Jumper: Griffin's Story

Steven Gould (HarperVoyager, £6.99)

This is a "back story" to Jumper, the book on which the film starring Jamie Bell is based. Gould wrote Jumper in 1992, and then, when the film rights were sold, wrote this tale, based in the world depicted in the film. It's just like our world, except that some people are born with the ability to teleport themselves across space to a place they have been to before. The first time it happened to Griffin, he was five. He jumped from the steps of the Martyr's Memorial in Oxford, in front of a busload of tourists. His parents have to move 5,000 miles, to San Diego, to escape the men from Oxford. But even so, they are not safe. US-based Gould has never been to Oxford, but says that he's been fascinated by the city since reading Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, based in the fictional Shrewsbury College.

The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory (HarperCollins, £7.99)

Another film tie-in, this is by a writer with a long track record of classy historical novels. Told in the narrative voice of Anne Boleyn's younger sister Mary, it paints an unforgettable picture of the English court, dominated by the tyrannical Henry VIII. As always, the book is based on impeccable historic research and packs a powerful emotional punch.

By Royal Command Mary Hooper (Bloomsbury, £6.99)

This story for young adults is told by Lucy, nurserymaid in the household of Dr Dee, court magician and consultant to Elizabeth I. Asked to spy for Sir Francis Walshingham, Lucy uncovers intrigue and conspiracy - not all of it connected to the magician and his strange beliefs. Firmly rooted in historical fact, it's also an exciting yarn.

Encyclopaedia of Ordinary Life Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Atlantic, £10.99)

This bizarre book does just what the title says. It's a mishmash of thoughts, recipes, letters, emails, shopping lists, photos and signs. Funny in parts, as the curate said.