Books Monthly
November 2025 Volume 26 Number 2 Childrens' Books
November 2025 Volume 26 Number 2 Childrens' Books
WINNIE-THE-POOH THE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE
6th November 2025
Winnie-the-Pooh has a special surprise for his friends at Christmas. One winter morning in the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie-the-Pooh’s friends receive letters with mysterious instructions. But who are the letters from, and what is the suprise that will be revealed? Young readers will love seeing the enchanting snowy scenes as Pooh and his friends all gather together and discuss the mystery. Join them on this heartwarming journey as they find out who sent the letters, and see the big Christmas surprise waiting for them. A perfect Christmas read to share with children in the magical lead up to the holiday season. Includes appealing and charming illustrations by talented artist Andrew Grey. Children will enjoy working out who the mysterious letter-sender is.A gentle story, suitable for calming times and bedtime reads, fostering a life long love for holiday stories with their favourite characters.
MIRANDA HART: THE CHRISTMAS TREE THAT LOVED TO DANCE
23rd October 2025
From the bestselling author of I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You comes a joyful, hilarious and heartwarming story of a seemingly ordinary woman, her beloved dog and a forgotten but friendly Christmas tree . . .Hello to you. I have written a short story, or Tall Tale as I like to call it, because I believe we all deserve moments to cosy up with something simple yet joy-filled and uplifting. If I may be so bold about my own tale!
It contains, amongst many thrills I couldn’t possibly divulge yet, intriguing and exciting mishaps between a Christmas tree that not only talks, but dances (I know!); a dog called Jessie, who also talks, and a woman called Joan, who – less surprisingly, in that she is a human being – talks too. Interested? I should blooming well hope so!
Right, let me tell you all about it . . .
TOM FLETCHER: PUDSEY AND THE THREAD OF HOPE
6th November 2025
A heartwarming picture book from bestselling children’s author Tom Fletcher, starring beloved BBC Children in Need hero - Pudsey. This is a moving story perfect for children of four and up about the importance of hope, family, friendship and love.Jai is a young boy navigating grief after the loss of his father, but Pudsey is here to help . . .
Pudsey takes Jai on a magical journey to meet Maya, Ricky, Tomash, Remi and Ellie. All children who have been supported by Pudsey's kindness; and who are connected by the golden thread of hope. Through them, Jai finds friendship, learns to talk about his emotions, shares memories of his dad, and discovers how brave it is to try . . . and try again.
Puffin and Tom Fletcher are proud to give £1 for every paperback copy sold in the UK and Ireland to BBC Children in Need (Registered Charity Number 802052 in England and Wales and SC039557 in Scotland).
NIALL HARBISON: TINA - THE DOG WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
6th November 2025
A ‘tail’ like no other – the heartwarming story of resilience, kindness and true friendship. The perfect gift this Christmas.Niall Harbison set up Happy Doggo Land in the Thai jungle to tend to the needs of sick and injured street dogs.
Meet Buster with his missing ear, Jumbo with his love of sausages, and Solo the tiny jungle puppy. Enjoy Shaq's first ice cream on the beach, Buttons' delight with his famous rock star family, and tiny Alba’s precious few sunsets. Most important of all, meet Tina: the golden retriever whose loving nature, delight in tennis balls and rides in Niall’s motorcycle sidecar inspired Niall’s most impassioned project to date: Tina’s Hospital, where Thailand's sick dogs will receive the best possible care.
Buy a book and save a doggo today!
CRESSIDA COWELL: WHICH WAY TO THE FUTURE
16th October 2025
From the bestselling author of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON comes the concluding story in an out-of-this-world new trilogy packed with epic adventure, thrilling space travel and forbidden Magic.Planet Earth, in case you do not know it, is a small, green little world, out on the end of a remote and rarely visited Milky Way.
All Magic was supposed to have disappeared from this particular planet many centuries earlier.
But in an ordinary, slightly damp part of the planet there are five human children with extraordinary Magical Gifts that the universe has never seen before. Only two of them don't know it yet.
What will Mabel and Izzabird's Gifts be? And how will they navigate Bounty Hunters, a witch and three perilous tasks to reach the end of their story? After all, there's nothing like an adventure to find out whether you are a Hero or not . . .
BEN MILLER: THE NIGHT I MET FATHER CHRISTMAS
6th November 2025
Come on a magical Christmas Eve journey in Santa's sleigh and meet the man himself, in an enchanting picture book from bestselling author, actor and comedian, Ben Miller, beautifully illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. *OUT NOW!*It was quarter to midnight on Christmas Eve. The lights were out all over the land, and children everywhere were asleep in their beds, dreaming of the big day to come. Well, almost everywhere . . .
Jackson is determined to stay awake until Father Christmas arrives, but on the stroke of midnight when a jolly red-dressed figure whooshes down the chimney, he is in for the most magical surprise! Join Jackson on the night he met Father Christmas and travelled the world in an adventure he will never forget.
This enchanting adaptation of Ben Miller’s beloved and bestselling debut novel, is exquisitely illustrated by highly acclaimed artist Elisa Paganelli. Turn the page, share the adventure in a festive classic to treasure – the perfect gift for Christmas Eve.
Yasmine Anane: The Family Tree (Tiny Tree Books 28th August 2025)
When Mole sets off in search of his family tree, he dreams of finding others just like him. But as he journeys through the enchanted wood, he learns something even more magical: true family isn’t about looking the same - it’s about the bonds we build and the love we share with those around us.“We’re not all the same - but that’s the best part, It’s not what you look like, but what’s in your heart.”
A heartwarming tale celebrating kindness, friendship and, above all, the beauty of differences.
Beautifully illustrated and written in rhyme, this charming tale of a mole who wants to find other moles who might be related to him, but instead finds overwhelming joy in the friendship of other animals is simply full to the brim with joy and hope. I like to think this mole is related in some way to Mole from Wind in the Willows - the story is that good!
SUSANNAH HAYDN: TWINS TANGLED AND TORN Tiny Tree Books 24th July 2025
Sadie and Arabella might be identical twins, but they couldn’t be more different. While Arabella thrives in the spotlight, Sadie is used to standing in her shadow - until a surprising turn of events offers her a chance to step into her own. But as the twins’ lives take unexpected twists, their bond is put to the test in ways neither of them could have predicted.Navigating sibling rivalry, first love and the ups and downs of growing up, Sadie must figure out where she stands - not just with her sister, but with herself.
Heartfelt, funny, and full of life, Twins Tangled and Torn is a celebration of the beautiful, messy journey of finding your place in the world. A sensitively written coming of age tale of twins Sadie and Arabella. Having lived for several years next door to a pair of identical twins (I was the only person outside their family who could tell them apart) I am familiar with twins and their friendships and rivalries - this terrific book captures every nuance of what it's like to be a twin as they begin to find their places in a complex world. Superb!
On this page:
Winnie-the-Pooh
Miranda Hart
Pudsey
Tom Fletcher
Cressida Cowell
Ben Miller
Yasmine Anane
Susannah Haydn
Jane Shaw
Mabel Esther Allan
Nostalgia titles of the month:
Penny Foolish is the first title in the Penny series, the complete series being:
Penny Foolish (no 1)
Twopence Coloured (no 2)
Threepenny Bit (no 3)
Fourpenny Fair (no 4)
Fivepenny Mystery (no 5)
Crooked Sixpence (no 6) (GGBP 2021)
Girls Gone By Publishers published Crooked Sixpence first, because it is so rare, but people have asked for the whole series, and so here is the first title.
Penny is staying on the Isle of Arran to recover from an illness but she is not happy there, mainly because Elspeth and Kenneth, the minister’s children, with whom she is thrown into daily contact, hardly bother to hide their supreme contempt for her foolishness. She longs for her sister Jill to arrive, but when Jill does unexpectedly join her, demanding immediate concealment from desperate pursuers, her troubles have only just begun …
Jane Shaw’s son, Ian, has written a fascinating introduction about the family history on Arran, illustrated with wonderful photographs. We also have a really good introduction from Samantha Little about the character of Penny.
Penny Foolish will be published on 9 October 2025. This is a simply splendid adventure involving Penny in the first of six books by Jane Shaw (I believe and fervently hope that Girls Gone By will be publishing the other titles) as she battles against thieves and scoundrels in the highlands of Scotland. Superb reading for young teens - I wish I'd known about Jane Shaw when I was a young teen!
Seventeen year old Camilla, pretty and spoilt, has just left school and hopes to spend the summer enjoying herself with Hugh, older than she is, attractive but elusive. Camilla’s father, who finds Hugh unsatisfactory, has other ideas however. He has a friend who runs an hotel near Kandersteg and he arranges for Camilla to go and help him and his family.
Camila arrives in Switzerland full of discontent. She is cold towards the friendly welcome of Anna and Lisa, the Dettlemann daughters who help so efficiently in the hotel, and seem to Camilla rather stuffy. And she is almost immediately at enmity with Sigmund, a young student who is helping during his vacation.
Camila goes off exploring on her own. She is still eager to end her exile and see Hugh. It takes heartache, and unexpected drama at the hotel, to make her change her mind—and the whole of her future.
Jenny Swanson has written a really interesting introduction on Mabel Esther Allan’s Swiss Stories in Context.
The short story we shall be including is ‘The Two Head Girls’ – a school story but not set in Switzerland, as we were unable to find one set in Switzerland which we had not used before.
Signpost to Switzerland was published on 14 October 2025.
This book has just arrived - I will update this page with my review shortly...
About BOOKS MONTHLY: This publication started life as FANTAZONE in December 1998. Within a month publishers were starting to send me review copies, and I changed the name to Books Monthly as the new title reflected the new primary purpose of the magazine. Many people, including Bernard Cornwell and Gyles Brandreth have commented on how much they like the magazine, which this month has morphed into a newsletter, although its premise remains the same - to alert readers to a selected number of newly published books with my reviews when I've managed to persuade a publisher to send me a copy. To the best of my knowledge, Books Monthly is the longest-running book review magazine on the web. I hope you enjoy it in its new format!
contact me at paulenorman1@gmail.com
Winnie-the-Pooh
Miranda Hart
Pudsey
Tom Fletcher
Cressida Cowell
Ben Miller
Yasmine Anane
Susannah Haydn
Jane Shaw
Mabel Esther Allan
Nostalgia titles of the month:
Penny Foolish is the first title in the Penny series, the complete series being:Penny Foolish (no 1)
Twopence Coloured (no 2)
Threepenny Bit (no 3)
Fourpenny Fair (no 4)
Fivepenny Mystery (no 5)
Crooked Sixpence (no 6) (GGBP 2021)
Girls Gone By Publishers published Crooked Sixpence first, because it is so rare, but people have asked for the whole series, and so here is the first title.
Penny is staying on the Isle of Arran to recover from an illness but she is not happy there, mainly because Elspeth and Kenneth, the minister’s children, with whom she is thrown into daily contact, hardly bother to hide their supreme contempt for her foolishness. She longs for her sister Jill to arrive, but when Jill does unexpectedly join her, demanding immediate concealment from desperate pursuers, her troubles have only just begun …
Jane Shaw’s son, Ian, has written a fascinating introduction about the family history on Arran, illustrated with wonderful photographs. We also have a really good introduction from Samantha Little about the character of Penny.
Penny Foolish will be published on 9 October 2025. This is a simply splendid adventure involving Penny in the first of six books by Jane Shaw (I believe and fervently hope that Girls Gone By will be publishing the other titles) as she battles against thieves and scoundrels in the highlands of Scotland. Superb reading for young teens - I wish I'd known about Jane Shaw when I was a young teen!
Seventeen year old Camilla, pretty and spoilt, has just left school and hopes to spend the summer enjoying herself with Hugh, older than she is, attractive but elusive. Camilla’s father, who finds Hugh unsatisfactory, has other ideas however. He has a friend who runs an hotel near Kandersteg and he arranges for Camilla to go and help him and his family.
Camila arrives in Switzerland full of discontent. She is cold towards the friendly welcome of Anna and Lisa, the Dettlemann daughters who help so efficiently in the hotel, and seem to Camilla rather stuffy. And she is almost immediately at enmity with Sigmund, a young student who is helping during his vacation.
Camila goes off exploring on her own. She is still eager to end her exile and see Hugh. It takes heartache, and unexpected drama at the hotel, to make her change her mind—and the whole of her future.
Jenny Swanson has written a really interesting introduction on Mabel Esther Allan’s Swiss Stories in Context.
The short story we shall be including is ‘The Two Head Girls’ – a school story but not set in Switzerland, as we were unable to find one set in Switzerland which we had not used before.
Signpost to Switzerland was published on 14 October 2025.
This book has just arrived - I will update this page with my review shortly...
About BOOKS MONTHLY: This publication started life as FANTAZONE in December 1998. Within a month publishers were starting to send me review copies, and I changed the name to Books Monthly as the new title reflected the new primary purpose of the magazine. Many people, including Bernard Cornwell and Gyles Brandreth have commented on how much they like the magazine, which this month has morphed into a newsletter, although its premise remains the same - to alert readers to a selected number of newly published books with my reviews when I've managed to persuade a publisher to send me a copy. To the best of my knowledge, Books Monthly is the longest-running book review magazine on the web. I hope you enjoy it in its new format!
contact me at paulenorman1@gmail.com