Happy New Year and welcome to the first Friday Library recommendations of 2023. Today is Friday 13th, which is viewed by some as a superstitious day where bad luck can follow you around, so today’s books all link to luck in some way.

A Duck Called Brian by Al Murphy features a duck in desperate need of a miracle.

When Brian wakes up and realizes he’s out of his favorite breakfast–Duck Nuts and milk–all he wants is to tell his best friend Gregory. But Gregory is nowhere to be found! Brian goes searching for his best friend, and finds many fellow ducks engaged in silly and entertaining activities along the way. Will Brian find Gregory, or will his day be totally fowl? Is he a lucky or unlucky duck?

A Duck Called Brian is a hilarious picture book that’s sure to have readers of all ages laughing out loud! With clever artwork, witty humor, and a fun search-and-find element, this story is a rib-tickling read-together tale.

Tilda Tries Again by Tom Percival shows us that sometimes in life we have to make our own luck through persevering when things don’t go our way.

Tilda’s world is just as she likes it . . . until one day, it turns completely UPSIDE DOWN. All of a sudden, everything is topsy-turvy, and nothing feels right. Things that were once easy now seem incredibly challenging. Can Tilda discover a new way to approach her problems and believe in herself?

Bold, bright and empowering, this is an inspiring story about coping with difficult situations. It’s the ideal book for helping children to build resilience and embrace a ‘can do’ approach to life.

The Unlucky Eleven by Phil Earle, illustrated by Steve May is the tale of a cursed football team where luck is definitely not on their side.

Ridiculous injuries … strange illnesses … cancelled games … Everything’s going wrong for the Saints this season, and Stanley’s team-mates believe they finally know why. Their football kit is cursed! But the team’s attempts to break the curse take things from bad to worse. Soon, they’re ready to call it quits. Stanley’s still got some tricks up his sleeve … but will his curse-cracking ideas save the team in time for the last game of the season?

Teamwork and determination are key to success for the Saints as their striker feels all the pain of the penalty spot.

The Boy Whose Wishes Came True by Helen Rutter is a brilliantly funny exploration of what happens when you are lucky enough to have all of your wishes come true.

Archie Crumb is having a tough time. Picked-on at school, picked last for any team; his home has been sad and quiet since Dad left and his luck feels like its run out. But things start looking up when Archie bumps his head and literally sees stars: his favourite famous football player standing in front of him, granting him nine wishes.

This is INCREDIBLE! Unlimited ice cream, a whole day of eating pizza and playing on the X-Box, revenge on the bullies, becoming the star player in a televised football tournament: finally, all his dreams can come true! Will Archie wish his way to happiness? Or will he realise that magic wishes may be wonderful, but only he has the true power to change his life?

Funny, moving, inventive, uplifting children’s fiction at its finest, perfect for fans of Jenny Pearson and Ben Davis.

And finally, voting is now open for this year’s Coventry Inspiration Book Awards. Follow this link to keep your favourite book in the competition: Coventry Inspiration Book Awards 2023 – Coventry City Council

Happy reading!

This week, I’ve chosen four more of my favourite books published this year.

Too Many Pigs And One Big Bad Wolf by Davide Cali and Marianna Balducci is a brilliantly funny, imaginative retelling of this well known tale.

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. Then the wolf ate them. THE END.

In this clever counting book, the big bad wolf doesn’t want to tell a long story. He wants to get to the eating part. But the narrator has other ideas. From a pig soccer team to a pig for every letter of the alphabet to 101 pigs in an animated movie, the stories get more and more fantastical… but they’re always too short and they ALL end the same way. Using an abacus as the basis for her illustrations, Marianna creates beguiling little pigs and a menacing but slightly bored wolf that perfectly complement the inventive story by Davide Cali. Come for the counting, stay for the storytelling. This book has it all.

I love a twisted fairytale, and Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat provides more twists than most. It is a visually stunning choose your own adventure picture book to enjoy over and over again to make endless different stories featuring fairytale favourites Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel, Gretel, Snow White and many more…

Grab your basket and your coat. Put on some walking shoes. Turn the page and begin: Which story will you choose? Award-winning creators Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat transform a crowd of classic tales into an ever-changing, fascinating, laugh-out-loud, choose-your-path picture book, in which you may find a sleeping maiden, waste away in a sticky licorice cage, discover the gold at the end of a wild goose chase, or maybe (just maybe) save yourself and the day!

For an uplifting, joyous read Seed by Caryl Lewis is packed with heart, hope, & following your dreams in the most fantastical way. You’ll be rooting for Marty, Grandad & Gracie, chuckling along & heading straight out to the potting shed to grow some dreams of your own.

Marty doesn’t have much. Unlike his mum, who has billions of things: newspapers, holey shoes, rusty lawnmowers, broken picture frames – she keeps EVERYTHING! It’s hard to leave the house. Marty does his best to look after her and wonders if anything will ever change.

But on Marty’s birthday, Grandad, with a glint in his eye, gifts Marty a very special seed. Grandad hasn’t been this excited since he invented the bum scratcher 2000 or thought he’d brewed wonder fuel from rhubarb leaves! The seed grows bigger and bigger, and launches Grandad, Marty and his best friend Gracie on an impossible, wondrous plan fuelled by love, hopes and dreams.

Like A Charm by Elle McNicoll is a stunning magical fantasy from one of my favourite authors set in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. Mystery and magic are combined with a main character whose heart is as big as the threat to the human race.  And with the sequel, Like A Curse coming in February, it’s the perfect time to dive into this series.

Edinburgh is a city filled with magical creatures. No one can see them… except Ramya Knox.

As she is pulled into her family’s world of secrets and spells, Ramya sets out to discover the truth about the Hidden Folk with only three words of warning from her grandfather: Beware the Sirens.

Plunged into an adventure that will change everything, Ramya is about to learn that there is more to her powers than she ever imagined.

Happy reading!