I think it's fair to say that this fantastic joy-filled book series, showcasing kindness and a love of animals, was the first series C became a superfan of.

Prolific and hugely talented author Paula Harrison wrote the fantastic "Rescue Princesses", with a fab collection of positive stories with mighty girls at their heart, each with their own special abilities and affinity for particular animals.

We were lucky enough to meet Paula fairly early on in our blogging career and she's just wonderful to talk to, and fully engaged with C - probably made her a bit star-struck if we're honest. C collected the entire Rescue Princesses series and devoured each one (though as we mention in our reviews - linked below - quite often the arrival of a new book would mean that C would re-read the entire series over and over before polishing off the new title - that made scheduling the reviews a little tricky!)

Paula has since written so many excellent middle grade series, and her books are perfect for emergent readers who are taking those first steps into the world of chapter books. The cream on top of the cake for C was getting a book dedication from Paula for her awesome "Secret Rescuers" series, something that we hugely appreciated and are still completely thrilled about even today.

Of course, time moves on - and the reading tastes of a cynical tweenager often change. But wait...what's sitting on C's bedside reading pile at this very moment in time, completely coincidentally?


(alongside equally awesome and prolific Holly Webb's "Maisie Hitchins" series).

So there you go, sometimes kids really do take to a book series to the point where they become their go-to when they want something familiar, comforting and pleasurable to read. We can't thank Paula enough for producing such brilliantly inspirational stories to instil a love of reading in C.

Original review links: 

#ReadItMD13 Theme Week - "The Importance of Early Readers - bridging the gap between picture books and chapter books"

A fantastic Robyn Silver themed guest post from lovely Paula Harrison, author of this awesome new Middle Grade series.

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 12th October 2018: "The Rescue Princesses: The Star Bracelet" by Paula Harrison and Sharon Tancredi / Artful Doodlers (Nosy Crow)

Booky Advent Calendar Day 15: "The Snowy Reindeer (Princess of Pets Series)" by Paula Harrison (Nosy Crow)

A huge, huge thank you to awesome Paula Harrison for Charlotte's first ever book dedication!

ReadItDaddy's Chapter Book of the Week - Week Ending 7th July 2017 - "Robyn Silver Book 2: The Darkest Dream" by Paula Harrison (Scholastic)

Charlotte and Mummy's Book of the Week Part 2 - Week ending 8th Feb 2013 - The Rescue Princesses: The Secret Promise by Paula Harrison (Nosy Crow Books)

Oh wow, this week's Chapter Book of the Week is the sort of book that saw both of us fighting over the copy we recieved for review - so it was fortunate that Nosy Crow sent us two proofs - and we both dived in separately for our review.

For C, "TrooFriend" by Kirsty Applebaum was exactly the sort of book she loves best, a story that is set in a strange future that shows a book world that's still recognisable, relatable and identifiable as being an extension of the world we live in today - but with subtle twists, turns and nuances to mark it out as futuristic.

"Troofriend" is actually a new range of android friends designed to be your new robotic bestie. Tailored to each individual 'owner', we're soon introduced to one particular TrooFriend 560 - named "Ivy" thanks to her demarcation (IV in roman numerals) - and her new 'owner' Sarah, a little girl who has longed for a sister - and now has one at long last.

The TrooFriend 560 is designed to be the perfect companion. They never lie, never cheat, never steal, and can never hurt humans. Almost perfect, as it soon emerges that IV doesn't quite live up to that expectation, and comes with her own tics and quirks, something that the Troofriend Company claims could never happen.

But is IV alive? And what happens when people begin to treat "Troofriends" like any other piece of disposable technology, when it's clear that they're far more than that. Sarah makes a huge decision - to run away with IV, far away from anyone who would dare to try and take IV away from her.

We both loved this book - and though I could recognise a lot of influences from other stories where synth-human / android / AI elements are prevalent, it's a very human story at its heart and I admired the fact that Kirsty gave this story such a huge amount of appeal to boys and girls the same age as my daughter.

C said "As I read, I could understand what made Sarah want to run away with IV. As an only child I would love my own "Troofriend" as I understand how lonely Sarah must have been, and how she loved IV even despite her being 'imperfect' to everyone else."

C read through this twice, and in fact as I type this review she's diving back in for a third read. Like me she tends to blast through books on her first reading, but then will go back in for more readthroughs if a book really gets its hooks into her. "Troofriend" clearly worked its magic on her and very much deserves Book of the Week status.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A fantastic slice of dark-mirror-esque near-future sci fi in a world where synthetic companions are the new mobile phone, with a strong ethical thread burning through a totally gripping and sometimes quite dark storyline.

"TrooFriend" by Kirsty Applebaum is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review).

We're beginning to wonder whether anyone else will get a look-in in our Chapter Book of the Week slot, as once again Nosy Crow prove that they have a steely glint in their eye for publishing some of the most scintillating middle grade / YA fiction on the planet.

"DustRoad" by Tom Huddleston is one of those books that we cleared the decks for, in fact the same thing happened with "FloodWorld" (Book one in Tom's fantastic post-apocalyptic climate crisis series) - and once again we were wrapped up in the dying world of Kara and Joe.

This time the action eventually sees the duo back on dry land, but still very much in the thick of things as opposing forces - The Five and The Mariners - begin to duke it out over their own visions for the planet's future.

As the action switches to a sun-baked version of the US, like all good dystopic fiction you instantly feel like you're in a world that feels like it's depicting our own future, maybe less than a decade away (unless of course there's a near-miraculous turnaround in the way people think).

Kara and Joe's quest continues as they once again evade Cortez's nefarious Mariners, finding dubious comradeship with a band of outlaws who are determined to make the ruins of planet earth their own.

Kara and Joe, and the villainous Captain Cortez are the sort of characters that stick in the mind long after you've polished off the last chapter - and without any hint of spoilers, leave you almost gnawing the book in half to find out what's going to happen next (cliffhanger much?)

Do they have a future? Are the battle lines as clear cut as good vs evil? What Tom depics so well here is that these are characters that feel believable. In fact they feel like ordinary everyday folk facing up to the reality of a world being dragged through irrevocable change, and dang, if there's ever a reason we're addicted to dystopian stories, it's to wonder (and worry) about how we ourselves would cope in Kara and Joe's well-worn shoes.

But ah, the other character in the book - the amazing sun-blasted ruined world, described in meticulous, mesmerising and horrifying detail - is the real star. There's a hideous beauty to the way Tom describes some of the more memorable locations in the story (again if you read the influences article, you'll recognise some of these). Again this is like a siren song to both of us, fans of "Urbex" (a movement to photograph and capture the atmosphere of long-abandoned or ruined places, that feels like something Tom has nodded to in several parts of the book where previous bustling examples of civilisation are reduced to skeletal rotting ruins).

We both loved this. C because, to her, this sort of thing is all new - moving swiftly on from the usual middle grade fare into books that are far more dark and gritty than other things she's previously read. Books that feed into her own interest in climate change and the youth resistance movement that has risen up to challenge our horribly unsustainable consumer-led lifestyles.

For me, it feels like Tom Huddleston deserves to join the ranks of hallowed authors I loved as a kid and still love re-reading as an adult. Authors like John Christopher and John Wyndham, Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg and even modern dystopia masters like Ben H. Winters and Margaret Atwood.

I'm gushing, of course I am. This is a bloomin' fantastic book, tinged with a dark hearted view of a possible (some might say 'inevitable') future, but with moments that offer a tiny silver-hued glimmer of hope that humanity will somehow prevail.

Tom very kindly wrote about some of the influences for his books (click here for a rivetting read!) and after devouring this book in a couple of marathon sessions (it's that good), all those influences are clearly identifiable in this fast-paced story that keeps you reading way into the wee small hours.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Another truly amazing, rivetting and addictive slice of dystopian fiction from an author who is fast becoming the 'go-to' for darkly tinged and utterly essential middle grade sci fi.

"DustRoad" by Tom Huddleston is out now, published by Nosy Crow (Kindly supplied for review). 

FloodWorld and Dust Road by Tom Huddleston (published by Nosy Crow)

It's not often we let anyone else wrestle the controls of the good ship "ReadItDaddy" off us, but we're prepared to make exceptions for folk whose books completely blow us away. So step forward Tom Huddleston, author of the truly stunning "FloodWorld" (which was a previous Book of the Week on this very blog) and the sequel "DustRoad" - once again putting fantastic, gripping post-apocalyptic storytelling firmly back on the map.

Oh yes, we are very much "down" for this takeover of middle grade by awesome fantasy and science fiction. In fact genre stuff feels like it's finally finding a home amongst readers who are fast becoming disillusioned by reading stories about yet another posho who, along with their cute toy poodle, fancies themselves as a detective.

So thank you once again to Nosy Crow for signing up genius author Louie Stowell and teaming her with Davide Ortu for the follow-up to one of our fave middle grade romps of last year, "The Dragon in the Library".

In "The Monster in the Lake" we're once again in the delightful company of Kit - a would-be wizard who seems to have a slightly disastrous touch when it comes to performing simple magic. Spells go horribly wrong, things are never quite what they seem - and to add to Kit's life hassles there's a boomin' great big lake monster to content with this time around.

Kit, Josh, Alita and Faith (the mysterious yet magical librarian) are back for this new adventure, helping Kit to figure out what's behind several bizarre outbreaks of magic in her local snoozy town - and perhaps once again save the world in the process. But what is that strange "thing" lurking in the lake? And who exactly is behind this weird shift in the magical world?

Louie expertly delves into her deep knowledge and love of sci fi and fantasy, with a ton of nods and references in this story that just had us hooting and cheering like cheesy nerdy fanboys / girls (which, we are, of course!) Kit's the sort of character we always love to see in books anyway, but here she begins to establish herself as that rare gem - a character that kids will begin to love enough to dress as on world book day. I'm kidding, but Kit is inspirational, full of curiosity, a tinge of self doubt but a ton of ability too - and dang, we want that in our books in spades.

Congrats Louie and Davide, this is another corker!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A darkly tinged, often extremely funny but reverent homage to all things gloriously B-Movie-esque with the sort of main character we just can't get enough of, and a supporting cast that make scooby and his gang look like cardboard cutouts. Awesomeness!

"The Monster in the Lake" by Louie Stowell and Davide Ortu is out now, published by Nosy Crow (Kindly supplied for review). 

Sometimes a new book hits our review pile from a talented debut author, and you imagine what it must have been like to be the commissioning editor seeing that book in its raw form for the first time, and feeling that same frisson of excitement that you, the reader, now feel.

So it was with our Chapter Book of the Week this week, the utterly brilliant "The BigWoof Conspiracy" by Dashe Roberts, (hopefully) book 1 in an exciting new series that delves into the paranormal, setting out an enticing storyworld that just ticks all the right boxes for us.

We're huge fans of cult TV, strange phenomenon, mysterious creatures and conspiracy theories so you can imagine how fabulous this book was for us.

The story begins in a distinctly weird place, the town of Sticky Pines which is probably twinned with Eerie, Indiana - or any number of fictional towns where weird goings on are the norm.

Lucy Sladan is completely obsessed with UFOs and weird creatures and spends her time poring over dusty old tomes of abduction accounts, and weird old books about bizarre phenomenon (sounds a LOT like me aged 10 and also a lot like C who is really into all this stuff too).

In the midst of a thunderstorm and on the trail of a spate of strange disappearances in her home town of Sticky Pines, Lucy encounters a huge hairy creature stalking through the woods.

Terrified, she later also meets a new ally - Milo Fisher, also obsessed with all things paranormal but the holder of a deep dark secret - perhaps Milo knows more about the disappearances - and the creature - than he's letting on.

As the mystery begins to unfold, you can absolutely tell Dashe had a ball writing this, dipping into all the tropes and stories that offer the rich fertile ground on which this book is built. It's filled with action, suspense and a few moments where you pause for breath - only to realise you've been holding your breath for the last five minutes and are beginning to turn blue!

It's glorious, utterly glorious and comes with our highest recommendation. Just stop what you're doing, whether you're hunting sasquatches or trying to take photos of ghosts, and get down to your local bookshop for a copy of this. It's just so darned good!

Sum this book up in a sentence: The X-Files meets Eerie Indiana Meets John A.Keel in the body of a mighty young girl who delves into the deeply mysterious occurences in her very odd home town, making this a middle grade series destined for greatness!

"The BigWoof Conspiracy" by Dashe Roberts is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review). 

Axel Scheffler's awesome "Flip Flap Frozen" is the latest - and most appropriate for the season - version of his cackle-worthy mixed up animal series yet.

Even tetchy 11 year olds will laugh out loud at the crazy combinations of animals, birds and fish you can cook up in this crazy book - with awesome rhymes to jolly things along even more, and of course a touch of snow as most of these animals enjoy the colder climate to be found in the extreme south and far north of our planet, and all the other environments where snow and ice reign supreme.

It's a giggle a minute! What do you get if you cross a narwhal with a reindeer? It's a nardeer, of course! And how about a penguin with a beluga? Why, that's a penuga! With over 121 possible creations, silly names and strange noises to make you giggle, this new Flip Flap book is perfect for preschoolers and ideal for animal fans.

"Flip Flap Frozen" by Axel Scheffler is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review). 

A book for teeny tinies now, as we delve into a snowy wintry landscape for a simple but effective tale that's fun to read aloud when kids are more interested in the fantastic illustrations in a book rather than the story itself.

And in "Snow Still" by Holly Surplice, the illustrations truly are gorgeous as a young reindeer plays hide and seek amongst the snowdrifts with all their animal friends gathering round to join in.

Brilliant for emerging readers who will love reading along with their parents, but above all filled with the sort of snowy wintry landscapes we love to see in books at this time of year.

Let's take a closer look inside at some of the gorgeous page spreads. Yes lets!





"Snow Still" by Holly Surplice is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review). 

A heart-melting and gorgeously atmospheric picture book slides under door 18 of our Booky Advent Calendar with blog favourites Tracey Corderoy and Sarah Massini cooking up the perfect Christmassy picture book for your delectation and delight.

"Mouse's Night Before Christmas" is perfect for snuggling up with in the run-up to the big night, Christmas Eve - so is Mouse ready?

Well not exactly. You see poor lonely mouse doesn't have anyone to share Christmas with, and is resigned to the fact that it's going to be another cold and lonely christmas in the Grandfather Clock he calls home.

However this year will be different. Santa arrives, lost in a blizzard and not quite finished with the all-important task of delivering presents. But can a tiny mouse possibly help Father Christmas find his way through the snow?

Together they embark on a magical sleigh ride, delivering presents all around town. But the best present of all is for Mouse - a special friend to share Christmas Day with!

This is beautiful, perfectly capturing the magic of christmas and friendship, and believing in yourself even if you're as tiny as a mouse.

"Mouse's Night Before Christmas" by Tracey Corderoy and Sarah Massini is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review). 

Time for a perilous and exciting bit of pint-sized detective work with the fabulous Rose Campion!

In "Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery" by Lyn Gardner and Jez Tuya, Rose is getting ready for Christmas, and in particular can't wait for the pantomime season to begin at Campion's Palace of Varieties and Wonders.

Preparations are well under way and there's a touch of snow in the air.

Yet Rose Campion and her friends have more to worry about than who'll be filling the role of Cinderella this year.

The Duchess - the deadly ruler of the London criminal underworld - has been released from prison, and she has her sights set not only on Rose, but also on a priceless emerald necklace that has just arrived in the city.


Meanwhile, Campions' is playing host to the mysterious hypnotist Madame de Valentina - but how is she able to communicate with the souls of departed loved ones - even before they've actually died?

This is tight writing, and exactly the sort of book that we can't get enough of at this time of year, sizzling with awesome twists and turns, filled with seasonal touches of snow and the grand spectacle of the theatre, with an envious cast of mysterious villains to tax Rose to the very limits of her young detective abilities.

Superb, superb, superb!

"Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery" by Lyn Gardner with illustrations by Jez Tuya is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review).

What better way to spend a few delightful hours, than in the company of an author who has an absolute knack for writing brilliant stories for mighty girls who love animals.

C loves Paula Harrison's books, even now as a slightly sniffy tweenager who has shrugged off quite a lot of middle grade books.

Her latest series, "Princess of Pets" with gorgeous illustrations from Olivia Chin Mueller is another fantastic range of books setting up mighty girl heroes, sworn to protect animals around the world.

One such hero is Bea, a girl who is visiting her cousins at wintry Peruva Castle, the perfect snowy and wintry setting to fit with the season. 

"Aww, poor Heidi!" - This was at one time one of my wife's childhood catchphrases, as her mum read to her this well-loved children's classic nestling into our Book of the Week slot this week.

"Heidi" by Johanna Spyri, retold here by Jeanne Willis with gorgeous new illustrations from blog fave Briony May Smith is much, much more than just a lovely edition of a classic book. It's a book that comes to life as you read, a tale that speaks of idyllic childhood days spent in the crisp clear air of the mountains, but also a twinge of tragedy as Heidi is taken away from her loving grandparents to live in the city.

Missing the mountain life, her goats and her best friend Peter, it's not long before Heidi manages to make a new friend. But there's always a dream of returning to the mountains at the back of her mind. Will Heidi get her most heartfelt wish? 

Heidi's new life in the bustling city of Frankfurt is a far cry from her beginnings in the mountains.

"Grumpy" Grandpa isn't so grumpy after all.

The creative response to the climate crisis has been truly awe-inspiring in 2019. As kids the world over rise up and protest about the mess that grown ups are making of our planet, there are some folk out there who see their point of view perfectly (like us!)

"Earth Heroes" by Lily Dyu and Jackie Lay gathers together 20 inspiring stories of those people - young and old alike.

Built around a core theme that even one person can make a difference, these stories not only highlight the work that these amazing people are doing, but the things we can all do to make a significant change for the better. 

Did you know there's a whole genre based around cat detective fiction? No? Well there most certainly is. Cats are naturally inquisitive, quite cunning and excellent at solving problems and puzzles (you thought those mackerel fillets were safe in the fridge? Better check again when you get home!)

"Max the Detective Cat" by Sarah Todd Taylor and Nicola Kinnear is an excellent example of middle grade detective fiction that just so happens to fall into the cat-egory (I know, the cat puns, we just can't help ourselves) and it's the third brilliant novel chronicling Max's amazing adventures.

This time the globetrotting cat is off to Paris to investigate a very mysterious disappearance amongst the rooftops and spires of this romantic and enchanting city.

Max arrives in the midst of preparations for a fantastic singing competition which has the city's attention, but meanwhile something altogether more nefarious is going on.

Pampered moggies are disappearing from their comfortable homes and no one knows why so it's up to Max to take a closer look at a truly puzzling and baffling case.

Sarah's characters are delicious, truly - and Max is whip-smart and engaging, setting us up for a glorious detective romp in a fabulous setting.

If you've not yet caught up with the series, do check out "The Disappearing Diva" and "The Phantom Portrait" - the previous adventures in Max's amazing life as a superb feline sleuth. Utterly brilliant stuff!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A superb moggy-based detective romp amongst the rooftops of Paris, beautifully written and illustrated, pulling curious kids right into the story with tons of atmosphere and cleverness.

"Max the Detective Cat: The Catnap Caper" by Sarah Todd Taylor and Nicola Kinnear is out now, published by Nosy Crow Books (kindly supplied for review). 

This is an awesome idea for a book, and one that we couldn't wait to dive into.

"WildLives: 50 Extraordinary Animals that Made History" by Ben Lerwill and Sarah Walsh celebrates some of the most amazing animals you'll ever encounter.

Animals that performed feats of bravery and intelligence that you wouldn't normally attribute to mere creatures we share a mudball with.

In this fascinating and touching book, children can learn about 50 courageous creatures from around the world and throughout history. 

History isn't always horrible, but as we've seen in the previous fantastic book in the "So you think you've got it bad?" series, life wasn't always easy for youngsters.

In "A Kid's Life in Ancient Rome" we find out just what kids had to put up with, as well as a terribly high infant mortality rate.

Snacking on dormice? Check!

Washing your clothes in pee? Check!

Fighting in the gladiatorial arena? Check check and double check - yep, even kids weren't exempt from becoming warriors for the entertainment of others.

Expertly written by award winning author Chae Strathie, with consultation from the British Museum's amazing history boffins, this is a fun, engaging and above all approachable book for kids who will be taking history for the first time this term, and for bigger kids who love their history truly horrible.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A brilliant addition to Nosy Crow's excellent non-fiction range, showing just how tough kids had it back in the days of Ancient Rome.

"So you think you've got it bad - A Kid's Life in Ancient Rome" by Chae Strathie and Marisa Morea is out now, published by Nosy Crow / British Musem (kindly supplied for review)

Doughnut go gently into that long night. OK I'm misquoting here, but in "The Doughnut of Doom" by Elys Dolan it's time for a particularly sweet hero to step into the breach, showing that anyone can be brave if they put their mind to it.

It's another ordinary day in Food Town and Alison McNutty (hah, I like that name - now where have I heard that before?) peanut butter sandwich and rookie reporter, desperately needs a big break. 

Do you ever get that "Rabbit in the Headlights" moment whenever anyone asks you what you want to be when you grow up? C changes her mind on an almost daily basis - and to be honest I still don't have a clue either.

But think outside the box with the fantastic "Incredible Jobs you've (probably) Never Heard Of" by super-talented Natalie Labarr.

Natalie uses a goodly dose of humour, truly fabulous illustrations - but an entirely non-fiction approach to gathering together some of the wildest and wackiest jobs on the planet.

Fancy being someone who has to sniff-test everything that will go on space missions, to make sure the items are not too whiffy and distracting for astronauts? Yep that's an actual job.

Or better still, someone who colour-coordinates people's lives if they have absolutely no colour sense of their own (dear lord, I think I need to hire this person!)

Perhaps someone who babysits baby Sloths? That sounds exactly like the sort of job C would love to do.

You'll find all these and more in a gorgeous large-format hardback packed with amusing and cartoonish illustrations, but real actual things you can do instead of the usual aspirations in life. I mean who wants to be a boring YouTube Streaming Superstar when you can be a waterslide tester or a matress jumper instead?

Sum this book up in a sentence: A fabulous book of the week that will offer tons of inspiration if you're the sort of person (like us) who has no idea what they want to be when they enter the world of work.

"Incredible Jobs you've (probably) Never Heard of" by Natalie Labarre is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review).

Our Chapter Book of the Week feels like a glimpse into what's fast becoming our near future - a drowned planet where most of our current major cities are underwater.

I've always been drawn to dystopic stories, and "Flood World" by Tom Huddleston is one of the best middle grade dystopia novels I've read in a long time - so good in fact that even C (who usually goes for books with slightly happier / funnier settings) couldn't resist its lure either.

We both polished this one off in a couple of sittings, so let's get to the nitty gritty of what makes this such a mesmerising book.

Continuing our space-themed week, here's another brilliant book from Nosy Crow that talks about what it takes to be an Astronaut, but also details the many other careers that kids can think about when it comes to the exploration of space, and space science.

"How to be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs" by Dr Sheila Kanani and Sol Linero may be designed for younger readers, but it was also quite fascinating for C - mainly because we were recently lucky enough to visit the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, a completely awe-inspiring place for would-be space cadets.

The book is full of brilliant illustrations and facts about the many, many supporting staff and scientists who work at the very top of their field in space science and exploration, supporting those Astronauts lucky enough to actually blast off into space.

As well as detailing what you'll go through as one of those lucky folk, there are great sections on every possible career you can think of, from the folk who have to design tasty food for consumption in space, to the plucky folk who have to balance the books when it comes to paying for that new gleaming spaceship.

Let's take a peek at the spreads inside...

Fancy working out there in the inky blackness? What's out there aside from the moon?

Life on board the International Space Station. Lunch is challenging then!

Love the diversity in this book, huge tick for that.

A really fabulous book this, filled with tons of amazing information to pique kids' interest in a space career.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A really neat approach to discussing the exploration of space in a kid-friendly way, showing how much support Astronauts get from a huge number of other folk working on space projects.

"How to be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs" by Dr Sheila Kanani and Sol Linero is out now, published by Nosy Crow (Kindly supplied for review).