There are lots of new books this week – here is the first bunch!

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, by James Patterson (290 pages) – Daniel X is a fifteen-year-old orphaned alien hunter, with telepathic and shapechanging powers. He’s after the worst aliens out there. This is Patterson’s first sci-fi novel, and the first in a series. It also has loads of reserves on it. (Official website)

Gossip of the Starlings : A Novel, by Nina de Gramont (276 pages) – Set in a rich girls’ school in the 80s, Catherine Morrow (who narrates the story later, when in her 30s) meets Skye Butterfield, who is charismatic, beautiful, and dangerous.

Life at the Shallow End, by Helen Bailey (294 pages) – Electra Brown is too shallow to be concerned about her family’s various problems – she’s more interested in the colour she should dye her hair, or whether or not her face is too wide. Will she learn empathy? Perhaps.

Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury (245 pages) – Best friends, Chris and Win, head out on a cross-country bike trek. They argue and split up, and expect one another to make his way home and start college. But! Only one of them returns. What could have happened?

The River Runs, by David Hill (152 pages) – Set in 1960s rural New Zealand, this is the story of Chris, who resolves to stop his older cousin (and champion wrestler), Roger, from bullying him.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies, by Cecilia Galante (292 pages) – Best friends Agnes and Honey were born into a religious community in the US, and while Agnes is all for her religion, Honey wants to get out. Agnes’ grandmother visits and discovers a sinister secret; she takes the girls and flees. How will their friendship handle the outside world?

From Somalia, With Love, by Na’ima B. Robert (159 pages) – Safia Dirie was born in Somalia but has lived in East London for most of her life with her mum and two older brothers. But now, 12 years later, her father (and all his cultural expectations) comes to live with them.

Everything You Want, by Barbara Shoup (307 pages) – Eighteen-year-old Emma has it rough, with friend problems, stress, and ‘extra anxiety pounds’. Then her father wins fifty million dollars in a lottery – and life gets more complicated. (I wouldn’t mind a few complications if I won that much.)

The Eyes of a King, by Catherine Banner (427 pages) – This is the first in a planned fantasy trilogy. Catherine Banner was only 14 when she began writing it (she’s 19 now). “Dark intrigue, murderous uprisings and unrelenting danger …” (more info)