ONE IN A MILLION by Smriti Halls, Illustrated by Nila Aye (HarperCollins £7.99, 32pp)
Debra the baby zebra is proud that she’s learned to count – but only up to ten. What happens when she’s asked to count her own stripes and doesn’t know any more numbers?
Luckily, Mum steps in and, on a glorious journey across the grasslands, teaches Debra to tot up the flowers, fish and berries they see.
This beautifully illustrated, rhyming counting book not only encourages children to love numbers but has a reassuring, touching twist at the end.
Big-eyed Debra is so endearing you’ll want to hug her yourself. Age 3+
SCARLET: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE by James Davis, Illustrated by Dolly Sutton (HarperCollins £7.99, 240pp)
This first in a series by debut author Davis is a high-octane, brilliantly bonkers sci-fi adventure brimming with charismatic characters, evil aliens and laugh-out-loud jokes.
Nine-year-old Scarlet is so fed up with her younger brother that she answers an advert in the back of the Beano to become Defender Of The Universe – just to prove to him it’s not a real thing.
However, when Jasper arrives from another planet to recruit her, things swiftly get out of hand.
AI robots, Pom-Pom a space pet and a monster’s need for hot chocolate propel her into the far cosmos on a mission to save the planet – all before she’s missed back at home.
Great stuff. 8+
THE ZOMBIE PROJECT by Alice Nuttall (Chicken House £7.99, 272pp)
TV series such as The Walking Dead revolve around killing zombies, but in this highly original environmentally-themed novel, there’s a clever twist – they must be kept alive to preserve the planet.
On a dystopian Earth after bees have died out, nature relies on death-flies to pollinate crops.
But the death-flies lay their eggs in humans who become terrifying, flesh-eating zombies when they die.
Merian and her scientist mother try to persuade fearful people to preserve the zombies to save the planet from an all-powerful corporation – but then Merian spots a bee emerging from a zombie.
What does this mean? Older children will thrill to the graphic gore in this gripping and thought-provoking eco-horror. 11+
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