Books

This book is all about asking for, giving and not giving permission, which is usually called consent. Using child-friendly explanations and colourful illustrations by Sarah Jennings, this book helps you to teach children that it's OK to say 'no' when they feel uncomfortable, and that they should respect when others say 'no' to them too.

The topics that feel difficult to discuss with your children are probably the ones you most need to talk to them about. From personal space to sharing, and from privacy to asking for help, It's OK to Say No explains why learning to respect yourself and others is so important. Featuring extra notes for grown-ups on tackling these sensitive topics with little ones, this reassuring picture book is the perfect resource to read with children aged 4+ and start important conversations about respect and consent.

Let's Talk books help you start meaningful conversations with your child. Written by an expert and covering topics like feelings, relationships, diversity and mental health, these comforting picture books support healthy discussion right from the start.

Alina and her granny live in a lighthouse by the sea: a home filled with the warmth of Granny's magical stories. But Alina is worried. Granny's memories and stories are starting to fade away, and she doesn't know how to bring them back. Then one day, she meets a mermaid on the rocks near the lighthouse – and she's swept into a magical deep-sea adventure that will change everything. A modern classic from the bestselling creators of The Girl and the Dinosaur.

From the bestselling author of The Miniaturist. Jessie Burton's Hidden Treasure is the phenomenal page-turning story of two children whose lives collide when they find an ancient treasure with the power to return to them the most precious thing they have ever lost

For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back.

Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo's dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which – when the pieces are reunited – holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost.

But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now?

For fans of Katherine Rundell and Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, Hidden Treasure is a classic in the making, with a rip-roaring plot, spine-tingling twists and an unforgettable cast of characters.

Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter, Elle, has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She's had writer's block for months, and her screenplay is due by the end of the summer.

Desperate for inspiration, Elle returns to NYC – the city she hates – and tries to throw herself into her writing. But then she meets her new neighbour: Parker Warren. He's the city's favourite handsome tech billionaire and he's also the guy Elle hooked up with in a stairwell two years ago. When seeing him again turns into a night of hate-fuelled writing, Elle realises Parker might just be her twisted muse.

So, when Parker needs to fake a steady relationship during his company's precarious acquisition and Elle needs to research a list of classic date spots in the city for her screenplay, they suddenly find they might just be exactly what each other needs.

Summers always end, and so will this agreement.

He's on edge while she's en pointe in this fake-dating sports romance from the author of the smash hit Collide.

'Fake-dating goodness filled with delicious tension' Lana Ferguson, author of The Nanny

Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.

Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina whose lack of popularity online has put her at a major disadvantage for securing the roles she dreams of. When Sage finds herself with the chance to change her luck by fake-dating Elias, she takes her shot.

Soon enough, the flimsy rules they set in place fall away. But before things can spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they're willing to take the leap together or if they'll have to call it quits.

'Bal Khabra is a master of swoon, and lovable characters. I dare you to try and read one of her novels in more than one sitting - they're simply unputdownable.' Hannah Bonam-Young, author of Out on a Limb

If you love...
Hockey player x ballerina
Fake-dating
Slow burn
Forced proximity
Multi-racial characters
Found family
Dual POV
... you're going to love Spiral

'An excellent book' VINCE CABLE | 'A must read' JO JOHNSON | 'A fascinating read' BILL DUDLEY

A timely manifesto on how digital currencies will win the New Cold War and the struggle for geopolitical supremacy in the twenty-first century.

A New Cold War is underway. Whereas the first Cold War was dominated by the threat of nuclear conflict, the new front line is economic and financial, but still dominated by technology. Who controls its future will help decide the outcome of the geopolitical struggle between China and the US.

Since the end of the Second World War, the US dollar has been the global reserve currency, which has ensured American dominance of the world economy. But no longer. More than a hundred countries are developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), digital equivalents to cash that will utterly transform how we do business at home and abroad.

China was the first country to recognise the potential of this new money. The West's media focused on the new currency's role in China's surveillance state, creating widespread concern about all CBDCs. But they have largely overlooked a more important aspect of its existence: as a tool through which to 'de-dollarise' the developing world at the speed of light. When China's President Xi Jinping officially launched the digital yuan in February 2022, he also agreed a pact of 'limitless co-operation' with Russia. Within days, Russia launched its war on Ukraine, secure in the knowledge it could bypass US sanctions.

Urgent, clear-eyed and groundbreaking, Smart Money shows us how CBDCs are going to impact all of our futures in ways that most of us have failed to even consider. If the West is to compete, it needs to act fast to develop its own global digital currencies that reflect the values of liberal democracies.

Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in more than a decade – but she has no idea how she got to the free world. Half a year has been wiped from her memory.

As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret – one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist.

And it soon becomes clear that the one person who could recover her memories – Arcturus Mesarthim – might also hold the key to saving Italy.

Lyrical and action-packed, The Dark Mirror drives the Bone Season series forward, showing Samantha Shannon at the height of her powers.

In a culture that frequently worships at the altar of productivity, growth, 'self-improvement' and 'success', what if the contentment we are all looking for isn't somewhere out there – but is actually so close that we're overlooking it?

In this fascinating book, host of A New Way of Being podcast and former BBC sports journalist Simon Mundie explores the stories of elite athletes – from Frankie Dettori and Jonny Wilkinson to Lucy Gossage and Kate Richardson-Walsh – who have reached the loftiest sporting heights. Through their journeys, Mundie unlocks eight essential lessons for finding fulfilment, peace and happiness, and questions the cultural myths that have developed around sport, life and success.

From how to cultivate a skilful way of relating to our thoughts and feelings, whatever their content, through to developing togetherness and a deep sense of belonging, all while avoiding burn-out, Champion Thinking will redefine what it means to find true success.

Solve the murder to save what's left of the world. Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

'George Cross is becoming one of my favourite detectives.' ELLY GRIFFITHS

A victim with no enemies. A murder with no motive.

When the body of a monk is found savagely beaten in woodland near Bristol, DS George Cross discovers that nothing is known about the man's past.

How can he unpick a crime when he doesn't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

His past reveals that he had no enemies, although George learns he was exceedingly wealthy, that he sacrificed it all for his faith.

For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder. But greed is a sin after all...

Perfect for fans of MW Craven, Ann Cleeves and Joy Ellis, The Monk is part of the million-copy-bestselling George Cross Mystery series, which can be read in any order, by the 2025 Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library Award longlistee.