Children up to the age of 14 have the chance to launch a writing career, with the help of the Usborne Young Writers Award, launched last night by BBC presenter Emily Maitlis (pictured below). Authors Malcolm Rose, Leila Rasheed, Graham Marks, Ann Bryant and Sue Mongredien have written the openings to some intriguing stories, which entrants are invited to complete. The five winners will receive a trip to Usborne House in London to meet the authors, plus other prizes including £100 of Usborne books and an author visit to the winners’ schools. Full details at www.usborne.co.uk
Not short of imagination himself is Horrid Henry, who makes his latest appearance in the book-and-DVD pack of Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine (Orion, 12.99). Henry persuades his little brother Perfect Peter that a large box has the power to send him forward in time — but before he goes, Peter must dress as a girl and learn to speak a new gobbledygook language. Understandably, when he finds he has been duped, Peter exacts the most terrible revenge. Also in this volume, Henry turns an unwanted nature walk to his advantage and survives a restaurant meal with stuck-up Steve and his family. Francesca Simon constructs her plots as skilfully as Henry himself, constantly manipulating the delicate balance of power between Henry and his various enemies. Tony Ross’s deft line drawings capture the key moments of hilarity. The book will appeal to age five to 11s, while the DVD will entertain younger Horrid Henry fans.
“Aliens love underpants, it’s lucky that they do, For pants helped to save our universe, Sounds crazy, but it’s true!” The lingerie-loving extra-terrestrials ping back into action in Aliens in Underpants Save the World (Simon and Schuster, £5.99 pbk; £10.99 hbk),third in the series by Clare Freedman and Ben Cort. On a pants-finding mission, the aliens discover that a meteorite is threatening the earth’s existence and they vow to save it. Needless to say, the rescue involves prodigious quantities of nether garments, all gloriously illustrated in glowing colour. The rhyming text bounces along elastically. Irresistible, especially for ages up to five.
