11 books for young and old to offer

Since he was little, Chouette has had one dream: to become a knight. So, as soon as he was old enough, he enrolled in the Knights' School to begin his training. Except that it will turn out to be more complicated than expected: sword too heavy, shield impossible to lift, unfortunate tendency for naps in the middle of lessons,… In short, not what Chouette expected. Unless his ingenuity and his big heart are, in reality, what really makes a good knight? Chouette has courage and composure, even more than the other students who don't believe in him! And this comes in handy when a dragon threatens the school. A funny and warm album which reminds us that the most courageous heroes are not necessarily those we imagine.

Knight owl, Christopher Denise, ed. Leisure school, from 3 years old

Little dog is, as its name suggests, a… little dog! Every day, he stops by the school to chat with the children he adores and who make him happy. But one morning, there is no one at the meeting. And for good reason: it's the school vacation period. Angry devacation?! But who is this horrible monster who kidnapped his group of friends? Without waiting, Little Dog sets off in pursuit of this nasty angry Dévacance and rushes into the forest in search of the beloved children. In this new album by Belgian author Marina Philippart, a misunderstanding plunges its readers (and Petit Chien!) into a wacky adventure made of magic, fun and a very sweet ending.

Anger devacance, Marina Phillipart, ed. Memo, from 4 years old

Little Kit is spoiled this year, since for her birthday she receives… a guinea pig. And not just any one, since this one is called Maud, wears a kimono and is an expert in judo. At Kit's, a bunch of other animals live there, it's not easy to find a place among the siblings. Especially since this little sporty outfit and Maud's obsession with discipline attracts mockery from her classmates who call her crazy. Neither one nor two, she tries to impress them with ever more spectacular antics which lead her to fly out of the living room window. Bad start for this little hamster who has more than one trick up his sleeve to fit in and teach everyone that the most important thing is to be yourself. Excellent choice for a first read on your own.

Dingo, Zadie Smith & Nick Laird, eds. Gallimard-Jeunesse, from 5 years old

To the editions The city is burningit is always subtly about tolerance, acceptance of oneself and others and, above all, stories of a thousand colors. With gentleness and a lot of humor, this little boy recounts the life of his dad with an unusual job: drag queen. To the great pleasure of his son, he dresses up every evening in his most beautiful outfits and his most beautiful makeup. Against the backdrop of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, this dad makes his little boy and his admiring friends proud. A duo who love each other deeply, laugh a lot and are surrounded by a host of characters, each more endearing than the last. A beautiful album to defy clichés and fill heads with glitter and rhinestones!

Lady papaEmilie Chazerand & Diglee, ed. The City is burning, from 5 years old

Everything you need to know about Belgium

Dust in the eye

In the life of 14-year-old Pénélope, there is only one thing that matters: football and there is no question of anyone telling her whether a girl can play it or not. In this sport, she excels and flourishes surrounded by a team of strong and resourceful teenagers. But the friends at her new school don't see it the same way, a girl who plays football is unimaginable. So much so that Penelope becomes the laughing stock of the playground and suffers a wave of harassment. Helped by her loved ones and her teammates (heroines of football and friendship), the teenager will do everything to continue practicing her passion and silence her detractors. In Championsfootball is not a pretext for the story, but the heart of the story. We experience the matches, we understand the competitions, we give pride of place to the women's teams. A beautiful, luminous social novel where emancipation and justice are the key words.

Champions, Mathilde Tournier, ed. Gallimard-Scripto, from 13 years old

There are two things that Elika has never known in her life: the sun and her father. We are in 2049 and the world has been plunged into darkness for almost 20 years, which has several consequences on the fauna, the flora and on the daily lives of humans, including that of Elika who has only known that. But the teenager comes from a courageous family where we never give up, with her mother, she decides to go in search of this mysterious sun, to bring it back, and to shed all light on what could have happened. pass. The author offers a fascinating trilogy that combines myths, mystical world, supernatural forces and a great epic. The result is unrelenting, well written and offers readers an adventure full of suspense and twists and turns.

Our burned days in three volumes, Laura Nsafou, ed. Albin Michel, from 16 years old

For several years, Sonia Kronlud has been investigating a mysterious love scammer. Ricardo, Alexandre, Richard, Daniel is a doctor, photographer, engineer or police officer. “East”? Yes, because all these characters are the same man who, all his life, passed himself off to women as someone he was not. His goal? This is what the author tries to understand by going back through her life. A true story that reads like a detective novel.

The man with a thousand facesSonia Kronlud, ed. Grass set

First intelligent and introspective novel which tells the story of Georgette, this woman who, like a second mother, took care of the author and her brother for many years. Dea Liane questions the place given to her governesses who are an integral part of a family and, overnight, are dismissed when the children grow up.

Georgette, Goddess Liane, ed. de l'Olivier

This Bulgarian student was in her twenties when she arrived in Lyon and discovered a country with complicated administrative procedures and a French language that she admired as much as she struggled to use. In this extremely funny story, the author recounts the clichés about those we call “the girls of the east”, gently makes fun of our neighbors and makes us work on our zygomatics.

Odyssey of the girls of the east, Elitza Gueorguieva, ed. Verticals