As the narrative progresses, the conflict between the two men must be resolved before bloody battles will change the fate of England. One expects the heroic endeavours of Bernard Cornwell's novels to be dispatched with panache, but there is another element which his admirers rely on: the conflict between his strongly drawn characters,! exemplified here by the two proud leaders. It'll take a while! before this new sequence achieves the immense popularity of the Sharpe novels, but the auguries are good. -Barry Forshaw.

Already an immensely popular author of books for younger readers (Bad Girls, The Suitcase Kid and Double Act) with Girls in Love Jacqueline Wilson shows she's sure to be equally popular with girls in their early teens. As well as the boyfriend problem, this hilariously entertaining novel touches on the deeper pains associated with the loss of a parent and coming to terms with a new step-parent. Ellie, Magda and Nadine are determined to explore the, as yet uncharted, country of the boyfriend. When best friend Nadine gets a boyfriend, Ellie finds herself saying that she's got one too. Trouble is, he's the too young, too nerdy and too ugly boy who fell in love with her during her boring holiday in Wales. But when Nadine's dishy boyfriend starts causing trouble we see just how important girlfriends are and just how lucky Ellie is to have found a boy who is really her friend. An amusing and delightful read by someone who clearly knows what she's writing about. -Tamsin Palmer.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry's movements are restricted by the presence of the Dementors-guards from Azkaban on the look out for Black-however, this doesn't stop him throwing himself into the new Quidditch season and going about his normal business-or at least attempting to. Despite warnings Harry is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Sirius Black-how could this one-time close friend of his parents become the cause of their deaths? And why does the presence of the Dementors have such a devastating effect on him, causing him to hear the last moments of his mother's life? With another four Harry Potter novels planned, Jo Rowling is creating a series of books which will become classics to rival C. S. Lewis'Chronicles of Narnia-books written for children but loved by adults too. (Ages 9 and up) -Philippa Reece The worry, when faced with the follow-up to books as good as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (both winners of the Nestlé Smarties Prize Gold Award), is that it won't be as good. With J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban any concerns are banished from page one. This, the third in the series, continues where the previous two left off and is a fantastic adventure of mystery, magic and mayhem combined with liberal doses of humour and plenty of suspense. Forced to do his homework in the dead of night and forbidden to refer to his magic skills or his life at Hogwarts school, Harry Potter is forced to endure the summer holidays with the dreaded Dursleys. The arrival of Aunt Marge is the final straw and, in a fit of anger, Harry breaks all the rules and casts a spell on her, causing her to blow up like a balloon. Running away from his dreaded relatives, Harry expects to be expelled from Hogwarts for his blatant flaunting of the rule not to use magic outside term time. However, the arrival of the mysterious Knight Bus and a meeting with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, result in Harry enjoying the rest of the holidays in the wonderful surroundings of the Leaky Cauldron. The escape of Sirius Black-one time friend of Harry's parents, implicated in their murder and follower of "You- Know-Who"-from Azkaban, has serious implications for Harry for it would appear that Black is bent on revenge against Harry for thwarting "You-Know-Who". Back at Hogwarts, Harry's movements are restricted by the presence of the Dementors-guards from Azkaban on the look out for Black-however, this doesn't stop him throwing himself into the new Quidditch season and going about his normal business-or at least attempting to. Despite warnings Harry is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Sirius Black-how could this one-time close friend of his parents become the cause of their deaths? And why does the presence of the Dementors have such a devastating effect on him, causing him to hear the last moments of his mother's life? With another four Harry Potter novels planned, Jo Rowling is creating a series of books which will become classics to rival C. S. Lewis'Chronicles of Narnia-books written for children but loved by adults too. (Ages 9 and up) -Philippa Reece.