Nine-year-old Jac sees his father as a hero, but when Jac joins a local football team with his best friend Zac, things start to get a bit weird at home.
It’s not until a group of professional footballers come into school to talk about racism that Jac realises what his father’s problem could be.
Part of the Rhyngom Scheme.
Did you know that birds perceive time differently to us, as if in slow motion?
Erin discovers this after a fateful fall from a tree results in incredible avian abilities.
Being able to fly, slow down time and communicate with her new feathered friend prove vital when she stumbles on birds being deliberately trapped, killed and maimed in the woods.
Patrick Wood is a boy with privacy needs. Robert is the tree that provides him with shade. The pair communicate via treemail and a partnership is forged – Thousands of leaves releasing oxygen and one small nose exhaling carbon dioxide.
At home Patrick retreats to his birdwatching ‘HQ’ (A converted garden shed). He’s aware that grown-ups want him to be someone else – perfect Pat Wonderwood – not timid Woodmouse as he’s known. The pressure is on to make friends and mix more.
Enter Charlie Fairfield, blackmailer and budding den-builder, and Natalie Jackson, inventor of the bonkers bird code. Things get complicated for Patrick when these two invade the shade beneath the oak tree. Human relationships are hard work, but the biggest challenge comes when Charlie’s mum, Stella, identifies Patrick’s beloved tree as a health and safety hazard.
Robert, the magnificent Quercus robur, must be removed.
Can Patrick come out of his shell to save Robert? Can he rebel and break rules? Can he join forces with Charlie and Natalie and stage a protest? Robert thinks he can.
Inspired by faery myth and folklore, the haunting, heart wrenching tale of a girl called Nettle in a dark, foreboding faery kingdom, for fans of Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series and Twin Crowns.
Welcome to a world of glittering courts, dangerous bargains and dazzling trickery…
A wild misfit in the human world, Nettle is enthralled by the glamour of the faery realm, with its two moons and scarlet stars. She grows close to Conor, a human stolen centuries before, and she also falls under the spell of mysterious Ellion, a Shadow Faery. To try to help her beloved grandmother who is fading in her world, Nettle makes a pact with the faery king. He’ll heal her grandmother in exchange for Nettle completing three tasks. She agrees, not realising that deception lurks in this enchanted place, and that she has been tricked…
In this dangerous fantasy kingdom Nettle discovers, too late, her part in an age-old love story and the price she will pay.
An astonishing magical adventure story from the award-winning Ross MacKenzie.
They would like to turn and run, but are frozen in place…
A hand is reaching through the curtain of moonlight.
Thirteen-year-old Samm Wolfback is a faerae who relies on no one. But when he is drawn into a secret plan to escape the faerae refugee camp, he must put his trust in others and embark on a perilous journey. From a circus of nightmares to a murderous museum, Samm’s path is riddled with danger. And coming his way is an unsuspecting human boy, Ally, with a magical power he can’t control . . .
Nobody talks about the strange happenings in Maimsbury. No one speaks of the hooded figures glimpsed in the woods, nor the children’s game that went so horribly wrong. But most of all, nobody dares whisper their doubts about the river they have worshipped for centuries.
Like everyone in Maimsbury, Gorse is used to the sacrifices made every spring to the River Yeelde. The life of a farm animal – in return for a year of plenty – seems a fair trade. That is, until a tragedy leads Gorse to a blood-curdling discovery.
Because this year is a Brim Year, and after giving so much, the river needs more than an animal’s life to sate its thirst…
Being a teen’s a tough gig, but what if one gig could save your family?
Elias’s brain is a swamp of fears and bad things.
His once-loving brother Bo has become a stranger, and his parents are at breaking point.
When Bo falls in with dangerous people, Elias decides he’s the only one who can bring his family back together.
But what begins as a simple pizza-night plan quickly spirals into chaos.
Can Elias find a way to reach the people he loves the most before it’s too late?
The stunning debut novel from Lucas Maxwell, winner of the Times/Chicken House Competition 2024 Set in wintry Nova Scotia, Canada and inspired by the author’s childhood, this special novel explores themes of family addiction and growing up neurodivergent Perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece and Orbiting Jupiter.
This is the first book in a super-fun and positive new series aimed at younger readers who are not yet ready for Dork Diaries, Lottie Brooks or Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
It follows the life of Riley Wright, a girl starting in Year 4 at a school where her Dad is going to be the new Headteacher! Riley is often embarrassed by her father and hopes to blend into her new environment, so she is horrified when he announces that she is his daughter on the first day. Despite this, she manages to make a best friend (Emmie) that morning and is shown her secret library in a long-forgotten cupboard, which becomes the girls’ refuge during the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, Riley’s Dad shatters the relative peace by announcing a talent show where all pupils showcase a skill, firstly to their class, and then to the whole school. Riley doesn’t believe that she has any talents at all and worries every day about what she could do, although it turns out that she is brilliant at helping Emmie with her own act.
There are positive messages about things usually turning out better than you expect, not becoming worked up about difficulties with one tricky person, and learning from our mistakes. The story gives a great insight into friendships at school and will give plenty of laughs about family and growing up. I think it is perfectly pitched for the middle of primary upwards and would be popular with those who have enjoyed Jen Carney’s stories.
Award-winning author Luke Palmer masterfully captures the intricate dynamics of teenage friendship in this compelling tale of misadventure, resentment and reconciliation.
Biggest goes first – always. That’s one of the unspoken rules of Kiln, the forbidden wasteland where Sam and his mates hang out. So when Sam comes up with a plan to go sledging on the rust-ridden bonnet of a rotting car, he goes first. To show the others how it’s done.
His mates aren’t so keen. But there’s no complaining. No backing down. Those are the other rules of Kiln. Even when they lead to disaster.
Will their friendship survive the wreckage that follows, or is it time for the rules to be changed?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 8.
A thrilling adventure set in the jungles of India from the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author of Secrets of the Snakestone.
A lost monkey.
A cursed jewel.
A race through the jungle.
When Roma stumbles upon a rare golden monkey, she vows to return it to its hidden home in the Himalayas. But the path is riddled with peril: ruthless bandits, prowling beasts, and the sinister power of the Snakestone – a jewel that stalks her dreams.
To make matters worse, Roma is forced to travel with Max and Arabella, two pampered children who seem more trouble than help. Only a mysterious map offers a chance of success – but with every step, pursuers of the Snakestone draw closer.
Can Roma unlock the map’s secret before the jungle swallows them whole?
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
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