Like a donut, this book is somehow sweet and disgusting at the same time. Oh, and it's very funny too!

The children are kind to each other, the parents are loving, and there's no violence - it's hard to imagine nowadays, and it's all the more charming for that

Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome is 80 years old but it remains a delightfully fresh read

Full of nostalgia for a time when summer holidays seemed to go on forever, unaccompanied children could sail off on adventures together, and ginger beer was ever-present. And the appeal of such things still remains

So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!

'Nothing ever happens in the winter holidays’, says Nancy Blackett. But how wrong can she be? When the lake freezes over, the Swallows and Amazons decide the time is right to race to the North Pole. Clearly this is no weather for boats so they set out on sledges. The children discover that lakes without boats can be exciting after all. But a sudden blizzard turns excitement to danger as two new friends go missing. Winter Holiday (Vintage Classics, £6.99) by Arthur Ransome is 80 years old but it remains a delightfully fresh read

These three stories are moving, powerful and enlightening.

Full of convincing local detail.

Dibben expertly captures the sights, sounds and smells of Sweden in the 1790s and all the horror, drama and everyday life of Ancient Rome, even down to the snacks people ate in the street . . . The History Keepers has reminded me why I first started reading teenage fiction again – when it’s done well, as this is, you get proper heroes and villains . . . This series will be devoured by those who are looking for something new post Harry P.

An exciting plot, evil baddies and lovable heroes all add to this exciting page-turner as the History Keepers race around Rome.