Horrible Histories meets Wimpy Kid in these funny stories mismatching characters with careers. The stories are colour chapter books perfect for the independent reader. In this story, Sam Jones cannot wait to be an astronaut but there is a problem; in fact there are many: he is very clumsy, gets travel sick, and is generally disaster prone!
Race Further with Reading is a series designed to build reading confidence with illustrated stories in manageable bite-size chapters, which encourage a sense of achievement at completing each one. They follow on a level from the Race Ahead with Reading series with stories of 2,000 words. The books are perfect for children aged 6-8 or who read book band 11.
This laugh-out-loud story about Gus the grumpy dog will tickle every dog-lover's funny bone. Gus doesn't like much of anything, not going walkies, not playing fetch, and especially not making new friends. So what will Gus do when a lively little puppy appears on the scene? Is grumpy Gus really a big old softie – maybe, or maybe not...
Giggle away those grumps with This is Gus, a hilarious picture book written and illustrated by bestselling Chris Chatterton, about bad moods, friendship and learning to compromise. After all . . . we all have Gus days!
Ted thinks there's something fishy going on. Ever since his birthday when he got a special loyalty card at the local shop, all his great ideas are being thought of by the new Prime Minister too. Now there's laws about walking to school and everyone has Mondays off! Could the shop's market research lady have anything to do with it? And if Ted has become a Leader, shouldn't he start thinking up proper laws to save the world...? Hilariously spot-on comedy from the award winning and bestselling Frank Cottrell Boyce, with cover artwork by award-winning Chris Riddell and internal illustrations by Cate James. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.
From Julia Donaldson, the bestselling author of The Gruffalo, comes Princess Mirror-Belle, the exciting adventures of a mischievous princess.
Full of black-and-white illustrations by Lydia Monks, Princess Mirror-Belle is perfect for fans of this bestselling picture-book team and who are beginning to read on their own. This bind-up of two fantastic books, Princess Mirror-Belle and Princess Mirror-Belle and the Party Hoppers, contains six delightful stories that children will come back to again and again.
Ellen's life is turned upside down by the hilarious Mirror-Belle, a spirited princess who claims to be from somewhere mysterious and far away. She appears out of mirrors to tell Ellen magical stories and take her on exciting escapades. From battling with Dragon Pox to helping out with the local pantomime, celebrating birthdays, having fun at the fair and starting at a new school, there are always adventures to be had!
This book contains the following stories:
1. Princess Mirror-Belle
- The Dragon Pox
- Ellen's Castle
- Princess Mirror-Belle and Snow White
2. Princess Mirror-Belle and the Party Hoppers
- The Party Hoppers
- Wobblesday
- The Love-Potion Crisps
Join the fun on the farm!
A brand new Mudpuddle Farm book from award-winning author Michael Morpurgo, hilariously illustrated throughout by Shoo Rayner, and perfect for readers of 5 and up.
Two charming stories for younger readers, featuring a loveable family of all sorts of animals, living behind the tumble-down barn on Mudpuddle Farm – where everything is about to change… in the most unexpected and hilarious ways!
Nowt to Worry About:
There’s a storm in the air, and all the animals are worried. But old Farmer Rafferty doesn’t realise anything is wrong. Can the animals warn him in time?
Tickety-Boo:
A funny new creature has arrived at Mudpuddle Farm – and the animals soon make friends. Problem is, the latest addition to the farm doesn’t belong actually there! It looks like it’s time to say a sad goodbye – although Albertine the Goose might just have a clever idea…
Dear Uncle Morton
Are you sitting down? If you’re not, you probably should. Because I have some very bad news.
Someone has stolen one of your dragons.
Eddie’s mum is getting remarried, to Uncle Morton’s Scottish neighbour Gordon. But then Ziggy is stolen. It’s not long before Arthur is taken too. Eddie must track the thief down, rescue Uncle Morton’s dragons and get to the church on time. . .
The brilliantly funny fifth book in the SAM WU series, starring the bravest scaredy-cat in the world! Perfect for reluctant readers and fans of Tom Fletcher, Pamela Butchart and
Humza Arshad's Badman.
There's hardly anything that Sam Wu is afraid of. Unless you count ghosts, sharks, the dark and maybe even spiders. But definitely NOT zombies. Except for actual real ones maybe.
So when Sam's arch nemesis, Ralph Zinkerman the Third announces that he has zombie werewolves living in his basement, for the first time ever, Sam really isn't sure if he wants to be the one to save the day. Ralph has always been pretty mean to him and, well, just one little nibble from the zombie werewolves wouldn't hurt that much, would it?
Common childhood fears dealt with in a hilarious, sensitive and accessible way.
Also by Katie and Kevin Tsang:
Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts 9781405287517
Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Sharks 9781405287524
Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of the Dark 9781405287531
Sam W is NOT Afraid of Spiders 9781405294287
Katie and Kevin Tsang met in in 2008 while studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since then they have lived on three different continents and travelled to over 40 countries together. They currently live in London.
Kevin was born in Copenhagen and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of Sam Wu's experiences are based on Kevin's childhood (he's feeling much more confident now). Katie was born and raised in Southern California. She has previously worked at Booktrust, the UK's largest children's reading charity, and also writes YA fiction as Katherine Webber.
This story is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with Dr Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin of UCL Institute of Education (IOE)
Pirate Bill has a treasure map. He digs everywhere but cannot find the gold. Perhaps it will be somewhere he does not expect...
Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills.
Fantastic, original stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure.
Lola is the little sister who's larger than life! Sure to entrance all beginner readers with its humour and fabulous illustrations. Poor Natalie's broken her leg and is stuck up in her bedroom all alone. But Lola has a plan to keep Natalie from getting bored.
The first title in a two-colour fiction series, ideal for children growing in confidence as readers and beginning to read alone.
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam don't just make amazing cakes. These two brave bakers solve wacky mysteries too!
Halloween at St Spectre's school brings out the cheekiest of ghosts! And who is to blame when the weather goes CRAZY? A power-grabbing red panda, maybe? Certainly not the raccoon gang fixing the museum's toilets - they've got dastardly plans of their OWN!
Look out for Shifty and Sam's other chapter book adventures:
Up, Up and Away!
The Aliens are Coming!
Jingle Bells!
The story of Humpty Dumpty and his nursery rhyme friends, reimagined by Kes Gray, bestselling creator of Oi Frog!.
Humpty Dumpty and his nursery rhyme friends are discussing what they want to be when they grow up. Humpty wants to be a boiled egg, but his friends are encouraging him to think bigger!
""You could be an artist!"" said Little Boy Blue.
""Look for clues and become a detective!"" said Little Bo Peep.
""Buy a pair of football boots and become a footballer,"" said Wee Willy Winky.
Will Humpty think big and reach for the stars?
The Astounding Broccoli Boy is the hilarious tale of an unlikely (and very green) hero believing in himself and finding adventure. Written by the award-winning UK Children's Laureate 2024–2026, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and illustrated throughout by Steven Lenton. Perfect for children aged 8+.
Green by day, hero by night!
Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for all eventualities. His favourite book is Don't Be Scared, Be Prepared, and he has memorized every page of it. He could even survive a hippo attack. He knows that just because something is unlikely doesn't mean it won't ever happen . . .
But Rory isn't prepared when he suddenly and inexplicably turns green. Stuck in an isolation ward in a hospital far from home with two other remarkably green children, Rory's as confused by his new condition as the medics seem to be.
What if turning green actually means you've turned into a superhero? Rory can't wait to make it past hospital security and discover exactly what his superpower might be . . .
'Brilliantly funny, believable and very human' - The Bookseller
'A funny, silly and underlyingly serious story about self-belief . . . and the value of being nice to people' - The Sunday Times
