St Sebastian's School in Grimesford is the pits. Built on the boggy remains of a medieval plague pit, this once proud school's dodgy foundations are causing it to slowly subside. Every year it sinks a little further into the ground, and the ghosts of the plague victims underneath become more disgruntled.
Fact: Ember and Ness are best friends.
There’s nothing more to say about it. It is what it is. It is what will always be. Ember and Ness.
Then Ness dies. It is sudden and unexpected and leaves Ember completely empty. How can this be?
When Ember finds a way into the Afterworld, she determines to bring Ness back. Because that’s what friends do isn’t it? They rescue each other. They help. They never give up. Ember and Ness. That don’t change.
A powerful, poignant, darkly comic and deeply moving story about friendship at its most extraordinary.
'If you want to invent something nobody has ever thought of before, you need to read the things that others don't read, look in the spaces other people are not in...'
Layla believes she was right to stand up for herself against a bully, but it's landed her a suspension - not the way she (or her parents) would have wished to begin her time at her fancy new school! This is just a setback though, and she's determined to prove that she does deserve her scholarship by making new friends and setting her sights on inventing something that could win the big robotics competition.
But where to begin?
You Must Be Layla introduces Sudanese-born author, broadcaster, social advocate and mechanical engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied as an exciting new voice in children's writing.
Praise for You Must Be Layla:
'This warm, humorous account of a larger-than-life Sudanese girl navigating a posh Australian school is an engaging read' Guardian
'Fresh funny and empowering' BookTrust
'A one-of-a-kind bundle of comedy and compassion' LoveReading
Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.
Mother's Day! Bleccch! Why isn't there a Children's Day, that's what Horrid Henry wants to know. Henry is fed up of always being outdone by goody goody Perfect Peter - but this year, he's got a plan...
‘Opal – plain-talking, fiery Opal, who fights her fellow workers, has taken over the entire design department and is now a mini-suffragette?
Opal Plumstead might be plain, but she has always been fiercely intelligent.
Yet her scholarship and dreams of university are snatched away when her father is sent to prison, and fourteen-year-old Opal must start work at the Fairy Glen sweet factory to support her family.
She struggles to get along with her other workers, who think she’s snobby and stuck up. But Opal idolises Mrs Roberts, the factory’s beautiful, dignified owner.
The best thing about Mrs Roberts? She’s a suffragette!
Opal’s world is opened to Mrs Pankhurst, and the fight to give women the right to vote. And when Opal meets Morgan, Mrs Roberts’ handsome son , and heir to Fairy Glen- she believes she’s found her soulmate.
But the First World War is about to begin, and will change Opal's life for ever.
A brilliantly gripping wartime story from the bestselling, award-winning Jacqueline Wilson.
Finding your voice. Speaking the truth. Falling in love. All the biggest drama happens in high school...
Mean Girls meets To All The Boys I've Loved Before in this hugely relatable high-school takedown from the queen of UKYA.
Paige is used to staying quiet in the face of lies. Like how popular girl Grace is a such an amazing person (lie). How Laura steals people's boyfriends (lie). How her own family are so perfect (lie).
Now Grace and friends have picked their ""best"" high-school moments for Paige to put in the all-important Yearbook. And they're not just lies. They're poison.
But Paige has finally had enough. And as she starts to find love through the pages of a book, she finds her voice too. Now she is going to rewrite her story - and the Yearbook is the perfect place to do it.
Paige Vickers: Most likely to...bring down the mean girls
Bill's gran has knitted him a new hat. But he hates it! Everyone is laughing at him. Will he ever get rid of it without upsetting Gran?
The Leapfrog series is perfect for children who are reading on their own, with fun stories of no more than 200 words.
Some interesting facts about Penelope Crumb...
She has:
A brother so awful he MUST be an alien.
A mum who draws body parts (ewww!).
Her grandpa's nose ... but no grandpa. Her family haven't seen him since her dad died.
So Penelope and her friend Lizzie Maple set off across town to find Grandpa Felix, skipping school, taking trains and calling every F. Crumb in the phone book.
But what if Grandpa Felix doesn't want to be found?
One last fact about Penelope: she doesn't take no for an answer.
The importance and meaning of home is explored in this thought-provoking new novella from Carnegie Medal winning author Katya Balen.
Juno’s furious about being sent to stay with her grandfather for the summer. She’ll miss all the fun she and her friends had planned for the holidays. She’ll also miss her mum, but it’s her mum’s fault for leaving anyway.
Then Juno discovers a long-forgotten little family in her grandfather’s attic. As she works to carefully craft a new home for them, can she learn to forgive her mum and understand her reasons for going away?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
Lee and Barnaby are brothers. Some days they get on, some days they don't. But things change when Barnaby starts school and tensions run high. Will they remember that brothers are forever after all?
This touching and honest story is told with Claudia Boldt's trademark style and wit, and will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has a brother or sister.
As read by Stephen Fry for Save the Children's #SaveWithStories Campaign, and shortlisted for the Jhalak Children’s and Young Adult Prize.
Meet Herbert: the rabbit who knows he was born to be a fox. When his mummy isn’t looking, he puts on pointy fox ears, makes himself a bushy tail, and asks his sister to paint him orange, just like a fox. But Mummy doesn't understand: why can't he just be a good rabbit?
A Fox Called Herbert is a true celebration of being ourselves and supporting our loved ones. Let this joyful tale inspire you to be who you are and follow your dreams.
