Books for children

Bubble’s in Trouble, by Ag Jatowska (Caterpillar Books; €8.35 HB) is the story of a puffer fish that gets stuck in the porthole of a sunken ship.

He can’t get free. Sea creatures advise him, but Octopus has the solution. Fun to share with age two and upwards.

Mouse and the Moon, by M Christina Butler (Little Tiger; €13.03 HB) is a clever, funny book. Live-alone Mouse loves the moon. But one night, the moon is not there. He sets off to find it and meets other creatures who think the moon shines just for them. They discover that the moon belongs to everyone. Charming. Age four and upwards.

Monty and Milli, by Tracey Corduroy and Tim Warnes. (Little Tiger; €7.10). Monty’s annoying little sister wants to be part of everything Monty does. When he gets a magic set, Milli wants to be magic too. But when Monty makes her disappear, he gets a shock. Laugh-aloud fun for age five and upwards.

Hidden, by Miriam Halahmy (Meadowside Fiction; €8.35). The lively narrative of Alix draws the reader into this captivating book. The 14-year-old lives with her mother, whose incapacitating broken leg makes work for the girl. She misses her father, who is living with another woman, but mostly misses her late grandfather, whose remembered sayings boost her in times of trouble. And trouble there is. Alix shows her mettle when she confronts hoodie thugs who are taunting Samir, a young Iraqi immigrant, new to the school. The two become friends. The tension heightens as Alix faces racial prejudice, especially when there is a knife attack. The arrival of an illegal immigrant, dumped offshore, involves the youngsters in subterfuge, hiding him from the immigration police and from the racist thugs. The setting on a small island creates a claustrophobic atmosphere. Young adult.