes it’s the noticeably diverse cast and crew that make this film stand out
Tracy Beaker, please never grow up
Jacqueline Wilson’s bolshie girl is now a single mum on a council estate. Raymond Briggs’s wordless Snowman is becoming a book for ‘a new and older audience’. Why can’t we leave kids’ books for kids?
Book clinic: what modern classics would you recommend for preteens?
Award-winning author Phil Earle selects a range of novels to enchant even the most accomplished young readers
Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan review – nostalgic magic
This celebration of children’s literature excels in capturing the sense of wonder we find in our earliest books
The many tongues of Lost in Books, the only bookstore in Fairfield
Most of Fairfield, in Sydney’s west, speaks a language other than English – and now it has a bookstore to match
Fiction for older children reviews – snow quests, standup and skullduggery
A well-plotted comic quest from Harry Hill, a treat of a seafaring saga, and a Dickensian dystopia in which a fox leaves an orphanage in search of home
Jill Barklem obituary
Creator of the Brambly Hedge children’s books
Move over, Hermione Granger – now girls have real-life heroines to read about
Children are revelling in books that showcase female role models from Virginia Woolf to Venus Williams, says the freelance writer Lauren Chassebi