The first in the hilarious series from Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning author Philip Ardagh and illustrator of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler.
Mr and Mrs Grunt, who are neither clean nor clever, live with their adopted in fact, abducted son, Sunny, in a donkey-drawn caravan somewhere or other at some time that is a bit like now but not exactly now. Sunny is an odd-looking boy, what with his left ear being higher than his right ear and that kind of sticky-up hair which NEVER goes flat, even if you massage glue into it and then jump on it. Together the unusual family find themselves in frankly improbable but very funny adventures involving bendy railings, double-barrelled shotguns, full-fat yoghurt and, always, a beard of bees.
On Halloween the night is full of strange creatures: witches, vampires, ghosts – and dragons. In their seventh adventure Eddie and Emily take their uncle's pet dragons trick or treating. But the dragons have quite the sweet tooth, and it's not long before things go ghoulishly wrong...
The second of four fabulous books for 9+ readers about friendship in an environmentally challenged world. Izzy and Willow are being taken for a walk along the river by Emily's boisterous dog, Billy, when he decides to chase after a water-rat. Both animals land in the river, which is so choked with rubbish that Billy can't get out. His paw is stuck in an old bike wheel and the girls must work together to free him. The adventure gives Izzy a great idea for their next project, though, and it's a very very muddy one...
A magical middle grade book about family, friendship and finding out who you are, full of emotion and a secret fantasy world to discover. Perfect for 10 year olds and fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Ross Welford, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave and The House with Chicken Legs. From a rising star of children's books.
This place is magic … but it's not the sort of magic that comes from wands and spells …
Can piecing together the past help you change the present?
Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn’t understand Safiya’s love of gaming and Safiya doesn't think they have anything in common. As Safiya struggles to fit in at school she wonders if her mum wishes she was more like her confident best friend Elle. But then her mum falls into a coma and, when Safiya waits by her bedside, she finds herself in a strange and magical world that looks a bit like one of her games. And there’s a rebellious teenage girl, with a secret, who looks suspiciously familiar …
'Bushby's debut is poignant and atmospheric' Guardian
'A gorgeous story of friendship and growing up' Cathy Cassidy
'Moving and heartfelt', Anna James, author of Pages and Co
Aisha Bushby was selected as one of only four previously unpublished authors in the Stripes anthology for BAME writers, A Change is Gonna Come, alongside writers such as Patrice Lawrence, Tanya Byrne and Nikesh Shukla. The anthology was awarded a YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award. A Pocketful of Stars is her debut novel.
""I was special. I was a hero. I lost the best friend I ever had.""Eleven-year-old Maggie lives in Fennis Wick, enclosed and protected from the outside world by a boundary, beyond which the Quiet War rages and the dirty, dangerous wanderers roam.
Her brother Jed is an eldest, revered and special. A hero. Her younger brother is Trig - everyone loves Trig. But Maggie's just a middler; invisible and left behind. Then, one hot September day, she meets Una, a hungry wanderer girl in need of help, and everything Maggie has ever known gets turned on its head.
Narrated expertly and often hilariously by Maggie, we experience the trials and frustrations of being the forgotten middle child, the child with no voice, even in her own family.
This gripping story of forbidden friendship, loyalty and betrayal is perfect for fans of Malorie Blackman, Meg Rosoff, Frances Hardinge and Margaret Atwood.
""I thought I'd almost reached my fill of dystopian novels, but Kirsty Applebaum has rebooted the genre. The plot pulls you along and I liked Maggie more and more as she grew in courage. There is a touch of Harper Lee's Scout about her."" - Alex O'Connell, The Times
Also by Kirsty Applebaum:
TrooFriend
Join everybody’s favourite flat boy for another magical adventure – It’s Jeff Brown’s Flat Stanley.
Invisible Stanley
It's a shock at first, but Stanley finds you can do amazing things when you're invisible. Helping Arthur perform magic … Foiling a daring robbery … Stanley is a famous hero once again. But being invisible isn't as easy as it looks!
Jeff Brown’s world-famous character Flat Stanley continues to charm half a century after he first found his way into print.
It's Jani's first day at school and she's nervous. Will the other monkeys be friendly? Will they all stare at her? Jani is in a wheelchair, and this makes her different. But, thanks to her sense of cheekiness, she makes friends and has a very nice first day at school indeed. This book stars a monkey with a sense of fun.
The heart-lifting, heartbreaking new story by Michael Morpurgo, the nation’s favourite storyteller.
In the Imperial War Museum is a wooden Dachshund, carved by a German prisoner of war for the children of the British family with which he stayed after the fighting ended. This is the story of how it got there…
When the Bismarck sinks, one of the only German survivors is taken on board a British ship as a prisoner of war. Sent to live with a host family, Walter must adapt to a new way of life, in the heart of an enemy country. Gradually, though, he finds a friend in ten-year-old Grace. So when the time finally comes to go back to Germany, it’s an emotional parting, with Walter leaving Grace with only a carved wooden dog to remember him by. The question is, will Walter and Grace ever meet again? In 1966, with the World Cup coming to Britain, that opportunity may just have come along…
Researching her school project on Fairtrade has been a real eye-opener for Maya. She loves clothes and is appalled to find that her favourite sparkly T-shirts are made by poor children in other countries who lead very different lives from her own, privileged one. She knows she must do something about it, but how can she make a difference without revealing her pop star secret to the world?
My birthday's coming up so soon,
I'll need new clothes to wear.
But most of all, I need to know,
How shall I style my hair?
Will it be dreads or a twist out? Braids or a high-top fade? Joyous and vibrant, this captures perfectly the excitement of getting ready for a celebration, as well as showcasing a dazzling array of intricate hairstyles.
This is a glorious debut from an exciting new partnership who both emerged from the FAB Prize for undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators.
'Lively illustrations in warm, rich colours accompany the rhythmic text... A delightful debut collaboration' BookTrust
