Annoying voice-over issue with iBooks in iOS 11 .2 .5

I’m having an issue with iBooks in iOS 11 .2 .5 while using voice-over, while the issue is difficult to explain, I’ll do my best.
Sometimes, when I open the iBooks app, voice-over will give me access to the text of the book but won’t allow me to access the other menu options such as library search and page numbers. When it is in this state, swiping across the screen doesn’t do anything.
When this happens, I have to close down the iBooks app and reopen it, and the issue is solved.
Just wondering if anyone else is having this issue.