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What’s better than curling up with a new book under a warm blanket, cup of hot chocolate in hand? Check out these highly-anticipated winter 2020 book releases to get your hands on. There’s something for everyone, from the kiddies, to teens and even the adult bookworms. Happy reading!

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Kids (Ages 4 – 8)

With the kids being off school for near on two months, cabin fever and boredom must be setting in. If your little ones won’t be returning to school during the winter months, pick up these exciting new reads to keep them entertained.

Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Introduce your little ones to the magic of poetry with this picture-poem collection by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Writing in the voices of very different, but all beautifully unique little girls, Brantley-Newton explores themes of identity, community and the simple pleasures of a child’s life. The mixed-media illustrations will capture the attention of even the most impatient young reader. Suitable for ages four to eight.

Slime by David Walliams

Bestselling children’s author, David Walliams is back with another delightfully witty storybook. Slime is a “fantastically funny tale”, set on the Isle of Mulch. Here live a large number of incredibly horrible adults who like nothing more than making children miserable. Who could be brave enough to stop them? Meet Ned – an extraordinary boy with a special power – Slimepower! This book is perfect for bedtime reading with the kids. But don’t blame us if you get slimed!

Tweens (Ages 9 – 12)

Tween readers exist in that awkward stage between little kid and full blown teen. Appeal to their childlike sense of adventure and their more grown up sensibility about the way the world works with these top reads.

The Kid Who Came From Space by Ross Welford

This one is for kids who loved the humour of Wall-E, the action-adventure of Star Wars and the emotion of ET. Twelve-year-old Tammy disappears, rocking her small village in the wilds of Northumberland. Only her twin brother, Ethan, knows she is safe – and the extraordinary truth of where she is. It is a secret he must keep, or risk never seeing her again. This remarkable story of sibling bonds and intergalactic adventure is ideal for readers aged ten and older.

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal by Jeff Kinney

If your tween hasn’t gotten themselves stuck into the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series yet, get them started with this latest release from number one bestselling author, Jeff Kinney. This spin-off from the original series will have your tween rolling with laughter, as Greg’s best friend and sidekick, Rowley Jefferson, tells his side of the story. But will Rowley’s recollection of events reveal secrets Greg never meant to share with the world?

Teens & Young Adults (Ages 13 – 19)

The pressures of online schooling and keeping up with their friends in lockdown is surely weighing on your teens’ mind. Help them escape the ‘real’ world for awhile by investing in these awesome new reads from two of the literary world’s best loved authors.

A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games books are hailed as some of the most prolific young adult reads over the last decade. Let your teen (or yourself) enter the world of epic violence, corruption and courage in this prequel to the series. A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games trilogy. Centred around the adventures of a teenage Coriolanus Snow, who would go on to become the illustrious President Snow of Panem. This action thriller is an absolute must-read this winter.

Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson

Growing up is hard. Falling in love for the first time is harder. Jacqueline Wilson’s new teen novel delves into the ups and downs of teenage life, love and coming out. Frankie is fourteen and growing up fast. When she begins to develop feelings for her friend, Sally, she wonders if she may be in love. She also wonders if Sally may feel the same way. Love Frankie is relevant, poignant and perfect for teens experiencing a whole bunch of scary firsts. This book is expected to release in August 2020.

Adults (you know how old you are!)

If you’ve ever complained about a lack of time for reading, now’s your chance to get stuck into a few new books. It’s cold outside and you aren’t allowed out except for essentials or work anyway, so get busy!

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

A story about greed and guilt, fantasy and delusion, art and the ghosts of our pasts – what more could you ask for in a book? The Glass Hotel comes to you from the award-winning author of Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel. Taking place between the deck of a mysterious ship, the skyscrapers of Manhattan, and the wilderness of northern Vancouver Island, this book will take you on a journey to other worlds (which we imagine is exactly what you need right now!)

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

English novelist, Hilary Mantel is the verified queen of historical fiction. Pick up her latest master work, The Mirror and the Light, this winter. This book is the final installment in Mantel’s trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII. If you haven’t read the two previous installments, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, get stuck in! You really have no excuse not to.