Age 9 plus
The Others
Sarah Merrett
BUCKLE up and head far beyond the stars for an out-of-this-world adventure that blends a fascinating slice of real-life history with magical realism and some scintillating sci-fi. The Others is an action-packed and imaginatively powerful tale filled with wonder, lovable aliens, a dastardly professor and epic battles, and is the spectacular creation of debut author Sarah Merrett who was inspired by the Guzman Prize and its donor, Frenchwoman Clara Guzman, who died in 1891 and left money in her will for a prize honouring her dead son, Pierre Guzman, an amateur astronomer. The sum of one hundred thousand Francs was to be paid to a person who succeeded in ‘sending a signal to any planet or star, except Mars, and receiving a response.’ The obvious question was ‘why not Mars’? Clara Guzman’s will didn’t answer the question but it is known that Pierre Guzman believed that life definitely existed on Mars so perhaps the planet was ruled out as being too close... and too easy to contact!
Meet Reuben... he has
never once left his home in a remote observatory where he lives with his
astronomer grandma who is determined to win the Guzman Prize by discovering and
contacting aliens. He has been told the outside world is forbidden to him
because of a rare disease that makes his eyes light sensitive... but that may
not be the full story. The problem for Grandma in her hunt for aliens is that
she has a competitor... the evil and ruthless professor Pinfield. One day, a
mystery airship crash-lands nearby and Grandma goes to investigate. When she
doesn’t return, Reuben leaves the observatory and discovers an alien girl whom
he calls Blue and takes her back to his home. They set off for the big city to
find her alien friends but can Reuben save Blue from the evil professor who is
determined to track her down, put her in a cage and claim the Guzman Prize? And
who exactly is Reuben? Young readers will be gripped by this thrilling, atmospheric
and super-spooky adventure which has danger, mystery and menace at every turn
of the page and stars a colourful cast of characters – both alien and human –
while exploring themes of loyalty and being true to yourself. A brilliant
debut!
(Everything with
Words, paperback, £8.99)
Delta and the Lost City
Anna Fargher and David Dean
TRAVEL back in time to the ancient city of Pompeii where a pet wolfhound called Delta is on a mission to save her family... before the great volcano Mount Vesuvius buries them all in a catastrophic eruption. Young readers will adore this epic historical thriller from the talented Anna Fargher whose novels – including The Umbrella Mouse and The Fire Cats of London – have earned her a reputation as a leading author of curriculum-linked fiction. Set in the ancient city in the year 79AD, when the earth trembled and Vesuvius prepared to wreak havoc on all those who lived in her orbit, Delta and the Lost City is a dazzling adventure full of danger, daring, real history and a long-ago world brought to life by David Dean’s illustrations.
Young wolfdog Delta lives alongside her family in a villa
owned by former army general, Lucius, and has spent her days happily exploring
the surrounding olive groves and pasture sof Pompeii. But her life changes when
Lucius tells his cruel son-in-law Marcus that he is releasing the household
slaves and leaving everything in his will to his daughter Herminia. Lucius is
killed and Delta is blamed for the crime. Chained against a wall, Delta is
almost given away to soldiers when she manages to escape into the forest. With
the help of her eagle friend, Bellona, Delta navigates the tricky terrain full
of threatening creatures and thieves outside the ancient city’s walls. But the
earth is warning of a much larger threat, and determined to warn her family,
Delta must race against time and find them before it’s too late... With the shadow of Vesuvius looming over all the action,
this is a fast-paced and thrilling visit to ancient Pompeii as we follow the
adventures of an unforgettable dog and revel in an inspirational and
heartwarming story of strength and loyalty in the most perilous of times.
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)
Raising the Roof!
Jack Pepper and Michele Bruttomesso
MUSIC maestro, please... and let’s rock! Jack Pepper, radio
presenter and one of the UK’s youngest commissioned composers, introduces the
world of classical music – and its colourful characters – as you've never before
seen them. Informal, raucous and sometimes scandalous, the heroes of classical
music are far from the ‘composed’ images that are often used to portray them.
So here’s your chance to take a tour of musical history, and learn your timbre
from your tempo, your tuba from your cello and your symphony from your concerto
while rubbing shoulders with 20 great composers including Bach, Beethoven, child
prodigy Mozart, pioneering musician Florence Price, and film score composer
Hans Zimmer. Discover unsung trailblazers like Hildegard of Bimgen, Barbara
Strozzi, Joseph Bologne, and video games composer Nobuo Uematsu, and find out
what it really takes to write a timeless classical hit. Listen as you read,
using the playlist inside, with over 40 classical pieces covering 1,000 years
of music, and along the way explore the history of classical music, the sounds
and key concepts like a symphony, opera and concerto. And the story doesn’t
stop there as classical continues to influence music today and future sounds.
Easy-to-understand and witty, written with Pepper’s infectious enthusiasm and
lavishly illustrated by Italian artist Michele Bruttomesso, Raising the Roof will
inspire budding composers and open up the dazzling world of classical music to a
new generation.
(Templar Publishing, hardback, £16.99)
Reek
Alastair Chisholm and George Caltsoudas
WELCOME to an exciting, all-action adventure set in a
(literally!) breathtaking dystopian world, and an intriguing new genre in the
dizzying realms of fantasy fiction... cli-fi! Acclaimed author of a raft of big-hit sci-fi adventures,
Alastair Chisholm brings his talents to an enthralling and fast-paced
middle-grade thriller full of fantastic world-building, and bearing important
messages about climate change and environmental concerns. Climate catastrophe has left the people of Earth fighting
for oxygen. Sparrow lives in Edinburgh where fresh air has become a commodity
controlled by a large and powerful tech corporation after what they call the
Reek, a dangerous toxic pollution that now covers the Earth. Axel Brodie, the
tech billionaire behind Zephyr Industries, is cashing in as the only supplier
of clean air. Sparrow is struggling to help her family survive until her
brilliant inventor friend, Miriam Fenn, comes up with a new form of technology
that could break Zephyr’s stranglehold on the air supply. But men like Brodie
are hard to defeat, and he will do everything – however deadly – in his power
to stop Miriam and Sparrow. Who will triumph in this battle to breathe free? Filled with the spectacular black-and-white illustrations of
comic artist George Caltsoudas, Chisholm’s cautionary novel features the
wonderfully brave and resourceful kick-ass heroine Sparrow who was written off
by society but is ready – and brave enough – to save the world. A brilliantly
told story with a resonant and timely warning at its heart.
(Barrington Stoke, paperback, £7.99)
Storm Seal
Sarah Ann Juckes and Sharon King-Chai
COPING with the challenges that come from change is explored
with exquisite sensitivity in this inspirational seaside story of family and
hope from Sarah Ann Juckes whose YA debut, Outside, was nominated for the
Carnegie Medal Award in 2020. In a critically acclaimed partnership, Juckes’ heartfelt
novel is illustrated by award-winning Sharon King-Chai and stars a young girl
trying to protect her family and her community, and learning that not all
changes are bad. Martha was raised on her nana’s stories. Even if no one else
believes them, Martha knows that they’re magic. Now those stories are helping
Martha hold things together when everything around her is falling apart...
out-of-towners moving into her family’s old house, her nana’s mysterious
illness, and the tourists flooding the town who don’t seem to care about the
sea or the animals that it is home to. But Martha has found one creature who
understands... a black seal pup that seems to appear whenever Martha needs it
most. Could she be the key to fixing everything that’s wrong, or will Martha
need to fight her way through the storm by herself? Juckes’ beautifully created and imagined novel gently
explores the dilemma of Martha who is struggling with grief and the changes
around her, but finds both courage and her voice beneath the waves. Brimming
with emotion, hope and tenderness... a joy to read.
(Simon & Schuster Children's Books, paperback, £7.99)
World of Sport
Lawrence Alexander and Violeta Noy
THE wonderful world of sport awaits you! From football to
fencing and even the wacky Dutch sport of fierljeppen (a combination of long
jump and pole vault!), explore the most exhilarating sports played throughout
history. Written by author and freelance journalist Lawrence Alexander, and
gorgeously illustrated by Spanish artist Violeta Noy, this brilliant book is
bursting with colour and fascinating facts, and is part of the World of...
series which looks at what we have in common, and celebrates our differences.
Discover mind-boggling records from around the globe and meet the sport
superstars who turned ordinary games into extraordinary triumphs. Find out
which sports were played at the very first Olympic Games, what the different
colour jerseys mean in the Tour de France, and how to throw a gumboot.
Everywhere on our planet where people can be found, there are different sports
that we love to play and compete in. Learn about ball sports, gymnastics,
athletics, water sports, extreme sports and how each sport came to be, where in
the world it originated and, most importantly, how to play. Featuring more than
100 adrenaline-pumping sports from every corner of the globe, this high-energy,
inspirational book is guaranteed to make you work up a sweat!
(Templar Publishing, hardback, £14.99)
Kyan Green Battles the Multiverse
Colm Field and David Wilkerson
WHEN your mission is to save not just one world but a
multitude of them, you really do need to get a move on! Welcome back to the fast and furious life of Kyan Green, the
multiverse hero who is FAST becoming the shining star of a thrill-on-every-page
action series from debut author Colm Field. These exciting, high-octane
multiverse adventures are loaded with friendship, questions of loyalty, a fine
line in humour, and some real-life challenges which help to keep the characters
grounded in their worlds of gripping fantasy. Kyan Green is getting the hang of racing through the
multiverse in the Infinite Race. If he’s driving a bubble-butt car through a
giant's cereal bowl or riding on the back of a cosmic critter, he can't be
beaten. But when the mysterious infinity racer Spider Ace charges Kyan and his
friends with a mission that has them hurtling from one universe to the next, it
couldn’t be more dangerous. Together the gang must race from world to world,
seeking out the multiverse doubles of Kyan's devious landlord Mr Stringer and
facing off in battles that could tip the balance between good and evil. Lose a
single battle, and every single parallel dimension could be in jeopardy! With David Wilkerson’s superb illustrations bringing all the
epic action to life, and another high stakes are multiverse task for Kyan and
his pals, this edge-of-the-seat outing is ideal for both young readers and keen
gamers.
(Bloomsbury Children’s Books, paperback, £7.99)
How to Save a Life
Dr Ronx and Ashton Attzs
BE prepared for any accident or emergency, and learn how to
save a life with the irrepressible emergency medicine doctor and CBBC presenter
Dr Ronx as your teacher! How to Save a Life is the fifth book in a children’s
illustrated and inspirational non-fiction Little Experts series written by a
line-up of well-known personalities who are bringing their experience and
knowledge to younger readers. These experts are all famous for their incredible
know-how and passion for their subjects, and now they have made it their
mission to share that knowledge in these beautifully illustrated books which
come packed with fascinating facts, easy-to-understand introductions to key
non-fiction topics, colourful pictures, and include a helpful glossary to
explain words and phrases. So join Dr Ronx and learn how to feel confident and
ready for nearly any situation, from nosebleeds and burns to choking and the
recovery position. Discover information about basic first aid, CPR, asthma
attacks, heavy bleeding and allergic reactions, and meet some children whose
first-aid skills have saved lives. With colourful, playful and inclusive artwork
by illustrator Ashton Attzs on every page, this is life-saving skills made fun!
An entertaining and educational series to empower and inspire a new generation
of experts.
(Red Shed, hardback, £9.99)
The Boy Who Painted The World
Tom McLaughlin
GRAB a paintbrush and be inspired to find your hidden
‘creative’ with a joyful exploration of artistic expression and imaginative
play alongside the multi-talented, bestselling author and illustrator Tom
McLaughlin. Creativity, making mistakes and drawing scribbly dinosaurs all grab
the spotlight in a picture book full of fun, colour... and artwork of course! When
a boy stumbles into a blank book, he thinks it looks very empty... until he
meets a determined paintbrush. Although the boy is certain that he can't draw
or paint, he's encouraged to try... and the results are surprising. An ordinary
square can become a dumper truck, and a messy blob of paint can become a
Messy-saurus (that’s the aforementioned scribbly sort of dinosaur!). In fact,
it soon becomes clear that anything can be turned into something. With a bit of
imagination, the possibilities are endless! There is so much to enjoy in this
delightfully positive and entertaining picture book... bright, bold
illustrations, an inspirational, high-energy story that counters perfectionism
and embraces mistakes, a spread of activity ideas at the back of the book, and
important messages about the sheer power of possibilities.
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99)
Banana Hunt
Suzy Senior and Josh Cleland
LITTLE ones will be going bananas for a simply ‘apeeling’ search-and-find
picture book from the top team of rhyming queen Suzy Senior and US illustrator Josh
Cleland. Bernardo the chimp is on the hunt for some fun and what could be
better than a banana hunt?! Hidden under rocks and tucked in socks, Bernardo
stashes bananas everywhere, ready for his Auntie Dot to find. She searches the
rainforest high and low for every banana but before long, they realise that
Bernardo has hidden a few too many! After lots of squishy, icky banana chaos,
an exhausted Auntie Dot and Bernardo slowly head back. Except what is THAT up
ahead on the track? Can Bernardo save them from the grizzly bear? Perhaps too
many bananas could be helpful after all... With Senior’s joyous read-aloud and
laugh-out-loud rhyming romp, a host of hidden pink bananas to spot on every
spread, and all brought to life by Cleland’s super-colourful and brilliantly
bananas illustrations, this is the fruitiest story ever to come out of the
jungle!
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £7.99)
The Boy, the Troll and the Chalk
Anne Booth and David Litchfield
THE creativity of art, the power of imagination, and the
healing wonders of kindness also work their special kind of magic in a moving
picture book from acclaimed author Anne Booth and award-winning author and
illustrator David Litchfield. Everybody knew that a big fierce troll lived in
the cave. ‘Leave me alone!’ it yelled. So everybody did. Only one child cannot
turn their back on the troll at the edge of the playground. One day, he takes
his chalks up to the mouth of the cave, draws a flower with every petal
coloured in but one, and leaves the chalk behind. The next day, the flower has
been completed. Day-by-day, the boy and the troll finish each other’s drawings
until they each draw a portrait, showing a boy holding hands with a fierce,
scary troll. ‘But you’re not a troll,’ says the boy. ‘You're a boy – just like
me.’ Patience, kindness and the power of art win out in the end and the two
boys wordlessly draw together. Soon all the other children gather to join in
with the game and everyone forgets that there was a troll inside the cave because
outside the cave, there is so much to draw. Isolation and difficult emotions
are banished in this beautiful story which delicately embodies the philosophy
of art therapy. Litchfield’s dazzling, textured artwork brings life and colour
to Booth’s tale of hope and friendship. A joyful celebration of pavement art
that is sure to have little ones reaching for their own chalks!
(Templar Publishing, hardback, £12.99)
Imagine a Time
Penny Harrison and Jennifer Goldsmith
‘Imagine a time when all the world stops, when all of the clocks no longer tick-tock and all of the maps are starting to fade, as the need to be somewhere drifts far away.’
IN a fast-paced, hectic world, it’s
sometimes good to slow down and forget all the hurry and bustle. Penny
Harrison, a children’s author and journalist who lives in Melbourne and is more
than happy to describe herself as an ‘experienced daydreamer,’ lets loose her
imagination on a glorious picture book celebration of nature’s healing powers
and a timely reminder for us all to drop our pace of life. Illustrated with an
ethereal beauty and a soft and soothing colour palette by Jennifer Goldsmith, Imagine
a Time brings an array of families and children enjoying time together in the
great outdoors and enjoying the unfurling of nature with ‘its calm, healing
wings.’ The perfect summertime read to encourage us all to find peace in the
natural world.
(New Frontier Publishing, hardback, £12.99)
Two People Can
Blessing Musariri and
Maisie Paradise Shearring
ONE of the greatest traumas for a child is losing a
much-loved parent and it’s a theme that lies at the gentle heart of a
captivating and lyrical picture book from award-winning Zimbabwean poet
Blessing Musariri and Hull-based artist Maisie Paradise Shearring. Moving and
uplifting at the same time, Two People Can explores the impact on a young boy after
the departure of his dad. His father has gone and Shingai and his mum are all
alone and feeling lost. Shingai can’t contain the whirlwind of anger and sadness
inside any more. He needs to let his feelings out so he chops the heads off
flowers in the garden, paints the leaves on plants in the house, and throws
cushions off the couch. It’s only when his mum confesses that she feels the
same and starts throwing things on to the floor that Shingai is forced to stop,
think carefully about what they are both doing and realise that at least he and
mum still have each other. Musariri’s stunning story, about the complex range
of emotions which a child experiences when a parent leaves or dies, is told
from the perspective of a young boy and sensitively illustrated by Shearring. Part
of Kumusha Books, a new globally inclusive, empathy-led list of children’s
books, this inspirational story about overcoming sadness with hope, love and
empathy is ideal for helping youngsters to understand their feelings and find a
way to face the future.
(Kumusha Books, paperback, £7.99)
Little Bear Lost
Jane Hissey
CUDDLE up close for the return of Jane Hissey’s beloved Old
Bear and a teddy bear picnic adventure with a hilarious hiccup! Little Bear Lost
is part of Hissey’s acclaimed Old Bear books and the much-loved, BAFTA
award-winning TV series, Old Bear and Friends. Old Bear himself was given to
Hissey by her grandmother when she was born and he has travelled the world with
her, visiting schools, libraries and literary events, becoming increasingly
worn and threadbare but still recognisable to millions of adoring readers. In
this this newly refreshed teddy-bear classic, we find Old Bear counting ‘One,
two, three, four’ as the toys begin to play hide-and-seek. But one little toy
has hidden himself so well that he completely disappears! Where could Little
Bear be? Join Old Bear, Bramwell Brown, Rabbit and Duck as they set off on an
adventure to find their missing friend. Nostalgia, the warmth of true
friendship, and the joys of childhood shine out from each page in this
beautiful paperback edition of Hissey’s adorable story. Stunning, photo-realistic
artwork blends with a funny, reassuring text, making this a teddy bear tale to
love and treasure forever.
(Templar Publishing, paperback, £7.99)
