Children’s books

Murray The Horse by Gavin Puckett, illustrated by Frank Rodgers (Faber €7.55)

But when put through his paces it was decided he was a failure who would never make it as a racehorse.

Laughed at by other horses and their riders, was there anyone who would have use for this poor creature?

A delightful story with an extraordinary, funny ending. Age 8+

I Was There: Titanic by Margi McAllister (Scholastic €6.30)

Ten-year-old Daisy is on her way to New York to join her father, who has set up a business in Pennsylvania, and as fate would have it her family travels on the Titanic.

The excitement for her younger brothers is overwhelming, especially when she befriends Jimmy, a likeable boy from first class.

As Daisy is a steerage passenger this friendship enables her to visit the first-class promenade and observe the trappings of wealth, but also witness the great disparity in the treatment of the different classes.

When it comes to accessing the lifeboats after the iceberg strike her family is in mortal danger and it is only acts of extreme bravery that sees them survive.

This is a very accessible account which does not shirk from describing the agonies suffered by the majority of the passengers. Age 10+

The Baby by Lisa Drakeford (Chickenhouse €10.05)

At Olivia’s 17th birthday party, her friend Nicola gives birth to a baby girl, to everybody’s shock, including that of the young mother.

The novel then proceeds in five monthly segments concentrating, in third person narrative, on five main characters, each with their own personal difficulties to face up to.

The constantly changing perspective dilutes the enormity of the teen birth somewhat, but the characters are interesting in their own right, and each is affected in some way by the new arrival.

The strength of the novel is its concentration on parenting and responsibilities, while the unusual ending suggests a welcome sequel. Age 14+