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Graphic Novel

Sparks is a hero and man’s best friend, but nobody suspects he’s two cats! This Super Dog is the Cat’s Meow! August is a brilliant inventor who is afraid of the outside. Charlie is a crack pilot who isn’t afraid of anything. Together these pals save lives every day. They also happen to be cats who pilot a powerful, mechanical dog suit! Always eager to leap into danger, this feline duo have their work cut out for them as they try to thwart Princess, an evil alien bent on enslaving mankind. Don’t let the fact that Princess looks like a cute baby fool you. She’s clever, determined, and totally ruthless. So when Princess and the browbeaten fools she calls servants enact a brilliant and dastardly plan to conquer Earth, August and Charlie pull out all the stops to save the day.

Graphic Novel

OLD books get NEW doodles – it’s the classics as you’ve never seen them before!

A hilarious new series that brings the classics to life with illustrations by Jack Noel. Perfect for fans of Tom Gates, Wimpy Kid and Dav Pilkey. And Charles Dickens.

WHAT THE DICKENS?

Ten-year-old Pip gets the fright of his life when he meets an escaped convict in a spooky graveyard. And that’s just the beginning of an adventure that will lead him to a house full of secrets, a strange old lady and a journey to the big city to seek his fortune. But Pip is in for a BIG surprise …

Join Pip in a rip-roaring story of family secrets, scary grannies and a REALLY annoying big sister in COMIC CLASSICS: GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens and Jack Noel.

Graphic Novel

First in a brilliant series perfect for fans of laugh-out-loud adventures like Dog Man, Bunny vs Monkey and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

D.J. and his friend Gina are totally normal kids. Until a mysterious boy comes crashing down from the sky and nearly blows up their club house!

Hilo doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth (or why going to school in only your underwear is a bad idea!) but he’s starting to think he might not be the only alien to have crash-landed on our planet.

Can the trio unlock the secrets of his past? Can Hilo survive a day at school? And are D.J. and Gina ready to save the world?

Graphic Novel

Dev and Boja embark on a thrilling journey towards home, through the chilling Wildening forests of magical Flember Island. To protect himself and his lovable, larger-than-life robot bear, Dev’s only hope is to truly grasp the extraordinary power of Flember. Because a scary creature’s on their trail, their new friends are counting on them, and Boja is behaving very strangely.

A fantastical, anarchic, uplifting quest celebrating friendship, creativity and loyalty.

Chapter book

Not only is she about to start high school without any friends or glamorous swooshy hair, she’s just discovered she’s too flat-chested to wear a bra.

She might as well give up now and go into hibernation with her hamsters Sir Barnaby Squeakington and Fuzzball the Third.

Lottie navigates the perils of growing up in this fantastically funny new illustrated series for pre-teens filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and, of course, KitKat Chunkys.

Chapter book

Meet Freddy – the most super-amazing superhero robot EVER. His unbelievably Amazing Robotic Abilities are mind-blowingly cool. But it turns out that teachers get really angry when you use your rocket boosters in class. Which is rather a problem for Freddy…

Adored comics creator Neill Cameron has written and illustrated a hilarious, heartfelt novel, with an unforgettable protagonist. Freddy vs School is guaranteed to make readers of all ages laugh out loud, while also providing an insightful look at diversity and celebrating children who are different. Fully integrated illustrations make the book perfect for more reluctant readers.

This is the story of one superhero robot’s quest to stay in school, save his friends from disaster, and – hardest of all – stay true to himself.

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our review panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

Check out our Review Panel’s top books for you to read in February 2023.

Chapter book

Being BAD has never felt so GOOD! The first in a villainously funny, highly illustrated young middle-grade series from author-illustrator Ryan Hammond. For fans of Amelia Fang, Dog Man and Grimwood.

Welcome to Villains Academy – the most prestigious villain school in the ENTIRE land. You will either leave here as a fully-formed villain . . . or in tatters.

It’s werewolf Bram’s first day at Villains Academy. He really doesn’t feel like a villain at all, but the coveted Villain of the Week trophy is up for grabs, and Bram knows he’ll have to dig deep. With the help of new friends Mona the elf-witch, Bryan the lion, Shelia the ghost and Tony the skeleton, can Bram find his inner badness and become the villain he’s always dreamed of being?

Chapter book

Save the universe in the awesome and hilarious space-themed adventure series from bestselling authors Katie and Kevin Tsang!

Suzie Wen can’t believe her luck – she’s the newest crew member of the Spaceblasters! She gets to explore the galaxy on a spaceship and meet lots of aliens.

But when Suzie and her friends crash land on a mystery jungle planet, they face an infestation of moon bugs!

It’s up to Suzie and the crew to fix their spaceship, defeat an evil Queen AND save the universe!

Funny, accessible and highly illustrated stories, perfect for readers aged 6 and up and fans of Bunny vs Monkey, Grimwood, Kitty Quest – and space!

STEM themes woven throughout, including real mindbending space facts and pages from Suzie’s inventors’ notebook.

Chapter book

Number 14 Darlington Road, looks like a perfectly ordinary townhouse – at first glance, anyway, but magic is good at hiding . . . when it’s waiting for the right person to discover it . . .

Martha Pennydrop is ten, and desperate to grow up. But growing up is a tricky business. It means turning your back on imagination, fun and magic, because those were the things that led to the Terrible Day when something awful nearly happened to Martha’s younger brother, Scruff, which would have been All Her Fault.

But when Martha and Scruff discover a drawer full of mysterious gold dust in the bedroom of their new house – along with a window that’s seemingly impossible to close – it’s the start of an incredible adventure to a magical world: Neverland! The Pennydrop’s new house used to belong to another family – the Darlings – who once visited this world themselves. Now Peter Pan is back, and in need of their help. Neverland is in the icy grip of a terrible curse – cast long ago by Captain Hook. And only Martha and Scruff can save it . . .

A reluctant Martha and excited Scruff are swept off to Neverland and into the company of the Lost Kids. But when Scruff is kidnapped, Martha must rediscover all the imagination, magic and belief she has buried deep inside herself for so long, to save him – and Neverland itself.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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