The Island of Brilliant‪!‬ Frank Cottrell Boyce and Nadia Shireen

GET OUT OF THE WATER!! Sharks spell trouble, unless of course they're in the employ of the one and only Elle McNicoll, who's heading to the island on the back of one with snacks aplenty and aplenty to say about her writing life. Since making a huge splash with  'A Kind of Spark' Elle has established herself as one of the most exciting writers back in Blighty, and a brilliant advocate for better representation of neurodiversity in children's books. Frank and Nadia are mustard-keen to hear about her latest, 'Keedie' that once again takes us to the Scottish streets of Juniper. 

I hear that whistle blowing - the beautiful sound of a train emerging from beneath the waves with the fabulous M.G. Leonard aboard, ready to scatter joy with her fabulous snack choices and fascinating insights into her seemingly endless list of endlessly brilliant books - including Beetle Boy, the Adventures on Trains series and The Twitchers books.  She's been translated into over forty languages but sadly, as yet, not the native language of the Island of Brilliant. Perhaps that's about to change. 

Nadia has made the most of her extended Christmas break, but Frank’s been sleeping it off. For a month. He needs to get his act together sharpish, though, because there is a rip in the space time continuum just above one of the palm trees, and Christopher Edge, author of bestseller ‘The Escape Room’ and the forthcoming ‘Black Hole Cinema Club’, is hurtling towards the island at the speed of light, all the way from Eccles. Before he arrives Frank and Nadia discuss Truckers by Terry Pratchett and new wonder-book ‘The Final Year’ by Matt Goodfellow. 
Emily Drabble from Booktrust is back with her pick of the crop of new children’s books, this month featuring:
The Pandas Who Promised by Rachel Bright and Jim Field published by Hachette
Time Travellers: Adventure Calling by Sufiya Ahmed published by Little Tiger
Fright Bite by Jennifer Killick published by Farshore
Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan published by Andersen
Look Out! Hungry Lion by Paul Delaney published by Harper Collins

It's not easy turning a tropical island into a festive grotto but yule surely agree we've done our level best, with recommendations for books of the year from some of the most exciting names in children's books, including previous visitors to these shores Katherine Rundell and Maisie Chan. We also have a silver-lamé-bedecked Alex T Smith talking Nutcrackers and all things festive. We kick things off, though, with a tribute to that giant of a man Benjamin Zephaniah, whose body of work included some of the greatest poems for children of recent times - including the immortal hymn to a veggie Christmas, Talking Turkeys. This one's for you, BZ. 

J.T. Williams is the author of the incredible Lizzie and Belle Mysteries, featuring two girls who spend their time solving mysteries in 19th Century London - who better to come along to the island to try and solve the great mystery of the ages: why can't Frank get the name of the Ukelele Uff trio right? Though she's going to need more time to crack that particular conundrum, J.T.  is more than up to the job of keeping Nadia and Frank enraptured with her tales of the real people Lizzie and Belle are based upon. Another strike-out on the snack front though, according to a rather ungrateful Nadia Shireen at least.
Emily Drabble is back with reviews of a fresh batch of new titles:
The Den, Keith Gray Barrington Stoke
The Very Special Thing, Alex Willmore, Tate publishing
The Wild, Yuval Zommer, OUP
When The Sky Falls, Phil Earle 
The Nutcracker, Alex T. Smith

She may have sold over 11 million copies in 44 languages of her Tom Gates series but that doesn't mean Liz 'The Toaster' Pichon doesn't have time to swing by the island to chat with two of her biggest fans - Frank and Nadia. Being a publishing phenomenon, it seems, doesn't stop you being a wonderful human being and a brilliant guest... 
BookTrust's Emily Drabble recommends
 
World of Dogs by Carlie Sorosiak and Luisa Uribe (Nosy Crow)
 
The Snow Girl by Sophie Anderson, illustrated by Melissa Castrillion  (Usborne) 
What you Need to be Warm by Neil Gaiman and many amazing illustrators (Bloomsbury)
JT Williams Bright Stars of Black British History, illustrated by Angela Vives (Thames and Hudson)
Heavy Metal Badger by Duncan Beedie (Little Tiger)