Something nice about books, which no one appreciates: they don’t come shrink-wrapped. Which means that, theoretically, when you buy a book for your daughter, you can then read the book before gifting it.

If I had theoretically read The Lost Souls of Island X, by the lovely and talented Rachelle Delaney, I would have thought it was even better than her first pirate book, The Ship of Lost Souls. It’s a perfect mix of swashbuckling and silliness. You should all go out and buy it as a Christmas gift… and then read it yourselves.