No and Me

No and Me by Delphine de Vigan

Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160, barely any friends, a father who secretly cries and a mother who has all but given up. To escape her lonely world she sits and watches the passengers at the train station, imagining the lives they live. However, once there she meets No.

No is homeless. Lou is drawn into her scary and tough world and truly believes she can save her from the mean streets of France... but is it too late for No? And is it too much for Lou?

This heartbreaking and touching story tells the tale of friendship, sacrifice, survival and unwavering loyalty between two girls; each lost in their own worlds.

Age Range: Teenage+, £7.99, Paperback

The Slap

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2009 and Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2010, Tsiolkas brings us yet another startling and thought provoking novel.

At a suburban barbeque a man slaps an unruly child. The child is not his own and the reverberations of his actions are felt throughout everyone who witnesses the act of violence. Told through 8 very different perspectives this controversial subject will make you question your own opinion on the matter whilst revealing the messy tangled lives of the characters involved.

This novel is certainly bold, original and complex. One not to be missed for those brave enough to join the debate of crime and punishment, loyalty and betrayal and, most of all, right and wrong.

Age Range: Adult, £7.99, Paperback

What we've been reading this summer

At this time of year, shops tend to bombard customers with huge selections of 'perfect' summer reads. Well, instead of showing you a table piled high with every single book published this August, we thought we'd tell you about the books that we've actually been reading so far this summer...
Here is the first of our favourites:

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

I'd been dying to read this ever since we received a postcard of the cover last Christmas and finally got round to it during a week by the sea in Sussex this summer! The beautiful cover may have been the first thing I liked about the book, but it's by no means the only thing.

The mysterious blurb doesn't give much away, but this is essentially the story of the complex relationship between a brother and sister. From early childhood, Sarah Winman follows the life of Elly, through friendships, family changes, first loves and first losses. Throughout her life however, one character is central, and that is Joe; brother, friend and protector. We learn as much about Joe as we do Elly, and both of these characters are real and loveable, as are the supporting cast of wonderful characters who each have an impact on Elly's life at some point.
To tell more of the story would spoil the journey of reading the book, but it's safe to say that there are tears and laughter in abundance in this wonderful debut novel, and it's one that you'd be mad to miss out on. It was well worth the wait!

General Fiction. Published by Headline £7.99

I-Spy London

Explore London & London's Transport, by I-Spy

I-Spy is back and is offering up perfect little pocket books of London and London's Transport. Filled with beautiful photography and interesting notes they are ideal for teaching children about our capital whilst encouraging them to go out and explore!

Bursting with history, culture and art facts these books are the only travel companions you'll need for exploring London!

Age Range: 6-66 years, £4.99 & £2.50, Paperback

Paul Thurlby's Alphabet

Paul Thurlby's Alphabet, by Paul Thurlby

From acclaimed graphic artist comes this unique and innovative alphabet book. Each letter is granted their own page with imaginative words and stunnning illustrations accompanying it!

Thurlby makes the alphabet easy to remember and impossible to forget with his skilled artwork and unique interpretation of the letters! Perfect for first time readers, both boys and girls!

Age Range: 0-5, £12.99, Hardback

Baby's Bedtime Storybook

Baby's Bedtime Storybook by Sam Taplin
There are lots of special times you share with your little ones, none more so than sharing a story at bedtime.

This is a wonderful collection of bedtime stories that are calming, reassuring, are all roughly two pages long and the bonus feature is, all the characters go to sleep at the end of each story!

Made with hard pages, this is perfect for really little ones and it will withstand the jostling of teddies and pillows! Beautiful illustrations by Francesca di Chiara compliment the sweet stories.
Age range: 0-4 £12.99 Hardback

Fancy Dress Farmyard

Fancy Dress Farmyard by Nick Sharratt
Nick returns with a flaptastic new book! You're invited to a knees-up at the farmyard, where all the animals have put on their best costumes and are partying the night away and enjoying a fizzy pop.

Can you spot who is wearing which costume? The colourful outfits and hair pieces are good disguises, try to guess who is wearing what so you can say hello!

The sturdy pages and simple concept, make this a great book for little ones who aren't quite ready for a long story but are beyond board books.
Age range: 0-4 £10.99 Hardback

Doctor Hoof

Doctor Hoof by Diana Kimpton
Doctor Hoof is a doctor for horses and only horses. He moves to a new town and sets-up a new surgery and waits for the patients to walk through the door; however there are none and he finds himself lonely, sad and thinking about moving onto the next town.

However just as he thinks of packing up, a donkey called Basil Bray seeks help for a sore throat and Dr Hoof explains that he is only treats horses and Basil explains that they are not very different (he has hooves too!). Dr Hoof realises that this is true and treats Basil and feels great for it.

Then follows a string of other animals who convince Dr Hoof that he can treat lots of animals and with each patient, he gets a wonderful feeling and a boost!
As word gets out that his surgery treats every kind of animal, Dr Hoof is flooded with new patients and friends and finally he feels better too!

This is a heart warming tale of friendship and coupled with adorable illustrations from Garry Parsons, this is a winner. Love it!
Age range: 0-5 £6.99 paperback