Do Something Booky for #WorldBookDay20 - share the love of children's books and reading!

It can bring the most organised and crafty parent out in cold sweats, suddenly having to put together a costume at 11pm the night before ("Where did we put those Where's Wally socks?").

But we prefer to think of World Book Day as a time to share the joy and love of children's books - and take a full part in one of the UK's biggest book celebrations.

This year is extra special as it's the 20th anniversary of World Book Day. That's two awesome decades of dressing up, and literally millions of £1 vouchers and free books for children.

As well as exchanging their vouchers for the WBD books themselves (and you can take a look at this year's selection here) they can be used as £1 off any book in the shop.

World Book Day asks 'Do Something Booky' and we say 'Read A Book!'. So for today's #FridayReads, and in the interests of sharing the joy of reading for #WorldBookDay20, here are our pick of brilliant new children's books that have come into the shop in the last few weeks.

All of these are out on our two display tables front and back, so you won't be able to miss them when you walk into the shop!

'Also an Octopus' by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Benji davies
One of Imogen's favourite picture books of the year so far, this bonkers tale of how a story gets told features purple spaceships, an incredibly cute bunny...and also an octopus. Illustrated by Benji Davies ('The Storm Whale') this is bold, funny, imaginative and guaranteed to become a firm family favourite.

'Opposite Surprise' by Agnese Baruzzi
We love books that generate surprise and laughter amongst very little ones, and 'Opposite Surprise' by Italian illustrator Agnese Baruzzi is a wonderful board book, where each page concertinas open to totally transform the picture to great delight.

Minedition is a fantastic German publisher, who gather international authors and illustrators to publish some of the most original books, so come take a look at the others that they publish.

'Detective Dog' by Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie
This week, the shortlist for the Oxfordshire Book Awards was published, and amongst some of our favourite Oxfordshire-based authors being on the list (yay!) there was also 'Detective Dog' by Julia Donaldson - one of this year's £1 book authors.

Peter's Dog Nell has an incredible sense of smell, which means he's first on the case if there's a mystery to solve. But Nell also goes to school and listens to the children reading, so when they arrive one morning to find all the school books have disappeared - this is tailor-made for our snigging canine sleuth. It's a fast-paced celebration of books, reading, libraries, and the relationship between a little boy and his rather special dog.

'Butterfly Dance' by Suzanne Barton
Published next week, local author and illustrator Suzanne Barton - who transformed out window a few years back with artwork from her brilliant debut 'Robin's Winter Song' - Butterfly Dance is another sublimely beautiful mixture of art and story.

Caterpillars Dotty and Stripe do everything together. They play, they eat leaves and do all sorts of caterpiller-y things, and then one day, after spinning themselves into snuggly cocoons, they wake up as beautiful butterflies! But soon they realise that, for the first time ever, they look different. Should Dotty only play with butterflies that look like her? And Stripe only play with butterflies that look like him? It's a stunningly illustrated story about friendship and and being happy with who you are,

'The Goblin Princess: The Grand Goblin Ball' by Jenny O'Connor and Kate Willis-Crowley
We loved Jenny O'Connor's first story of Matty, the Goblin Princess, a fun, delightful story illustrated by Kate Willis-Crowley. In this follow-up, there is to be a grand Goblin Ball at the Goblin Castle and when the fairy twins Teasel and Tansy get lost in the woods, they end up at hobgoblin mountain and overhear the hobgoblins planning to invade the Goblin castle and CLEAN IT!!! Will Teasel and Tansy be able to get to the castle in time to warn Princess Matty or will the Hobgoblins carry out their fiendish plan?

'Ned's Circus of Marvels' by Justin Fisher
Ned always thought he was just a normal boy. But on his thirteenth birthday he is thrown into a world he knows nothing about - a world where magic is REAL. When he discovers the truth about who and what he is, secrets held for many years come pouring forth and Ned's life is changed for ever. It turns out that only he can stop the world from being engulfed by monstrous beasts - and all he has to help him is a robot mouse, a girl witch...and the most amazing circus you'll ever read about.

Justin Fisher's day job is designing title sequences for big Hollywood movies (yes, that is an actual job) so those title sequences you see at the start of X-Men and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are probably down to him. And the feedback from young readers in the shop is that this book is awesome!

'Wed Wabbit' by Lissa Evans
We told everyone about 'Wed Wabbit' a few weeks back in the newsletter, but this is still one of our favourite books of the year so far. It's utter genius, extremely funny, and at times genuinely scary.

It's about a children's story book world that gets entangled with the real world, and things go horribly, horribly wrong. Although perfect for 9+, we think plenty of adults will enjoy it immensely - whether you see it as a satire on the modern world or just a brilliantly imaginative tale. A genuine must-read from one of our favourite authors!

Elementary, In Trouble - and Off The Leash: Our Mother's Day Book Selection 2016

At Mostly Books, we try to resist stereotypes, and let's face it, 'Mother's Day' can be full of them: cue lots of images of immaculately dressed elegance, 1950s throwbacks and Von Trapp-style children. But where's the frazzled, barely holding-things-together, 'technically-it's-not-drinking-alone-if-the-kids-are-in-the-house' reality?

Still, we reckon that buying Mum a book is a good bet whatever the reality.

Buying a book as a gift conjures up the promise of unplugging from the world (at least for a while) and opening a door onto a wider world. These things go down extremely well (along with the flowers, chocolates, cups of tea and inexpertly-made breakfasts in bed of course). And reading is officially very good for you.

We're here to help you give Mum the day she deserves - so here is this year's Mostly Books Mother's Day recommends from everyone at the shop (several of whom are mothers themselves, and hence know about these sort of things).

'How It Works: The Mum' is another brilliantly-written, subversive spoof Ladybird title from the team behind 'How It Works: The Wife' and 'How It Works: The Husband'.

With the genius combination of nostalgic original artwork from the genuine Ladybird books, and sardonic observations on modern life that worked in earlier titles, this is definitely going to generate a laugh or two on Mother's Day, and will tide you over until the eagerly-awaited 'How It Works: The Student' is published this Autumn...

Continuing on the subversive, satirical theme, 'The Trouble with Women' by Jacky Fleming is an illustrated gem of a book that tells an alternative history of the ‘women history wrote out’. From 'Fallen Woman' (those that strayed outside their Domestic Bubble) to the men who have proved womens ‘puny’ intelligence, this is subversive, genuinely eye-opening, and very funny with plenty of historically-significant mothers (many with tell-tale ‘genius hair’...).

There's loads of new fiction out at the moment, and here are a few of our favourites which we think make extra-special Mother's Day choices.

One of Nicki's favourite children's authors, Meg Rosoff, has written her first book for adults - 'Jonathan Unleashed' - and it's a total joy.

New Yorker Jonathan has got a job, an apartment, a girlfriend - what more could he want? But when suddenly he also has two dogs, his life starts to painfully and hilariously unravel. Jonathan starts to see his life differently and feels perhaps there should be more...

A smart, funny book and beautifully written book about modern relationships (and dogs). For anyone who loved the quirky humour of 'The Rosie Project', it's a book that will surprise and go straight to the heart.

Mrs Hudson’s role in the Sherlock Holmes books was always being the woman whose main role in life was bringing Sherlock Holmes tea. Well, what if she is secretly covering up another brilliant mind, listening in to all Sherlock’s cases and longing to be a detective herself? That's the premise behind 'The House At Baker Street' by Michelle Birkby.

When Holmes dismisses a case of blackmail, Mrs Hudson, with the help of Mary Watson leaps in, determined to finally fulfil her dream and solve a case of her own. There is plenty of Sherlock-inspired fiction at the moment, but this is a triumph of imagination, exciting and thoroughly satisfying as a mystery in its own right.

Like Meg Rosoff, Lissa Evans made the leap from children's to adult books, although she was already an accomplished television director and producer. 'Crooked Heart' is a delightfully quirky story about the relationship between a struggling wartime widow and the evacuee she doesn't really want.

Vee reckons everyone is doing well out of the War, but she just keeps getting caught out. She takes in evacuee Noel, feeling there are opportunities to exploit his limp. They form a deep and touching relationship that survives both treachery and bombings in this heart-warming drama infused with both charm and moments of laugh-out-loud comedy.

In 'A Year of Marvellous Ways', 89 year old Marvellous Ways is waiting. She’s not entirely sure what she’s waiting for - but she knows it’s coming. Then Francis Drake arrives, a soldier fresh from war, and she sets out to use the power of stories to help him heal his past. Sarah Winman's tale is full of magical realism which gives the book a hint of ‘fairytaleness’. All in all it’s a book that will definitely whisk the reader away.

A good book cries out for a associated beverage, and if it's a lovely cup of tea then why not consider one of our range of mugs? Our bookish range from Scribbelicious have books on one side and quotes on the other.

It’s the perfect way to sink into a drink. And a book.

Some people may not agree with them being relaxing, but we have a collection of jigsaws at the moment (see 'Mother and Child' at left). What better to make, either alone, or with the ‘help’ of a son or daughter?

And do take a look at our pop-up 'flower' cards - the perfect way to send flowers through the post when you can't send flowers through the post!

A perfect present from a child? Try the following:

In 'My Mum is a Supermum' a wonderful, imaginative story celebrates mothers everywhere, written by Angela McAllister and illustrated by 'Claude' author and illustrator Alex T Smith. 

Does your mother have eyes in the back of her head? How about X-ray vision? Milo’s definitely does, since how else would she always know what he was doing?

There’s also 'Just Like My Mum' (now available in a board book as well as paperback). It's an extremely cute story all about a little lion cub and how he wants to be just like her - all drawn with the warmth and charm of Hugless Douglas creator David Melling.

Whoever you are buying for, just come into the shop and let us find the perfect gift!

The Greatest of these is Love: the Mostly Books Valentine's Day selection for 2015

This year's Valentine's Day selection is our typical mix of the traditional and the quirky (which you would expect from the team that offered up Potatoes and Zombies in 2013, and 'The Martian' in 2014).

Whether buying a gift for a special person - or treating yourself to a romantic read - love takes many forms, and can be found in all kinds of books. Enjoy.

The true romance of 'Pure Juliet' is how it came to be published. Stella Gibbons will always be the author that wrote 'Cold Comfort Farm', but she came to resent this book squatting on her reputation, overshadowing her achievements as a poet and the many other books she wrote. So when, in 2014, her family discovered this unpublished manuscript Vintage Classics took the opportunity to publish.

Written in the 1970s and 80s, it's a novel ahead of its time, with the character of Juliet definitely 'on a spectrum somewhere', obsessed with the maths and physics she excels at, but clumsy and baffled by the messiness and unpredictability of relationships and love. 'Pure Juliet' will be a joy to fans, told with wit, wry observation and sensitivity. It adds a welcome dimension to an author often described as our '20th century Jane Austen'.

Celia Imre might just make the transition from one of our best-loved actors to authors with her debut novel 'Not Quite Nice'. Bellevue-Sur-Mer sits on the French Riviera, just outside Nice.

When Theresa - sick of her spoilt daughter and equally obnoxious grandchildren - loses her job she heads off to the south of France to contemplate her future. Cue a Kate Fforde-esque tale of oddball characters, and plenty of twists and turns in the Sun. But what sets this apart is the pace and humour - a real joy to read.

Erotic poetry might make a few people do a double-take when viewed on the table of our family-friendly shop, but then Gaius Valerius Catullus wasn't your average erotic poet. His yearning, pining love poems track a doomed obsession during the tumultuous years of Rome in the first century BC, and as such are packed with tantalising glimpes of a different Rome than is found in other literary works of the period.

Mocked in his own lifetime, he boasts plenty of modern fans including Robert Harris, historians Dan Jones and Tom Holland, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) Boris Johnson (who, one suspects, has deployed a few stanzas over the years!). Their praise adorns the cover of 'Catullus' Bedspread' this fabulous book by debut author and classical scholar Daisy Dunn. It's part biography, part imagined travelogue and part analysis of his works. Original, accomplished and a lot of fun, this might be the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in Roman life - or the unchanging hopes and desires of the human heart over the millennia.

How about a romantic gift that does double-duty as an adorable picture book? As has happened to just about everyone in the shop, you will absolutely fall in love with 'I'll Never Let You Go' by author Smriti Prasadam-Halls and illustrator Alison Brown.

Beautiful illustrations and a sensitive story will quickly make this a firm favourite at bedtime - but also something to soothe any worry lines on little brows.

On the same lines, but in a lovingly-produced gift edition, 'Love...' by Emma Dodd is another beautifully produced book from one of our absolutely favourite publishers, Nosy Crow (who celebrate their fifth birthday this year).

Celebrating the love between parent and child, with delightful rhyming text - we have some exclusive, limited edition matching cards to give away with every book purchased to make this an extra special gift!

Last Summer, our Courtyard Garden was packed to listen to debut novelist Laura Barnett talk about her book 'The Versions of Us', a book that takes a what-if approach to the vagaries of the human heart.

And who hasn’t wondered ‘What if?’ about their own life? What if you’d taken a particular job, taken that path instead of this one, or that one chance – said ‘yes’ one time instead of ‘no’? 

The outcome of a chance meeting - or not - between Eva and Jim on a Cambridge path is followed in three alternative strands, which is constantly surprising and not at all what you might have expected. Thought-provoking and now out in paperback.

We reviewed 'Crooked Heart' by Lissa Evans on BBC Radio Oxford last week - a fun, brilliantly plotted, enjoyable and rollicking good story, told with dark humour, showing how different people, with different skills, can be thrown together and blossom in the confusion of war.

Click to read the full review here and you can also listen to Mark discussing the book with Alex Lester during the show.

'It's never too late to have a fling, for autumn is just as nice as spring ...' Christopher Matthew's latest collection of comic verse negotiates the perils and pitfalls of romance in later years in 'A Bus Pass Named Desire'.

Love is revealed in the most unlikely places, with the most improbable people seeking it. Whether in Dorking, Diss, Clapham Junction or West Wittering, there are amorous opportunities waiting to be seized at the bridge table, on the tennis court, in the herbaceous border, on a bicycle made for two, or simply in warm companionship.


Delightful and stirring tales of late-flowering love (and even mild debauchery in a retirement home, of which Catullus - see above - would be proud!) this is a celebration of life for the young at heart.

Crooked, twisted, but having a great day: BBC Oxford Afternoon Book Buzz

This week we were utterly thrilled to watch as Oxford-based author Frances Hardinge picked up one of the biggest prizes in British publishing - the Costa Book of the Year award.

Frances' books are a bold and imaginative blend of science fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, history and horror for children and young adults. But aside from her exquisite writing, she's a thoroughly lovely and generous person - and when we've taken her into local schools, the children have always been inspired to write themselves.

So we were excited to be able to rave about her Costa-winning book 'The Lie Tree' on BBC Radio Oxford this week. You can listen to the show here (fast-forward to approximately 2 hours 40 minutes).

Here are the books we reviewed:

The Lie Tree – Frances Hardinge (PB, Macmillan, £7.99)
It’s Victorian England, and Faith knows she has no future as a scientist like her father. But when he is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she discovers that a woman in Victorian society can be good at influencing and manipulating behind the scenes, and she sets about trying to uncover the truth, despite no-one believing her. In her father’s belongings, she finds a strange tree that seems to feed off of whispered lies, and the bigger and more believed the lies, the more the tree grows. She decides to experiment with it, but things start to spiral desperately out of control.

This is another brilliantly thought-provoking, imaginative tale that weaves science and fantasy, drawing on deep storytelling and fairy tale themes but totally original. Frances Hardinge is definitely at the cutting edge of YA writing – and now she’s one of our most celebrated authors.

Crooked Heart – Lissa Evans (Black Swan, PB, £7.99)

Where Frances Hardinge has written a book which has plenty of appeal for adult readers, Lissa Evans is an author who writes for children and adults. Lissa’s children’s books are brilliantly imaginative mystery stories and have been shortlisted for just about every children’s award going (here's a review we did in 2011 for 'Small Change for Stuart', one of favourite children's books ever)

In Crooked Heart, we reckon she’ll get plenty more nominations. It’s simply a rollicking good story, told with dark humour, showing how different people, with different skills, can be thrown together and blossom in the confusion of war.

The story is set at the outbreak of World War II, and Noel Bostock - aged ten, with no family - is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz. He winds up in St Albans with Vera Sedge. They seem the polar opposite: where Noel is studious, serious and analytical, Vee is instinctive, opportunistic and always on the make, drowning in debts and always desperate for money.

On her own, Vee’s a disaster, but with Noel, she's a team. But the consequences of their activities start to make them dangerous enemies, and Noel finds evacuation hasn’t exactly made him safer. Funny, original, a wonderful read.

How to Have a Good Day : Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform Your Working Life – Caroline Webb (Macmillan, PB, £14.99)

Finally, we're big suckers for personal development or ‘how-to’ books (or, as we like to euphemistically call them, ‘success literature’) but in recent years the move has been to back up traditional recommendations of success (positive thinking, positive affirmations and goal settings) with the latest developments in how the brain works.

What we love about Caroline Webb’s ‘How to Have a Good Day’ is how it’s written as a handbook to achieve better outcomes in your life, with a folksy, attractive style which sets nice, achievable steps and contains plenty of real, recent proof that her tips really work.

It’s not grandiose, it’s nicely self-deprecating, and contains all sorts of science-backed, small changes we can make to achieve really desirable outcomes e.g. getting a better night’s sleep, getting along better with work colleagues, feeling fitter and achieving more. What a great way to start the year!

Big debut for little Stuart

(Review of Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans)

The opening of a mysterious money box and a cache of old threepenny bits is the start of a magical adventure for Stuart Horten (10, but looks younger).

Stuart has just moved to a new town with his crossword-puzzle-compiler father, and busy working mother and longs for his old friends. What he has is next door’s nosy triplet girls (April, May and June – tall with glittery hairclips and a love of investigative journalism).

But Stuart is soon on the trail of a mysterious ancestor and an even stranger mythical magic workshop and must work through a series of puzzles and clues – to find the truth, and of course, discover the workshop before the baddie gets there first.

Uncovering an old family mystery is glorious fun. (I know I am a pushover for mystery stories and this one has magical clues, photographic clues and safe-cracking). Fantastic!

With genuine humour and a pacy plot it’s an absolutely cracking read for both boys and girls aged 8+, but a secret pleasure for parents too – perfect family reading. If only they would bring it out as an audio book it would be in our car like a shot for summer holiday travel.

It’s out now in a gorgeous little gift hardback size. It looks lovely, even down to all the line drawings.

'Small Change for Stuart' is on the longlist for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award (judged by fellow professionals). I am always heartened to see not only a debut children’s author up for a big award – but a book that is also written for younger children.

But the best news of all is that apparently the author, Lissa Evans, is already working on a sequel.