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Heroic books for boys and girls

Posted on 20th May 2015 by Jonathan O'Brien

Darkmouth, our Children's Book of the Month, and other legendary tales

Firstly, we love Darkmouth so much we've made it our Children's Book of the Month. It's the first in what's sure to be a hugely popular new series about Finn, a reluctant member of a long line of monster hunters. It's already shaping up to be a fantastic coming of age story as Finn faces up to his own fears, troubles and the Legends that invade his small town of Darkmouth.

Our booksellers love it. This is from Nicki at our Bluewater shop: "This is a fun, exciting, scary, rollercoastery book with intrigue, monsters (Legends), prophecies, friendship, betrayal and sooooo much more. Cannot wait for book two!"

We're not sure about the word 'rollercoastery' but the four extra o's in 'so' more than make up for it. Nicky loves it, we love it and we're certain children of all ages will feel the same way. But we don't like recommending just one book, there are so many others that also deserve our attention. After Darkmouth, why not try one of the following?

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

While the destiny of most of the young heroes in these books is to save the day, the destiny of most successful series of children's books is to be made into films. But why does a book need to a film before it becomes legitimised in the broader eyes of the world? Defy the trend! Read the book! How to Train Your Dragon is wonderful. It's really funny, Hiccup is a brilliant hero for children and, what's more, it's got dragons. Everybody loves dragons.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

There's not much to say about the Percy Jackson books that hasn't already been said. Rick Riordan's take on the Greek myths and legends are amongst the most successful children's books in recent years. The perfect set of books to move onto once Darkmouth has been devoured. A brilliant series for young teens.

Beast Quest by Adam Blade

The Beast Quest books are for younger children who may not quite be ready for the humour and ongoing story of Darkmouth. There's monsters, danger, ancient swords, myths, legends and a young boy named Adam who has to face them all. They're a great bridge for children who want to read for themselves but aren't quite ready to move onto the longer, occasionally more complicated books available.

Beast Quest is also perfect for presents as there are now over 130 of them in the series. You'd be set for a good few yeasr, really. As your child/niece/nephew/and so on finishes a book, you can just get them the next one, safe in the knowledge that they'll enjoy the gift. Wonderful.

Hamish and the Worldstoppers by Danny Wallace

If you're a comedian and you're not writing a children's book by now then you've let something slip. It also helps if your book is good, of course. Thankfully, Danny Wallace's is great.

Hamish discovers one day that the world around him has stopped and, like every kid would, uses it to his full advantage. But there are some horrible noises that keep on ruining the fun. It's as funny as you'd expect and loved by the children that come into our stores.

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