Age 9 plus
In the Shadow of
the Wolf Queen
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
ENTER a fantastical adventure, built on the foundations of the real world, and brimming with the kind of alluring, elemental magic that stretches your imagination into the furthest and most fertile regions of the mind. In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen is the first gripping book of an epic new Geomancer trilogy exploring the magic of nature, the lure of power and the strength of love from award-winning author Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Hargrave, who is also a poet and playwright, puts heart and soul into this lyrically written and action-packed fantasy which is based on her research into ley lines, earth grids and the planet’s ‘natural patterns and disruptions,’ and creates a wild and wonderful world which, enticingly, could or could not be authentic.
In the lakes, the wolf queen sharpens her spear, in the
mountains, an ancient girl opens an eye and in the forest, an orphan is summoned
by the trees. Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen’s
tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its
threat. Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her
older sister Hari vanishes in its wake. Accompanied by her loyal sea hawk,
Nara, Ysolda embarks on a desperate rescue mission. But when she is forced to
strike a bargain with the wolf queen, she soon finds herself embroiled in a
quest for a magic more powerful – and more dangerous – than she could ever have
imagined.
Using locations inspired by the Celtic Rainforests, the Lake
District, the Scottish pinewoods and Stroma Island, an uninhabited island between
Orkney and the mainland of Scotland, Hargrave invites readers to marvel at our
awesome planet and to learn how foolish it is to pit ourselves against it. But this is also a story that celebrates sibling bonds,
magic, friendship, and children’s ‘extraordinary capacity for compassion, hope,
and change’ as we witness Ysolda’s breathtaking bravery, feel the raw power of
her emotions, and meet a cast of amazing animal characters. A dazzling opener to what promises to be a modern classic.
(Orion Children’s Books, hardback, £14.99)
Three Lionesses: Find your team, build
self-belief, embrace your inner Lioness
Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway, Nikita Parris,
Cheryl Rickman and Cat Sims
LIONESSES are brave, they fiercely look out for one another, they stick together, and they roar as loud as they need to because they want to ensure their voices are heard! Inspire youngsters to embrace their own inner Lioness with this brilliant, empowering and uplifting guide from three legendary football stars, Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway and Nikita Parris, who were all part of the Euro 2022 Lionesses squad. These three football stars share their personal stories of how they became the champions they are today as well as offering practical tips to help youngsters go after their goals, navigate challenges and setbacks, cope with stress, find their own superstar team and, most of all, embrace their inner Lioness. With inspiring anecdotes, helpful tips and practical activities, Three Lionesses is co-written with Cheryl Rickman, bestselling author and ghostwriter of 26 self-help, wellness and business books, and packed with the illustrations of Cat Sims whose work is grounded in her passion for comic art.
With a special focus on friendship, teamwork and succeeding
as women in a male-dominated world, the book explores how football can teach
you so much about life, whether that’s joining a new squad and finding your
place in a team, stepping up to take a penalty and dealing with pressure, or
getting back up when life (or a footballer!) knocks you down! With the true stories of how the three female footballers
got to where they are today and tons of practical tips, this motivational book
will help young readers embrace who they are, ignite their spark, go after
their goals and find their team... because no Lioness is complete without her pride!
(Puffin, paperback, £12.99)
The Wonder Team And the Forgotten Footballers
Leah Williamson, Jordan Glover
and Robin Boyden
THE pioneering Dick, Kerr Ladies football team from Preston,
which found fame over one hundred years ago, are the inspiration for a brand
new, time-twisting adventure series from captain of the Euros-winning women’s
England team, Leah Williamson. The Wonder Team And the Forgotten Footballers has
been written with debut author Jordan Glover, and includes illustrations by
Robin Boyden. Based on the Dick, Kerr Ladies’ brave protest against the ban on
women’s football, this fun soccer adventure stars schoolgirl Leah who discovers
a mysterious time capsule with her two best friends and opens up a whole new
world. Transported back in time by a hundred years, Leah, George and Mimi make
an unexpected discovery... women’s football has been banned! Along with their
new friend Dot, Leah and the team must work together to make sure the
all-important Championship Cup final still goes ahead. But with a mysterious
figure working hard to ruin the team’s chances, Leah is in a race against time
to put the clues together and catch the culprit before it’s too late. The odds
are against them, but time is on their side! This fast-paced, fun-filled series
is written straight from Williamson’s heart, explores themes of teamwork,
friendship resilience, leadership and problem-solving, and aims to introduce
young readers to more inspiring and fascinating women from history. Don’t miss
kick-off!
(Macmillan Children’s Books, paperback, £6.99)
Dread Wood: Deadly Deep
Jennifer Killick
IMAGINE a book that serves up those super-spooky vibes that
kids love... horrors galore, a delicious dollop of black comedy and a bunch of
spiky classmates with a murky, sea-soaked mystery to solve. If that menu
tickles your tastebuds, then you’ll be dining out on queen of
chills-and-thrills Jennifer Killick’s fourth brilliant adventure in a series
which delivers horror and humour in perfect harmony. Perfectly pitched for
middle grade readers, Dread Wood stars Hallie, Angelo, Gus, Colette and Naira,
and here we find them ready for a summer term school trip with a difference! Year
8 are on a boat off the coast of France, learning about ocean life. But things
are about to get weird! Who is the creepy man on board the ship heading to
Corsica and what IS the vast, shadowy creature seen lurking at the bottom of
the ocean? When the ship is sunk, Club Loser members, Hallie, Angelo, Gus,
Colette and Naira, realise that they are the only ones who can save the day...
and their classmates. Can they outwit and defeat a giant, deadly sea monster
from the depths? It’s a fight for survival and if they fail, Club Loser will
find themselves in a watery grave! Killick is a slick and sassy storyteller…
she knows just how far to take her heart-stopping tales of cool comedy and
scary horror as she pumps up the action and lets loose her rich imagination. Just
be prepared to read this gorgeous, gigglesome chiller-thriller in one sitting!
(Farshore, paperback, £7.99)
Read, Scream, Repeat
Curated by Jennifer Killick
and illustrated by Mathias Ball
IF Halloween is already casting a long and exciting shadow
as your youngsters’ thoughts turn to the autumn term, indulge their wicked
wishes with stories guaranteed to make them shiver! Queen of screams Jennifer
Killick brings together thirteen spooky mystery stories from some of the most
exciting authors in children’s books today in this spine-tingling, spooktacular
collection. Illustrated with a gallery of Mathias Ball’s perfectly matched
artwork, Read, Scream, Repeat dares readers to see what’s lurking inside! It includes
terrific tales from Killick herself, Kirsty Applebaum, Jasbinder Bilan, Aisha
Bushby, Joseph Coelho, Rachel Delahaye, Kat Ellis, Phil Hickes, Polly Ho-Yen,
Sharna Jackson, Elle McNicoll, Dan Smith and J.T.Williams. Discover arcade-game
zombies hunting victims in the real world, a graveyard ghost on a mission and a
cursed pond that wants to drag you down, down, down into its depths! With
horror stories to chill, thrill and delight middle-great readers, this truly
diverse anthology taps into everything youngsters are looking for in the spooky
season... and is guaranteed to keep them on the edge of (or hiding behind)
their sofas!
(Farshore, paperback, £7.99)
Jessie and the Star Rider
Esme Higgs, Jo Cotterill and Hannah George
SADDLE up again and get ready for another exhilarating ride
as the Starlight Stables Gang gallop into a new adventure! Jessie and the Star
Rider is the second outing in this super, girl-power series written in a
magical collaboration between children’s author and superstar equestrian
influencer, Esme Higgs, and multi award-winning children’s author Jo Cotterill. Brought to life by the perfectly matched illustrations of
Hannah George, this new story is told from the viewpoint of Jessie, rider of
handsome dark bay horse Angus who adores jumping. After solving the mystery of
the stolen pony, the Starlight Stables Gang are ready to have a relaxing summer
and enjoy the Haversham Horse Trials, but things aren’t as sunny as they seem
when one of the horses manages to kick a hole in the stable block. With lots to
fix and ponies to feed, the stables may be at risk of closing down for good.
Determined to save the place they love, Jessie and the gang hatch a plan. Can
the Starlight Stables Gang band together and work as a team once again, or will
it prove too much for one of the friends? Higgs is one of the biggest social-media content creators in
the equestrian world, with over 1.5 million followers across her ThisEsme
channels and a very loyal fan base, but her credentials as a horse-mad ordinary
girl help to bring fun and authenticity to this sparkling equestrian series. So get your feet in the stirrups, your hands on the reins...
and jump into the action!
(Puffin, paperback, £7.99)
Age 7 plus
Terra Ultima: The discovery of a new continent
Raoul Deleo and Noah J. Stern
(Big Picture Press, hardback, £25)
Grimwood: Attack of the Stink Monster!
Nadia Shireen
YOU can never be too young, or too old, to enjoy a bit of
anarchy! Youngsters (and their parents!) will be grinning, guffawing, snorting
and sniggering when they get their hands on the third woodland caper in one of
the funniest children’s series currently on the market. Grimwood – a sort-of
Watership Down with foxes which evokes tears of laughter rather than of sorrow
– is the work of author and illustrator Nadia Shireen who has won awards for
her picture books and been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the
Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Fully illustrated throughout, the books star
two fox cub siblings, Ted and Nancy, who love their new life in Grimwood… the
forest where anything (riotous!) can happen. They have made a lot of new
friends in Grimwood – not least bouncy and ferocious rabbit Willow who has a
big heart and endless energy – but now a Bigfoot is on the loose and Ted,
Nancy, Willow and the rest of the Grimwood gang must embark on their greatest
adventure yet to save their home from a nasty, thieving stink monster. Monster
hunters are GO! Shireen serves up an irresistible blend of glorious gags,
hilarious comedy routines, boundless madcap escapades, and a memorable cast of
quirky characters that young readers will love following from first page to
last. With a side helping of zany, high-energy black and white illustrations,
which bring both the animals and the action to life, the Grimwood series has
the legs to run and run.
(Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, hardback, £12.99)
Izzy the Inventor
and the Curse of Doom
Zanna Davidson and Elissa ElwickMEET a girl who believes in science... not magic! Author Zanna Davidson and illustrator Elissa Elwick return to Fairytale Land for the second super science-packed adventure with Izzy the Inventor and her lovable unicorn Henry. This time Izzy must rescue the prince in Sleeping Beauty from a wicked fairy’s curse. If she fails, he’ll vanish! With the help of Henry the unicorn, Izzy needs to work out how to make snow in summer, an exploding volcano and a contraption to help Henry fly. Can Izzy’s science skills outwit the wicked fairy before it’s too late? Davidson’s easy-to-read and laughter-filled story is brimming with Elwick’s lively illustrations, and there are ideas for experiments and a QR code with links for more science fun to try at home. Perfect for beginner readers and anyone who loves experiments, explosions and adventure!
(Usborne Publishing, paperback, £5.99)
Peanut, Butter, & Crackers:
Puppy Problems
Paige Braddock
WELCOME to the cute and cuddly pet series that puts animals,
nature and fun in the spotlight! Author and illustrator Paige Braddock
showcases pets – and particularly rescue pets – in these adorable books which
are the ideal first introduction to the world of graphic novels, and are
perfect for youngsters who wonder what their pets might be up to when no one is
around! Butter and Crackers are rescue pets living their best (and quiet)
lives. Butter, a laid-back cat, has access to all the butter he can lick and
Crackers, a slightly nervous dog, is free to bark at squirrels to his heart’s
content. With an owner who goes to work every day, they spend their days doing
whatever they want. But when Peanut, a brand-new puppy with big floppy ears,
arrives, everything changes. He has no appreciation of the quiet life, no idea
how stairs work and he’s even afraid of the dark! Butter and Crackers have had
enough... this puppy needs to go! But when Peanut escapes and gets lost, it
turns out that home isn’t home without the noisy little puppy after all. Animal-loving
children cannot help but fall for Braddock’s exciting and heartwarming visual
storytelling which encourages respect for animals and nature, and gently
confronts some familiar childhood worries and fears. And with lots of
delightful bonus extras, including how to draw, behind the scenes and a short
story, there is so much to enjoy!
(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)
Be You!
Karl Newson and Ela Smietanka
WHOEVER you are, whatever you do, however you feel... be
you! That’s the message that speaks loud, clear and joyfully in the pages of
this uplifting picture book from the top team of Karl Newson, award-winning children’s
books author, and Polish illustrator Ela Smietanka. Featuring an eclectic cast
of children and animals, Be You! encourages young readers to be themselves,
even on the toughest of days. Illustrated with children in animal onesie
costumes, this playful, pleasing book features a lively rhyming text in a
bouncy rhythm which grown-ups will love reading aloud while little ones will
love seeing their favourite animals on the page. Whether youngsters identify
most with the child hopping across the page like a frog, roaring like a lion or
buzzing like a bumblebee, this positive picture book encourages both resilience
and self-acceptance. With an empowering message and fun illustrations, there is
no better way to encourage youngsters to be true to themselves... whoever they
are and however they are feeling.
(Studio Press, paperback, £7.99)
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