The Swallows' Flight

Hilary McKay

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (17 reviews)

From the Costa Award-winning author Hilary McKay, comes a moving World War II story of family and friendship on opposite sides of a devastating conflict. The Swallows' Flight is the stunning companion novel to The Skylarks' War. 'It’s not necessary to have read The Skylarks’ War (though many beloved characters make reappearances) to be instantly and joyfully lost in this evocative, moving novel, showing McKay at the very top of her game.' – Imogen Russell-Williams, The Guardian 'Funny, poignant, wise and emotional. Full of achingly real characters (and also an excellent dog) . . . I eked out the final pages, not wanting it to end.' – Fiona Noble, The Bookseller Erik and Hans are German boys. Ruby and Kate are English girls. They grow up in worlds that would never meet, until war tumbles their lives together. Then one September afternoon there are choices to be made. How is courage lost, and found? Who is really the enemy? And what does friendship truly mean, in the middle of a war? Meanwhile Rupert and Clarry work secretly for peace – and a brighter future for them all . . . '. . . a resounding success. . . McKay refuses to dumb down the history, writing with such clarity and understanding that you can’t fail to be caught up in the cares of her loveable cast.' – Alex O'Connell, The Times Book of the Week 'McKay is a glutinously atmospheric writer, and this dense, action-packed saga – written during lockdown – is every bit as satisfying as its predecessor.' Emily Bearn, The Telegraph 'Separately and together, The Skylarks’ War and The Swallows’ Flight are pinnacles of children’s literature.' –Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times Book of the Week 'Meticulously researched, intelligent, warm and witty — this is McKay at her peerless peak.' Sally Morris, The Daily Mail

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

Mariella Mystery: A Cupcake Conundrum: Book 2

Kate Pankhurst

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (17 reviews)

The second novel from winner of the MacMillan Prize for Picture Book Illustration Kate Pankhurst. The perfect book for 7-9 yr olds who love funny stories with quirky illustrations like DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, the DORK DIARIES and CLARICE BEAN. Mariella Mystery (That's me!) - totally amazing girl detective, aged 9 and a bit. Able to solve the most mysterious mysteries and perplexing problems, even before breakfast. Someone is trying to sabotage the Great Puddleford Bake-Off, 'Bake or Break'. It's up to Mariella and her Mystery Girls to work out who, to save the Victoria sponges and pavlovas and prevent the entire contest from turning into a veritable Cupcake Catastrophe and Kitchen Nightmare.

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

Sami’s Silver Lining (The Lost and Found Book Two)

Cathy Cassidy, Erin Keen

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (19 reviews)

The must-have second book in the brilliant Lost and Found series from Cathy Cassidy, bestselling author of the Chocolate Box Girls. Forced to flee his home in Syria for safety in England, Sami attempts to begin a new life but struggles to overcome the pain of the past. Memories of the long and dangerous journey across icy waters, armed with only his dad's old coat, a flute and the hope of a brighter future, are never far away. Can his new friends in the Lost and Found band and a blossoming romance with the girl of his dreams melt his frozen heart or is it too late to find a silver lining? Praise for Cathy's books: Touching, tender and unforgettable. Guardian

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

A House Without Walls

Elizabeth Laird

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (20 reviews)

The moving story of a family's fight to reunite after their lives are torn apart by war in Syria, from Elizabeth Laird, award-winning author of A Little Piece of Ground and Welcome to Nowhere. Thirteen-year-old Safiya and her family have been driven out of Syria by civil war. Safiya knows how lucky she is - lucky not to be living in a refugee camp, lucky to be alive. But it's hard to feel grateful when she's forced to look after her father and brother rather than go back to school, and now that she's lost her home, she's lonelier than ever. As they struggle to rebuild their lives, Safiya realizes that her family has always been incomplete and with her own future in the balance, it's time to uncover the secrets that war has kept buried.

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare

Zillah Bethell

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (18 reviews)

I am how I've always been. My name is Auden Dare. I am eleven years old. Auden Dare has an unusual perspective on life: he cannot see in colour. He's always had this rare condition - and life is beginning to get harder for Auden. The war for water that is raging across the world is getting a little closer all the time. It hardly rains any more, anywhere. Everyone is thirsty all the time, and grubby, and exhausted. Auden has to learn to live without his father, who is away fighting, and has had to move to a new town with his mother, and start a new school, where everyone thinks he's a weirdo. But when he meets Vivi Rookmini, a smiling girl bright with cleverness, his hopes begin to lift. It soon becomes clear to Auden, though, that there are some strange things afoot in his new hometown. He and his mother have moved into the old cottage of his recently-dead uncle Jonah Bloom - a scientist and professor at the university. The place is in disarray - and although Auden's mother tells him it's because Jonah was a messy old thing, Auden knows differently. Someone else did this - someone who was looking for something of Jonah's. Auden had heard too that Jonah was working on something that could cure Auden's condition - could this be it? Then Auden and Vivi make an extraordinary discovery. Hidden away under the shed at the bottom of Jonah's garden is an engimatic and ingenious robot, who calls himself Paragon. A talking, walking, human-like robot. Apparently built by Jonah - but why? The answer to this will take Auden and Vivi on a thrilling journey of discovery as they seek to find out just what exactly Paragon is - and what link he has to Auden - and find that the truth is bigger and more wonderful than either of them could have imagined.

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

Fly Me Home

Polly Ho-Yen

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (15 reviews)

Feeling lost and alone in a strange new city, Leelu wishes she could fly away back home – her real home where her dad is, thousands of miles away. London is cold and grey and the neighbours are noisy and there’s concrete everywhere. But Leelu is not alone; someone is leaving her gifts outside her house – wonders which give her curious magical powers. Powers which might help her find her way home . . . Fly Me Home is an incredibly moving portrait of one family’s struggle to adjust to life in a new country. Full of friendship, family and magic, this stunning novel by Polly Ho-Yen, author of Boy in the Tower (shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award) and Where Monsters Lie, is a must-read for 9-12 readers. Praise for Boy in the Tower 'An unusual and very impressive debut' The Bookseller ‘I loved it’ Bookbag Praise for Where Monsters Lie ‘One of the most unusual and distinctive new voices in children’s fiction’ The Bookseller

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

A Superpower Like Mine: an uplifting story to boost self-esteem and confidence

Dr. Ranj Singh, Liam Darcy, Dr. Ranj Singh

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (15 reviews)

An empowering story about seeing the best in others and yourself, from Dr Ranj, presenter of CBeebies series Get Well Soon, resident doctor on ITV's This Morning and front line NHS paediatrician. Femi has SUPERPOWERS! But not the superhero kind - she can't really fly or turn invisible. Femi's dad says she has lots of superpowers on the inside that make her special. From kindness to creativity, bravery to patience - join Femi as she discovers all the special powers that her, her friends, and the incredible people around her, bring out in one another every day. From the team behind A Superpower Like Mine, comes an exciting new audiobook celebrating the power to be YOU! (P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

Young Hank Zipzer 1: Bookmarks Are People Too!

Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver, Scott Garrett

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (16 reviews)

A new series about a younger Hank Zipzer - star of CBBC - from Henry ""the Fonz"" Winkler and Lin Oliver.

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party

Megan McDonald, Peter H. Reynolds

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (16 reviews)

Another day. Another mood. Meet Judy Moody at her moodiest-best, in this laugh-a-minute fourteenth adventure in the international bestselling series. Bad moods, good moods, even right-royal-tea moods – Judy has them all in this brand new adventure, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Lauren Child. With Grandma Lou’s help, Judy has dug up proof that some old-timey Moodys lived in merry olde England. In fact, if her grandpa’s notes are right, Judy might even be related to — royal fanfare, please — the Queen herself! But then Judy’s family tree gets a few more shakes and some more surprises come tumbling out. Now Judy has some right royal family secrets she’d like to keep hidden away, especially from Jessica, the princess in pink!

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

The Giggler Treatment

Roddy Doyle, Brian Ajhar

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (18 reviews)

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

The Secret Sunshine Project

Benjamin Dean

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (14 reviews)

A heart-warming story of kindness, courage and love in all its forms from the award-winning author of Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow. Perfect for 9+ readers and fans of Elle McNicoll, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf. ‘A huge, shining kaleidoscope of joy’– L.D. Lapinski, author of THE STRANGEWORLDS TRAVEL AGENCY Bea’s family are happy. Like, really happy. Like, kind of gross but also cute happy. So when they visit London Pride together and have the ultimate day out, Bea doesn’t think her family could possibly get any happier. But a year later, a grey cloud is following Bea’s family around. Dad has passed away, and without him around they have no choice but to pack their bags and move to the countryside to live with Gran. With Bea’s big sister, Riley, taking the news hard, Bea will do anything to cheer her up. So with the help of new friends, The Secret Sunshine Project is formed – Bea’s plan to bring Pride to the countryside and a smile back to Riley’s face. There’s just one teeny tiny problem – the village mayor. A grumpy old woman who’s on a mission to rain on Bea’s parade . . . Praise for The Secret Sunshine Project: ‘Warm-hearted and cheering, with a dash of sparkle’ – Guardian ‘Vibrant, funny and wise – a book to savour’ – Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of THE GIRL OF INK AND STARS 'Funny, fresh and full of heart' – Katie Tsang, co-author of DRAGON MOUNTAIN   ‘Wonderful, warm-hearted stories full of characters to care about’ – Andy Shepherd, author of THE BOY WHO GREW DRAGONS   ‘Fizzes with positive, feel-good energy’ – Steven Butler, author of THE NOTHING TO SEE HERE HOTEL   ‘Utter sunshine in book form! Benjamin Dean has done it again’ – Sophy Henn, author of PIZZAZ

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket

Oliver Jeffers, John Boyne

Subjects

• Funny Stuff - rib ticklers to make you fall off your chair
• Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
• Friends & Family - tears and laughter, and happy ever after
• Sporty Stories - games, goals and gold medals

Average rating

5 out 5 (14 reviews)

There's nothing unusual or different about the Brocket family - and they're keen to keep it that way. But when Barnaby Brocket comes into the world, it's clear he's anything but ordinary. To his parents’ horror, Barnaby defies the laws of gravity - and floats. Soon, the Brockets decide enough is enough. The neighbours are starting to talk. They never asked for a weird, abnormal, floating child. Barnaby has to go . . . Betrayed and frightened, Barnaby floats into the path of a very special hot air balloon – and so begins a magical journey around the world, with a cast of extraordinary new friends.

• Add to wish list
• View book
• I have read this book