Your bookshelf: historical fiction

Hannah Goslar Remembers by Alison Leslie Gold (Bloomsbury, £5.99 PB)

Suitable for: boys, girls, older readers, more able readers and for reading aloud.

The very best children’s books are often about friendship, and this book has a very special one at its core: the friendship between Anne Frank and Hannah Goslar. Anne is a ghostly presence throughout the book, disappearing early on only to tragically reappear in the harrowing concentration camp section at the end. The inevitability of Anne’s fate does not make it any less heartbreaking, but the resilience of Hannah is an inspiration. Any writer approaching such a subject has a huge responsibility to those involved, and Alison deserves enormous credit for bringing us Hannah’s story and for doing it so well.

The Hound of Ulster by Malachy Doyle (A&C Black, £4.99 PB)

Suitable for: boys, girls, younger readers and for reading aloud.