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.
A funny art heist mystery that will steal your heart!
The country is gripped with Mona Lisa Fever! The Royal Family has announced a huge reward for the return of a missing version of the Mona Lisa, stolen from their palace over 200 years ago. But in the town of Colpepper, Mia has a different art problem: she loves art, but her underfunded school is closing down the art department! But there’s more to her school than meets the eye. Little-known local legend has it that the historic building contains a hidden vault, perhaps containing the Lost Mona Lisa! So Mia has no idea that scheming criminals are hiding among the school staff.
Meanwhile, Mia’s former-best-friend Jake has endless conspiracy theories that always seem to get Mia in trouble. His latest ones are about the headmaster being a lizard person, and that maybe Mia’s parents are The Fish, a renowned art thief who has never been caught. True, Mia’s parents are acting strangely, taking evening courses in acrobatics and dressing in tight, black jumpsuits. And lately there have been a lot of weekend trips to art galleries all over the country… bah! But that’s ridiculous!
Crime and Punishment Topic Booklist
Explore the history of crime and punishment in Britain – from gallows and gangsters to jails and juries. We’ve put together a list of recommended children’s books to support the KS2 topic of how crime and punishment have changed through the ages.
The detective duo everyone is dying to meet!
Summer in London is hot, the hottest on record, and there’s been a murder in THE TRI: the high-rise home to resident know-it-alls, Nik and Norva. Who better to solve the case? Armed with curiosity, home-turf knowledge and unlimited time – until the end of the summer holidays anyway.
The first whodunnit in a new mystery series by Sharna Jackson.
A hilarious retelling of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.
You may think you know the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf – but only one person knows the real story. And that person is A. Wolf. His tale starts with a birthday cake for his dear old granny, a bad head cold and a bad reputation. The rest (as they say) is history.
A hilariously inventive retelling of the popular story which Publishers Weekly called the ‘Funniest book of the year’.
Jon Scieszka began to train as a doctor but left to take a course in fiction writing at Columbia University and to become a teacher. He lives in Brooklyn and spends his time writing and talking about books. Lane Smith, an acclaimed author/illustrator, has achieved major success in his collaborations with Jon Scieszka. He also provided the original concept and illustrations for the hit film James and the Giant Peach. He lives in New York.
Stanley Yelnats’ family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn’t green and doesn’t have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it’s character building, but this is a lie. It’s up to Stanley to dig up the truth. Witty, inventive and completely unique, this is a masterpiece of storytelling that combines sly humour with irresistible, page-turning writing.
Fact meets fiction in this thrilling story of 18th century smuggling and intrigue!
Kitty Cask is a smuggler’s daughter. In the Cornish coastal village of Minnock, Kitty and her family make their living as “free traders” – secretly bringing contraband goods into the country while evading the corrupt Redcoats who work for the King. Kitty isn’t supposed to be involved in any of her father’s schemes… but she’s very good at creeping out at night, and before too long she is caught in the thick of the action – salvaging shipwrecks, staging prison-breaks, and staying one step ahead of the tyrannical excisemen!
With an exciting story and brilliant illustrations, and filled with amazing facts and historical trivia, you won’t be able to put this SECRET DIARY down!
Fresh off the boat from England, Vita Marlowe has a job to do. Her beloved grandfather Jack has been cheated out of his home and possessions by a notorious conman with Mafia connections. Seeing Jack’s spirit is broken, Vita is desperate to make him happy again, so she devises a plan to outwit his enemies and recover his home.
She finds a young pickpocket, working the streets of the city. And, nearby, two boys with highly unusual skills and secrets of their own are about to be pulled into her lawless, death-defying plan.
Katherine Rundell’s fifth novel is a heist as never seen before – the story of a group of children who will do anything to right a wrong.
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding- Riding-riding- The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
In Alfred Noyes’s thrilling poem, charged with drama and tension, we ride with the highwayman and recoil from the terrible fate that befalls him and his sweetheart Bess, the landlord’s daughter. The vivid imagery of the writing is matched by Charles Keeping’s haunting illustrations which won him the Kate Greenaway Medal. This new edition features rescanned artwork to capture the breath-taking detail of Keeping’s illustrations and a striking new cover.
I bet no other school gives you the chance to chase super villains through hidden tunnels!’ That’s what Milly Dillane has to say about life at Blaggard’s, A.K.A Gangster School. Milly and her new friend Charlie have just started at Blaggard’s. But what’s it like to be in a school that teaches lying, kidnapping and stealing instead of Maths and English? Their parents and teachers are master criminals and want them to follow in their footsteps…but are Milly and Charlie just too…dependable? In this funny and exciting adventure, smart Milly and super-hacker Charlie face some of the worst villains around, including the cold-hearted Pecunia Badpenny and her sidekick: Wolf the evil electronic dog. Can Milly and Charlie beat Badpenny and her demonic plans? And are they criminal enough to keep their place in a school they’ve come to love? Kate Wiseman’s brilliant Blaggard’s is like Hogwarts for criminal kids!
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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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