Books for children

Shadow Snatcher by Lou Kuenzler (A&C Black; €7.10).

‘It was Halloween when Death came to my house.’ An enigmatic beginning like this immediately draws the reader into this spooky book. Aidan and his four-year-old sister Eva are alone when Death comes knocking at the door. He has come for Eva. Aidan has to outwit the spook to save his sister. Sinister, scary and funny, this is an irresistible read for age eight and upwards.

Walter Tull’s Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan (Frances Lincoln; €14.22) This is the inspiring story of a former Tottenham Hotspur footballer and war hero who faced adversity in both his careers. After his father died, Walter was brought up in a Hackney children’s home. After playing for some minor clubs he ended up as the first black outfield player in the English league. Even then, he was subjected to horrific racist chants in some grounds. The story is presented as a fictional scrapbook. His experiences seem very relevant in today’s era of multicultural premier division life. Suitable for age nine and upwards.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury; €8.35) This is the first book of a dystopian trilogy inspired by the author’s genuine concerns for the planet’s ecosystem. Earth’s oxygen levels have plummeted and people depend on owning oxygen tanks to have any quality of life. The lucky ones live in an artificially constructed pod, though even this has a class system, and all are under the dictatorial thumb of Cain Knavery the Pod Minister. Teenage Quinn, one of the elite, befriends Bea and Alina, two lower ranked girls, and in so doing compromises his own standing in the pod community. During an expedition to the lands outside the pod Quinn and Bea come to understand how their lives are being manipulated, and that the groups labelled terrorists, of which Alina is one, are the people who actually have the planet’s welfare as their driving ambition. The all-action plot and the hinted-at romantic triangle will keep the reader’s interest to the end. Suitable for age 14 and upwards.