30 treats to put around the tree
CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR:It has been a cheeringly diverse year for young adult and children’s books, as these titles show
From angels to zombies, and just about everything in between: it has been a rich year for children’s and young-adult literature. Here are my nominations for the best titles of 2012, any or all of which would make good reading over Christmas, or beyond:
The Abominables
By Eva Ibbotson, illustrated by Sharon Rentta
Marion Lloyd, £10.99
A young aristocrat finds herself among the Himalayan yetis, the prelude to a sequence of lively and life-enhancing episodes. (Best age for this book: 8)
All Fall Down
By Sally Nicholls
Marion Lloyd, £7.99
A 14th-century Yorkshire family confronts the Black Death in this graphic, vivid historical novel. (14)
Arthur Quinn and the Fenris Wolf
By Alan Early
Mercier, €8.99
Norse myth, Irish history and contemporary Dublin combine convincingly as young Arthur and friends challenge the megalomaniac Loki. (10)
Bartolomé, the Infanta’s Pet
By Rachel van Kooij, translated by Siobhán Parkinson
Little Island, €7.99
Velázquez’s Las Meninas comes colourfully to life in an engaging story of a court dwarf’s adventures. (10)
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat
By Dave Shelton
David Fickling, £10.99
A journey across life’s ocean, involving encounters with mist and monsters – but how will it end? (10)
The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas
By David Almond, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Walker, £9
An orphan enjoys the fun of a travelling circus, but his real destiny lies with Pancho Pirelli and his piranhas. (8)
The Brides of Rollrock Island
By Margo Lanagan
David Fickling, £12.99
The sea works its magic on humans and nonhumans alike in a poetic narrative redolent of folk tale and fairy story. (16)
Dark Warning
By Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Orion, £8.99
Georgian Dublin serves as the setting for an atmospheric story of a young girl’s “gift” of second sight. (12)
The Demon Notebook
By Erika McGann
O’Brien Press, €7.99
Five young girls discover that playing around with ouija boards can turn out to be creepier than expected. A spookily bewitching story. (12)
Dodger
By Terry Pratchett
Doubleday, £18.99
A marvellous blend of historical fiction and historical fantasy, set in the dark underbelly of Victorian London, resonant with Dickensian echoes. (14)
Dying to Know You
By Aidan Chambers
Bodley Head, £12.99
A boy and a girl in their late teens, a writer in his 70s: the triangle of interrelationships provides an extraordinarily touching narrative. (16)
The Fault in our Stars
By John Green
Puffin, £12.99
In a story of two American teenagers confronting terminal illness, themes of death and dying are handled with empathy, candour and humour. (16)
The Frank Show
By David Mackintosh
HarperCollins, £10.99
A great boost for grandads everywhere, and for grandsons who come to appreciate their eccentricities. Stunning, vibrant and mischievous artwork. (6)
Goblins
By Philip Reeve
Marion Lloyd, £6.99
Goblins of all sorts, shapes and sizes strive to outdo one another in a highly diverting sequence of mischievous escapades. (8)
The Great Explorer
