'Out Of Shadows' written by Jason Wallace

Now I really don't read a huge amount of young adult fiction but I thought I'd have a go at this one... Happy I did? Most definitely, hats off to you Jason Wallace - it's brilliant. 

Zimbabwe: 1980's. Written in the first person, set in the early years of the Mugabe government,  a young lad moves to southern Africa with his family and is forced to go to a boarding school that already gives him the shivers. Sharing a dorm with two dozen other boys, all white except one, is daunting for Robert Jacklin, but nothing compares to what he later has to face. Will he choose the right group of friends? One, boisterous and bullies - the other kind but bullied. 

As the story unfolds you realise the huge impact one's decisions can have on other people's lives, it really does come down to life or death in this thrice award winning novel from Jason Wallace. Endearing characters like Weekend, the telephone operator with whom Jacklin speaks to very often - desperately trying to get hold of his parents, really make the book more about life as a Zimbabwean at the time.

A brave debut novel, tackling issues many young adults are almost clueless about (including myself), beautifully written with vivid character portrayals and beautiful landscape descriptions that remind me of my time spent in East Africa when I was the protagonists age.

Recommended age 14+

Published by Andersen Press in paperback and is £6.99

'The King Of Capri' written by Jeanette Winterson and illustrated by Jane Ray

I have to admit that when I first saw Jane Ray's illustrations I wasn't sold, for some reason characters faces didn't quite warm to me. However after reading The King Of Capri I completely understand why people love her. 

Essentially a rags to riches book but set among the most beautiful pages... After a fierce storm one night, the greedy king wakes up to discover that all his belongings have blown over to the bay of Naples, his beautiful silk clothes and valuable treasures.

Over in Naples the town is in chaos, the storm has uprooted everyone's belongings and everything has landed within other people's gardens! A lonely, humble washerwoman and her Italian speaking cat, Wash, have woken up to find countless expensive and useful items in their garden and become very prosperous indeed, of course kindly sharing their new found wealth. 

Some time later, the penniless king visits Naples and bumps into the washerwoman wearing his silk pyjamas! They soon become great companions and share their fortune, the king realising that wealth isn't everything. It just goes to show you should never just flick through a book and judge it by it's illustrations, Ray has managed to perfectly capture Winterson's story and add to the delight of this classic tale. 

Recommended age 4+

Published by Bloomsbury in paperback and is £4.99

Images from the Illustration Cupboard website - www.illustrationcupboard.com

'Slow Loris' written and illustrated by Alexis Deacon

Slow Loris is a slow loris.  All the other animals in the zoo think Slow Loris is boring because he is

                                                                                                         very

                                                                                                                 very

                                                                                                                         slow.

                                                                                                           All the visitors to the zoo think Slow Loris is boring because he is

                                                                                    very

                                                                                                 very                                    

                                                                                                                                                                             slow.

But Loris has a secret...

One night the other animals at zoo lea rn Loris' secret and discover he isn't quite as boring as they thought.This is one of my all-time favourite pictures books!  A short, simple story paired with wonderful illustrations make this book perfect for picture book lovers of all ages.

Recommended age 3+

Published by Red Fox in paperback and is £5.99

Reviewed by Emma Borg

'Iggy Peck, Architect' written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts

One of my favourite picture books ever! A brilliant combination of David Roberts' detailed illustrations and Andrea Beaty's rhyming sentences.

Iggy Peck has been building with whatever materials he can get his hands on, whether that be nappies, pencils or apples and peaches. His parents love their son's talent, but when he starts school his teacher, Miss Lila Greer, isn't happy with Iggy's interest in architecture. You see, Miss Greer has had a fear of heights since the age of six where she spent a rather long while stuck in a lift with circus performers at the top of a very high building.

But what happens when on a school trip, Iggy's class incurs a disaster and Miss Greer passes out?! Can Iggy and his talent help save the day with some shoestrings and a a couple of fruit roll-ups?

A few of my friends are studying architecture at university and I have bought several of them copies for their birthday's and they have been very well received!

Recommended age 3 and a half +

Published by Harry N. Abrams in paperback and is £7.95

'Journey To The River Sea' written by Eva Ibbotson

Eva Ibbotson has written over twenty books, but this is by far my favourite. I rarely read a book more than once, maybe twice if it's extra special, but this I have now read five or six times. Each time I revisit the book I discover a new meaning to something I hadn't really noticed before. 

Maia is living in a British orphanage when she is told she has relatives living in the Amazonian jungle in Brazil. Hearing she has an uncle, aunt and twin cousins - Gwendolyn and Beatrice, hugely excites Maia. 

She is given a new governess, Miss Minton, who accompanies her on the long journey to her new home where she meets her family and soon realises they are not quite was she was expecting. The twins certainly have key similarities to the ugly sisters in Cinderella! None of the girls are allowed outside, certainly not to explore and only eat tinned food sent over from England!

Maia then meets Finn. His mother, who was part of an Indian tribe called the Xanti, died shortly after giving birth to Finn. His father died more recently and left a huge fortune for Finn back in England, but he'd much rather stay in Brazil. How will Finn and Maia get around the two men that are trying to bring him back to England? A brilliant novel and, in my eyes a modern classic. 

Recommended age 9+

Published by Macmillan in paperback and is £6.99

'There Is No Dog' written by Meg Rosoff

From the author of 'How I Live Now' comes her brilliant new novel 'There Is No Dog'. This is a story about God. But probably not any kind of God you've heard of before. He is sixteen and called Bob.

Bob doesn't care much for the world he created, so leaves Mr B to sort all that complicated stuff out like prayers, tsunami's and famine. Bob's primary interest is girls. But what happens when he falls in love with the most beautiful girl in the world (that HE created), of course they can't be together - she's a mortal.

A brilliant compendium of characters including Bob's mother Mona; a mad goddess, and Eck; Bob's pet who is the last of his species and can eat anything and everything (and does!). Despite it's recent controversy with a few Christian schools I think it's a great book, it's only fictional - at least I hope God isn't a sex mad sixteen year old!

Recommended age 16+

Published by Puffin in 2011 in hardcover and is £12.99

'The Unforgotten Coat' written by Frank Cottrell Boyce

From the author of the fantastic book 'Millions', comes a touching story of a primary school friendship; between a girl from Liverpool and two Mongolian brothers. Adventures in Bootle, Liverpool begin when Chingis and Nergui join Julie O’Connors’ year six class at school. 

They stood out at first because both brothers came into school wearing long coats lined with fur, even though the air was scorching hot. With a Polaroid camera in tow, Chingis educates his classmates about Mongolian culture and the famous Chingis Khan (whom he is named after) and enlists Julie as their ‘Good Guide’ to teach them the ways of Bootle. 

Dispersed with Polaroid photographs every few pages, this is a truly unique and wonderful read teaching children about the wonderful but sad parts of meeting refugees.

Recommended age 8+

Published by Walker Books in 2011 in hardcover and is £10.