Age 9+

Every now and then, a children’s book comes along that is completely different. Little Darlings is one of these — it is an eccentric tale that recalls Philip Ardagh’s gothic zaniness, but differs from his anarchy. Although it makes unashamed use of familiar caricatures, it’s unusual partly because of its slightly improbable plot. This involves three siblings from a family that is so rich that nobody pays them any attention; all childcare is delegated to tyrannical nannies of the now-extinct stout shoes and improving platitudes kind. One of the nannies turns out to be a burglar in disguise, and an adventure begins in which the real villains are builders (portrayed with a vehemence that makes you think the author must be working out some particularly extreme frustration with a new extension). Apart from the wackiness of the plot, what makes this book stand out is a sentence-by-sentence smartness in the style, which is sometimes arch but often witty, and in a knowing ellipsis that assumes intelligence in the reader. A particular source of satisfaction is that the child protagonists are much more capable, if more dangerous, than the awful, useless adults.

(Puffin £4.99)

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