Children's & YA literature selection spring 2025

From a wild quest for self-discovery to a vibrant neighbourhood party, from an unconventional ABC adventure to a battle against a villain with a poisonous breath, and from a dystopian rebellion in Hell Towers to a haunting mystery in a remote cottage: these six children’s and young adult books open doors to worlds brimming with imagination, humour, and emotion.

In Chief Dragon’s Camp Savage Jonnie can be his wild self, and you quickly deduce that Jonnie is often branded ‘too wild’. The stylish and dynamic illustrations are a jumble of colourful collages, full of crazy characters in brightly contrasting colours and a challenging interplay of lines. The strength of this book lies in what happens between the lines and the brushstrokes: Jonnie’s search for who he is, in a context in which he can be himself.

The neighbourhood wants a party. Not just any old party – no, a party with children’s slides and fireworks, swimming and skating. But what to do about Hans? He’s the neighbour who is always finding fault. And not inviting him is not an option.
In this upbeat picture book, Bouke Billiet has the diverse cast of neighbours speak with one voice, creating a wonderful atmosphere of togetherness. Marjolein Pottie presents spreads packed with fun details and full of exuberant colours, set in a contemporary urban environment.

Tom Schamp takes readers on a surprising journey through the alphabet, in colourful pages that guarantee hours of viewing pleasure, both to children and adults. Every letter is given a double-page spread, filled with small pictures, bits of text and word games. There is always something new to discover in the rich and detailed illustrations. In contrast to most ABC books, the words pictured don’t necessarily start with the letter in question. Schamp is unbeatable at capturing the visual beauty of letters.

During a bank robbery, Wille’s father tries to stop the criminal Miss Halitosis, but with her poisonous breath she melts him without a second thought. Wille is left orphaned, with only his books to comfort him. Fortunately he meets two new friends, and they work out a plan to thwart the seemingly unstoppable Miss Halitosis. In sparkling prose and with a great sense of absurdist humour, Van Gas tumbles Wille out of each adventure into the next. In the combination of action, humour and violence, echoes of Anthony Horowitz’s early work are never far away.

Hell Herders, creatures that are half-human and half-reptile, have enslaved humanity for many years and they hold sway in the Towers of Hell. Lexa has only ever lived in Level 5, the vast fifth floor of the towers, where existence is tough. When she finds herself, completely unexpectedly, in the very comfortable Level 1, nothing is what it seems. Revolution is brewing in the Hell Towers. But who is on the right side? And why does Lexa turn out to be so important? In this first volume of a trilogy, you could cut the tension with a knife at any point.

Amber goes to live on her own in an old labourer’s cottage that fifty years earlier was the scene of the tragic disappearance of a seven-year-old girl. Sonja was never found. Amber becomes haunted by the case and old wounds are opened up. What happened? And why won’t anyone talk about it? In this short book, each of the characters is complex and meticulously developed. In a mixture of vivid Flemish colloquial speech and poetic sentences, De Sterck rolls out a well-balanced plot with an exceptionally tragic ending that tears at the heartstrings.