Samantha Lewis’s Elements of the Day makes the periodic table rock

A folktale resurfaces among the slime and grime of Britain’s rivers in Mike Edwards’s debut, Riverskin

Shortlisted for the first Booker prize, From Scenes Like These by Gordon Williams is a novel brimming with black humour and vivid description. It deserves its modern classic status

In Under a Fire-Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean, four runaways live by their wits on the streets of London at war

Nate is leaving his primary behind, but things are complicated at home … in The First Year, Matt Goodfellow explores a time of transition with energy and warmth

The youngest generation of parents are the least likely to value reading aloud, research suggests

Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron turns traditional monsters into adorable characters — from Dracula brushing his fangs to Medusa blow-drying her snakes. It’s a hilarious read for ages 3-7

In After, Pádraig Kenny’s novel, a daughter and her unusual father must use their wits to survive in a post-apocalyptic world

What Happens Online by Nathanael Lessore has a brilliantly relatable teenage protagonist, who provides laughs and positive messages

The book world is poring over an AI project that introduces children to characters on the page and encourages them to get to know them better on messaging apps

In Zohra Nabi’s outstanding novel Deep Dark, a chilling mystery unfolds in the back streets of London

This debut from a Bafta-winning director about an ogre who likes nothing on the menu is subversive and original

Homes ‘repossessed’ after uncollected payments to Child Maintainance Service. Yet agency is not using all powers at its disposal to pursue evading parents

Ride North by Maria de Jong is a quirky and gripping tale of survival with a real sense of jeopardy

Two jewels buried in the Thames mud will unlock a magical wish for their finder in Jessie Burton’s Great War-era tale Hidden Treasure

Dan Smith’s horror-mystery, The Night House Files — The Deadsoul Project, has the perfect balance of thrills and chills

The breed, once a favourite of royalty and presidents, is at risk of disappearing. The Kennel Club says the Old English sheepdog and Irish wolfhound are also declining

The BolognaRagazzi awards are the most prestigious in global children’s publishing — but on World Book Day, it seems the UK is lagging behind

We Are Definitely Human by X Fang is a celebration of how weird can be wonderful too

When Dad blows the family savings on a scam mongoose farm, his son Ben steps up with his big ideas to make the family a fortune …

A father-daughter bonding trip turns into a time-sensitive whodunnit — or Evie’s petrolhead dad will be off to jail for a crime he didn’t commit

As other arts festivals are being forced to close, the bookseller is launching a new event that includes stars of comic-strip fiction

Black Star by Kwame Alexander, a novel told in verse, is supremely satisfying and zings with confidence

Join James Turner, creator of Toby and the Pixies and Star Cat, and Thiago de Moraes, creator of Age Stone to invent characters and create brand-new crazy comics. May contain high levels of nonsense. ...

Capybaras and kangaroos jostle with more traditional animals as they compete to win a great race in this energetic retelling of the legend

Igor Levit will carry out Erik Satie’s mischievous instructions to play Vexations 840 times in front of an audience in London in the spring

Populated with horrible aunties and topsy-turvy mermaids, this is the kind of story that kids actually love

The internet is abuzz with animals using buttons to ‘talk’. I wanted to see if my Airedale could master the art of conversation — and what home truths she might blab

People Like Stars by Patrice Lawrence, a former winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, features three teenagers connected by one big secret

Leading researchers have agreed to have their papers ‘peer reviewed’ by youngsters. Could the results help solve science’s communications problems?

In this fizzing and imaginative tale, Meticulous Jones discovers on her tenth birthday that her fate is to become a … murderer

From a time-travelling cinema screen to a hard-partying crow and a graphic novel adaptation of Lord of the Flies, here are the best books to buy for children and young adults this Christmas