Children's Literature: The best books for six-to nine-year-olds are the ones that cross the gender divide, writes Sylvia Thompson
The best books for this age group span gender interests and spark the imaginations of boys and girls alike. Stephen Axelson's A Very Messy Inspection: Piccolo and Annabelle, Volume One (Oxford University Press, £6.99) is a perfect case in point. Nine-year-old Piccolo Grande is coping reasonably well following the disappearance of his parents when the arrival of Great-Aunt Annabelle, his "guardian angel", turns his life upside down. She challenges his organised approach as she clumsily rehearses her angel skills (from mystification to transformation) in preparation for the angel inspector's visit. Australian author and illustrator Axelson injects plenty of humour and fantasy, whetting one's appetite for the forthcoming volumes two and three.
The World According to Humphrey, by Betty G Birney (Faber, £4.99), is another charming, feel-good tale. This time, the central character, Humphrey, is a hamster who has been adopted by a classroom of children so they can learn how to take care of a pet. However, it is Humphrey who ends up looking after everyone - from Aldo, the cleaner, to Mr Morales, the headmaster, and even cranky Mrs Brisbane. An uplifting story that will appeal to those aged over six.
The Midnight Library: The Cat Lady (Hodder Children's Books, £4.99) is the fourth instalment of the Dare to be Scared series curated by Nick Shadow. Suitable for eight- to nine-year-old boys and girls, this volume's three stories by Allan Frewin Jones feature some daredevil teenage games, a very scary babysitting experience, and a cat lady who can transform humans into cats. These are well-written tales which should be avoided by those prone to nightmares.
Jolene's Back, by Helena Pielichaty (Oxford University Press, £4.99), taps into the desire of nine-year-old girls to understand the complexity of relationships. Introducing Jolene (her mates, Sammie, Brody and Alex star in other books in this series) as the girl who runs away from home to avoid living with her recently divorced mum, the book is Jacqueline Wilson-style domestic drama.
Hilary McKay is another popular fiction writer whose books appeal to pre-teen girls. Her latest, Permanent Rose (Hodder Children's Books £5.99), is full of dramatic relationships and melodramatic behaviour from characters called Saffy, Caddy, Indigo and, of course, Rose. Adult readers may have their reservations, but many nine-year-old girls simply love it.
The Book of Whispers (Faber, £5.99), by award-winning poet Julie O'Callaghan, is a beautiful collection of poems. We're warned before we start that "failure to whisper them may result in permanent poem damage". So whisper your way through Wildlife Whispers, Whispering in Church, Football Whispers and Unhappy Whispers, and you'll want to whisper at the top of your voice to everyone about this book.
Monsters continue to be a popular theme and Jack Slater Monster Investigator, by John Dougherty (Young Corgi, £3.99), is an adventurous, imaginative tale for six- and seven-year-olds, in which a freelance monster investigator teams up with the government investigator to hunt down troublemakers in the monster underworld. It's got lots of funny episodes - including an encounter with the prime minister in his pyjamas - and is written in a warm, child-friendly style.
Finally, French film director Luc Besson has turned his hand to children's novels. Arthur and the Forbidden City (Faber, £5.99) is the sequel to Arthur and the Minimoys. Bestsellers in France, these children's novels have been translated into 17 languages and are set to be turned into an animation film for release later this year. The books are about the adventures of Arthur, who has been shrunk to the magical miniature world of the Minimoys in his own back garden. There, he embarks on quests which take him deep into the Forbidden City. It's a classic fantasy tale smoothly translated from French by Ellen Sowchek.
• Sylvia Thompson is an Irish Times journalist