Age 9 plus
The Horse Dreamer
Holly Surplice
SADDLE up and enjoy a beautiful, illustrated book that’s
destined to be a must-have for all young horse fans this Christmas! This
stunning hope-filled meditation on how we deal with the loss of a loved one is
the debut middle-grade novel of author and illustrator Holly Surplice who finds
inspiration in her life in the wild landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Exploring themes of grief, family and healing in an
accessible way for young readers, The Horse Dreamer stars a girl seeking
comfort after the death of her father. The horse arrives in a storm when Merryn
needs him most. Sorrel is a dreamlike, magical creature, seemingly made from
the woods and the sea. Perhaps she wished him into existence and he quickly
becomes her friend and confidant. Throughout the summer and autumn, they ride
and play but as Christmas approaches, it will require all of Merryn’s new-found
strength to help her mum and her sisters heal, too. Surplice’s mesmerising story, which comes in a jacketed
hardback and is exquisitely and atmospherically illustrated in blue ink
throughout, has all the makings of a modern classic with its moving, heartfelt
words and an alluring sense of magical wonder. A story written with love… and
bearing messages of hope.
(Chicken House, hardback, £12.99)
Ella Jones vs the Battle Noise
Lucy Edwards with Katy Birchall
ELLA Jones has already saved the world from an eternity of darkness but now she must face the god Homados who is hunting Hercules’ famous shield! Welcome to another blistering adventure from Lucy Edwards, a broadcaster, journalist, content creator, speaker and disability activist who lost her full eyesight at just 17 due to a rare genetic disease but, undaunted, has made it her mission to share her experiences and raise awareness about living with a disability. She is now one of the leading voices in diversity, equality and inclusion, and an ambassador and commercial model for global haircare giant Pantene. After her daring mission in Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer, first book in the series, 12-year-old blind girl Ella is back in action because Homados is planning to throw the world into chaos by increasing battle-noise until it’s unbearable for man. The only thing that helps drown out the noise is their own rage, their fury and their hate. As people come to realise this, they will begin to fight until the world descends into war and he, Homados, will grow more and more powerful. Ella, blind for two years and used to filtering out noise around her to calmly navigate her surroundings, is the heroine the world needs. Her quest – alongside her guide dog Miss Maisie, her best friend Finn, sister Poppy and River, a mysterious new kid at school – will see her journey to a remote island and encounter villains new and old. Written with Katy Birchall, a bestselling author in her own right – and brought to life by the atmospheric illustrations of Luna Valentine – Ella Jones vs the Battle Noise is an all-action and empowering thriller which celebrates the strength and resilience of young people and proves that disabilities are no barrier to greatness. Brimming with edge-of-your-seat tension, and unexpected twists and turns, this empathetic adventure story shows young people that disabilities do not have to hold you back and that the power of goodness is in the hands of anyone with the determination to succeed.
(Scholastic, paperback, £7.99)
Traitor Island
Tim Collins and Steven Wood
CATCH the aliens before they take over your mind! Climb aboard, test your sleuthing skills and learn to make your own decisions with this out-of-this-world, pick-your-own-path book which immerses readers in a gripping alien adventure. You are part of a research team who have been sent to another planet to collect plant samples. Just as you prepare to head back to Earth, an alien life form is detected on board your ship. You and the crew are placed on a quarantine island for seven days to check you’re safe. Arguments break out as the crew accuse each other of being infected. The island is a jungle, lush and hot, and a sense of paranoia soon sweeps through the group… who can you trust on the island and can you work out who the aliens are before your mind is taken over, too? The second book in an exciting series written by Manchester-born author Tim Collins and illustrated by Steven Wood, Traitor Island features a fast-paced, branching structure with over 40 possible endings. At the end of each page there are two distinct options that will take the reader on different paths through the action – meaning that the reader controls the narrative (and their destiny!) throughout. Twenty illustrated puzzle missions are woven into the story at key turning points so readers are fully immersed in the story. Featuring Collins’ gripping plot twists and Wood’s atmospheric black and white illustrations, this is a sky-high adventure offering fun at every turn of the page!
(Buster Books, paperback, £6.99)
Scarlet Morning
N D Stevenson
SHIVER me timbers, there’s a pirate adventure ahoy! Set sail
with an eccentric crew of pirates in a brilliant, world-building debut middle
grade romp from award-winning graphic novelist N D Stevenson, the Los
Angeles-based author and illustrator of Nimona and The Fire Never Goes Out. Scarlet Morning is the first book of an illustrated duology
and follows two orphans who leave the only home they’ve ever known to climb
aboard a pirate ship. Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for
fifteen boring years in the colourless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge
of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs… until one very stormy night when
Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the captain…
Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she
takes them too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur
might as well have a grand adventure to find them. Setting sail into the
treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must
uncover the facts behind legend and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea
from obliteration – before the truth tears them apart. Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime as Stevenson
plunges us into an epic journey full of magic, escapades, friendship,
atmospheric illustrations and thrilling worlds. Wickedly funny, featuring
danger and drama at every turn, and with emotions running as deep as the ocean,
Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths people
will undertake to save a world broken beyond repair. And don’t miss the boat
when the second adventure leaves port!
(Quill Tree Books, hardback, £14.99)
Which Way to the Future
Cressida Cowell
FOR twenty-five years, former Waterstones Children’s
Laureate and bestselling author of the How to Train Your Dragon series,
Cressida Cowell, had a magical story idea lying quietly in her shed, waiting patiently
for its time to shine. And when her Which Way to Anywhere trilogy burst on to the
shelves three years ago in a shower of out-of-this-world magic, marvellous
mapmaking, and a gallery of Cowell’s amazing, atmospheric artwork, it
immediately won heaps of critical acclaim. And now the charismatic, blended O’Hero-Smith family – with
their magical secret and a child with a powerful gift – set out on their final
spectacular thrill ride through breathtaking worlds. K2 O’Hero is a seemingly
ordinary boy but he has a magic gift... he can draw maps and jump through Which
Ways (shaped like an X) through space. He and his sister Izzabird, and step-siblings
Theo and Mabel Smith, live on Planet Earth which, in case you do not know it,
is a small, green little world, out on the end of a remote and rarely visited
Milky Way. All Magic was supposed to have disappeared from this particular
planet many centuries earlier but the O’Hero-Smith children have extraordinary
Magical Gifts that the universe has never seen before. But two of them don't
know it yet. What will Mabel and Izzabird's Gifts be and how will they navigate
an astonishing number of Bounty Hunters, a High Witch, Were-dread Enraptor of
the utmost cruelty, cunning and ambition, and three perilous tasks to reach the
end of their story? After all, there’s nothing like an adventure to find out
whether you are a Hero or not… Youngsters will be holding their breath as they join the
siblings for one last dazzling space journey through magic, maps, danger and
suspense in a story in which fantasy has no bounds. Cowell’s gift for
mesmerising world-building and her creation of characters you can see and hear
has been central to these action-packed adventures which come with her
trademark humour and rich imaginative powers. All galaxies lead to fun and
adventure in this magical trilogy masterpiece!
(Hodder Children’s
Books, hardback, £14.99)
Unbelievable!
Stephen Mulhern
ABRACADABRA! Discover over 30 incredible tricks for kids in an
unbelievably fascinating step-by-step guide from all-round entertainer and TV
personality Stephen Mulhern as he lifts the lid on the secrets of magic. Packed
with full colour artwork and inside stories direct from Mulhern, this is the perfect
gift book for every aspiring young magician and will bring magic into all the
family’s lives with tips, tricks and secrets. Mulhern has performed his very
own magic and one-man variety shows up and down the country for the past 12
years and here he reveals how magic can make your life fantastic, too! By
following the clear, step-by-step instructions, everyone can become a magician
and don't worry if something goes wrong or you feel nervous performing, Mulhern
has got you covered with useful top tips. Magic, he tells us, is so powerful
that it can build confidence, help you prepare for anything and spread
happiness like a beautiful gift. The thrilling world of magic awaits at the
turn of every page!
(Piccadilly Press, hardback, £12.99)
Bunny vs Monkey:
Intergalactic Monkey Business!
Jamie Smart
HOLD on to your hats and watch out for trouble… Bunny and
Monkey are back in their exhilarating remastered series which delivers all the
comedy and chaos of the daffy duo’s helter-skelter world, and is published for
the first time in book form! This outrageously funny new adventure in the super-popular
series features 213 pages of fast and furry-ous exuberant fun… plus some
entertaining draw-it-yourself activities. Bunny and Monkey are part of the Phoenix Presents series,
published by David Fickling Books in partnership with The Phoenix comic, which
goes from strength to strength, and much of that success is due to the genius
of the extraordinarily talented illustrator Jamie Smart whose comic-strip Bunny
vs Monkey books cause giant waves of laughter. So welcome back to the Woods where chaos reigns supreme once
more with the arrival of a new mischief-maker… Little Monkey, a smaller, cuter
and even stranger Monkey than our beloved chaos-causer. But as Bunny and
friends try to work out his motives, they are led far from the woods and into
outer space. And on Planet Monkey, the laughs are positively intergalactic! Laugh-out-loud comical and ingeniously addictive, these
manic, high-energy stories were just made for fidgety readers who like their
books to come with plenty of comic-strip pictures and loads of turbocharged
snorts and sniggers. Madcap antics for a new generation of action kids!
(David Fickling Books, hardback, £12.99)
Adventuremice: Mousehole to the Centre of the Earth
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
YOUNGSTERS love these meeces to pieces! The dream team of
author Philip Reeve and illustrator Sarah McIntyre pool their talents for the
new book in a simply delightful early reader series which has all the fun of TV
hit Paw Patrol, and the charm and whimsy of classics like The Wind in the
Willows. With its focus on fun, friendship and kindness, Adventuremice features
Pedro, a timid little mouse who has proved himself to be brave enough to join
the heroic team who protect the Mouse Islands from danger. In this new outing, the
Adventuremice go on a mission when Uncle Bernie turns up with his incredible
Mechanical Mole machine. Pedro and the crew burrow to an underground cave world
unlike anything they’ve ever seen. There are tiny, twisty trees, and even
tinier pterodactyls. But there's also a Hamstersaurus Rex on the loose! Can the
team save the nervous local cavemice from this giant predator, or is there more
to the creature than meets the eye? Reeve’s lively, heartwarming and fun-filled
storytelling delivers all those ingredients that children love – immersive
adventures, lovable heroes, reassuring friendships, exciting action and plenty
of smiles – and all brought to vibrant, colourful life by McIntyre’s
exquisitely characterful illustrations. A warm and whiskery favourite with
mouse lovers of every age!
(David Fickling Books, paperback, £6.99)
Iris and Luna: A School Full of Magic!
Aurora Quirón, Isabel Escalante and Chezalbi
MAGIC, baby animals, friendship and adventures! Here’s the
perfect gift for early readers who like their books to come with colour, fun
and a big helping of super-cuteness. What’s better than a unicorn? A baby
unicorn! What’s better than a puppy? A magical puppy! Join Iris and Luna at
Abracadabra School as they train to be magical baby animal keepers, in this enchanting
chapter book series written by Aurora Quirón and illustrated with pink and
black artwork by Isabel Escalante and Chezalbi. Iris and Luna are like night
and day. Iris likes rainbows, and Luna likes storms. However, they both have
something in common… their love for animals. That's why their specialty at
Abracadabra School is caring for magical creatures. As they meet their new
classmates and start their lessons, they wonder which special baby animal best
friend they will be matched with (Iris hopes for a baby unicorn, while Luna
loves kittens!) But one day, something mysterious happens to the baby unicorns
living in the school's forest. Can Iris, Luna and their friends solve the
mystery? With humour, school escapades and a whole host of unicorns, rainbows
and magic baby animals to enjoy, there could be no better addition to your
children’s party bags.
(Farshore, paperback, £6.99)
Emily Brown and the
Not-Very-Spooky Halloween
Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton
A GHOST who’s lost his spook makes a spectacular spectral
appearance in a new adventure for adorable duo Emily Brown and her sidekick
rabbit Stanley in bestselling author Cressida Cowell and award-winning
illustrator Neal Layton’s much-loved Emily Brown picture book series. Halloween
has arrived and Emily Brown and Stanley are trying on their costumes when they
hear a teeny-tiny ‘Boo!’ from the cupboard under the sink… it's a ghost! And
not just any ghost… the sweetest one they've ever seen. But this sweet little
ghostie is sad that he's Not-Very-Spooky, and he seems to be more frightened
than frightening. Can Emily and Stanley help him to be brave and discover his
spook? With Cowell’s fun-filled Halloween seasonal story, and Layton’s
heart-melting and joyful illustrations, these ghostly goings-on are perfect for
youngsters who like their scary stories to not be too scary!
(Hodder Children's Books, hardback, £12.99)
The Day the Jungle-net Broke
Marleen Lammers and Ian Smith
SWING through the trees and enjoy lots of monkey business in a clever
and comical picture book which introduces young children to the importance of
NOT spending too much time on their digital devices. Written with humour, heart
and wisdom by Marleen Lammers and gorgeously illustrated by the award-winning
Ian Smith, The Day the Jungle-net Broke follows Miles the Monkey who finds
himself unexpectedly with time on his hands when the jungle-net breaks. Miles panics.
Without his i-tree, how will he tree-time his family and how will he order
bananas from his Just Peel app? It feels disastrous. But with all this time on
his hands, and no screens around, Miles discovers that there’s a bit more to a
monkey’s good life than he had realised. Perfectly pitched to encourage
moderation, rather than demonising screens altogether, Lammers’ cute caper shows
youngsters what adventures are out there beyond our screens and that being
device-free can offer shared fun with your friends and family in lots of other
different ways.
(New Frontier Publishing, paperback, £8.99)
Weather Tots: Bowie Joins the Team & Blizz Builds a Snowman
Caroline Crowe and Nia Gould
RAIN or shine they’re here to play, what will the weather tots do today? Say hello to the Weather Tots, the lovable stars of a delightful series of picture books about a charismatic group of young weather characters who are discovering their incredible powers through fun-filled and informative adventures. Written by Caroline Crowe and illustrated by Nia Gould, Weather Tots is the perfect series to intrigue young children to the different types of weather. In Bowie Joins the Team, the Weather Tots can’t wait to meet their new classmate Bowie, but why is he so hard to find?
(Oxford University Press, paperback, £7.99 each)
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