Constable & Toop Gareth P Jones A darkly comic Dickensian ghost story from Blue Peter Award winner Gareth P. Jones: it’s not the dead you’ll need to worry about! Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour, blessed (or cursed) with an unusual gift. While his father buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention. Trouble is afoot […] Family, Funny, Historical Fiction, Monsters, Mystery/murder AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Jimmy Coates: Killer Joe Craig An eleven-year-old boy discovers he has strange powers, and a future that holds mystery, adventure – and death! Bending his knees, Jimmy let go of the windowsill and slowly tipped backwards. Surely this is impossible, he thought, even as he could feel himself doing it. He pushed out with his legs and the thrust sent […] Adventure, Crime/ Thriller, Fiction, Mystery/murder AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Act Normal And Don’t Tell Anyone About the Present Machine Christian Darkin It started off as a way for computer coding fan Jenny to pick birthday presents for her friends. But Jenny and her brother Adam are soon being chased across the world by sinister magic fairy dolls, robot forklifts, and a mad party planner… In Act Normal And Don’t Tell Anyone About The Present Machine there […] Fiction, Funny AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Act Normal And Don’t Tell Anyone About The Dinosaur In the Garden Christian Darkin ✓A girl who loves science. ✓A boy who loves chaos. What could possibly go wrong in this hilarious series of chapter book mystery adventures? Learning to read independently has never been so much fun! Every adventurous child deserves to be introduced to Jenny and Adam – two clever kids who have the weirdest adventures. Jenny’s […] Adventure, Animals, Dinosaurs, Fiction AGES: 10-12 AGES: 6-9 AGES: 7-10 Great Lives: Marie Curie Agnieszka Biskup & Sonia Leong The remarkable scientist, Marie Curie, is profiled in an entertaining graphic novel! Learn about Marie’s childhood and her days as a bright young student in Russian-occupied Poland all the way to her Nobel Prize–winning work in Physics and Chemistry. Help older children learn about some of the most exciting men and women who have ever […] Graphic Novel/ Comic, Learning, Science Fiction AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Girl who Speaks Bear Sophie Anderson Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers […] Adventure, Fairy tales and folk tales, Folklore & Folk Tales AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The Castle of Tangled Magic Sophie Anderson The magical bestselling adventure book by acclaimed author Sophie Anderson. Magic awaits, all you have to do is believe… When thirteen-year-old Olia, steps through a magical doorway, she discovers another land. A land tangled by magic, where hope is lost, and a scheming wizard holds all the power. Soon Olia learns that she is destined […] Adventure, Fairy tales and folk tales, Family, Fiction AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 The House with Chicken Legs Sophie Anderson A spellbinding adventure, bound-up with traditional folk and fairy tales, The House with Chicken Legs transports readers to a world of spells and spirits bound by ancient rules and one girl who longs to break free. Marinka dreams of a normal life, she dreams of standing still, but her house has chicken legs and a will […] Fairy tales and folk tales, Fiction, Identity AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Cookie and the Most Annoying Girl in the World Konnie Huq In her second brilliantly funny story, science-mad Cookie is ready to save the planet! When Cookie finds herself with two tickets to see popstar Aliana Tiny, Suzie Ashby suddenly wants to be her best friend. One small problem – Suzie is the most annoying girl in the world. UGH! So how is that Cookie manages […] Adventure, Fiction, Friendship, Funny AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Lilliput Sam Gayton Inspired by Gulliver’s Travels, Lilliput is an exhilarating adventure filled with cunning escape plans, evil clockmakers and very talkative parrots. Join Lily as she travels over rooftops, down chimneys and into chocolate shops on a journey to find the one place in the world where she belongs . . . Home. Adventure, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, Magic AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Marius and the Band of Blood: Book 4 – Tales from Schwartzgarten Christopher William Hill A gruesomely funny series for fans of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket. Meet Marius Myerdorf, the newest recruit of Schwartzgarten’s most secret of societies. His is a tale of adventure and abduction, friendship and fearlessness, as The Band of Blood race against time to unmask two of the foulest fiends in the history of the […] Adventure, Fiction, Mystery/murder AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Invasion of the Supervillains (Raps and Rhymes to Worry the Galaxy) Chris White & Neal Zetter A follow-up to the popular first comic book in the series, Here Come the Superheroes. This time it s the turn of the galaxy s supervillains to feature in top performance poet Neal Zetter s witty, acute poems. Meet Stink Bomb (who s got an aroma, that will put you in a coma?), Red […] Adventure, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Funny, Poetry AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Here Come the Superheroes (Raps & Rhymes to Save the Galaxy) Chris White & Neal Zetter Get disengaged boys (and girls) into reading with this unique full-colour comic book format collection of raps and rhymes celebrating the galaxy’s newest superheroes, by top performance poet Neal Zetter. Additional secret data includes the protagonists’ top powers, planets of origin, deadliest enemies and other fascinating facts. Meet Captain Polystyrene (“Weedy as a tiny […] Adventure, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Funny, Poetry AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Together We Win Daniel Ido & Marcus Sedgwick A mysterious narrator witnesses three change-making moments of rebellion and revolution – and one of them is now. Writer Marcus Sedgwick’s short story uses the past to illustrate how humanity is once again at a pivotal moment in time. Is now the time for a revolution? And what part will youplay in making change? Features […] Adventure, Fiction, Historical, Politics/human rights, Power AGES: 10-12 That Thing Alexis Deacon & Avital Balwit A close encounter with an intelligent octopus provides a lesson in the value of curiosity and kindness to animals. Debut writer Avital Balwit’s That Thing suggests that our indifference to other animals also reflects how we sometimes treat each other. Illustrator Alexis Deacon’s watercolour washes and exquisite octopi animate this brilliant short story. That Thing […] Animals, Emotion/ Feelings, Fiction, School/ Learning AGES: 10-12 Mistaken for a Bear Jamie Beard & Philip Ardagh In the melting pot of London in 1839, two young dock workers chase a tiger on the loose – a dangerous splash of colour in a world of soot and grime! Written by Philip Ardagh, Mistaken for a Bear is a true story about mistaken identities, brought vividly to life by debut illustrator Jamie […] Adventure, Animals, Fiction, Historical, Identity, Multicultural/international AGES: 10-12 In Her Element Jacinta Read & Jamila Gavin Faced with a whole new life far away from home, Sophie finds it hard to make friends – until a shared passion for water helps someone else come to terms with their disability. In Her Element’s deep-dive into Sophie’s world offers a rare opportunity for young readers to see through the eyes of a […] Disability, Emotion/ Feelings, Fiction, Friendship, Personal/social issues, Water AGES: 10-12 Forbidden Anjali Tiwari & Danica Da Silva Pereira Two girls with very different lives are drawn into a passionate friendship — and bound by a desire to break the taboos that divide them. Forbidden is a heartbreaking short story set in India. Forbidden was edited by Clare Whitston and art directed by Holly Fulbrook at Oxford University Press. Forbidden is part of the […] Emotion/ Feelings, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Personal/social issues AGES: 10-12 Good News! Why the World Isn’t As Bad As You Think Adam Hayes & Rashmi Sirdeshpande Pandemics, war, terror, natural disasters – the world seems to be full of bad news and it can all feel, well, a little bit scary. But this is just part of the story. There are in fact tons of great things happening, from robots improving health care and trees healing the planet, to everyday people […] Fiction, Personal/social issues, Self-discovery AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 When Secrets Set Sail Sita Brahmachari Usha is devastated when her grandmother Kali Ma passes away. Then straight-talking Imtiaz arrives – her new adoptive sister – and the two girls clash instantly. They both feel lost. That is until Kali Ma’s ghost appears…with a task for them. Immy’s and Usha’s home is full of history and secrets. Many years ago it […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, Government, law and crime AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 The Garden of Inside-Outside Chiara Mezzalama & Regis Lejonc & Sarah Ardizzone Inspired by the childhood of the author, whose father was appointed Italian ambassador to Tehran in 1980, this picture book is a beautiful evocation of a country struck by war, where friendship arises despite the rising walls. In the summer of 1981, Chiara and her family join their father in Iran. At their beautiful palace, […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, War AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 AGES: 7-10 River of Ink: Genesis: Book 1 – River of Ink H.L. Dennis What if a teenage boy washed up on the banks of the River Thames, soaked to the skin and unable to explain who he is? What if the only clue to the boy’s identity is a sketch he made of a strange symbol? Who would help him? Who would hunt him? Who is River Boy? […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, Government, law and crime, Magic, Mystery/murder, Social Care Homes AGES: 10-12 Noor Inayat Khan – My Story Sufiya Ahmed My Story: Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan is the thrilling story of British-Indian World War Two heroine, Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan. It’s 1940 and hundreds of families are being forced to flee Nazi-occupied France. Noor refuses to stand by while Nazi forces invade her home and terrorise her people, so she travels to England and signs up to […] Adventure, Fiction, Historical, Mystery/murder, Politics/human rights, War AGES: 10-12 My Big Mouth Chanté Timonthy & Steven Camden ‘They think I’m cool.’ Dom’s face wrinkled up, ‘Who does? Who cares?’ But I did. I cared. When Dad leaves, ten-year-old Jay has questions. Where has he gone? Why did he go? When no one can give Jay the answers he needs, he makes up his own stories, setting off a chain reaction that sees […] Family, Fiction, Funny, Personal/social issues, School/ Learning AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Mohinder’s War A thrilling World War II adventure set in occupied France, featuring an Indian RAF pilot. Great for fans of Michael Morpurgo and John Boyne, and those who want diverse historical fiction. Thirteen-year-old Joelle Breton stumbles across Indian-born RAF pilot Mohinder Singh when his plane crashes in occupied France and it’s up to her and her […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, World Wars 1&2 AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 How I Saved The World in a Week Polly Ho-Yen A brilliantly imagined new 8+ adventure about resilience, family and hope. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Ross Welford, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf. Even when you can’t believe what you’re seeing, you’d better get ready to run for your life, because […] Adventure, Emotion/ Feelings, Family, Fiction, Government, law and crime, Illness / Hospitals AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Good Dog, Bad Dog: The Golden Bone Dave Shelton Kirk Bergman and Duncan McBoo are pedigree police: the finest canine cops in all Muttropolis. And they’re never short of work. The Golden Bone of Alexandria has been stolen by malevolent mongrels and our doggy duo are the perfect pooches to take on the case… CRIMINALS BEWARE: Bergman and McBoo are on your tail! Adventure, Animals, Fiction, Graphic Novel/ Comic AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Chicken on the Roof Hannah Asen & Matt Goodfellow there’s a chicken there’s a chicken there’s a chicken on the roof The only way she’s coming down is chicken parachute! Dance through deserts and crawl through caves. Discover a sorcerer’s wand or a slice of lunar lemon. Hide in the fur of an African goat, check for rain snakes and gobbling goblins – and […] Funny, Poetry AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Bright Bursts of Colour Aleksei Bitskoff & Matt Goodfellow ‘Matt Goodfellow is a fresh voice on the children’s poetry scene.’ (Pie Corbett) What if cats had flavoured fur or if you swallowed the sun? What if you were a special kind of badger or if you found a map to the stars? And what if your home was split during the week: one half […] Animals, Family, Fiction, Poetry AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Boy, Everywhere A. M. Dassu 13 year old Sami has a good life in Damascus, playing football and computer games with his friends, nagging his parents for new trainers and trying to get time on the iPad. Although he knows there is war in the rest of the country, he never seriously imagines it will reach Damascus. It’s a normal […] Family, Fear, Fiction, Personal/social issues, Politics/human rights, Travel, War AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Being Me: Poems About Thoughts, Worries and Feelings Laura Mucha & Liz Brownlee & Matt Goodfellow & Victoria Jane Wheeler Read about the Land of Blue, where it’s OK to feel sad, find ways to slow down, chill out, discover kindness in yourself and other people. Then maybe your own special Thought Machine will tell you, ‘This is going well. You’re doing great. You’ve got this!’ And you have! This ground-breaking collection by three leading […] Communication, Emotion/ Feelings, Empathy, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Poetry AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Ash Mistry and the World of Darkness – The Ash Mistry Chronicles Book 3 Sarwat Chadda Book three in the incredible action-adventure trilogy about Ash Mistry, reluctant hero and living weapon of the death goddess Kali. Ash Mistry is in a world of pain. A parallel world in fact, where another version of him seems to be living his life, and the evil Lord Savage – now all-powerful and adored by […] Adventure, Family, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Myths and Legends, Religion AGES: 10-12 Always Here For You Miriam Halahmy 14-year-old Holly is lonely. Holly’s parents are never around after Gran’s Crisis and best friend Amy has moved across the Atlantic to Canada, loved-up with her new boyfriend, Gabe. Holly has no-one to hang out with at school apart from moody Ellen and misfit Tim – Madison and the bezzies barely notice her. Home alone […] Family, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Personal/social issues AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Saving Hanno: A Refugee Boy and His Dog Karin Littlewood & Miriam Halahmy Nine-year-old Rudi and his beloved dog Hanno escape from Nazi Germany, but Rudi soon learns he’ll have to protect Hanno from an entirely new threat in this thrilling reimagining of a little known World War II event. What if you had to leave your dog behind when you fled? Nine-year-old Rudi has a chance to […] Adventure, Fiction, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Historical, Historical Fiction, Personal/social issues, Religion, World Wars 1&2 AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Diver’s Daughter: A Tudor Story Patrice Lawrence Eve Cartright is a young black girl growing up with her mum in London in the late 16th century. Life is tough, Eve is almost always hungry, and they always seem to be just one step away from gruesome poverty, despite her hard-working mum’s best efforts. When Eve nearly drowns and her mum’s expert diving to […] Adventure, Family, Fear, Fiction, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Migration/ Refugees, Politics/human rights AGES: 10-12 Pet Defenders: Escape from Planet Bogey Gareth P Jones Illustrated by Steve May The Pet Defenders Code: 1. The safety of Planet Earth depends on you. 2. Humans MUST NOT know the truth. GOOD LUCK – you’ll need it… Animals are disappearing from Nothington-on-Sea and the Pet Defenders suspect alien activity. Secret agents Biskit and Mitzy find themselves caught up in the Planet […] Adventure, Animals, Crime/ Thriller, Fiction, Funny AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 The Snow Merchant Sam Gayton Lettie Peppercorn hasn’t left her house-on-stilts for over ten years. She dare not. Her mother left a very specific warning on the day she left – stepping outside could kill her. But when a mysterious, frozen man, who claims to be an alchemist, arrives at the door with a miraculous invention, Lettie’s life is changed […] Adventure, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Magic AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 The Last Zoo Sam Gayton Pia lives on the last zoo: a floating armada that houses the strangest collection of creatures the world’s ever seen, from genies to mirror-orangutans to hummingdragons. Collectively called ‘voilas’, they each have a special ability, and everyone hopes these will help save the world from environmental catastrophe. Pia looks after the angels, their greatest hope. […] Adventure, Animals, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Funny, Magic, Mystery/murder AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 His Royal Whiskers Peter Cottrill & Sam Gayton The bloodthirsty Czar of Petrossia is boiling mad. Despite the protection of his poodle Bloodbath, and his fearsome War Council, two scruffy children have turned his son into a fluffy-wuffy kitten. But Pieter and Teresa are no ordinary children – Pieter is a master mathemagician and Teresa an imaginative alchemist. Their second potion makes the […] Adventure, Fairy tales and folk tales, Fantasy/ Supernatural, Fiction, Friendship, Magic AGES: 10-12 Soccer Squad: Starting Eleven Bali Rai The local youth club are putting an under-elevens squad together – and Dal, Chris, Abs and Jason are determined to be picked.They know they’re the best players in their school – but what if that isn’t good enough and they don’t make the team? Dal knows he’d be gutted if his mates made it and […] Fiction, Friendship, Sports AGES: 10-12 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Sonia Leong Shakespeare’s famous tragedy unfurls in front of a dramatic manga setting, in which the fair city of Verona becomes a street in the highly fashionable Shibuya district of Tokyo. The swordfights become duels with katanas; the Capulets and the Montagues, opposing Yakuza families. Conflict explodes when Romeo – a bleached-blonde, well-dressed rock star – falls […] Adventure, Family, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Love AGES: 10-12 Can You See Me? Libby Scott & Rebecca Westcott Tally is eleven years old and she’s just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there’s something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can’t cover-up, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic. Tally’s autism means there are things that […] Emotion/ Feelings, Empathy, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Special Needs AGES: 10-12 AGES: 12-14 Jupiter Williams Steve I. Martin London 1800. Jupiter is young, black, living at the African Academy in Clapham with other boys from wealthy Sierra Leonean families. His life is a mixture of privilege and dispossession as he copes with the cruelty of his teachers, the rivalries and tensions among his schoolmates, a sense of duty towards his younger brother Robert […] Adventure, Emotion/ Feelings, Faith/ Culture, Family, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Historical, Historical Fiction, Identity, Inspirational, Multicultural/international, Personal Stories, Politics/human rights, Racism, Violence AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10 Bone Talk Samkad dreams of becoming a mighty headhunter like his father, carrying his own weapons and etching tattoos across his chest to proclaim his greatness as a warrior. His best friend is a girl his age, Little Luki and Little Luki wants to become a mighty warrior too … except in their culture, girls don’t grow […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Grief/Loss, Historical, Historical Fiction, Multicultural/international, Personal/social issues, Politics/human rights, Warriors AGES: 10-12 Little Bits of Sky S.E Durrant It’s 1987 and Ira and Zac are being uprooted once again, this time to Skilly House, a home for social care children. Their lives over the next few years are beautifully realised amongst the antipathy of the authorities, the drama of the poll tax riots and the moments of peace and hope Ira finds at […] Fiction, Friendship, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Identity, Social Care Homes AGES: 10-12 AGES: 7-10
