Publisher: Puffin

Wildheart

Chapter book

Frozen meets Greenwild in this incredible debut, full of wild magic, spooky ghouls and adventure.

The children of Twigswick are taught three things:

Never stray past the rune posts at the edge of town
Run home as fast as you can when the warning bell chimes
Spirits are very real and very dangerous

Nettle Sourbud lives in the shadow of her older sister, Fern; fearless, tough and confident, Fern is everything Nettle is not.

So, when Fern runs off to join the Wildheart Rangers – the protectors of towns from the spirits and ghouls of Dryda Forest – Nettle thinks she’s lost her sister forever, as she’ll never be brave enough to follow her into the enchanted woods.

Then news reaches Twigswick that Fern has abandoned the Rangers to join the infamous Shadow Stalkers and Nettle knows something isn’t right. Fearing her sister is in danger, she ventures into the forest to find the truth . . .

Joining the Rangers, Nettle realises she’ll have to face her fears and defeat the Hollow Spirits who haunt the forest if she wants to rescue Fern. But soon Nettle starts to wonder if her sister needs saving at all, or Fern is the one who must be stopped . . .

Robots Stole My Mum!

Alex Kirk

Chapter book

I was in the corner shop buying a comic. Dad was waiting outside.
I’d just given my money to Mr Norman, the shop owner, when it happened.
Mr Norman’s head exploded.

Something VERY WEIRD is going on in Cleeby.

All the grown-ups are acting strangely. Sandy and his friend Arjan have a suspicion. They think the grown-ups have all been replaced by ROBOTS.

And everything points to the evil boss of the local toaster factory!

Together with a very friendly cyborg named Colin, Sandy and Arjan must save the day – and Sandy’s mum – and get home in time for tea!

Laugh-out-loud, wacky and exciting, this is the first book from a fabulously funny new voice for children, and a member of the writers’ room behind Wonka and Paddington 2. Featuring a robot whale, jet boots, lasers, and huge amounts of toast, it’s a perfect read for fans of Nadia Shireen’s GRIMWOOD, Pamela Butchart’s BABY ALIENS and Emily-Jane Clark’s BEASTS OF KNOBBLY BOTTOM.

Bim Blake’s Hot Takes: My Pencil Case Doesn’t Define Me

Ariyana Taylor & Tolá Okogwu

Chapter book

From the bestselling author of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun comes the first in a brand-new tween slice-of-life series. Relatable, humorous and highly illustrated, Bím Blake’s Hot Takes is perfect for fans of Dork Diaries and Geek Girl.

Hi bestie! My name’s Bím Blake. I’ve just started high school and here’s my hot take on it: Year Seven is a LOT harder than I thought! I’ve realised my school skirt is way too long, my pencil case is way too uncool, my boobs are way too big and the new boy (who’s the son of popstar parents!!!) is way too cute for my liking . . .

If that wasn’t bad enough, tell me why my dad has been acting weirder than usual. He’s been making TikToks (cringe!), experimenting in the kitchen (I call it attempted murder!) and he’s even started exercising . . . It must be tough being over forty! Add into the mix a trio of annoying older brothers (yes, I have three – pray for me!), a duo of feuding aunts, one friend mishap and a huge helping of drama and you have a recipe for chaos. Welcome to my life!

The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia

Leia Ham

Chapter book

Welcome to a world that depends on magic – but where each person’s magic fades away before they reach adulthood.

The pressure is on for Sparrow Xia to develop her pitifully limited fire mage abilities at Zenith Academy. It doesn’t help that expectations are extra high for her because her older brother Ainsley’s magic is exceptionally powerful – the burn scar on Sparrow’s cheek is proof of that. Sparrow can only hope that her studies will help her discover her fire and finally make her family proud; after all, the academy is famed for turning out young mages gifted enough to work for the elite guilds, which make the most of the few years teens can power the world before they lose their magic as adults.

At Zenith, Sparrow does indeed gain magical strength – and new friends – but her life at school raises more questions than answers. Should she risk her own future in order to help others? And is Sparrow’s magic the most important thing about her?

Then a mysterious illness breaks out at school, draining students of their powers. Sparrow and her friends are drawn into the search for the cause, but they need to be careful: in a world where magic means everything, some people will go to terrible lengths to try to keep it…

Lottie Brooks vs the Ultra Mean Girls

Katie Kirby

Chapter book

From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new diary in the phenomenal Lottie Brooks series!

Today we brainstormed strategies to #GETAMBERBACK. Our top ideas are:

Send her flowers
Hypnotise her
Kidnap her
Tell everyone she smells like lasagne
Emotionally blackmail her by making a BFF photo montage

Just when Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again! Amber’s hanging out with the Ultra Mean Girl Gang at school and is completely ignoring the Queens of Eight Green. Mum’s gone back to work and expects Lottie to ‘help around the house more’, Bella keeps biting everyone and Pot Noodle will not stop sniffing every dog’s bum. DISASTER!

Now Lottie has to come up with a foolproof plan to get Amber back before her friendship group is destroyed forever. What could go wrong???

Join Lottie as she battles the mean girls, takes on school injections (apparently they can go through your arm!) and even more extremely embarrassing moments.

Speak Up! By Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola

Dapo Adeola & Nathan Bryon

Picturebook

Join the brilliantly passionate and instantly loveable Rocket as she organises a peaceful protest to save her local library!

Bookworm Rocket loves to collect new books on her weekly visit to the library, and to read all about inspirational figures like Rosa Parks. She is heartbroken when she discovers the library will be closing down! Can she use what she’s learnt from Rosa and speak up to save the day?

This empowering, heartwarming picture book is a love letter to libraries and the power of reading. And it shows the incredible power we ALL have when we find our voice and speak up about the things that matter.

Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob

Huw Aaron

Picturebook

Whether you are a vampire or a ghost, a werewolf or a yeti, a bedtime routine is absolutely essential for a good night’s sleep. ? Adults and children will fall in love with Blob and the whole cast of monsters as they brush their teeth, put on their pyjamas, and get tucked up in bed.

Warm, loving and slimy, this hilarious rhyming picture book is the perfect addition to bedtime reading, ending with a kiss and sweet dreams for all.

“All creatures grim and evil,
under the tired sun, are settling
down – and so must you, my
horrible little one.”

The Panda-Badger

Ben Cajee & Brie Schmida

Picturebook

A magical and uplifting story about acceptance and belonging from CBeebies presenter Ben Cajee

In a world where you’re either a Panda or a Badger, Pablo – a Panda-Badger – breaks all the rules. However, being different doesn’t make Pablo feel lucky – it just makes him feel sad. He isn’t a Badger. He isn’t a Panda. He doesn’t belong.

But one day, there’s a glow in the distance – a glow that changes everything. As Pablo uses his skills to save the day in a way that neither a Badger nor a Panda could, he realises the power that can be found in uniqueness – and he uses this power to unite both communities, changing the world around him for the better.

This debut story from CBeebies presenter Ben Cajee is an affirming and empowering tale about appreciating your own uniqueness and a true celebration of the power and joy that comes from embracing diversity.