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Publisher: Barrington Stoke Ltd

Chapter book

Friendship appears where it’s least expected in this heartwarming Little Gem from award-winning author Lisa Thompson.

When Sidney spots a wishing well in the long grass on his way to school, he thinks he might have found the answer to the problems he’s having with his friend Billy. If he can just wish for exactly the right thing, then surely Billy will want to be friends with him again?

But as Sidney makes his wishes, what he doesn’t realise is that the friend he’s longing for has been beside him all the time …

Chapter book

Lewis loves football more than anything else in the world, so he’s thrilled when his talent is spotted by a local coach.

But there are some big obstacles in his way. His mum doesn’t want him to have anything to do with the game because of what happened to his dad on the pitch. And even if Lewis can persuade her to let him give it a go, there’s no way they can afford the kit.

Can Lewis beat the odds to have a chance of following his dream?

Chapter book

Everyone’s always telling Will to stop making so much noise. That is, until he meets music teacher Mr Brand. He thinks Will’s not just noisy but that he has a gift and must learn to play the violin. But Will doesn’t feel special . He can never find peace to practice at home and carrying a violin around school is too embarrassing. There’s also the small matter of his stage fright … Can he really become the star Mr Brand believes in? Beloved and award-winning author Anne Fine returns with a touching, musical story of patience, practice and courage. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+.

Chapter book

In Saxon Kent the law says thieves should be executed, and soup made from a stolen sheep has been found in the Medway house. Young Edward takes the blame, but does his father know more than he’s letting on? And can he find a way to save his son from hanging?

Join master storyteller Terry Deary for a trip back in time to Saxon times and an exciting adventure.

Chapter book

November 1920. The body of an unknown soldier is to be buried at Westminster Abbey. The war has claimed the lives of thousands of men whose bodies will never make it home, and the Unknown Warrior will represent them all. As hundreds of people crowd to Westminster Abbey, Daisy knows she has to make it to the ceremony. Because although they call the warrior ‘unknown’, she is sure that he is her father…

Dyslexia-friendlyNon-fiction

On 4 November 1922, a young Egyptian boy working on Howard Carter’s archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings stumbled across a strange piece of rock. On closer inspection it turned out to be a stone step that would lead Carter to a long-lost tomb – and to treasures beyond his wildest dreams.

The tomb belonged to boy pharaoh Tutankhamun and was packed full of priceless artefacts. It had been largely untouched for over 3,000 years and remains one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time. But did the opening of the tomb trigger a deadly curse?

David Long’s fact-filled account shows how Carter’s amazing discoveries told us so much about life in Ancient Egypt.

Chapter bookDyslexia-friendly

As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement.

After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?

Award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on the incredible work of the WWll Dutch resistance, in a story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn.

Dyslexia-friendlyNon-fiction

Everest is the world’s highest mountain, towering like an icy giant over the Himalayas. For the millions of people living nearby, it has always been a magical place, known as “Goddess Mother of the World” or the “Peak of Heaven”. To explorers and adventurers, it represents a perilous but thrilling challenge to be conquered.

In this exhilarating account by award-winning author David Long, he looks back at the first attempts by international mountaineers to reach the fabled summit, many of which ended in death and disaster.

Chapter bookDyslexia-friendly

Only a sensible, level head can save the day when disaster strikes on a school trip in this hilariously slapstick introduction to Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Frank and his drama club are off on a dream school trip to perform The Tempest at a festival. But it turns into a nightmare when their ferry is hit by a terrible storm! Half of the actors wash up on a sandy shore and they can’t believe their eyes.

Is this a desert island? Why is there strange music coming from the forest? Where are the rest of the cast? To Frank, it all sounds strangely like the plot of The Tempest and he hasn’t got a clue how they’re going to get out of this mess. One thing’s for sure … they’ve been tripwrecked!

Chapter bookDyslexia-friendly

From the horrors of the slave trade to a book that changed the world, Catherine Johnson celebrates the incredible life of Olaudah Equiano in this gripping true story.

Born in what is now Nigeria in 1745, Olaudah Equiano’s peaceful childhood was brought to an abrupt end when he was captured and enslaved aged 11. He spent much of the next eight years of his life at sea, seeing action in the Seven Years’ War. When he was finally able to buy his freedom, he went on to become a prominent member of the abolition movement and in 1789 published one of the first books by a Black African writer. Journey Back to Freedom focuses on Equiano’s early life, demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit and one man’s determination to be free

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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