Learning to read can be a hard task for 6 and ups – give them something boring and you’re in danger of losing their attention for good. That’s why Nick Falk and Tony Flowers’ Samurai vs Ninja: The Battle for the Golden Egg is on our shortlist: with its high action and off-the-wall humour, it’s the just the right antidote to boredom.

In ancient Japan the ninja and the samurai aren’t exactly getting along. When a contest is announced to see who has the superior skills, both sides vow to try their hardest to win the prize of the famed Golden Egg. But after the ninja steal the Golden Egg, the samurai set their sights on revenge. This book is bound to have kids in hysterics, and as an added bonus it will teach them some facts about ancient Japan.

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Holly Harper is a children’s bookseller and author who blogs for the Readings website.