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 Jack’s Diamond and Other Stories Cat Weatherill Jack’s Diamond is a collection of eight magical short stories. You’ll meet fearless Freya, who goes hunting a boy-eating troll. Tom finds something alive in the marmalade jar. Naughty Miranda receives an unexpected present with wings ~ and more! The stories have been illustrated by the wonderful Graham Higgins, who has also illustrated Terry Pratchett […] 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 World of Robots: Wild Robots Joe Craig Jango and Izza are trapped on a broken-down transporter ship during a storm. Just when they think things can’t get any worse, a deadly beast escapes from a crate – and it has their scent! A dangerous game of hide and seek between animal and humans begins … Can Jango and Izza make it off […] Fiction, School/ Learning AGES: 7-10 World of Robots: Jango Joe Craig Jango and his grandpa are on their own, living on a planet that is largely covered by water. Robot ships patrol the ocean to bring in anything they find, ready for Jango and his grandpa to sort. But one night, they bring in something new. Something from the space station high above them. Something that […] Fiction, School/ Learning AGES: 7-10 Dougal Daley – It’s Not My Fault! Jackie Marchant & Loretta Schauer In this first book, football-loving Dougal Daley finds himself at risk from the mysterious creature living in the garden shed. Nobody believes him but as a precaution, he sets upon writing his will – rewarding those who help him and disinheriting those who get on his bad side. Fiction AGES: 7-10 On the Ghost Trail Chris Powling & Loretta Schauer A spooky comedy from Chris Powling with hilarious illustrations by Loretta Schauer. Perfect for fans of Amelia Fang and Knitbone Pepper. A ghost has been haunting Ben’s grandpa’s house with cobweb trails and the TAP-TAP-TAP of its heartbeat. So when the clock strikes twelve, Ben’s brother dares him to go on a hunt for the […] Family, Fiction, Learning, School/ Learning 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 The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale Ben Miller Lana loves stories. Especially the ones she and her brother, Harrison, share in their make-believe games. But when Harrison decides he’s too grown-up to play with Lana she finds herself feeling lonely. Until something magical happens … Hidden in the strange new supermarket in town, Lana discovers a portal to a fairytale world! But […] Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction AGES: 7-10 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 Embassy of the Dead: Book 1 – Embassy of the Dead Chris Mould & Will Mabbitt Welcome to the Embassy of the Dead. Leave your life at the door. (Thanks.) When Jake opens a strange box containing a severed finger, he accidentally summons a grim reaper to drag him to the Eternal Void (yep, it’s as fatal as it sounds) and now he’s running for his life! But luckily Jake […] Adventure, Fiction, Monsters, Mystery/murder 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 Yuck and Yum (A Feast of Funny Food Poems) Joshua Seigal & Neal Zetter & Scoular Anderson Two celebrated performance poets in one bumper collection join together to make not just a meal but a feast of funny poems about foods that you might like and some that you will hate. Food, Funny, Poetry AGES: 7-10 The Fantastic Book of Feelings Marcia Williams How do you feel today? Whether you’re happy, sad or anything in-between, this book is the perfect guide to understanding and celebrating all your feelings! In colourful comic-strip stories, explore a whole range of emotions and discover ways to cope when any feeling becomes overwhelming. Packed with top tips for mental wellbeing and a first […] Communication, Emotion/ Feelings, Empathy, Friendship, Non-fiction, Personal/social issues, School/ Learning AGES: 7-10 The Vikings: Raiders, Traders and Adventurers! Marcia Williams Meet legendary warriors, daring explorers and clever kings in this colourful introduction to the Vikings. Join Marcia Williams and discover incredible stories of Viking raids, voyages of discovery and conquered kingdoms. Told in comic-strip style and packed with jokes and facts, this is the perfect guide to the Viking world. Adventure, Graphic Novel/ Comic, Historical, Non-fiction, Travel, Vikings / Anglo-Saxons, Water AGES: 7-10 Indigo Takes Flight Chris Riddell & Krista M. Lambert Indigo has a secret – and it’s growing too big to hide! An enchantingly illustrated tale about coming to terms with who you are, and finding acceptance from those you love. Indigo Takes Flight is a deeply moving parable about the inner conflict involved in coming out as LGBTQ+ to family and friends. […] Adventure, Family, Fiction, Identity, LGBT/ Gender, Personal/social issues AGES: 7-10 Swallow’s Kiss Jane Ray & Sita Brahmachari When Blessing finds a lost bag of paper birds she follows a trail of hopes and wishes to the community who made them, in this lyrical, free-verse tale about kindness and friendship. Filled with light, love and birdsong, Swallow’s Kiss is a wonderfully uplifting story that explores the common threads that connect our communities, […] Faith/ Culture, Family, Fiction, Friendship, Identity, Migration/ Refugees, Multicultural/international AGES: 7-10 Here Be Monsters Jay Hulme & Sahar Haghgoo A sea-born creature, who never quite belongs, discovers who she really is, in this powerful illustrated song about metamorphosis and finding your true home. Here Be Monsters was edited by Alice Curry at Lantana and art directed by Andrew Biscomb at Scholastic. Here Be Monsters is part of the 10 Stories to Make […] Animals, Fiction, Identity, LGBT/ Gender, Poetry AGES: 7-10 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 A Match for a Mermaid David Roberts & Eleanor Cullen A picky princess rejects a string of eligible suitors in this hilariously illustrated underwater tale about choosing to love who you want. A Match for a Mermaid is a genre-busting fable about same-sex union and defying convention. Edited by Libby Hamilton at Andersen Press and art directed by Jane Buckley at Simon & Schuster. The original illustrated story […] Fiction, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Identity, Inspirational, LGBT/ Gender, Love AGES: 7-10 Cloud Soup Elina Braslina & Kate Wakeling Cloud Soup is a collection of children’s poems by Kate Wakeling, illustrated by Elīna Brasliņa. Cloud Soup is the sequel to Moon Juice, the 2017 CLiPPA Best Children’s Poetry Book award-winner. “Bodies, bodies everywhere” knees and noses, hands and hair, bodies big and bodies small, bodies keen on volleyball, hairy nostrils, lengthy shins, juicy ear […] Adventure, Animals, Funny, Poetry 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 What Did the Tree See? Charlotte Guillain & Sam Usher Told in gentle rhyming verse, this beautiful non-fiction picture book follows the story of an oak tree on a hilltop as it witnesses life changing around it over the course of hundreds of years. From the time when hunters chased deer through the woodland, to when trees were cleared for farmland, to the smog and […] Historical, Nature/ Outdoors, Picture Books AGES: 3-7 AGES: 7-10 Weird Wild & Wonderful James Carter & Neal Layton Expect to hear the moon speak, explore a magic wood and play air guitar. You’ll meet wolves, elephants and a dung beetle; you’ll get close to a gorilla and sing a lullaby to a woolly mammoth; you might even meet an alien in a library. Funny, Poetry, School/ Learning AGES: 3-7 AGES: 7-10 Vi Spy Maz Evans A hilarious new adventure from the author of the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out? series! Divorce is tough for any kid. But when – like Vi’s parents – your mum is ex-secret service and your dad is a retired bad guy, ’till death do us part’ takes on a whole new meaning. And […] Adventure, Fiction, Funny, Government, law and crime, Mystery/murder AGES: 7-10 The Night Bus Hero Onjali Q. Rauf From Onjali Q. Rauf, the award-winning and best-selling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class , comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart. ‘The boy’s an absolute menace.’ ‘He’s a bully. A lost cause!’ ‘Why can’t he be more like his sister?’ I’ve been getting into trouble for as long […] Bullying, Emotion/ Feelings, Fiction, Friendship, Personal/social issues, School/ Learning AGES: 7-10 The Last Chip Duncan Beedie Percy is a little pigeon, and he’s very hungry. Life on the streets is tough, and every time he tries to get hold of a scrap of food, bigger, beefier birds bat him away. He’s about to give up when someone offers him her very last chip. A moving and uplifting story about struggle against […] Animals, Personal/social issues, Picture Books, School/ Learning AGES: 3-7 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 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 Emily Lime, Librarian Detective: The Pencil Case Dave Shelton It’s the start of a brand new term at St Rita’s School for Spirited Girls, and that means big changes all round – starting with the school’s brand new headteacher, Miss Woolley, who seems to be severely underestimating just what a riotous bunch the St Rita’s pupils are. And when Emily Lime – the fabulously […] Fiction, Friendship, Funny, School/ Learning AGES: 7-10 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 Buck ‘n’ Bronco: Hit the Road! Guy Bass & Steve May When the Happy Ranch theme park closes down to make way for a futuristic new adventure land, park mascots Buck and Bronco are out of a job and out of a home. While Buck thinks its time for them to spread their wings and take the show on the road, Bronco wants nothing more than […] Adventure, Crime/ Thriller, Fiction, Funny 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 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 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 Luna Loves Art Fiona Lumbers & Joseph Coelho At the gallery, Luna is transfixed by the famous art, but her classmate Finn doesn’t seem to want to be there at all. Finn's family doesn't look like the one in Henry Moore's 'Family Group' sculpture, but then neither does Luna's. Maybe all Finn needs is a friend. Creating art/ Imagination, Emotion/ Feelings, Empathy, Family, Friendship, Marriage/ Divorce, Picture Books, School/ Learning AGES: 3-7 AGES: 7-10 Moonshadow Gillian Lobel & Karin Littlewood For the very first time, young Moonshadow is flying south. Grandfather is leading the swans as they travel to a warm place for the winter. But when a terrible storm strikes, not all the swans make it through. Though his heart is heavy, Moonshadow finds the strength to continue the journey. Gillian Lobel’s beautifully written […] Animals, Emotion/ Feelings, Grief/Loss, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Picture Books AGES: 3-7 AGES: 7-10 The Most Important Gift of All David Conway & Karin Littlewood Ama has a new baby brother! And when she asks Grandma Sisi what gift she can give him, Grandma tells her to simply give him the gift of love. But where can Ama find this precious gift? Ama sets off to find out, but in the end, the gift of love comes to her instead. […] Family, Growing Up & the Facts of Life, Love, Picture Books AGES: 3-7 AGES: 7-10 The Day the Rains Fell Anne Faundez & Karin Littlewood Long ago, when the world was new, Lindiwe gazed down from the heavens, proud of the earth and the creatures she’d created. She and her daughter Thandi swooped down to check their work, only to discover something was wrong. Everything was wilting and dusty and the animals looked sad; the earth needed rain. When the […] Animals, Family, Multicultural/international, Myths and Legends, Picture Books AGES: 3-7 AGES: 7-10 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
