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Picturebook

Who’s in the loo? There’s a very long queue. Is it an elephant having a poo?’ If your house has many occupants, then this witty rhyme from the irreverent and observant pen of Jeanne Willis will resonate profoundly. Adrian Reynolds’s exuberant illustrations highlight the fun!

Chapter book

Carlos’s mother works for IBAMA, Brazil’s Environmental Authority. As head of a specially trained task force, her role is to protect the Amazon from the farmers, loggers and miners who are illegally destroying the precious rainforest. It’s a dangerous role and when she upsets some of these land-grabbers, they decide to teach her a lesson by kidnapping her son, Carlos. Taken deep into the Amazon, Carlos manages to escape his captors only to find himself trapped by the fast-moving fires. Will he be able to outrun the flames as the world around him burns to the ground? The terrifying reality of illegal deforestation and the destruction of the rainforest is revealed in this powerful and gripping Amazonian adventure from bestselling author Steve Cole. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+

Picturebook

A much-loved adventure on the high seas from Peter Harris and Deborah Allwright. Perfect for every reader who loved Pirates Love Underpants and The Pirates Next Door.

One night, young Tom is awoken by noises outside his house. He peeps out of the window and what should he see but PIRATES. And stranger still they’re GIRL PIRATES stealing the front of his house! Tom joins their adventure across the high seas to an island where some rather lazy and silly grown-up pirates are guarding their treasure. Not very successfully! Tom and the girl-pirates make a surprise attack and are soon off on the seas once more with the treasure!

This swashbuckling pirate story from Peter Harris and Deborah Allwright has become a modern-day classic. Great fun to read-aloud and entertaining for both boys and girls, The Night Pirates is a bedtime story to inspire the imagination of kids aged 3 and up.

Picturebook

Skeleton Crew is one of the titles in Allan Ahlberg’s iconic children’s picture book series about skeletons, Funnybones. Despite being set in a dark dark house, this brightly coloured book is perfect for early readers!

“Zzz!” The three skeletons enjoy a holiday on-board their little boat. But one night – “Yo-ho-ho” – the pirates come and put them out to sea on a tiny raft, launching them on an oceanful of new adventures.

Chapter book

Award-winning master of scary stories Chris Priestley returns with a spine-tingling collection of ghostly tales to chill you to the bone …

When Maya and her classmates are asked to write a creepy story with a winter theme, they come up with some brilliant ideas. Rising floodwaters uncover long-buried bodies and ghostly children take to the ice on a frozen canal. But as each of the stories is read out in class, Maya grows more and more uncomfortable. She features in each of her friends’ creepy tales and they start to feel a little too real. Finally, when a mysterious new girl stands up to read the last story of the day, the light outside dims and it starts to snow. The classroom starts to freeze but everyone is trapped. Can Maya stop the story before the nightmare comes true?

Picturebook

Shiver me timbers!’ Pirate Jed is not happy . . . Imagine a pirate who feels seasick all the time. That’s Pirate Jed! Fed up with bobbing around on the rollicking, rolling sea, he decides to pack up his pirate paraphernalia and heads off in search of a home on land. His adventures take him on a journey where he meets a whole cast of animal characters, desperate for his help, and they all join in his search for a new home. Finally they meet Farmer Ted who is fed up with life on dry land – so he and Jed decide to swap! So, with a cheeriyo-ho-ho, Pirate Jed and his new friends have a perfect new home! A gentle adventure about friendship, fun and finding your place.

Picturebook

Penguin Blue is back, in a swashbuckling new adventure about pirates, treasure, and friendship from Rob Biddulph, the creative genius behind the #DrawWithRob phenomenon and the bestselling and award-winning Blown Away!

A favourite Penguin and his friends are back in a new adventure, and this time they’re pirates – ARRRRR!
Sailing the seven seas in search of treasure, Captain Blue and his friends are unexpectedly SUNK! But with a shipwreck to explore and a mysterious stranger on a desert island to meet, they might still find some treasure after all…

Chapter book

Whenever there’s a pong, poo or puddle that can’t be explained, Norman and Ringo are the hounds that take the blame. Determined to exploit their status for profit, Blamehounds Inc. is soon in business and small dogs the world over are admitting responsibility for accidents, eruptions and even the occasional war…

A wickedly clever and hilarious doggy tale from superstar author-illustrator Ross Collins, particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+

Chapter book

A case of mistaken identity leads to unintentional criminal activity when a dream family holiday goes terribly wrong in this punny comedy caper from author-illustrator Tom McLaughlin.

The Goodfellows are the perfect family. From helping the local community to scooping up prizes in school, there’s nothing they can’t do. And they’ve just won the holiday of a lifetime to the Big Apple!

When the family touchdown in New York and overhear a gentleman looking for the goodfellas, they can only assume he’s there to pick them up. But soon they’re involved in a diamond robbery and a gangster named Big Tony is thanking them for their impeccable work. It looks like everything for the Goodfellows is about to go very, very wrong …

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

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