ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book Roundup - Our birthday month of February! Celebrate with some truly awesome new books...!

Hallooo and welcome to our birthday month. Yep both our birthdays fall in February so it's a great excuse to grab an absolute SHEDLOAD of new chapter books and give them the once over. This month we've got loads to get through and it's all fast-paced action from cover to cover so let's get busy!

First up is an energetic and fantastic romp from Phil ("Demolition Dad") Earle with illustrations by Sara (The Worst Princess) Ogilvie.

"Superhero Street" introduces Mouse, a rather diminutive - some might even say slightly wimpy superhero who lives in Storey Street.

Mouse finds it rather difficult to stand out from the crowd, what with 5 brothers and sisters at home. Fame beckons after Mouse and his mum (a lollipop lady and force to be reckoned with) foil a bank robbery, giving Mouse a great idea. Gather together the Z-List, an elite group of extremely keen amateur supes - and set out to put the world to rights.

Phil's humour is milk-snortingly brilliant, and Sara's fab illustrations help to lend the whole book a fizzing energetic pace that doesn't let up from start to finish. If you've got superhero kids waiting in the wings at home (or for that matter supervillain kids!) this is sure to prove an essential read! It went down a storm with Charlotte (who couldn't put it down at bedtime!) so it definitely comes well recommended!

"Superhero Street" is released on 25th February 2016, published by Orion Books.

Next, comedian and presenter Danny Wallace is busily establishing himself as a hilarious children's author with his new book series...

"Hamish and the Worldstoppers" was the brilliant children's chapter book debut for Danny. What would you do if you woke up one morning to find that the entire world had stopped. I mean REALLY stopped. People frozen in place, planes frozen in mid air. Not exactly a run of the mill day for young Hamish Ellerby, who soon finds he's not alone in wondering just what the heck is going on.

Joining his friends, Hamish discovers that the nefarious deed has been undertaken by the mysterious Worldstoppers and their horrid allies, the Terribles. If there's one thing they hate more than people it's tiny child-sized people (well, children!) which is truly terrible news for Hamish and friends. Will they ever be able to set the world to rights?

Snortingly hilarious and thoroughly gripping, "Hamish and the World Stoppers" (with illustrations by Jamie Littler) is available now from Simon and Schuster.

Here's a wee trailer to give you a heads up on the world of Hamish...! (Skip past the boring ad!)



And if you can't get enough Hamish...

Just released (11th Feb) is the stunning follow-up to "Worldstoppers". "Hamish and the Neverpeople" introduces a whole new menace that threatens the good people of this fair planet.

Huge clanking monsters are roaming the streets, controlled by a shadowy figure lurking in a newly constructed tower of doom.

Hamish and the other members of the PDF have no choice but to once again band together to save the world's fourth most boring town (Starkley) and the rest of the planet (if they really must!)

Danny Wallace's brilliant comic creations are back in the hotly anticipated new book, once again with awesome illustrations from Jamie Littler.

You can pick up "Hamish and the Neverpeople" from all good bookstores and it's out RIGHT NOW published by Simon and Schuster.

Phew! Reviewing books is surprisingly exhausting. We could do with a lovely city break in a gorgeous hotel. How about it Mr Badger?

Leigh Hobbs' awesomely funny character Mr Badger is the star of his own series of books, as he takes care of The Boubles Grand Hotel. There's never a dull moment, so it's a good job Mr Badger loves his job.

In "The Big Book of Mr Badger" you get not one but FOUR Mr Badger stories collected together in a nice big satisfyingly thick paperback. "Mr Badger and the Big Surprise", "Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror", "Mr Badger and the Difficult Duchess" and "Mr Badger and the Missing Ape" (our fave!) are tucked between the covers so you can read them one at a time, or just splurge out on the whole collection in one delicious booky gulp! YUM!

Leigh's brilliant creation is perfect for fans of hilarious stories, it seems Mr Badger is never far away from chaos!

"The Big Book of Mr Badger" is available now from Allen and Unwin Publishing.


One final book for this month's roundup and though it's not out until April it'll give you plenty of time to go and find a box of tissues, you're going to need them...

Amber Lee Dodd's incredibly moving and involving "We Are Giants" is the story of Sydney and her awesome mum. Sydney's mum Amy may only be 124cm tall (the perfect height, in Sydney's opinion) but she's a complete superhero. Sydney's dad died when she was very young but Mum has coped admirably, despite her diminutive size.

When Mum, Sydney and her big sister Jade are forced to move home, a whole new school means difficult times ahead as both Sydney and Jade cope with new friends, new enemies and the tricky business of growing up.

This book will have you well and truly hooked from the opening chapter and if you're anything like as big a softy as me, you will be sobbing into your hankie for most of it. It's a truly wonderful and touching book that doesn't shy away from some important and sensitive issues. We loved it to bits! "We Are Giants" is released in early April from Quercus Books.

Alas, that's all we've got time for in our February roundup. Now we're covering more full reviews of chapter books you'll see a few less in the roundups but a few more in big and proper reviews. Tune in next month to see what else fetches up on our shores as we once again dig deep into all things chaptery and booky for March.