The trouble with 11-year-old Dawn Buckle is that nobody ever noticed her, writes Philippa Logan. The lollipop lady didn't notice her; even her own family didn't notice her. Which is why she was a good choice for a spy. Dawn Undercover (Bloomsbury, £6.99), by Anna Dale, is a spy story with a difference. It starts off ordinarily enough, but soon the pace picks up, as Dawn is chosen for spy work and assigned a mission to track down a traitor. It's a funny story, with a clever twist at the end - a story for girls rather than boys, because of its female spy.

If I am being stereotypical, then Catherine MacPhail's Nemesis: Into the Shadows (Bloomsbury, £5.99) will probably appeal more to boys. It's the first in a four-part thriller series, with a story as good as many adult thrillers. It starts with a dying man, lying in a pool of blood in a lift; he grabs hold of boy called Ram, and tries to tell him something. Ram has no idea how either he or the man got there; nevertheless, he finds himself pursued by the police and by someone called the Wolf, who wants him dead too. It's a gripping plot, with plenty of twists.

Also scary is Tom Pow's Captives (Corgi, £4.99). This is a powerful novel about 11 people thrown together in terrifying circumstances. Martin and his family are on holiday on a Caribbean island, when they are ambushed by freedom fighters. The consequences are devastating; the book is short but razor sharp.

Girls with more than one brother may empathise with the title of Peggy Woodford's novel One Son is Enough (Walker, £6.99). This is the story of twin boys who lead a nomadic life on the mountains and plains of Anatolia. But, by the sultan's decree, one son is enough for any family, and one of the boys is captured by soldiers and taken to become a slave at the palace. Needless to say, the boys vow to find each other again, and this is the tale of how they do so, despite vile treachery, betrayal and violence. It's a very evocative tale, rich in detail of 19th-century Turkey.

Treachery and gang warfare between felines is the core of S.F. Said's sequel to his first cat story. The Outlaw Varjak Paw (Corgi, £5.99) carries on where Varjak Paw ended, telling of Varjak's struggle to overcome an evil cat, leader of a ruthless gang. You don't need to have the first book to enjoy this one, but perhaps you do need to like cats.

A sequel to another popular first instalment is Celandine by Steve Augarde (Corgi, £5.99). Again, it can be read as a stand-alone book, though, like its predecessor, The Various, involves the little people'. Set in First World War Britain, it tells of Celandine, bullied at boarding school and haunted by the loss of her brother. She runs away - again - and takes refuge with the little people. But they too are at war, and she joins them in their adventure. Enchanting fantasy, and very touching.

Far from touching, but very enjoyable, is Measle and the Slitherghoul by Ian Ogilvy (OUP, £8.99). Readers who enjoyed the previous books about Measle - a non-magic boy in a magic family - will not be disappointed. In this story, Measle is up against a snot-like lump of slime, the Slitherghoul, which gobbles up everything in its path, and has Measle in its sights. A jolly good romp - funny, not scary, despite the snot-like villain.

The magic of books offers a way for children to confront their anxieties, writes Jan Lee. Be they cosy, reassuring, funny, realistic or magical they invite them to inhabit in new and a happier world.

With Michael Morpurgo's deceptively simple text and Michael Foreman's delicate watercolours of icy sky, "grey-green sea" and flashing fish this successful partnership has come up with yet another fine story, this time of threat and love. Little Albatross (Corgi £5.99) tells a song of nurturing and growth in a far-away freezing world. "Feed me" the little bird cries, hidden "in the warmth" of his nest of soft feathers, while a killer hovers ever nearer. His parents too are in mortal danger as they search for food while the fishing nets close around them.

In another tender story of parental care, Martin Waddell's brings us Can't You Sleep Little Bear (Walker £7.99) with Barbara Firth's sensitive, funny pictures. After a busy day, Big Bear longs for a quite read in his chair in the Bear Cave but Little Bear is scared of the dark and neither the light of the fire nor all the lanterns that Big Bear thoughtfully brings can bring comfort to his young son. Only when he is gathered up in his father's arms to wonder at the brightness of the stars and the yellow moon can he find contentment. The animated DVD, narrated by Kevin Whately with especially composed music, is an added bonus.

The intense colour of Anthony Brown's distinctive, crazy world is back, not with his much loved gorilla's and chimps, but with Silly Billy (Walker £10.99). The boy worries about everything: hats, shoes, clouds and even giant birds. His parents try to help then he goes to stay with grandma. She has just the thing for him - "worry dolls". Browne, with his fascination for the surreal finds unusual, new ways to dispel the fears of childhood.

Things don't go according to plan when Molly brings her special crystal to school. Sadly, her friends they are too taken up with Russell's pink and green dinosaur. It takes the sensitive and The Totally Wonderful Miss Plumberry (Walker £10.99) to awaken, in the children, the wonder of Molly's small, precious gift from Grandma across the water. Michael Rosen's poet gift is evident in this quiet story matched by the vitality of Chinlun Lee's pictures of Molly's classmates, each unique and endearing.