Best summer books of 2024: Children’s

Movies Showing Nowhere by Yorick Goldewijk (Pushkin)

At an old, abandoned cinema there’s a magic movie screen that allows people, including young protagonist Cate, to step into a memory. Goldewijk’s witty, original tale, ably translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson, deals masterfully with grief, the transience of life and the permanence of love.

Up High by Matt Hunt (Nosy Crow)

As he walks through town with his father, a young boy feels small and overwhelmed, but his ability to notice and cherish the little things in the world gives him courage. Up High is a beautifully concise and simple picture book about perspective shifts and the relationship between fathers and sons.

Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo (Bloomsbury)

Mayowa is a “logosalter”, someone who can harness and unleash the emotions stored in books. Nigerian-born Onuzo has crafted an exhilarating fantasy tale, first in a trilogy, that combines a love of literature with compassion for the plight of refugees to the UK. The humorous footnotes are a treat.

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The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster)

With an estimated 4.3mn UK children living in poverty, The Wrong Shoes tells the timely story of Will, who finds an escape from deprivation through his love of drawing. A raw, heartfelt and moving novel from an author perhaps best known for illustrating Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series.

A Drop of Golden Sun by Kate Saunders (Faber)

The final novel from Saunders, who died last year, is set in 1973 and follows 12-year-old Jenny after she has been cast in a major feature film, a fictionalised version of The Sound of Music. The story wonderfully contrasts the brittle glamour of the movie industry with the sombre legacy of war.

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