These are additions to popular Nosy Crow series for younger readers: thanks to the publisher for sending them for review

Princess Minna: The Wicked Wood
Kirsty Applebaum, illustrated by Sahar Haghgoo

There’s nothing multi-talented young Princess Minna likes better that sorting out problems in her kingdom but she wakes one morning to discover that not only are her parents, the King and Queen missing but so too is her best friend, Lorenzo the dragon. This requires help, she decides. She dashes into town where she learns from some woodcutters that the missing characters were heading for the Wicked Wood where resides the Wicked Witch and all manner of wicked creatures. Somebody needs to rescue them but those woods are so terribly creepy that Princess Minna hopes one of the townsfolk will offer to go instead of her. Up steps Little Betty Button and with a bag of breadcrumbs, she sets forth leaving a trail, through the Enchanted Forest towards Wicked Woods; but she doesn’t return. A similar thing happens with two more volunteers.

Eventually Minna realises there’s no option but to go herself. After a time she reaches a clearing and what she discovers there is a real surprise. A very unusual house. Yes all the missing characters are there but almost immediately, so too is the ‘Wicked Witch’. But is she really the wicked character she’s rumoured to be? And why are the Big, Queen and Lorenzo in the Wicked Woods? To reveal the reason would be to spoil the story so I’ll just say all ends happily with Minna et al safely back at Castle Tall-Towers.

Borrowing the occasional traditional fairy tale trope, team Applebaum and Hagoo has created another magical story for readers just starting to fly solo.

Mermaid Academy: Maya and Rainbow
Julie Sykes and Linda Chapman, illustrated by Lucy Truman

As the story opens lesson-loving, organised Maya wonders whether she and her fun loving dolphin, Rainbow will ever bond; could it be that they’re just too different to become real partners?
Then comes an announcement from Dr Oceania: to help them become good ocean guardians, all the first year students and their dolphins are to go on a team-building camping trip to the Northern Fjords to study the flora and fauna. Each dorm must complete a co-operative project. They’ll leave the very next day by Magical Globe, so the students must make sure they have the necessary equipment ready and Maya and her dorm friends are determined to come up with a very special, winning project.

Before leaving they decide on the focus of their project. Before leaving too, Maya realises that she’s not as good at making bubble tunnels as she is at everything else she’s tried and not being perfect is something that bothers her a lot. However she doesn’t ask her friends for help for fear of losing her star pupil image. But she’ll come to regret this decision during the three days camping expedition.

Will she change her mind and have the courage to seek assistance? Possibly, after some timely conversation with Rainbow …

Containing an important life lesson, this latest Mermaid Academy adventure has all the magical ingredients series followers enjoy including Lucy Truman’s black and white illustrations.