South Woodham Ferrers

w/o 10 August 2026

Book Reviews

Wondering what to read next?

Here, you’ll find engaging, down-to-earth reviews of books—from magical picture books and page-turning young adult novels to compelling adult fiction and insightful nonfiction. Whether you’re a parent, educator, or lifelong reader searching for your next favourite book, our regularly updated reviews are here to inform, inspire, and spark your love of reading.

The Top New Books Recently Published

The National Year of Reading has begun, so it is the perfect time to share the incredible books that are being published. Here is a quick round up of the best new releases.

Week commencing 5th August 2026

All That We See or Seem book cover
Picture Book

Don’t Do it, Doug!

Maudie Powell-Tuck and Duncan Beedie

From the team that created ‘Hank Goes Honk’, comes another brilliant picture book that speaks to everyone who lacks impulse control. Doug is a hamster with a taste for trouble. From shaking fizzy pop to pressing oh-so-tempting red buttons, Doug just cannot help himself. Fun to read aloud together as Doug ignores to our cries of ‘Do NOT do that!’, a wonderful book for little ones and grown-ups alike.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Little Tiger Press Group
ISBN: 9781801048620

A Beautiful Family book cover
Graphic Novel

Rune: The Tale of the Winged Sorceress

Carlos Sanchez

After the roaring success of the first ‘Rune’ graphic novel, we have been eagerly awaiting the sequel.

With Dai missing, Chiri is desperately rallying her fellow adventurers on a quest to find him. But with the darkness creating a fearsome army of creatures and planning on total domination of the kingdom, finding her best friend is starting to feel impossible. With another dark herald hunting Chiri down, it’s going to take every drop of magic she can summon to protect the friends she has left and find the one she’s lost. A gripping adventure that is beautifully illustrated throughout.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Flying Eye Books
ISBN: 9781838744076

Country People book cover
Young Adult

Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins

Now out in paperback, the latest offering from the Hunger Games prequels. As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honour of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. The story behind one of the much-loved characters.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Scholastic
ISBN: 9780702349072

Mr Sidhu’s Post Office book cover
Fantasy

Brigends & Breadknives

Travis Baldree

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her. It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect. A drunken night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover. As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035035960

Boleyn Traitor book cover
Politics

Frankly

Nicola Sturgeon

The enduring popularity of Nicola Sturgeon, the first female and longest-serving First Minister of Scotland, was a rare constant in an era marked by Brexit, Covid and five different UK prime ministers. In this deeply personal memoir, Sturgeon recounts her journey from working-class Ayrshire to the steps of Bute House. She pulls no punches, candidly recounting her interactions with figures including Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, and Alex Salmond – her mentor and, ultimately, her staunch adversary.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035040230

Week commencing 6th July 2026

All That We See or Seem book cover
Science Fiction

All That We See or Seem

Ken Liu

After becoming the infamous ‘Orphan Hacker’, a lawbreaker who captivated a nation, Julia Z is now trying to leave that life behind and live her life anonymously. However, when she is asked to use her skills to help find a kidnapped artist she embarks on a harrowing journey, drawing her deeper into the shadows of the American Dream and confronting her own past. A science-fiction thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by AI.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 9781035915965

A Beautiful Family book cover
Thriller

A Beautiful Family

Jennifer Trevelyan

On a family holiday that ten-year-old Alex considers boring, he meets a new friend who tells the secret of a girl who went missing two years ago, thought to be drowned. As they hunt for clues, they wonder if the adults were wrong and she is waiting to be found. Childhood curiosity gives way to a darker reality with a terrifying question of whether the missing girl drowned or if the predator is hiding in plain sight.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035055753

Country People book cover
Contemporary Fiction

Country People

Daniel Mason

A devoted husband, a doting father beloved for his outlandish bedtime stories, and the proud owner of a truffle-hunting dog in a land with no truffles, Miles is a bit lost. So, when his wife Kate accepts a visiting professorship at a prestigious college in the far away forests of Vermont, he decides that this will be the year to finally move forward with his life. But Miles is a man of many enthusiasms. Soon he finds himself entangled with a cast of characters as colourful as those of any of his folktales, from a ghostly tree surgeon, to a scythe-mad biochemist, a Shakespearean temptress, and a photographer of snowflakes, until at last he stumbles upon a bizarre local legend, which, he begins to suspect, might not be a legend at all.

Format: Hardback
Published by: John Murray Press
ISBN: 9781399835015

Mr Sidhu’s Post Office book cover
Picture Book

Meltdown!

Cara Matheson and Mike Byrne

A perfect picture book for the summer weather. Cilla Chinchilla’s ice cream van has only one rule: your ice cream flavour MUST rhyme with your animal name. But when her customers start to misbehave, can Cilla avoid a meltdown? It’s Rocky Road for Toad, banana for Iguana and fig for Pig. But when Pig demands Rocky Road, the other customers start to complain too. Can Cilla stick to her strict rhyming rule? And will Pig EVER get his Rocky Road? Full of fun and giggles, feelings and – of course – ice cream!

Format: Paperback
Published by: Puffin
ISBN: Paperback

Boleyn Traitor book cover
Contemporary Fiction

Ever Land

Amy Abdelnoor

Dinah, a Jewish teenager from London, arrives in Israel with her family in 2000. Still reeling from the death of her beloved dad, the idea of having to start all over again daunts her. A fourteen-year-old Palestinian who was shot and killed decades ago in the Six Day War, Safa is caught in a limbo which she calls the ‘In-Between’. She is unable to fully pass on without knowing what happened to her younger sister, Nur, who is still alive somewhere. After thirty-three years, the possibility of finding her sister is suddenly within reach – but Safa needs Dinah’s help. Ever Land is a gripping and powerful story that sheds light on the ongoing occupation of Palestine. It is a tale of belonging and identity, of devastation and displacement and – ultimately – of the enduring universality of humanity and love.

Format: Hardback
Published by: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9781529155129

Week commencing 29th June 2026

Graphic Novel

Heartstoppers Volume 6

Alice Oseman

Obviously, we had to mention the long-awaited final chapter for the popular LGBTQ+ Graphic Novel series, Heartstoppers. Everyone in school knows Nick and Charlie. Everyone knows they’re going to be together forever. But Charlie’s busy with his bid to become head boy. While Nick is preparing to leave for uni, he’s starting to wonder who he’ll be, without Charlie. I have seen how excited our readers are about this coming out, and this week it will finally be here!

Format: Paperback
Published by: Hachette Children’s Group
ISBN: 9781444974881

The Persian book cover
Spy Thriller

The Persian

David McCloskey

What happens when a spy is forced to reckon with the consequences of his deception? Kamran Esfahani, a Persian Jewish dentist from Stockholm, dreams of starting afresh in California. To finance his new life, he agrees to spy for Mossad in Iran, working with a clandestine unit tasked with sowing chaos and sabotage inside the country. When he’s captured by Iranian security forces, Kamran is compelled to confess his experiences as a spy, in a testimonial dealing not only with the security of nations, but also with revenge, deceit, and the power of love and forgiveness in a world of lies.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Swift Press
ISBN: 9781800754041

The Heirs book cover
Young Adult

The Heirs

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

A thriller mystery for teenagers. Everyone has heard of the Button heirs: the five genius children of infamous billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and trained under the “Button Method”, they’ve had no choice but to be brilliant. But brilliance comes at a deadly price. Because at their father’s tenth annual Prodigy Ball, Leontes Button is murdered. As long-buried secrets come to light, one thing is clear: everyone at the ball had reason to want him dead. After all, their father was especially good at making enemies.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Usborne Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 9781835401002

Mr Sidhu’s Post Office book cover
Contemporary Fiction

Mr Sidhu’s Post Office

Amman Brar

For years, Mr Sidhu’s post office has been a place of small rituals and quiet mercies: news exchanged, kindnesses remembered, a haven for all. Mr Sidhu is confidant, caretaker and witness to a community revealing itself in its loyalties and secrets. But Mr Sidhu is caught between the life he has inherited and the one he has scarcely allowed himself to imagine. When his ordered world begins to shift, he is drawn towards a new future and an unexpected love, forcing him to navigate family tensions, shifting identities and the question of who stands beside us when everything changes. And soon, the life Mr Sidhu tended so carefully may no longer be enough.

Format: Hardback
Published by: HarperCollins Publisher
ISBN: 9780008722234

Boleyn Traitor book cover
Historical Fiction

Boleyn Traitor

Philippa Gregory

Rose as a favourite. Will she fall as a traitor? In the dazzling, dangerous world of the Tudor Court, nothing is more powerful than a secret – or more deadly. Jane Boleyn has mastered many masks: loving wife, devoted sister, and obedient spy. But as the King’s rule advances into tyranny, Jane must decide: keep playing her part or use the only power she really has – her voice. Philippa Gregory brings the Boleyn traitor into the light in an explosive story of one woman’s survival in the treacherous heart of the Tudor court.

Format: Paperback
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008745028

Week commencing 22nd June 2026

The Housemaid’s Wedding book cover
Thriller and Suspense

The Housemaid’s Wedding

Freida McFadden

From this popular and bestselling author comes a short story that is set between The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid is Watching. The main character is engaged and will be getting married in just a few short hours. However, someone does not want her to live long enough to say her vows. Including exclusive content from McFadden’s upcoming book, this is not to be missed.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 9781628861891

Night Witch book cover
Dark Romantasy

Night Witch

Jaymin Eve

Be careful what you witch for. Welcome to year two at Weatherstone College. The previous year came to an explosive end after battles with darkness and lethal monsters. There is now a bond between the two sworn enemies, with friendships building and secrets hidden. But when those secrets inevitably unravel, and when the truth comes to light, who will be left standing. A dark fantasy romance with a spicy enemies to lovers arc.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Mira Books
ISBN: 9781335001177

This is Life book cover
Science

This is Life

Christophe Galfard

Asking the question, what is life? How did it first appear? Taking you on a wonder-filled journey to look for the origins, and the meaning, of life. From how we know life must have had a beginning, to the extreme evolutionary turns that saw Earth’s species grow shields and weapons to fight wars that lasted millennia, This is Life tells the story of how the visionary discoveries of the past few decades have allowed us to understand what we, humans, and all other living organisms really are.

Format: Hardback
Published by: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529032031

Lone Wolf book cover
Conservation

Lone Wolf: A Journey to the Wild Heart of the Alps

Adam Weymouth

Tracking the path of a young wolf named Slavc who in 2011 set out from Slovenia and travelled thousands of miles through the Alps, arriving four months later on the Lessinian plateau, north of Verona. Examining the changes facing these wild corners of Europe.

Here, the call to rewild meets the urge to preserve culture; nationalism and globalisation pull apart; climate change is radically changing lives. The result is a multifaceted account of a region caught in a moment of kaleidoscopic flux, from an award-winning writer with a uniquely perceptive eye for detail.

Format: Paperback
Published by: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9781529158335

Nothing to my Name book cover
Historical Fiction

Nothing to my Name

Kangkang Li Kovacs

Set in 1948, China. Twelve-year-old Ah Xue watches her mother earn a living combing the hair of the wealthy women in their small fishing village, as reports of civil war and the rising Communist revolution grow closer to home. Years later, Mimosa grows up in the shadow of her parents’ struggles, while the looming tension of the Cultural Revolution threatens to pull her family apart.

And Fei, raised as a boy by the activist father she can’t help but idolise, grapples with her identity in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Spanning four decades and three generations, Nothing to My Name braids an unforgettable story of the ordinary women caught in the tides of societal upheaval but bound by an in-suppressible instinct to survive.

Format: Hardback
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 9781526687272