Ask a Bookseller: Rach from Bags of Books

My daughter (13) is Welsh and would love to read some more English language books based in Wales. Can you recommend any? She particularly enjoys murder mystery and historical fiction. – Sarah

Hi Sarah. Lesley Parr, Catherine Fisher, Lee Newbery, Eliose Williams, Caryl Lewis, and Claire Fayers are authors that set the majority of their novels in Wales.

As your daughter particularly enjoys mystery and historical fiction, I would recommend one of our personal favourites: The Valley of Lost Secrets by Lesley Parr – the perfect combination of both genres. Framed by Frank Cottrell-Boyce is also a great mystery

Other great novels set in Wales to look out for are The Five by Elgan Rhys and Where the Wilderness Lives by Jess Butterworth.

What's the best way I can help my daughter become a bookworm like me? She's currently 6 months old! – Ayse

Hi Ayse! Just keep reading to your daughter. Children that are consistently exposed to a range of books from a young age tend to naturally grow a love of reading. Start with touch-and-feel books, and felt flaps, moving up to other interactive books such as pull-and-slide and shorter stories. You can increase the length of stories depending on how long she likes to sit and listen for. Take her to story times or the library, there will always be some exciting book event near you to build excitement.

Our main advice to keep the love of reading alive as she grows up is to make sure the books selected are ones that she will enjoy or chosen by herself, not what adults want or think she should read. Reading should be enjoyable and about what the reader wishes to read.

I'm looking for books for my 8-year-old to read independently, with a diverse range of families. We are a two-mum family and I'd like him to read books that reflect his family. Thanks. – Jen

Hi Jen. While many books now make sure to have a selection of diverse characters and families in, the selection below are the ones we recommend to people looking specifically for main characters from same-sex families.

• The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery
• The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. by Jen Carney
• The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton
• The Doughnut Club by Kristina Rahim
• Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean
• The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
• Proud of Me by Sarah Hagger-Holt

Both my children really enjoy graphic novels. Do you have any suggestions in this genre that are great for a 10- or 12-year-old? – Shelaine

Hi Shelaine. Graphic novels have become so popular in the last few years that there are so many great ones to choose from it can sometimes be overwhelming. A few graphic novels that we like and are suitable for both 10- and 12-year-olds are listed below. Hopefully they are willing to share so they get twice the joy from them.

• Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur
• Smile by Raina Telgemeier (and any of its sequels)
• Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland
• Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam
• When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle, illustrated by Fred Fordham
• Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano

My son is neurodivergent, and I'm looking for more children's stories that have neurodivergent protagonists so that he can see himself in the wider world. We know The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Can You See Me?, but I would love to find more, suitable for any age children. – Lisa

Hi Lisa. There are so many great stories out there with neurodiverse characters, far too many to list, but here are a couple of picks that cover all ages. If you need more ideas, we have list on neurodiverse picture books and middle grade titles on our website, and our teen selection can be found on our Bookshop.org page.

Picture Books

• Leo and the Octopus by Isabelle Marinov, illustrated by Chris Nixon
• Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Gree, illustrayed by Francis Martin

Younger Fiction

• Harriet Hound by Kate Foster, illustrated by Sophie Beer
• Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Middle Grade

• A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
• The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

Graphic Novels

• Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess
• Frankie's World by Aoife Dooley

Teen

• The Asparagus Bunch by Jessica Scott-Whyte
• Stealing Happy by Brian Conaghan