These are recent additions to three deservedly popular young fiction series published by Oxford Children’s Books

Freddie’s Amazing Bakery: The Sticky Cake Race
Harriet Whitehorn, illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths

In this latest tasty offering starring sweet-natured Freddie Bonbon, Belville’s best baker, summer is drawing to an end and the town’s inhabitants are busy preparing for an important community event, the Belville Rally.
Contestants have been considering their costumes and preparing their cycles making them race worthy, including Freddie himself who is participating along with his assistant Sophie and his bakery manager Amira who are going to ride what they call a tridem. Freddie is also going to make the cake to be awarded for the best costume.

There’s one person however with eyes on winning the first prize, who will stop at nothing to sabotage things for team Freddie and that’s rival baker Bernard Macaroon.

My mouth was watering at the mere mention of all the yummy cakes and pastries mentioned during this story; but who is the eventual race winner? Suffice it to say there is one very surprising outcome of the whole event, as well as a thoroughly delicious finale and fun illustrations by Alex G. Griffiths throughout.

Kitty and the Kidnap Trap
Paula Harrison, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie

Superhero in training and still perfecting her powers, Kitty is always on the lookout for ways to help others so she’s more than happy to have the opportunity to look after her friend’s pet hamster Marvin over the weekend.
That night after her first visit to the creature, Kitty feels uneasy and so she decides to don her superhero gear and with Pumpkin alongside, to go back to check Marvin is okay. When she gets there though, the cage is empty. Disaster!

Before you can say ‘rats’ Kitty is hot on the trail. Can she track down Marvin and more importantly, rescue him and return him to the safety of his warm cage before Emily returns?

Young solo readers familiar with the series will lap this latest story up and perhaps if they’ve not read all Kitty’s previous adventures will seek out some of those too. Like this one, they’re all full of Jenny Lovie’s splendid glowing illustrations.

Mickey and the Trouble with Moles
Anne Miller, illustrated by Becka Moor

Ace code cracker Mickey is now a full member of COBRA the secret organisation of animal spies and one night there comes a knocking at her window. It’s Rupert Rat, Head of Animals at COBRA, come to inform her that her help is needed urgently on account of a bank break in perpetrated by the moles that have been extremely busy tunnelling.

Once inside the bank, the COBRA members discover things are getting somewhat chaotic with moles running hither and thither. What on earth (or under it) can they want, surely not money. Then one mole accidentally triggers the security alarm and as smoke spreads everywhere, Rupert decides to follow the escaping moles and gather information, promising to report back in the morning, while the rest of team COBRA head back to HQ. All except Mickey who goes back home before her parents discover her absence.

Next morning Mickey heads back to HQ for the briefing only to learn that there’s some concern as Rupert still hasn’t shown up. Then comes a strange message delivered by a bird. Could it be that Rupert is in need of help.
Now seems the time for the girl to use some of her particular skills – the ability to read newspapers – for instance.

With codes to crack aplenty, traps laid for COBRA members, tension between the underground animals and overground animals and the reappearance of a nefarious character, the countdown is on to find Rupert and get to the bottom of the Impossible Vault mystery.

A fun adventure full of exciting twists and turns with Becka Moore’s illustrations adding to the enjoyment.