Fiction for older children reviews – delight in wordplay, disrespect for authority and a touch of evil

Michael Rosen continues to question the logic of the adult world, while Daniel Whelan juggles wisecracking demons in a madcap adventure
• Best picture books for children – Kate Kellaway’s picks
• Best fiction for teenagers – Geraldine Brennan’s picks
• Click here to buy any of the books featured at a special price

Delighting in language makes many writers tick. This summer’s crop of fiction for eight- to 12-year-olds gleefully introduces big words to medium-sized people. There is some “fulminating” here, and some “festooning”, a few “teasels”, and “digressions” galore that “bamboozle and confuzle”.

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