July New Releases 2025

Inspired by Robert Macfarlane and curated by Jennie Orchard, an anthology of essays about the joys of giving books to children and young people, from some of the world’s most beloved writers.

Remember the books that shaped your childhood, sparked your imagination, and ignited a lifelong love of reading? In The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation, some of the world’s most beloved authors share their own transformative reading experiences — the books and stories that set them on the path of becoming the readers and writers they are today.

Following the success of its first edition, The Gifts of Reading, this heartwarming collection of essays is a testament to the enduring power of books. By exploring the stories that shaped them, our authors provide a powerful guide to fostering a love of reading in the children and young people in your life.

With contributions from Tristan Bancks, William Boyd, Shankari Chandran, Horatio Clare, Nicola Davies, Imtiaz Dharker, Ursula Dubosarsky, Maisie Fieschi, Pico Iyer, Wayne Karlin, Colum McCann, JohnMichael McCann, Ann Morgan, Sir Michael Morpurgo, Dina Nayeri, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Matt Ottley, Alice Pung, Diana Reid, Nilanjana Roy, Nikesh Shukla, Nardi Simpson, Madeleine Thien, John Wood, and Thelma Young Lutunatabua, and an afterword by Julia Eccleshare.

All royalties generously donated to the two organisations founded by John Wood, Room to Read and U-GO, promoting literacy and education for girls and young women.

An unforgettable story of survival, sisterhood, and the struggle for a brighter future, based on the author’s own experiences during Brazil’s military dictatorship. 

In 1970s Brazil, two teenage sisters are thrust into a chaotic world. Fear and hunger stalk them in a sugarcane town choked by a constant rain of ash, a testament to the toxic environment in which they are trying to grow. With only each other for comfort, they set out to search for their missing mother and the father they’ve never known.

Every road becomes a gauntlet, every stranger a potential threat. Yet, amidst the dangers, a fierce bond blossoms. Each sister clings to the other, a lifeline in a world teetering on the brink. Their dignity is their own quiet rebellion.

Burning Seasons lays bare the scars of a nation, the plight of marginalised people, and the silent suffering of women, girls, and the environment itself. It’s also a story of resilience and the power of love — a journey in which innocence seems lost, but hope burns defiant.

A tale of great enterprise and great fortitude, and of wonderful female solidarity and nobility of spirit, in the bleakest of circumstances.

For decades after World War II, histories of the French Resistance were written almost exclusively by men and largely ignored the contributions of women. Many current overviews of the subject continue to underplay the extent and importance of women’s participation in the Resistance, treating the subject, in the words of one historian, as ‘an anonymous background element in an essentially male story’.

The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück corrects that omission, surveying the bond between four women — Germaine Tillion, Anise Girard, Genevieve de Gaulle, and Jacqueline d’Alincourt — who fought valiantly against Nazi oppression. While the women belonged to different Resistance movements and networks, they were united by a common thread: they were arrested by the Gestapo, underwent merciless interrogations and beatings, were jailed — and, most significantly, survived, if just barely, the hell of Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp designed specifically for women. In an institution designed to dehumanise and kill, the sisterhood maintained their sense of self and joined together to face down death.

Remarkably, in the aftermath of World War II, the women once again joined forces to find a way to transcend the horrors of the war and turn it into something good for themselves and the world. The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück is an illuminating, inspiring account.

From one of the most acclaimed masters of the short story form, this darkly funny collection of stories explores themes of identity, reality, and meaning.

Imagine a world in which you could take back the stupid thing you just said, unspill the coffee, avoid the accident, roll life back thirty seconds and do it over again — this time the right way. In Etgar Keret’s universe, all things are possible. A man can take a yoga class that genuinely transforms his life. A son has the chance to redo a fateful exchange with his father. An alien can offer a guided tour of the destroyed earth. And an angry squirrel can wreck a wedding.

Ranging from sci-fi scenarios to fictional thought-experiments and short vignettes, the stories here all deliver the irreverence, surprises, existential unease, hope, and humanity we have come to expect from Etgar Keret — one of the most original and entertaining storytellers at work today.