Age Group: KS3 (Ages 11-14)

The Haunting of Old Splinter

Chapter book

Be careful what you wish for…

Peter and his half-brother Adrian live in the shadow of Old Splinter â the ruined mansion on the hill, where legends of ancient relics and dark magic swirl. And the cracks are starting to show in their once-happy family. Faced with the daunting task of renovating the place, Peterâs stepdad is at his witsâ end and the boys feel powerless to help.

Then Peter unearths a horrifying secret in the walls of the mansion and the brothers realise thereâs some truth to the terrifying tales. If the Wishing Claw is real, it can grant their deepest desires â and it might just bring their family back together.

But wishes are tricky things and Peter unleashes much more than he bargained for. When a monstrous hunger comes knocking at his door, he must find a way to undo his wish before itâs too late.

Diary of a Number One Superfan

Gemma Correll & Pamela Butchart

Chapter book

“AAHHHHH!!!! I am going to see TAYLOR SWIFT in concert. And, in case it wasn’t obvious, I am Taylor’s official biggest fan ever. I don’t have a certificate or a badge or anything to prove it. But I know a lot about Taylor Swift. Like, a LOT. I’m pretty sure I know facts about Taylor Swift that even her BEST FRIENDS, her FAMILY and her CATS don’t know. And I’m going to write them all down here as I prepare for the MOST IMPORTANT EVENT of my entire LIFE.”

Gemma is a Taylor Swift superfan.

As she journals the build-up to her first Taylor concert, she’s also navigating school, friendships, a dad who refuses to accept why Taylor Swift is the most talented musician in the world AND trying to become a songwriter herself.

Alongside record-breaking facts and stats about Taylor, her music, and of course her cats, this is a warm and funny tween diary narrative about owning who you are and following your dreams.

The first book in a brand new series about the lives of pop stars through the eyes of a superfan, by bestselling and award-winning children’s book author, Pamela Butchart.

Not endorsed by, affiliated with, or approved by Taylor Swift

And Now We Run

Nicola Penfold

Chapter book

We’re running now, along the spine of the world, and behind us, just below, half the land is sliding away to nowhere.

Jelly is NOT looking forward to the first school trip at her new school, since her best friend ditched her and is determined to make Jelly miserable. Lincoln however can’t wait – he used to visit the hills with his brothers and he’s excited to be back.

But what neither of them expected was for the extreme weather to cause the reservoirs to burst, and for the area to be flooded. Or to be left behind when the rest of their group is evacuated. As rain pours down and the water rises, Jelly and Lincoln have to put aside their fears to outrun the storm.

A gripping and thought-provoking new book from the author of WHERE THE WORLD TURNS WILD, perfect for fans of THE EXPLORER, WILDLANDS, FOXLIGHT and Hannah Gold.

Star Breakers: Zeke Zero Vs The Galaxy

Chris Hazeldine & Ed Caruana

Graphic novel

Indiana Jones meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this fast-paced new graphic novel series for kids age 9-13, a comic sci-fi adventure about a crew of treasure-hungry Star Breakers on an accidental quest to save the universe.

ZEKE ZERO has been living his worst life ever since his dad traded him for a spare battery when he was a baby …

Still, 13-year-old Zeke gets by. Or he did, until he ‘borrowed’ the wrong priceless star map and was forced to join a crackpot crew of STAR BREAKERS – brave (foolish) souls who dare to search dying worlds for (sometimes) incredible treasures.

Their first job? Finding an ancient GOD’S EYEBALL hidden on a monster-infested planet somewhere in the depths of space. Preferably before the evil, undead Princess Grizelda does, or the galaxy is pretty much doomed.

The Secrets of Wild Hill: A Pony’s Promise

Olivia Tuffin

Chapter book

Old rivalries, new friends and a fresh start. Can Lottie rebuild her connection with Patch enough to get them to the championships and one step closer to her dream?

In this second gripping adventure, Lottie works hard to heal her bond with Patch, desperate to learn how to hear him. But ever since the Rhinefields Show when he galloped off, Patch has been detached and afraid…

Meanwhile, Lottie’s friendship with Felix is over and she feels betrayed. But when he texts her out of the blue, she realises how much she’s missed him. Could she trust him again? And why does he need her help? As more secrets emerge, Lottie and Felix try to make sense of the photograph he found and the old connection between their two families.

With Wild Hill up for sale, there’s still so much to overcome. Lottie knows that without Wild Hill, there will be no more time with Patch. And without Patch, there is no dream.

A Beautiful Evil

Bea Fitzgerald

Chapter book

The eagerly anticipated new YA Greek myth re-imagining from Bea Fitzgerald, TikTok superstar and Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen.

Pandora is the first human woman – made by the gods on Olympus for one simple purpose: to love and be loved by her new husband, the titan Epimatheos.

The only problem? He wants nothing to do with her.

Hurt and confused, Pandora struggles to find meaning in her new life. What’s the point of being given all these gifts by the gods, if she can’t get this infuriating, awful, frankly very rude man (with an admittedly quite nice face) to love her? Maybe she’s failing at her life’s purpose. Or maybe she’s destined for an entirely different one . . . ?

As Pandora and Matheos work to uncover why she was created, that fated connection between them feels increasingly difficult to ignore. And with that comes terrible risk. Because Matheos’s traitorous brother, Prometheus, is a seer – and before the gods captured him he issued a final warning: that Pandora and Matheos’s love will be humanity’s doom.

So . . . what do you do when faced with an all-powerful love . . . that just happens to threaten the end of the world?

Pandora’s about to find out.

A glorious sunshine/grumpy romantic re-imagining of the Pandora myth, from the bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen and The End Crowns All

Mondays Are Murder

Ravena Guron

Chapter book

From the bestselling author of This Book Kills comes a deadly new YA thriller of murder, mystery and mind-blowing twists. Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus.

Seventeen-year-old Kay left her sleepy hometown after the devastating death of her friend, Ivy. But when Kay is forced to come back, she receives an anonymous letter that turns her life upside down.

The letter tells her that there will be a thrill on Tuesday, a wreckage on Wednesday, treachery on Thursday, a fire on Friday, sabotage on Saturday, a stabbing on Sunday – and her murder on Monday.

And if Kay can’t figure out who is behind the threats, the worst day of the week is about to get deadly…

Heartbreaker

Anika Hussain

Chapter book

A feisty enemies to lovers romcom from the YA Book Prize shortlisted author of This is How You Fall in Love. Perfect for readers of Jenny Han, Joya Goffney and Adiba Jaigirdar!

HE BROKE HER BEST FRIEND’S HEART. NOW SAACHI PLANS TO BREAK HIS.

MAY THE BEST HEARTBREAKER WIN . . .

Saachi would do anything for her best friend. So when school bad boy Fahim breaks Mona’s heart, Saachi is hellbent on getting revenge. It’s time to put him in his place once and for all.

And so begins Operation Heartbreaker: Saachi will make Fahim fall in love with her and then pull the plug on him – just like he does to every girl he’s ever dated. Simple.

Except as she spends more time with Fahim, against her better judgement, she finds herself falling for him. Unable to talk to Mona about her mixed emotions, and with the mission veering dangerously off course, Saachi will have to embrace her role as a heartbreaker or potentially end up with her own heart broken . . .

Heir of Storms

Lauryn Hamilton Murray

Chapter book

HEIR OF STORMS is an epic romantasy in the style of TWIN CROWNS and early Sarah J. Maas with a touch of THE HUNGER GAMES.

I am the girl who wove the storm that shook the world.
And I’m coming for my crown.

When Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it.

Blaze, a Rain Singer, is born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire. Her birth summoned a devastating storm that resulted in the deaths of thousands, and she has spent her life as an outsider, reviled and feared.

When Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, are selected to compete in the Choosing Rite, the trials which decide the future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight – and into battle.

Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.

As her powers strengthen and her fellow competitors fall, the throne is suddenly within her grasp. But in order to take the crown, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her and find the courage to write her own.

Skipshock

Caroline O’Donoghue

Chapter book

MARGO AND MOON WERE ON TWO DIFFERENT TRAINS, IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS.
THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE MET – BUT THEY DID.
AND NOW THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

A dazzlingly inventive sci-fi fantasy romance from the bestselling Irish author of The Rachel Incident and host of Sentimental Garbage, now available in paperback.

WINNER of the Children’s Books Ireland Judges’ Special Award
Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Awards
Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards

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Margo is on a train when she slips into another dimension, passing from the height of Irish summer into the chill of an alien winter, from a 24-hour day to one that begins and ends in just six hours. From a stranger on the train – a travelling salesman by the name of Moon – she learns that New Davia is part of a world scarred by uprisings, travel bans and world sealings. Power is determined by time – who has it, who doesn’t, and who has the freedom to travel between time zones.

Can Margo find a way to get back home – or will she choose to stay in a world where her youth is slipping away faster than ever before, but where she may have found the only person with whom she would choose to spend eternity?