Two books for younger readers in The Press. New Zealand author Vince Ford (pictured) is known for the “cheerful mayhem” of his first book 2MUCH4U and its sequels, but this review says that his new novel A Handful of Blue “marks a new development” in his writing. “Convincing, plausible and satisfying…”

Essex writer Julia Bell’s controversial Massive is about a schoolgirl and her anorexic mother: Conclusion: “… a very well written, grittily honest, brave debut novel”.

On a marginally more adult note, Man Walks Into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer is a retrospective by former British adman Pete Brown. Reports have been mixed elsewhere, and reviewer Ken Fraser also seems unconvinced.