Children's books: 8-12 years

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Mary Rayner obituary
Children’s author who devised the adventures of the Pig family and illustrated stories including Dick King-Smith’s The Sheep-Pig

Julia Eccleshare

23, Mar, 2023 @4:59 PM

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Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books
A pair of historical novels focus on different aspects of the 70s, while gender identity is a theme in an array of strong new adventures

Kitty Empire

07, Mar, 2023 @9:00 AM

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The Detention Detectives by Lis Jardine review – top-grade misbehaviour
Pupils investigate a murder at school in this entertaining noir lite for young readers

Imogen Russell Williams

12, Jan, 2023 @12:00 PM

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Steer clear of ‘mediocre writing’ by celebrities for Christmas, authors plead
Books by TV personalities and other high-profile figures will top bestseller lists, but critics say professionals lose out

David Barnett

11, Dec, 2022 @6:00 AM

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The best children’s books of 2022
From a four-legged celebration of the seasons to a fiery tale of women who turn into dragons, our critics look back over the year and pick their favourite titles for children and young adults

Imogen Carter, Kitty Empire and Fiona Noble

04, Dec, 2022 @9:00 AM

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Best children’s and YA books of 2022
Journeys through music, history, magic and more, plus the standout books for young adults

Imogen Russell Williams

03, Dec, 2022 @9:00 AM

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‘At first she didn’t like my drawings’: Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson on three decades of collaboration
In a rare joint interview, the creators of The Gruffalo talk about baddies, Brexit – and the bumpy beginning to their partnership

Hadley Freeman

03, Sep, 2022 @8:00 AM

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Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books
Estranged friends navigate a sleeping world, a boy discovers he is part-alien, and the hunt for a missing mother touches lightly on mental health issues

Kitty Empire

23, Aug, 2022 @8:00 AM

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Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books
Marcus Rashford channels Scooby-Doo, more girls solve mysteries, while two historical young Black Britons join forces in theatreland

Kitty Empire

31, May, 2022 @8:00 AM

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Fiction for older children reviews – magic and morality, beyond Marvel
Norse gods get a fresh incarnation from Louie Stowell and the multiverse offers up a moral dilemma in Ross Welford’s latest

Kitty Empire

08, Mar, 2022 @9:00 AM

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Jan Pieńkowski obituary
Illustrator and creator of the Meg and Mog children’s books, who also used pop-up and paper cut-outs to thrilling effect

Morag Styles

20, Feb, 2022 @4:34 PM

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‘Nothing short of revelatory’: the 10 best CBeebies’ Bedtime Stories – ranked
Reese Witherspoon is about to become the latest A-lister to read a kids’ book at bedtime, but she’s got stiff competition. From Tom Hardy to Dolly Parton, here’s who to beat

Stuart Heritage

27, Jan, 2022 @10:03 AM

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