Books for children

Monster Baby by Lee Carr and Jane Massey (Red Fox €7.10).

Jake’s Mum can’t play with him until his baby sister is asleep. When he tries to get her down for her nap so that he can have Mum to himself, he gets a big surprise when she turns into a blue-haired monster. A fun book to share with age 3+.

The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer (Random House €7.10) is a humorous version of the old story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. When Tim is blamed for stealing Mum’s cake, Dad’s hammer, his schoolbag and much more, he tells them the culprit was a ninja. Of course nobody believes him, and he’s ordered to do nasty chores. But Tim finds a way to convince them, and to get those chores done. With simple, colourful illustrations, this is a fun read for age 5+.

For enthusiasts of recent pop visitor to Dublin, Justin Bieber, The 100% Unofficial Biography (Bantam Books €9.50 HB) is a book to delight his fans.

The colourful book comes with stickers, 3D posters (glasses included), and everything Biebettes need to know.

Flick by Geraldine Meade (Little Island €7.10). The eponymous Flick — Felicity Costello — is a troubled 16-year-old who doesn’t quite understand her need to drink herself into a stupor and mess with drugs until she meets her brother’s girlfriend who leads her briefly into a lesbian act, which further confuses her emotions when she realises this is the love she has been craving. Her efforts to conceal her same-sex desires drive her into a drunken tryst with a boy who rapes her. Flick’s life spirals into a dizzy vortex that requires her being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The main character is difficult to like but her deranged emotions eventually draw the reader into wishing that all will become well for her. This courageous first novel is a revealing read for late teenagers.