Books make the perfect Christmas gift for all the family. Here’s our guide to the top new releases

For Mum
Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders (Viking, £20)
Jennifer Saunders’ brilliant comic creations have brought joy to millions for three decades. But it’s Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. This is her funny, touching and disarmingly honest memoir, filled with stories of friends, laughter and occasional heartache - but never misery. From her childhood on RAF bases, where her father was a pilot, to her life-changing encounter with a young Dawn French, on to success and family, the book charts her extraordinary story, including the slip-ups and battles along the way.

For Dad
How Did All This Happen? By John Bishop (Harpercollins, £20)
THIS is the story of how a boy who, growing up on a council estate dreaming of ousting Kenny Dalglish from Liverpool FC’s starting line-up, suddenly found himself on stage in front of thousands of people nationwide, at an age when he should have known better. Wonderfully entertaining and packed with colourful reminiscences and comical anecdotes, this is a heart-warming, life-affirming and ultimately very, very funny memoir from one of the nation’s greatest comedians.

For Grandad
An Officer And A Spy by Robert Harris (Hutchinson, £18.99)
A compelling recreation of the Dreyfus Affair – one of the most famous miscarriages of justice in history – from master storyteller Robert Harris. This cracking new historical thriller resonates with our modern world: an intelligence agency gone rogue, justice corrupted in the name of national security, a newspaper witch-hunt of a persecuted minority, and the age-old instinct of those in power to cover-up their crimes.

For Grandma
David Jason: My Life (Century, £20)
BORN the son of a Billingsgate market porter at the height of the Second World War, David Jason’s early life was spent dodging bombs and bullies, both with impish good timing. Giving up on an unloved career as an electrician, he turned his attention to acting. He worked with the likes of Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker but it wasn’t until 1981, kitted out with a sheepskin jacket, a flat cap, and a clapped-out Reliant Regal, that David found the part that would capture the nation’s hearts: the beloved Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter in Only Fools And Horses. Never a one-trick pony, he had an award-winning spell as TV’s favourite detective Jack Frost, took a country jaunt as Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds Of May, and even voiced a crime-fighting cartoon rodent in the much-loved children’s show, Danger Mouse. David’s is a touching, funny and warm-hearted story, which charts the course of his incredible five decades at the top of the entertainment business.

For teen daughter
One Direction Where We Are by One Direction (Harpercollins, £18.99)
THIS book charts the journey of pop phenomenon One Direction over the last year and a half. They’ve won dozens of awards. They’ve had a bigger US debut than the Beatles. They’ve played Madison Square Garden, the Royal Variety Show, and sold-out venues across the globe. In Where We Are, the boys offer you a chance to find out about this breathtaking chapter of their story, straight from the heart and in their own words. Packed with exclusive beautiful photos, backstage snapshots, hand-written annotations and brand new insights into the boys’ world, Where We Are is a unique book that no fan’s life is complete without.

For teen son
Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz (Walker, £14.99)
This deadly prequel to the bestselling Alex Rider series sees the teen spy being hunted by an international contract killer. The hitman’s name is Yassen Gregorovich – he knows Alex well – the two of them share a secret from the past. As he considers his next mission, Yassen remembers the forces that turned him from an ordinary schoolboy into a hired assassin. What is it that makes someone choose to do evil? The perfect present for Alex Rider fans.

For young daughter
The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star (Puffin, £9.99)
One of our best-loved children’s characters, The Worst Witch, is back in a brand new, exciting and very funny adventure. Mildred, notoriously the worst witch at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, makes a wish for a dog on a shooting star, then has to keep him a secret from her friends, and the formidable Miss Hardbroom. Fantastic fun and perfect for young bookworms.

For young son
The Demon Dentist by David Walliams (Harpercollins, £12.99)
Book your appointment with the dentist this Christmas – don’t worry, it won’t hurt a bit…! Demon Dentist is a jaw-achingly funny and teeth-chatteringly thrilling tale about an evil dentist who has an over-the-top devotion to teeth extractions. From David Walliams the popular comedian and the bestselling author of best selling kids’ books Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink

• All books are available from your local Waterstones bookshop and online at waterstones.com