Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Pick a Story: A Pirate Alien Jungle Adventure

Picturebook

Do you love pirates? How about aliens? And jungle animals? Find them ALL in the pages of this laugh-out-loud ‘pick your own’ picture book adventure!

Vincent’s dog, Trouble, has DISAPPEARED and he needs YOUR help. Has Trouble been stolen by aliens? Or pilfered by pirates? Is she exploring the jungle? It’s up to YOU to decide!

Pick a Story is the ONLY series where young readers choose between three completely different worlds – firing their imaginations and promoting agency.

Choice and value! Readers choose the direction of the adventure on every page. With endless story paths to be taken, the adventure is always different.

Packed with activities! Each page includes an activity, such as search-and-find, odd-one-out, mazes and more, woven seamlessly into the narrative – perfect for immersing and engaging young readers.

The Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson

Charlie P. Brooks & Katy Riddell

Chapter book

A charming domestic comedy, with a dash of magic, and the occasional moment of mayhem!

These are the memoirs of ME, Holly Hopkinson, aged almost ten, except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much.

My dad just lost his job, which means me and the rest of my family have to leave London and move to the middle of nowhere, which is a TOTAL DISASTER! There’s no Wi-Fi, the local kids are FERAL and there’s animal poo EVERYWHERE.

But then for my birthday, my eccentric aunt gave me a magic pocket watch, which I can use to hypnotise and CONTROL people. I actually wanted a new phone, but I won’t complain because this new power is REALLY FUN and has led to the MOST unexpected things – including a visit to the QUEEN.

Maybe the countryside isn’t so bad after all…

The Ghost Cat Who Saved My Life

Monika Filipina & Pamela Butchart

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

A cat-themed short chapter book from Barrington Stoke’s super-readable ‘Little Gems’ collection.

Liam and Sav can hear a strange sound coming from the flat above Sav’s but it is a bit of a mystery because the flat is empty – so what could be making the noise? As they listen closer, they realise is a meow from a cat and this mystery must be investigated. They presume it is a ghost cat because a cat would not be living in a flat on their own, despite being told to stay away they venture into the empty flat. What they find causes more mayhem and mischief for the children to solve.

The story does have a happy ending where the mysterious cat ends up saving Liam’s life and due to their hard work, they are invited to live with Liam forever.

The bright, engaging and joyous illustrations bring the story to life and support the children with their reading, and all of the text is in a dyslexia-friendly format. This is a great book for any children who are beginning to make the transition from picture books to chapter books. The shorter number of words on the page makes it easy to manage and the short chapters are easy to follow.

Test Trouble

Louise Forshaw & Serena Patel

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Arun is very anxious about a maths test that his class will be taking next week. This is partly because it will be on everything they have learned so far, but mostly because it is timed. He struggles with completing tasks against the clock, even if it is just getting ready for school in the morning, and also finds it impossible to concentrate on one thing at a time. Arun’s family tries to make him feel more positive, but he thinks they don’t take his worries seriously.

So Arun comes up with a plan to avoid taking the test. Unfortunately, his first attempt gets him into trouble with the Headteacher, and then fate gifts him an opportunity where he has to wrestle with his conscience. It takes an unexpected conversation with a neighbour and a friend-in-need to bring clarity to his thoughts.

This has themes of facing your fears and doing the right thing. It highlights the expectations that families have for their children and how young people compare themselves to siblings and classmates. I could see this being a useful class read when assessments are on the horizon, and it also provides children with some useful strategies for dealing with their anxieties.

Outside In: Nature Poems

Daniel Thompson & Julia Murray

Poetry

Inspiring poems to connect with nature.
This collection of 50 poems will spark a love of nature, bring calm and happiness and let the outside in.

Beautifully illustrated, it is filled with poems for children to read alone or enjoy with the whole family.

With poems about the seasons, senses, wildlife, weather and the joys of mud, it’s the perfect gift book for children to treasure.

From poet, Daniel Thompson, author of Being You: Poems of Positivity – 2023 City Kids Green Awards Winner and selected for the Reading Agency’s 2023 Summer reading challenge.

Product De

Stink: Fairy vs Wizard: A Stink Adventure

Jenny McLachlan

Chapter book

An absolutely first-class, laugh-out-loud, cartoon-filled adventure series for 7+ readers.

This book is part of the ‘Stink’ series and features the world’s funniest fairy. The story is packed full of comedy, wit and cartoons on every page!

Danny’s life hasn’t been the same since a real fairy flew out of a fairy door, attached herself to his hair and turned his life upside down. Now, school is chaotic, home is chaotic and life is chaotic!

So Stink tries as hard as she might to get things changed for both herself and Danny. But life, school & fairy adventures don’t always go to plan. Wanting to land himself the next role in the school play is Danny’s dream, but Stink has other ideas! What’s more, thanks to a misadventure in the science cupboard, a giant all-powerful wizard is released into the world.

Jenny has done it again – comedy claims the reader’s attention in this illustrated laugh-out-loud book and another KS2 favourite is born.

Dimple and the Boo

Paula Bowles & Pip Jones

Chapter book

Dimple the gnome is upset and he doesn’t know how to talk about it – but then along comes the Boo … A charming new Gem from the bestselling author of Squishy McFluff.

Yucky cabbage pie! Mean Mrs Miskin! Stupid spelling test!

Oh dear, Dimple the Gnome is having a very bad day and he just can’t find the right words to tell anyone how he’s feeling. Then Dimple finds the Boo, who lets everyone know what’s going on. But the Boo’s rude words and naughty noises just get Dimple into trouble. Can Dimple find another way to express himself?

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Life of Invention

Jake Williams

Non-fiction

Art, biology, mathematics, physics, music and engineering – Leonardo Da Vinci was talented in these areas and many more and this is what Jake Williams explores in his beautifully illustrated and informative biography: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Life of Invention.

The life and work of this extraordinary polymath is carefully divided into sections on his background, his studies on the natural world, his inventions and works of art before looking at his legacy and relevance to our lives today. His timeline is plotted against maps of his travels: Vinci to Florence; Florence to Milan; Milan to France, which guide us through his life and most famous works.

Each section of the book is divided into double-page spreads which describes each of his most well-known ideas in easy-to-understand and relatable language for children. The ‘Inventions’ for example, includes pages on his designs for armoured cars, parachutes, crossbows, bats, helicopters, robot knights, diving suits and several more! Each topic is presented slightly different and includes both information and interesting facts to keep readers hooked in. On some occasions, Williams lets the pictures do the talking which makes the book enjoyable to dip in and out of whenever occasion suits.

The illustrations are stunning and you may recognise the distinctive vector designs and bold colour choices from some of his other titles such as ‘Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery’ and ‘Really Remarkable Reptiles.’

A highly informative and engaging text, which I would recommend for those interested in Da Vinci, art, inventions, design technology and history.

Delphie and the Magic Ballet Shoes

Darcey Bussell

Chapter book

Prima Ballerina Darcey Bussell takes you on a captivating journey to a faraway land of ballet and magic, the wonderful world of Enchantia! The first of a sparkly new series for all young girls who dream of being a ballerina, or simply love to dance…

Delphie’s greatest dream is to become a ballerina, and she can’t quite believe it when she is invited to join the new ballet school. But there’s more to Madame Zarakova’s than it at first seems and with the help of some very special ballet shoes, Delphie finds herself spinning into a whole new world…

Snow Foal

Susanna Bailey

Chapter book

The perfect children’s book to curl up with and begin the new year.A beautiful and heart-wrenching middle grade debut for kids aged 9 to 11, full of love, healing, friendship and hope. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson’s Tracey Beaker, Cathy Cassidy, Pax and Gill Lewis.

When eleven-year-old Addie goes to stay with a foster family on a remote Exmoor farm in the midst of a very cold winter, she is full of hurt, anger and a deep mistrust of everyone around her. Until one day, when she rescues a tiny wild foal from the moorland snow and Addie discovers that perhaps she’s not so alone after all.

And as adventure and unexpected friendship blossom, Addie is determined that both of them will know what is to be home again soon …

A beautifully written, warm read for anyone looking for a gorgeous family book to read together and to capture the imagination of young horse fans too.

Susanna Bailey divides her time between writing, freelance social-work, and lecturing in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, where she also studied. Susanna wrote Snow Foal during her time at the same university where she drew much inspiration from her tutor, award-winning David Almond. Snow Foal has already been shortlisted for the Joan Aitken Future Classics Prize.

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Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

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