The perfect gift this Christmas - a magical new story from bestselling author and acclaimed performer Carrie Hope Fletcher and inspired by the much-loved classic Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild.
Brilliant Aunt Maude visits seasides the world over and has become quite the pebble collector. Pebbles of all shapes, sizes and colours and even one that looked a bit like Elvis Presley if you squinted a bit.
Her favourite pebbles, however, are Marigold, Mabel and Morris. One by one, and by strange and unusual ways, each child arrives at the stage door of Brilliant Aunt Maude's theatre in the heart of London, home to an extraordinary cast of performers. There's Dante the miraculous magician, Petunia the storyteller and seventy-year-old contortionists - the Fortune Sisters! But ticket sales are dwindling and the curtains might have to close - for the final time.
Until one day, as the Pebbles are exploring the many nooks and crannies of the theatre, they stumble upon something they were never meant to find . . . something that just might save the theatre after all . . .
One of Us is Lying meets This
Lie Will Kill You but with a chilling supernatural twist
that will keep you guessing until the very end . . .
'Chilling, funny and gripping' Emily
Barr, author of The Truth and Lies of Ella Black
'A supernatural terror-fest!' Kat Ellis,
author of Harrow Lake
'Point Horror
for a new generation' Kathryn Foxfield, author
of Good Girls Die First
Young, brunette
women are being attacked in London.
16-year-old,
Irish-born Niamh has just arrived for a summer of freedom,
and quickly discovers that the girls being attacked look frighteningly
similar to her. But Niamh is determined not to let her fear
destroy her Summer. But can her new friends be trusted? Will
she be able to stay ahead of the attacker?
Or will she be
next?
Packed with voice-driven whodunit storytelling,
and a retro slasher-movie feel reminiscent of cult classics Scream
and Urban Legend, this dark, pacy, and irresistibly-creepy
debut really has something for everybody!
From an award-winning poet comes a gripping mystery. ""Grandma Farida has Alzheimer's - but I'm going to help her remember a huge secret...""
Twelve-year-old Nyla's dad died when she was four, or that's what she's been told. So when Grandma Farida insists she saw him in the local supermarket, Nyla wonders if Grandma is simply ""time travelling"" again - the phrase she uses when Grandma forgets.
But Grandma is Nyla's best friend and when she asks Nyla to find her dad and bring him home, Nyla decides to make a brand new promise to her Grandma: to find him.
As Nyla turns detective and sets out on a journey through her family's past to try and find the truth, she also hopes that uncovering important stories will help her understand who she is, and where she fits in the world ...
A riveting audiobook in verse about the power of memory and story-telling, and an unbreakable bond between a grandmother and granddaughter.
(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Book Band: Dark Red (ideal for ages 10+)
_______________
A standout new collection of contemporary poems from prize-winning poet Matt Goodfellow, author of Bright Bursts of Colour.
Ideal for children aged 10+
Perfectly reflecting the thoughts, feelings and imaginings of young people, these beautifully crafted poems are poignant, playful, heartfelt and hopeful.
From friendship, family and separation to school experiences and fitting in, this moving collection touches on the relatable aspects of growing up. It delicately balances emotion with light relief and humour, and is sure to captivate any young person aged 10 and above.
_______________
'Goodfellow has the knack for choosing all the right words' - The Guardian
'Matt Goodfellow is a poet whose works are ideal for children' - Express
A madcap new story from Sue Cheung, winner of the Diverse Book Award, filled with belly-laughs and packed with drawings! Perfect for fans of Tom Gates and Sam Wu.
Maddy Yip is perfectly happy in life, until she realises that everyone she knows has a talent – except for her! Maddy is determined to change that, with the help of her brothers, bewildered grandad and her best friend Dev. There are disastrous attempts at breakdancing and playing the recorder, revolting cakes, and a magic disappearing trick that ends up with an escaped guinea pig. Will Maddy ever find her true calling?
Lauren St John's stunning Christmas classic is about forgotten children, the power of nature to heal us and a girl who will climb mountains in search for a place to call home. Nominated for the 2019 Carnegie Medal.
Growing up in vibrant, crowded Nairobi, Makena has only one dream: to climb Mount Kenya like her hero, her mountain guide father. But when her beautiful world is shattered, she finds that in the city's dark places there are a thousand ways to fall, each more deadly than any crevasse. In a world of strangers, does she dare trust Snow, whose ballet dreams are haunted by a past she's still running from? And is the sparkling fox friend or foe?
After a fresh start in the Scottish Highlands turns bad, Makena flees to the mountains. But will they betray her or be the making of her?
It's Pea's birthday, and all the family are gathered around to celebrate. But there's one person missing - her dad. She has never known him, but is the story Mum always told her (the one about Dad being a pirate) really true? What is this mysterious Piratical Father doing now? So begins Pea's quest to track down her dad once and for all . . .
When Delores Mackenzie is chased home by a restless spirit, she is sent to the mysterious Uncles in Edinburgh Old Town to learn how to control her unusual 'gifts'.
Scared and alone, she finds her new home at the Tolbooth Book Store is full of curious surprises: some welcome, others less so. But when a sinister apparition threatens the lives of her strange new housemates, Delores must gather all her strength to save them.
A gripping psychological thriller from the author of the bestselling WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER. Eleven-year-old Olivia has been in care since she was five, and is just beginning her sixteenth placement. Her new home is a secluded farmhouse, centuries old, where she slowly bonds with her foster family. But the house holds dark secrets. Olivia discovers that it was once a notorious baby farm, where unwanted children were left to die. She becomes convinced that the place is haunted. She is desperate to save her new family from the ghosts. The danger is real - but does it come from the twisted mind of a very disturbed child? A powerful and thrilling story from one of today's most exciting young writers.
Josh undertakes some unusual training methods to improve his technique in this fun football story, edited to a reading age of 6.5.
Josh is football mad – and so is his granddad, who used to be a league player. Josh is disappointed when he doesn't do so well in matches at school, so his granddad comes up with some rather unorthodox training methods to help him. Will Josh make it all the way?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 6.5.
Schoolgirl reporter Rani Ramgoolam and her badly behaved grandmother set out to solve a mystery in this first book in a fun, illustrated new series for fans of Anisha Accidental Detective and Planet Omar
A Times Children's Book of the Year
‘With amusing characters and an unpredictable, entertaining plot that keeps you guessing till the end, this is the perfect middle-grade adventure.' The Times
'News flash! Rani Reports is a total delight! Full of intrigue, humour and heart' - Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher trilogy
I’m Rani Ramgoolam – roving reporter. And I think I’ve found the perfect story for the junior journalism competition run by the local paper. An eccentric millionaire has created a treasure hunt with a reward for the first person who figures out the clues.
Luckily, my mischievous Nani is visiting from Mauritius. She’s promised to help me work out what a priceless painting, a minotaur and a glass eye have in common.
“Murder, murder! Call the cops!” Oh, and that’s Cookie, my parrot. I’m not sure he’ll be much use.
But the race is on and I’ll need all the help I can get. Especially when some people are resorting to sneaky tricks to get their hands on the prize…
Alice nearly didn't go to the sleepover. Why would Savvy, queen of the school, invite someone like her?
Now Alice is lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
Lost in a wonderland of dreams and half-formed memories, she's surrounded by voices - the doctor, her worried friends and Luke - whose kisses the night of the fall took her by surprise . . .
When the accident happened her world vanished - can Alice ever find her way back?
A wonderful modern-day reimagining of Lewis Carroll's timeless classic, an unforgettable tale of friendship and love from one of the UK's best-loved authors.
