Excellent stuff, not too predictable. ( )

Philip Reeve's Traction City is a short novella in his Mortal Engines sequence, set on London and introducing street urchin Smiff, policeman Anders and a young Anna Fang. Though slight, this is an enjoyable back story to the whole saga as it stands so far, and concerns Anna's search for Shrike. Though adding little to the canon, it should whet the appetite of those new to this view of future Earth.

Equally engrossing, if not more so, is Priestley's The Teacher's Tales of Terror, a sequence of four chapters (Mr Munro, The Jet Brooch, Simon Magus and Lydia) interlinked by an enigmatic supply teacher. Nothing is as it seems: real towns (Whitby, Sienna) are alternated with unlocated places, European legends (Dracula, the New Testament) are given novel twists. Altogether, a captivating set of stories whose images linger at the edge of consciousness, ideal for tempting both addicted and reluctant young readers, not to mention older fogeys. ( )