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Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

This magically illustrated gamebook plunges you into a story with a difference – one where the hero is YOU. Woken one night by a bang at the door, you creep to the window and see five hooded strangers below. The leader looks up and beckons you down. What do you do? Open the door, play for time, or escape through the window out back? The choice is yours…

From this point onwards you are in control of an epic adventure, and your survival depends upon the decisions you make. Who to fight? Who to trust? In a book where nothing is as it seems, even the pictures hold secrets that must be unlocked. But as you race across land, sea and sky, one thing becomes clear: it’s not just your fate that hangs in the balance – it’s the fate of the entire kingdom.

Bringing together a sweeping story, beautifully illustrated picture puzzles and an exciting combat system (with a link to an online dice-roller), this is an adventure that will have you gripped from beginning to end.

An irresistible new detective series from award-winning Harry Woodgate, this is Wonka meets The Great British Bake-Off with lashings of secrets and sabotage and illustrations on every page!

Meet Cinnamon Crumb. In the town of Marzipan, home to bakers of near-magical talent, Cinnamon burns toast. She’s no baker – but she is about to become a baking detective.

Because all is not sweet between Marzipan’s two rival superstar bakers, Victoria Sponge and Madeleine Macaron. They will stop at nothing to win the coveted Twelve Tier Crown at the Great Cake Carnival – even sabotage. So when Victoria sets Cinnamon a mission to spy on Maddie, Cinnamon reluctantly agrees. But when Maddie asks Cinnamon to spy on Victoria too…well, Cinnamon is in a situation stickier than sticky toffee pudding.

Learn how to spot scams and misinformation with this fun, comprehensive guide.

Packed with entertaining illustrations alongside practical information, Fake News and How to Spot it helps identify many pitfalls of everyday and online life – from scams and advertising tricks, to one-sided information and image manipulation. A must-have tool to help make wise choices and navigate a fast-changing world safely and confidently.

– Broad coverage of a range of topical issues, including doctored photos and videos, influencing with statistics, biased news articles and sophisticated scams.
– A reassuring book for parents, aimed at empowering young people to evaluate information objectively before they act or share online.
– Ideal for adults and young people alike and perfect to share with friends and family.

Plug in to the often mind-blowing world of artificial intelligence.
How can a machine write a story? Are computers now cleverer than people? Could a robot do your shopping? Discover all the things that artificial intelligence can already do (and the things it can’t).

– Packed full of flaps to lift
– Explores the opportunities – and risks – that AI could bring
– Written in consultation with Professor Michael Wooldridge, from Oxford University’s Department of Computer Science
– Part of Usborne’s See Inside Series which contains over 50 books, covering everything from space to Ancient Greece, the human body and evolution

Chapters in this book include:
– What is Artificial Intelligence?
– AI all around
– How does AI work?
– Talking computers
– Can computers make art?
– Rise of the robots
– Possible futures
– A brief history of AI

Solve the puzzles to find the gold in this thrilling and funny interactive dragon-riding adventure from the bestselling author-illustrator of Grumpfort, packed with epic illustrations!

You are invited to compete in the Wingrider Trials on Dragonflare Island!

Do you have what it takes to become a dragon rider, solve the puzzles and find the treasure? Flynn definitely doesn’t. So, when a dragon kidnaps him to be her partner in the trials, things get complicated.

Now they’re stuck in a labyrinth full of hungry monsters, impossible obstacle courses, and backstabbing competitors. To win, they’ll need brains, bravery and – worst of all – teamwork.

But the trials are hiding a deadly secret, and if Flynn and his dragon don’t win, the whole island could be doomed…

Chapter book

I found Mitch Johnson’s first novel for teens, ‘Kick’, impossible to put down, and with ‘Strike’ he’s done it again! ‘Strike’ is a follow on from ‘Kick’ but can equally be read as a stand-alone story.

Challenging, gripping, and perfectly pitched for boys who love football, this book should be on every secondary school library bookshelf! Relatable characters, best friends Owen and Teddy are scouted for the local club and join the football academy. Owen’s dedicated single parent Dad buys Owen a pair of new boots to mark the occasion, but what Owen finds hidden inside one of his boots sends him spinning and turns his football crazy world upside down: a note from a factory worker reading ‘PLEASE HELP US’.

Owen has a choice to make – will he keep his head down and pursue his dreams, or will he speak out and risk losing everything he has longed for?

Mitch Johnson puts the question of integrity and the plight of modern slaves front and centre in this brilliant book that never feels preachy and just draws the reader in.

Marinka, Benjamin and the House with Chicken Legs are back in a fabulous sequel to the original The House with Chicken Legs.

Marinka and her House have finally stopped wandering and settled down to live near her best friend, Benjamin. But all is not well with the House; it seems tired and distant. In an effort to help the house regain some of its sparkle, Marinka and Yaga Tatyana decide to host a guiding but it goes disastrously wrong, plummeting Marinka and Benjamin into a breathtaking adventure which makes Marinka question her past, her future and everything she thought she knew. Testing her friendships to the limit, can Marinka save her House? Can she get Benjamin safely back to his family? And will she finally find out who she really is?

I usually find that sequels are rarely as good as the original, but this is most definitely an exception. Fast-paced and as well-written as we have come to expect from Sophie Anderson, this is a welcome addition to any bookshelf and an exciting return of a much-loved story.

This is the perfect book for tweens and is sure to be a popular reading for pleasure choice. Birdie is an overthinker, and she currently has a lot of change to navigate in her life, including moving house, becoming a blended family, tending to an elderly hamster and not yet needing a bra!

Birdie and her best friend decide to create a happy list of ideas to help them with their well-being. But, along with daily gratitudes, drinking water and doing things for others, her BFF adds ‘new friends’ to the list! Trying to branch out, Chloe and Birdie find themselves the target of a bullying group of girls.

This book perfectly encapsulates tween life – the happiness, stresses, anxieties, betrayals and joy. The brilliantly chatty tone, mix of font styles and illustrations make it so engaging, and there’s plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Above all, it is filled with supportive friendships and a caring family to help the girls find their way.

A great reading for pleasure book that will resonate with young people making the transition to Secondary School.

Join Izzy the Inventor in a laugh-out-loud chapter book series that brings together science, magic and a very lovable unicorn. Packed full of illustrations and easy-to-read text, this series is perfect for newly independent readers and fans of Isadora Moon.

Izzy’s back in Fairytale Land to help Henry win the MAGIC COMPETITION with some secret science… but little does she realise it’s A TRAP! The Elf Inspectors are after Izzy for bringing too much science to Fairytale Land. Now Izzy must try and help the Little Mermaid escape from a sea witch and persuade the Elf Inspectors that science can save the day. And if she doesn’t? Then Fairytale Land will be shut down… for good!

Every book contains ideas for science experiments and a QR code with links for more to try at home.

Spirit Warriors is a fantastic action-adventure where friendships are forged between two children and a cat when they battle the evil Blackheart Man for control of the island’s magic. It’s a huge amount of fun!

Magical, mysterious, spooky, historical and exciting!

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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