A day at the beach turns deadly in this gripping story, specially designed to engage seriously struggling and reluctant teen readers.
It was supposed to be a great day at the beach. Carla said she’d help Ben in the water. But now Carla has swum away – and Ben can’t swim!
A powerful and heart-rending exploration of a teenager’s journey through grief, rage and getting caught in the criminal justice system from award-winning author Patrice Lawrence.
Winner of the 2023 Little Rebels Award and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Charlene is a demon knitter. It’s the only thing she enjoys and the only thing she believes she’s really good at.
So when her foster mum’s son destroys her latest creation, Charlene loses it and stabs him in the hand with her knitting needle. It damages a nerve and she gets sucked into the criminal justice system for assault.
Charlene’s not sorry and she’s never apologised to anyone in her life. But people keep telling her that if she says sorry, they’ll go easier on her. Can she bring herself to say it and not mean it when her freedom’s at stake?
Carnegie Medal winner Tanya Landman delivers a terrifyingly enthralling and truly accessible retelling of Bram Stoker’s legendary Gothic horror novel.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a masterpiece of horror fiction in which he creates a nightmarish world of vampires, evil-doing and insanity.
A ship steered by a dead man…
A huge black dog springing from its deck…
A girl, sleepwalking towards disaster…
When rising young solicitor Jonathan Harker helps the mysterious and sinister Count Dracula purchase property in London he unleashes an evil that threatens to destroy the whole of humanity.
Bestselling YA author Melinda Salisbury exposes the dark underbelly of new technologies and online friendships in this gripping thriller.
Ruby Brookes and her best friend Deva have won free places at the Ash Tree Foundation Performing Arts Camp over the summer, but only if their school grades seriously improve. So when Deva suddenly starts getting high marks in all their subjects, leaving Ruby behind, she is confused and jealous.
Until she finds out Deva’s success is down to EchoStar, a new app that’s helping her get ahead.
Ruby is desperate to start using it too, but there is much more to EchoStar than she has imagined. Because EchoStar is always watching and listening.
Stevenson’s classic “shilling shocker” has remained in the public imagination for well over a century, spawning numerous adaptations. Now available in an accessible format for all readers.
“Man is not truly one, but truly two.”
A terrible killer lurks in London’s dark and foggy corners. His crimes are witnessed, but no one can track him down. At the same time, the respectable Dr Jekyll is on a quest of his own.
But Dr Jekyll’s discoveries look set to unleash an appalling truth. Just how closely entwined is his identity with that of brutish Mr Hyde?
From sacred cats to the invention of toothpaste, Blue Peter Award winning author David Long takes readers on an intriguing investigation into the ancient Egyptian civilisation.
The incredible civilisation of ancient Egypt lasted for 3,000 years. Ruled over by pharaohs, the Egyptians developed agricultural skills and trading partnerships that enabled them to build a rich and powerful nation centred on the Nile.
Far more advanced than any European coutnries at the time, the Egyptians achieved incredible feats of building, created a new way of writing, and revolutionised farming.
Find out what life as an ancient Egyptian was actually like, both for pharaohs and ordinary people, in this fascinating new exploration by award-winning author David Long.
A moving tale of friendship and foxes from award-winning author Berlie Doherty, perfect for budding countryside explorers.
Bella has a secret – one that she is very good at keeping. That secret is a den hidden on a little muddy hill, wild amid the trees and nestled beside some foxes with a den of their own. But soon the secret is betrayed, and the foxes’ lives are put in danger…
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 7.
Support severely struggling readers with this spooky hi-lo thriller with a reading age of 6.
A ghostly voice promises to help Karam, a new immigrant to the UK, deal with the bully at school. But there is a price to pay in this chilling thriller that’s not for the faint-hearted.
Tom Palmer creates a compelling historical story set in the Fells of the Lake District during World War II.
Dealing with issues such as PTSD and desertion, this book could have been a very difficult read, and yet it never strays into that. Almost instantly, the reader cares about Tarn, the main character and what life was like in the North during the War. The story also captures the hardships of farming communities as well as the suspicions and fears of the time.
Palmer always researches his stories meticulously, and this shows. Barrington Stoke books might be an accessible read, but this is not less of a story or indeed less of anything. The simplicity of the text makes it all the more impressive that this story is a compelling and interesting read that is hard to put down.
It is a book full of kindness and shows village life in the past clearly for us city dwellers. Above all, it is a book about humanity and what it means to be part of a war and a village.
A young Sikh footballer reaches out across the generational divide to help a lonely old man in an uplifting story from acclaimed author Bali Rai.
Bobby Bains loves football. He also loves helping other people. As a Sikh, it’s part of his religion. While helping his mum at the community food bank, Bobby meets an old man called Trevor, who seems lonely.
Bobby thinks Trevor would get on well with his nana-ji, his grandad. Both love football and reggae music. But Nana-ji and Trevor have dodgy old knees and can’t run like they used to. So, Bobby hatches a plan to get them playing. They could use the exercise and perhaps Trevor won’t feel so lonely any more.
Will Bobby’s plan work? It’s a big ask, but, after all, if you don’t shoot, you don’t score!
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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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