What will 2024 bring? We take a peek at the upcoming books, with some of our favourite authors publishing in the first few months of the year including Mariajo Ilustrajo, Jennifer Killick, Phil Earle, Sarah Crossan and Patrick Ness.

January starts with a bang with three contenders for Book of the Year. Phil Earle has excelled again with Northern Soul a genuinely funny, relatable story about boys and their feelings, published by Barrington Stoke the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books. Padraig Kenny's magnificent gothic adventure Stitch inspired by Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein, asks big questions about friendship and finding your place in the world. And Kelly McCaughrain follows her award-winning YA novel, Flying Tips for Flightless Birds with Little Bang, a moving and honest story of teen pregnancy and its aftermath. Compassionate and beautifully told, this is an essential and important taboo-breaking book for young people to read.

Ross Welford will delight fans of his heartwarming, and mind-bendingly clever, Time Travelling with a Hamster with a much anticipated sequel, Time Travelling with a Tortoise - our Kids Reader Review Panel are devouring this right now and you can read their reviews here. Plus Ross has kicked off our Guest Editor series for 2024 and you can find some inside info about the new book plus discover some of his top children's book recommendations. 

The teen comic horror genre is thriving, responsible for tempting many children back to reading on the back of popular screen entertainment such as Stranger Things and Wednesday. We are all looking forward to Fright Bite, the fifth in Jennifer Killick's brilliant bestselling Dread Wood series. Derek Landy's skeleton detective is back in a new addition to the phenomenally successful world of Skulduggery Pleasant; A Mind Full of Murder is the first in a new bone-shaking trilogy of mirth, murder and more murder. Phil Hickes is a master of deliciously creepy stories, and sent shivers down the spines of young readers with his Aveline Jones trilogy. Phil's next foray into the supernatural is The Whispering Walls, the first in a new series set in Shadowhall Academy, where spirits haunt the school halls..

2024 sees new books from some of our favourite authors, and the return of much-loved characters from popular series. Elle McNicoll scooped the Blue Peter Book Award, The Waterstones Children's Book Prize and was roundly lauded for her debut A Kind of Spark. Naturally we are thrilled that Knights Of are publishing Keedie, the prequel in April and we can't wait to get our hands on a copy. Award-winning author Katya Balen's mudlarking gang are back in a new adventure from the Thames and Tide Club, Squid Invasion, whilst Jessica Townsend adds to the Nevermoor series with Silverborn The Mystery of Morrigan Crow and Rachel Renee Russell delights fans with a brand new story in the Dork Diaries series. The Luna Loves picture books, written by Children's Laureate and poet Joseph Coelho and beautifully illustrated by Fiona Lumbers are a wonderful introduction to different types of families. In Luna Loves Gardening, out in March, Luna is amazed by the variety of vegetables and plants from around the world growing in their community garden, and she explores her own connection to the wider world too. Catherine Doyle is a brilliant storyteller and delivers another thrilling adventure for 9+ readers in Pirates of Darksea - if you loved the magic of The Storm Keeper Trilogy and The Lost Girl King your next fix is due in March. And Patrick Ness, well known for his powerful YA novels, turns his pen to the middle grade reader (9-12) with a hilarious adventure Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody about a mismatched group of animals attending school together, brought to life by brilliantly funny illustrations from Tim Miller.

David Fickling Books, celebrating 10 years of independence, have a stellar line-up of books planned for the year including re-issuing The Blind Bowman Shadow of the Wolf. Tim Hall's epic fantasy, filled with timely themes of environmentalism, the power of myths and myth-making, was the first book published after David Fickling moved to independent publishing following years as an imprint of Scholastic and Random House. We are also super-excited about Girl on the Fly by Nansubuga Nadadya Isdahl, a thrilling coming-of age tale from a vital new voice. Nansubuga will join LoveReading4Kids in interview in the Spring, as part of our growing Author Events series - stay tuned! DFB are the market-leader in comic books; look forward to outstanding titles from Jamie Smart, Neill Cameron and the launch of a new comic book series, Toby and the Pixies from James Turner and Andreas Schuster.

Adam Stower adds to the growing library of brilliant comic, graphic novels with the first in a series for newly independent readers called Murray and Bun, a cat who loves a quiet life - and an energetic bun! Expect lots of laughs and madcap adventures, with brilliant illustrations throughout. Also for younger readers, meet Marnie Midnight, the star of a magical new young fiction series from Laura Ellen Anderson, author and illustrator of the best-selling Amelia Fang series.

After the success of A Passing on of Shells by Simon Lamb, small independent publisher, Scallywag Press does it again with an entertaining collection from renowned poet Brian Moses. On Poetry Street contains 52 playful and provocative poems, which also include creative writing ideas to inspire the next generation of wordsmiths. 

Debuts to look out for include Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm, an electrifying adventure series by Ash Bond, Cross My Heart and Never Lie a gorgeous coming-of-age graphic novel by Nora Dåsnes and Compass and Blade, the first in a fantasy trilogy from Rachel Greenlaw.

YA readers have a treat in store with Sarah Crossan's Where the Heart Should Be a powerful and unforgettable story exploring love and family during The Great Hunger in Ireland, 1846. Also for older teen readers, TikTok superstar and bestselling author Bea Fitzgerald delivers the second in her fresh and glorious romance sent in a re-imagined Ancient Greece, The End Crowns All. And fans of romantasy will be swept away by Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite and Where the Dark Stands Still by A B Poranek.

The Klaus Flugge Prize celebrates the most promising newcomer to picture book illustration and in 2023 was awarded to Mariajo Ilustrajo for her brilliant debut Flooded. With great anticipation we await the publication of Mariajo's third creation, I Love Books. Painted in her signature bright Pantone inks, this is a book designed for kids who claim to hate reading, but of course will soon realise that they LOVE books. A sentiment we all share!

Many of these books are available to pre-order now, or add them to your wish lists. Nearer to publication, we will review and add an extract to help guide you on the very best book choices for 2024.

Scroll to view all the titles, but if you're wanting to get your hands on some brilliant fiction and non-fiction for Christmas, check out our festive selections for a Christmas stocking near you, or our Books of the Year 2023.

Happy Reading!