Children’s books: The season’s new titles for tots, teens and those in between

Following on from Adam Kay and Henry Paker’s Amy Gets Eaten, the jaunty journey of a sweetcorn kernel through the digestive system, Simon Gets Sneezed (Puffin) is a similar paean to snot. Simon is a bogey (or, as his Mum insists, a piece of mucus). The scene is the inside of a nostril, where Simon defends the airways from everything from pollution to cat hair. Less varied in its artistic possibilities than the gut, the nasal canal nevertheless provides educational drama, and a finale of terrific gusto. Check out the finer details of the illustrations for bonus mucoid humour. If you love green goo, this book is for you. Age three to seven.

Moody, misunderstood musicians are centre stage in Everything Amplified by Sarah Lippett and Ziggy Hanoar (Cicada), a YA graphic novel that neatly incorporates mini biographies of legends such as Karen Carpenter and Janis Joplin. Nel is bullied at school, and at home her mother openly favours her twin brother, Ludo, although her musician aunt Jan understands her better. With boyfriend and girlfriend troubles adding to the turbulence, carving out her own path is a challenge for Nel. The graphic format is ideal for conveying her overwhelming (amplified) life, as well as the music scene, and the portrait of fallible but talented Nel, trying to fit in and recapture the happiness of simpler, pre-teen times, is spot-on. Explicit language, age 16-plus.

Starting a new school is scary for Charlie, especially as the first people she meets are a gang of bullies and the evil deputy head. So when a portal opens into an alternative world where she is Robin Hood, with geeky classmate Nathan Silver as sidekick, it must be an improvement, surely? Robin Hood, Aged 10 ¾ by Ben Miller (Simon & Schuster) is a madcap fairytale, aptly illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, with a memorable archery scene and satisfying conclusion. (Features mushroom foraging: there is an author caveat, but parental guidance is recommended). Age nine to 12.

Tilly loves entertaining guests but isn’t sure what to do when her household hosts an Iraqi family who have come to live in America. Just Say Welcome by Emily Raij, illustrated by Nathalia Takeyama (Kar-Ben) shows Tilly and her brother doing just that – as well as sharing food that reminds the Iraqi family of home, and learning from them, too. A gentle, jolly and optimistic book, much needed. Age three up.