We have some very interesting conversations at home around books...

We're completely hooked on Lottie Lipton's adventures in the awesome series of mystery chapter books written and illustrated by Dan Metcalf. Previously we've read and enjoyed Lottie's first two outings - "Secrets of the Stone" and "The Curse of the Cairo Cat". Lottie's next two adventures are now available, so get your magnifying glass and hieroglyphics-decoding notebook and be prepared for excitement, adventure, puzzling and suspense. We love these books because they're completely absorbing and atmospheric, and Charlotte loves them because we often call her Lottie - and she'd definitely love to imagine herself as a puzzle solving girl detective herself!

In "The Egyptian Enchantment" Lottie and her slightly dotty but hugely knowledgable Uncle Bert are once again taking a look at some intriguing new exhibits at The British Museum.

Lottie inadvertently causes complete chaos when she reads a mysterious spell out loud, and brings to life a whole gang of Egyptian Shabtis - throwing the museum into complete disarray.

What is a Shabti, I hear you ask...

Egyptian Shabtis. Tiny little ornamental figures often buried alongside mummies

They're tiny little figurines and they love nothing better than causing trouble. Lottie, her Uncle and Reg the Caretaker must track those mysterious and mischievous little figures down before the whole museum is completely destroyed!

"The Egyptian Enchantment" is available now.

The fourth title in Lottie's adventure series is "The Scroll of Alexandria" which may just prove to be Lottie's trickiest case yet!

This time, the British Museum's precious ancient book collection is under threat as the unscrupulous head Curator of the Museum, Sir Trevelyan Taylor, wants to sell off these precious assets to the highest bidder.

The Scroll of Alexandria is vital - as it describes just why those books must stay exactly where they are. Is Sir Trevelyan quite what he seems, and what will happen if those books fall into the wrong hands and are removed from the museum forever!

Egyptian scrolls were often filled with beautiful and detailed illustrations as well as Hieroglyphics

It's up to Lottie to track down the scroll and save the day!

"The Scroll of Alexandria" is available now. Both books are published by A & C Black Childrens and Educational Books.

(Kindly sent to us for review by A & C Black)

"Claude on Holiday" by Alex T. Smith (Hodder Childrens Books)

Welcome to our March edition rounding up some of the amazing and awesome chapter books and early chapter readers we've been casting our eyes across over the last few weeks. And we're starting off with a long-time blog favourite penned by an awesome booktastic chap! Alex T. Smith's "Claude" series has been a favourite of Charlotte's for quite some time now and she constantly talks about the time she met Alex and got her copy of "Claude in the Spotlight" signed.

We've been catching up with the series courtesy of Hodder and join Claude on Holiday and Claude in the City in two further adventures, accompanied by his Tardis-like beret and his ever-faithful and dapper companion Sir Bobblysock.

In "Claude on Holiday" Claude and Sir Bobblysock are off for some desperately needed R & R to a lovely seaside resort. Strictly no adventures and no crazy antics, just sun, sea and sandcastles! Of course things don't always go according to plan for Claude and Sir! Excitement and adventure are never far behind, and as Claude settles in for a well earned rest, nefarious ne'er do well pirates seem set to scupper their hols! EGAD! Claude may be a little dog, slightly on the plump side, but he's a brave soul and so dive in to find out whether sharp-witted Claude and Sir Bobblysock can outwit those dimwit salty coves! Yo ho!

"Claude in the City" by Alex T. Smith (Hodder Children's Books)

"Claude in the City" returns Claude to slightly more cosmopolitan climes as Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes disappear to work for the day as usual, leaving Claude and Sir Bobblysock to plan their next grand adventure. Claude rather fancies hitting the town in fine style, visiting the sights, stopping by a cafe for a much needed sticky bun and a cup of Earl Grey but as seasoned Claude fans will know, excitement and adventure are usually around the next corner. There's a terrible robbery in progress and Claude ends up hopelessly mixed up in the caper! Smart doggies like Claude aren't foiled by gruff robbers though so it's time to swing into action!

It's easy to see why Charlotte loves these stories so. Alex has a keen wit (anyone who has ever followed him on Twitter can't help to hoot with laughter at his commentaries on popular TV shows as they air, particularly Downton Abbey!), his illustrations are utterly brilliant and the Claude stories achieve the perfect balance between picture book fun and chapter book depth. We love them to bits!!

Who could possibly follow an act as classy as Claude?

"Matilda" by Roald Dahl (Puffin Books)

Only one of the world's most best loved children's books. Matilda has been around since I was a wee whippersnapper but now Charlotte is getting her teeth into more wordy fare as she reads to herself at bedtime, she's ready to jump headfirst into the amazing book worlds of Roald Dahl. What better place to start than with the story of Matilda, a little girl with a huge intellect and a deep love of books.

Matilda's family don't share her enthusiasm for literature (in fact her parents are downright boorish). Despite this, Matilda finds her way to her local library and falls in love with all the books she finds there, rapidly working her way through the children's section before discovering the delights of The Secret Garden and Charles Dickens!

Matilda's rotten parents eventually send her off to school, and she meets the wonderful Miss Honey - a big hearted teacher who realises Matilda's potential, and also shares her love of books. Unfortunately the school's headmistress is one of the most terrifying characters ever created in children's literature. The huge, the hulking, the temperamental Miss Trunchbull - Ex-Olympic shot-putter and all round big fat horrendous bully.

Can Matilda's sharp intellect and quick wits help solve a mystery from Miss Honey's past? Will Matilda ever be free of her annoying parents and brother?

You'll have to read on and find out. It was quite something to see three girls in Charlotte's cloakroom at school drop-off all reading their own copy of Matilda the other day, testament to just how brilliant Dahl's books are and this book in particular! What a great place to start a life-long love affair with Mr Dahl's fantastic work!

One more before we go? Oh there's always room for one more....!

"The Secret Kitten" by Holly Webb (Stripes Publishing)

You'll have to wait a couple of weeks till you can enjoy "The Secret Kitten" by Holly Webb, but this is the amazing 30th book (30 BOOKS! 30!) in her wonderful animal stories series. Centred around a young girl named Lucy who goes to live with her Gran, it's a touching tale of a lonely little girl who finds solace in an unexpected friend. Gran doesn't like animals but Lucy can't help but fall in love with an adorable stray kitten she rescues and begins to look after in secret. Will Lucy's annoying brother find out? What will Gran say!

Holly Webb's animal stories are perfect for Charlotte's age group (and like Matilda, we've seen lots of kids toting books from the animal stories series at drop off and pickup times at home). Charlotte read through the story fairly quickly and gave it a huge thumbs up, wanting to track down more of Holly's astonishing collection so we'll be looking out for them very soon! "The Secret Kitten" is out on 6th April 2015 from Stripes (Little Tiger) and you can find out more about Holly's brilliant books on the Little Tiger / Stripes Website.

That's a wrap, tune in next month for more chapter book goodies in April's roundup!

Welcome to another edition of our occasional roundup of Early Reader and Chapter Books. We've got some corkers lined up for you so without further ado, let's dive in with some of Charlotte's favourite current reads.

First up, the return of an old favourite!

Bob and Barry's Lunar Adventures - Curse of the Werefleas by Simon Bartram (Templar Publishing)

Bob - the infamous Man in the moon, and his (not an alien, honestly) dog Barry are back in another cracking chapter version of the brilliant "Bob" books. This time, Bob isn't quite feeling himself. He has an odd craving for meat, a rather problematic issue with wind (and we're not talking about the sort that you can fly kites in - although you could try!), and unsightly hair sprouting all over his face and head (not to mention fangs). What could possibly be the cause of Bob's radical change? Could it have something to do with certain tiny microscopic visitors Barry has brought home to stay?

It's another fantastic addition to Simon's chapter book range, with some awesome black and white illustrations depicting Bob's terrible plight (but we've a feeling he's going to be back, don't you worry!)

So what's next in our book bag?

Middle School - Save Rafe by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts (Arrow Publishing)

For all those of you who are absolutely nutty about "The Wimpy Kid" here's another hero cut from the same slightly shaky cloth. In "Middle School - Save Rafe!" our titular hero is back, facing being kept back a year at school if he can't fave up to a rather unusual challenge. Can Rafe survive the rugged outdoors and complete an outward bound course? Hilarious rib-ticklingly funny situations abound with ace illustrations from Chris Tebbetts. Give this a shot if you're all wimped out!

Now a quartet of amazing autumn books from one of our favourite new publishers...

Arthur and Me by Sarah Todd Taylor and Peter Stevenson (Dragonfly Press)

We've been enjoying the Firefly and Dragonfly range of books from the awesome new Welsh publishers, who are fully supporting the Welsh Government's new junior literacy initiatives. We've been taking a look at the autumn roundup and there's truly something for everyone.

First up, we've really been into exploring Arthurian Legend lately - so this book arrived with perfect timing. Imagine (if you can) what would happen if an ordinary everyday schoolboy managed to resurrect the legendary king and warrior - and found that Arthur, King of the Britons, wasn't quite as legendary as expected.

Tomos tries his best to educate the ancient briton in modern ways, but with a school bully to face up to, and Arthur falling foul of sneering teachers and mocking knights, it's a fantastic time-travelling fish-out-of-water adventure for younger readers (and we LOVE it!)

Mr Mahli's Shed (and a Ghost named Dylan) by Laura Sheldon and Huw Aaron (Dragonfly Press)

Magic, mystery and a spot of shed-sitting are on the menu for our next book from the Dragonfly autumn lineup. Young Tomos and Alys offer to look after Mr Mahli's garden and don't realise that his shed holds spooky secrets that soon embroil them in a decidedly odd adventure. It's full of humour and more than a few unexpected twists. Come on down to the shed, it's storytime!

More? You want more? Oh you lot, we can never say no to you...!

Dottie Blanket and the Hilltop by Wendy Meddour and Mina May (Dragonfly Press)

Meet Dottie Blanket, a girl who has a magical opportunity to make one wish. When life takes a slightly worrying turn after Mr Blanket (her Dad) loses his job, Dottie closes her eyes and makes a wish. "I wish I lived on a bright green hilltop" she says, and before she can blink twice, Dottie is whisked away - and finds herself exactly where she wished to be!

It's a slightly surreal and decidedly odd little book this, but hilariously funny and we particularly loved Mina May's illustrations. She's only 13 and obviously has a bright illustrative career ahead of her, as her drawings are AWESOME!

Oh go on then, one more before bedtime...

Pete and the Five a Side Vampires by Malachy Doyle and Hannah Doyle (Dragonfly Press)

With perfect timing just in time for Halloween, here's a spooky story of a young boy named Pete - and his brilliant companion Blob (who just happens to be a Basset Hound). While out walking one evening, Pete and Blob spy strange goings-on in their local park. Strange flapping creatures emerge from the darkness, hell-bent on sucking his blood!

That's the least of Pete's troubles as there are more spooky creatures lurking. Werewolves, Hell Hounds and Bwcas (I had to do a quick google to find out what a Bwca is - and I wish I hadn't!) How on earth can Pete defeat such evil foes? Or are they just out for a night of partying at the local fancy dress evening?

For more fun from Firefly / Dragonfly, visit their website at http://www.fireflypress.co.uk/dragonfly

Hope you've enjoyed our Chapter Book roundup for October. Join us again next month when we take a look at another brilliant selection!

Today is "Happy Launch Day" for a book we've had for a while now, and as it takes us just that little bit longer to read through chapter books we thought we'd publish our review today.

So who is Pumkiniah the Brave, and do you really need another fairy story in your life?

Of COURSE you do, particularly if you have children at home who love fairies and absolutely cannot resist a story about a particularly gutsy and cool fairy like Pumkiniah (or Pumki for short).

Pumki is a young fairy who enrolls at the Bureau of Young Human Defence (BYHD) to become a secret fairy agent. Unbeknownst to the human world, fairies help to bind the world together, constantly vigilant and always ready for when evil forces may threaten the world we know and love, unseen but ever present.

Pumkiniah embarks on an adventure with her friends that will not only help her learn more about the world but will test her to her limits as the forces of good and evil clash.

We particularly liked an approach in fairy stories to make the fairies more contemporary-feeling, while still paying homage to all the familiar classic fairy traits that children may have encountered in other novels. Though this is a book more suitable for older children than Charlotte (ages 8-12 perhaps), it's a good meaty and long-lasting book to read to younger children who start to develop a taste for words and language over pictures (though I thought the lovely little pre-chapter illustrations of the awesome Pumki were a lovely touch).

Atmospheric, nicely flowing and definitely a must if your children still believe in fairies. The good news is that a second novel is complete (still waiting for a publisher) and the 3rd and 4th Pumkiniah books are also in progress. Georgia is one busy lady!

Find out more about Pumkiniah the Brave, Georgia Beyers and how to order the book through the Pumkiniah Website

Charlotte's best bit: Giggling about Trolls acting up in class (and out of class). Just like the boys at Charlotte's school, in fact!

Daddy's favourite bit: An accomplished and neatly contemporary slant on classic fairy folklore. The sort of fairy heroine you really wouldn't mind your daughters (or sons) idolising. Move over Tinkerbell, your time's up!

(Very kindly sent to us for review all the way from the land of Oz by Georgia Beyers)