The Castle of Um by Ed Boxall (Pearbox Press)

Ed is one of my favourite illustrators and I loved the drawings and prints he did for Moonstruck! – my anthology of moon poems. The Castle of Um is a beautifully produced book. It tells the story of a girl who is bullied at school. But at night, in her dreams, she is free and builds the castle of the title. The story is in prose but the dream segments are in verse. The illustrations are excellent too. It would make a lovely present for a child in the juniors.