Recommended Reads for Year 6

Classics

Holes

Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn't green and doesn't have a lake), it's not exactly a surprise. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole each, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it builds character, but this is a lie.

It’s up to Stanley to dig up the truth. A masterpiece of storytelling that combines sly humour with irresistible, page-turning writing.

Skellig

The bestselling story about love, loss and hope that launched David Almond as one of the best children's writers of today. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread children's book of the Year Award. When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.

Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital.

But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever . . .

The Animals of Farthing Wood

Both heart-wrenching and heart-warming, The Animals of Farthing Wood is a classic story of animal adventure and the fight for survival. ‘We must all find a new home. Now – before it’s too late!’ Farthing Wood is being bulldozed, and there’s a drought.

Fox, Badger, Toad, Tawny Owl, Mole and the other animals must band together and set off to a far-away nature reserve. Their journey is full of adventure and fraught with disasters, and the animals must work together to survive. The Animals of Farthing Wood is one of the most popular animal stories in children’s literature

Matilda

The much-loved Roald Dahl story, updated for a whole new generation of readers with an exciting new interior design and cover look. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone. Matilda is a brilliant child with a magical mind.

But her parents have decided she's just a nuisance who wastes too much time on reading and stories. And her headmistress Miss Trunchbull is a terrible bully, who thinks children are rotten and awful and should be locked up. Now it's time for Matilda to find the power to change her story, and show them just how extraordinary children can be .

The text in this edition of Matilda was updated in 2022 for young independent readers.

Stormbreaker

In the first book in the number one bestselling Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, fourteen-year-old Alex is forcibly recruited into MI6. Armed with secret gadgets, he is sent to investigate Herod Sayle, a man who is offering state-of-the-art Stormbreaker computers to every school in the country.

But the teenage spy soon finds himself in mortal danger.

Fantasy

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider. To be one of the lucky few selected to hatch a unicorn. To bond with it for life; to train together and race for glory; to be a hero.   But just as Skandar’s dream is about to come true, things start to take a more dangerous turn than he could ever have imagined.

A dark and twisted enemy has stolen the Island’s most powerful unicorn – and as the threat grows ever closer, Skandar discovers a secret that could blow apart his world forever . . .

The Kingdom Over the Sea

My own Yara, if you are reading this, then something terrible has happened, and you are on your own. To return to the city of Zehaira, you must read out the words on the back of this letter . . .

Good luck, my brave girl. When Yara’s mother passes away, she leaves behind a letter and a strange set of instructions. Yara must travel from the home she has always known to a place that is not on any map – Zehaira, a world of sorcerers, alchemists and simmering magic.

But Zehaira is not the land it used to be. The practice of magic has been outlawed, the Sultan’s alchemists are plotting a sinister scheme – and the answers Yara is searching for seem to be out of reach. Yara must summon all of her courage to discover the truth about her mother’s past and her own identity… and to find her place in this magical new world.

Skulduggery Pleasant

He's Dead. She's Deadly. The bad guys don't stand a chance.

There is a hidden world of magic and monsters, of secret histories and ancient gods. Stephanie was built for it. Stephanie was born for it.

But can she survive it? Her only hope lies with Skulduggery Pleasant, the skeleton detective, a wisecracking genius with a past as dark as Stephanie's future…

Amari and the Night Brothers

Amari Peters knows three things. Her big brother Quinton has gone missing. No one will talk about it. His mysterious job holds the secret… So when Amari gets an invitation to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain this is her chance to find Quinton.

But first she has to get her head around the new world of the Bureau, where mermaids, aliens and magicians are real, and her roommate is a weredragon. Amari must compete against kids who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives, and when each trainee is awarded a special supernatural talent, Amari is given an illegal talent – one that the Bureau views as dangerous. With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is the enemy, Amari has never felt more alone.

But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton …

The Boy Who Fell From the Sky

Twelve-year-old Zed has always been fascinated by the Demons that fall from the sky. His whole life his dad has worked as a Hunter, tasked with eliminating Demons once and for all, and Zed hopes to one day follow in his footsteps.

But then one night Spark appears and disrupts everything Zed thought he knew. Because this Demon is nothing like the myths – he’s a frightened boy, no older than Zed, who wants to go back home.   Can Zed stand up for what’s right, even if it means going against his own family?

Adventure

The Explorer

From his seat in the tiny aeroplane, Fred watches as the mysteries of the Amazon jungle pass by below him. He has always dreamed of becoming an explorer, of making history and of reading his name amongst the lists of great discoveries.

If only he could land and look about him. As the plane crashes into the canopy, Fred is suddenly left without a choice. He and the three other children may be alive, but the jungle is a vast, untamed place.

With no hope of rescue, the chance of getting home feels impossibly small. Except, it seems, someone has been there before them …

Escape Room

The latest mind-blowing novel from award-winning author Christopher Edge, Escape Room is a thrilling adventure that challenges readers to think about what they've done to save the world today. When twelve-year-old Ami arrives at The Escape, she thinks it's just a game - the ultimate escape room with puzzles and challenges to beat before time runs out. Meeting her teammates, Adjoa, Ibrahim, Oscar and Min, Ami learns from the Host that they have been chosen to save the world and they must work together to find the Answer.

But as he locks them inside the first room, they quickly realise this is no ordinary game. From a cavernous library of dust to an ancient Mayan tomb, a deserted shopping mall stalked by extinct animals to the command module of a spaceship heading to Mars, the perils of The Escape seem endless. Can Ami and her friends find the Answer before it's too late?

Time Travelling with a Hamster

“My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty nine and again four years later when he was twelve.”

On Al Chaudhury’s twelfth birthday his beloved Grandpa Byron gives him a letter from Al’s late father. In it Al receives a mission: travel back to 1984 in a secret time machine and save his father’s life. Al soon discovers that time travel requires daring and imagination.

It also requires lies, theft, setting his school on fire and ignoring philosophical advice from Grandpa Byron. All without losing his pet hamster, Alan Shearer… Time Travelling With a Hamster is a funny, heart-warming race-against-time – and across generations – adventure that you will won’t be able to put down.

Noah’s Gold

Being the smallest doesn't stop you having the biggest ideas.

Eleven-year old Noah sneaks along on his big sister's geography field trip. But everything goes wrong! Six kids are marooned on an uninhabited island. Their teacher has vanished. They're hungry. Their phones don't work and Noah has broken the internet. There's no way of contacting home… Disaster!

Until Noah discovers a treasure map and the gang goes in search of gold.

Maisie Vs Antarctica

Filled with humour, heart and a touch of the supernatural, this first book in a brilliant new series takes you on a non-stop adventure in Antarctica, perfect for the most intrepid of readers!Maisie thinks her dad is the most boring person in the world. For fun he likes to do origami (but only basic triangles) or jigsaw puzzles of a cloudless sky (yep, every piece is blue). He writes cool-sounding books like How To Wrestle A Crocodile and How To Defuse A Bomb, but he's never actually done any of the awesome things he writes about.

But Maisie has to admit weird things happen around Dad. Unexplainable things...When childcare falls through and Dad has to take Maisie to Antarctica to research his next book, How To Survive In Antarctica, Maisie realises there is definitely something unusual about Dad... Maisie is determined to find out the truth about her dad.

What she doesn't realise is that she'll discover some things about herself and what it really means to be a hero along the way. One thing is for sure - it's going to be the adventure of a lifetime!

Mystery

Troofriend

Imagine having the perfect friend, one who never steals, lies or bullies. Now you can, with the TrooFriend 560, the latest in artificial intelligence! What can go wrong with a robot buddy? Especially one that's developing human characteristics and feelings, and who has just run away with her human?A topical and sinister middle-grade novel about artificial intelligence

Orphans of the Tide

he City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop.

When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos. Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent. But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever.

To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret . . .

Crater Lake

Who is the mysterious bloodstained man who stops their coach? Why is no one around when Lance and the rest of Year Six arrive at the brand new Crater Lake activity centre? But this is just the beginning of the school trip from hell; a fight for survival that sees five pupils band together to save their classmates from an alien fate far worse than death. But whatever happens, they must Never. Ever.

Fall asleep!

Fake

In a digital world it's hard to know what's real. Imagine a world where your only friends are virtual, and big tech companies control access to food, healthcare and leisure. This is Jess's world.

But when she turns fourteen, Jess can go to school with other children for the first time. Most of them hate the 'real' world, but Jess begins to question whether the digital world is 'perfect' after all. Back home, her sister Chloe's life-saving medication is getting ever more expensive.

Determined to help, Jess risks everything by using skills forbidden in the cyber-world, only to stumble on something explosive. Something that will turn her whole world upside down. It's up to Jess to figure out exactly what is real, and what is fake - Chloe's survival depends on it.

The Clockwork Conspiracy

Aspiring inventor Isaac Turner lives with his dad, the horologist in charge of Big Ben. But when his father vanishes from the belfry on the night the clocks go back, leaving behind only a smashed pocket watch and a cryptic message, Isaac determines to find him.

Hunting a trail of clues through London’s landmarks, Isaac uncovers a sinister plot in the gears of government and embarks on a race against time to save his father – and time itself.

Funny

The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh

Billy Plimpton is an eleven-year-old boy with a big dream. He wants to be a stand-up comedian when he grows up: delivering pinpoint punch-lines and having audiences hang on his every hilarious word. A tough career for anyone, but surely impossible for Billy, who has a stammer.

How will he find his voice, if his voice won't let him speak? The idea for this story came from Helen Rutter's son, who has a stammer: she wanted to write the book that he would love to read, starring a child like him

Something I Said

For thirteen-year-old Carmichael Taylor, life is one big joke - in a good way.

He just can't understand why no one else seems to find everything as funny as he does. When Car is filmed stumbling into performing a piece of hilarious stand-up at the school talent show - targeting his family, school and friends - the footage ends up creating international infamy. But with the promise of fame and fortune comes trouble, and it's up to Car to decide what or who he's willing to risk to chase his comedy dream.

Get ready to laugh at life with this heart-warming, unashamedly honest and hilarious look at family, friendship and what really matters.

The Race Against Crime

Strap yourselves in for the crime-solving adventure of a lifetime, from bestselling and award-winning author Jenny Pearson. Evie Clutterbuck is on the starting line of the most famous, most extraordinary car race in the whole world - the Speedwheels 3000. There are just two small problems:* Evie's not supposed to have snuck into her dad's car boot.

* And four million pounds worth of stolen gold isn't supposed to be in there either... With both cops and robbers on their tail, can Evie and her dad solve the mystery of the missing gold before it's too late? Or are their hopes of becoming the Ultimate Speedwheels Racing Champions about to go speeding by...

Murder! By Narwhal!

When the tyrannical family patriarch Sir Ignatious Gristle is murdered on his 90th birthday at his country estate, every one of his gathered family members is a suspect. Trapped by a snowstorm with no way to contact the police, it's up to his mettlesome granddaughter, Edna, and her trusted tortoise, Charles Darwin, to determine whodunnit!Full of head-scratching clues, page-turning twists and a lot people acting suspiciously this is the first in a funny, spoofy middle-grade murder mystery series from bestselling author Alex T.

The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff

This laugh-out-loud book is bursting with lists, facts, jokes and funny true stories all about silly people, silly animals, silly inventions, silly names and much more. Discover The Great Stink, the man who ate a bike, a girl really called Lorna Mower and a sofa that can do 101mph. Find out about famous pranks, crazy festivals, nutty cats, gross foods, epic sports fails, ludicrously silly words and really rubbish predictions.

There are even lots of great silly things to do. Unmissable!

Historical Fiction

Darwin’s Dragons

Syms Covington has landed the job of a lifetime - cabin boy and fiddler on Charles Darwin's Beagle - but when he is separated from the crew during a storm, his life takes a truly extraordinary turn. Shipwrecked on a Galapagos island, he makes a discovery that could change the world - and make his fortune.

But should he share his find, or will it lead to the extinction of a legendary species? There's one person who could help, but he's busy writing a book ... Based on a true story and Charles Darwin's real journal!

When the Sky Falls

The multi-award-winning story about the incredible friendship between a young boy and a silverback gorilla in the Second World War, inspired by a true story. 1941. War is raging.

And Joseph has been sent to live in the city, where bombers rule the skies. There, he will live with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no fondness for children. Her only loves are the rundown zoo she owns and its mighty silverback gorilla, Adonis.

As the weeks pass, Joseph and Adonis become friends, but what will happen when the bombers set him rampaging free?

Who Let the Gods Out

When Elliot wishes upon a star, he doesn't expect a constellation to crash into a dungheap on his family farm. The star is Virgo. She thinks she's perfect. Elliot doesn't. And together they release Thanatos, evil Daemon of Death... epic fail. They need the King of the Gods and his noble steed. Instead, they get a chubby Zeus and his high horse Pegasus.

Are the Gods really ready to save the world? And is the world really ready for the Gods?

Resist

Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on life under wartime occupation, in a beautifully told story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn. As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement.

After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?

Private Peaceful

Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller ‘Full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is to be alive’ Sunday Times As young Thomas Peaceful looks back over his childhood from the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life deep in the countryside. But the clock is ticking, and every moment Tommo spends remembering how things used to be, means another moment closer to something that will change his life for ever.

Our World

The Last Bear

‘This is an important first novel, important for us, for polar bears, for the planet. It is deeply moving, beautifully told, quite unforgettable’ Michael Morpurgo.

There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months.

But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life … This moving story will win the hearts of children the world over and show them that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference.

The Last Bear is a celebration of the love between a child and an animal, a battle cry for our world and an irresistible adventure with a heart as big as a bear’s.

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door

Daisy Thistledown has escaped from boarding school and has a mystery to solve. Her search for her missing mother will lead her across London and through a hidden doorway to another world, filled with plants and bursting with magic: the Greenwild.

But all is not well in this astonishing land. Before long Daisy finds herself confronting a dangerous presence that threatens green magic on both sides of the door. Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk to animals, and a cat with an attitude, to channel the power that can revive the Greenwild and find her missing mother - and save her own world too.

Embark on an unforgettable adventure through the Greenwild, in this enchanting fantasy with an environmental twist.

Melt

United by greed and self-interest. But not their own. A boy lives in a remote, snow-bound village with his elderly grandmother.

Their traditional way of life is threatened by the changing snow and ice: it melts faster every year. When the sea-ice collapses while he is out hunting, he only just escapes with his life and is left stranded in the Arctic tundra. Meanwhile a girl is trying to adapt to another new school.

Her father promises his new job at an oil company will mean they never have to move again, but not long after he starts, his behaviour becomes odd and secretive. When their fates take a drastic turn the girl's world collides with the boy's and they find themselves together in a desperate search for survival, and for the truth.

The Shark Caller

"I want to be able to call the sharks. Teach me the magic and show me the ways."Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing's island.

At first, the girls are too angry to share their secrets and become friends. But when the tide breathes the promise of treasure, they must journey together to the bottom of the ocean to brave the deadliest shark of them all...

Ajay and the Mumbai Sun

Abandoned on the Mumbai railways, Ajay has grown up with nothing but a burning wish to be a journalist. Finding an abandoned printing press, he and his friends Saif, Vinod, Yasmin and Jai create their own newspaper: The Mumbai Sun. As they hunt down stories for their paper, the children uncover corruption, fight for justice and battle to save their slum from bulldozers.

But against some of the most powerful forces in the city, can Ajay and his friends really succeed in bringing the truth to light? Not to mention win the most important cricket match ever... 

A high-stakes adventure story full of heart, written against the backdrop of modern India.

Affirmation

A Kind of Spark

A Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there's more to the story of these 'witches', just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?A story about friendship, courage and self-belief,

The Boy at the Back of the Class

There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He's a refugee who's run away from a War. A real one.

With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help ... That's where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in.

Because you see, together we've come up with a plan...'On a perfectly ordinary school day, something extraordinary happens: a boy with pale skin, lion eyes and a tattered red rucksack walks in. Unable to speak English and seated at the back of the class, Ahmet 'the refugee kid' becomes the perfect target for bullies and rumours alike. But Ahmet has also captured the attention and empathy of a fellow classmate, who will do anything to help him find his family.

Even if that involves a plan - or five, and the Queen herself!Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child's perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn't always make sense.

The Boy in the Suit

It's not easy to fit in when you're the boy in the suit... Ten-year-old Solo - embarrassingly, that isn't short for anything - just wants to be normal. He wants a name that doesn't stand out.

He wishes he had a proper school uniform that fitted him. He dreams about a mum who doesn't get the Big Bad Reds, like his mum Morag. But most of all he longs to stop crashing funerals for the free food.

But when Solo and Morag crash the funeral of a celebrity and get caught, the press are there to witness their humiliation. The next day it's splashed across the papers. Before Solo knows it, he becomes a viral sensation, and life may never be normal again.

Solo's uphill pursuit of security, community and connection will break your heart and then mend it.

How to Roller Skate with One Leg

When Maya finds a list she made before losing her leg, she decides she's still going to do everything on it - even though her former bestie has ditched her for the cool kids. Before she turns 13, she's going to . .

. * Get her ears double-pierced * Learn how to roller-skate* Stay up all night at a sleepover* Go viral* Have the best birthday party ever* MAKE HER EX-BEST-FRIEND SOPHIE REALISE WHAT SHE'S MISSING!!!

This funny and uplifting story by journalist and amputee Ella Dove is a celebration of friendship, family and overcoming adversity.

Ella on the Outside

Ella is the new girl at school. She doesn't know anyone and she doesn't have any friends. And she has a terrible secret.

Ella can't believe her luck when Lydia, the most popular girl in school, decides to be her new best friend - but what does Lydia really want? And what does it all have to do with Molly, the quiet, shy girl who won't talk to anyone?A gripping story of lies, friendship, and blackmail...

Non Fiction

A Really Short Journey Through the Body

This book will teach you EVERYTHING you need to know about the machine that is YOU. From your astonishing brain to your hard-working heart.

Get ready for the BIG questions, like:How many muscles do you move playing Fortnight? (A twitch of a thumb on the controller uses TEN muscles)Are chillis actually HOT? (Short answer: no. We’ve been fooled by a plant.)How far can we sneeze? (Your sneeze droplets can reach up to eight meters – which means you could sneeze over an entire class.)You’ll also meet people like Chevalier Jackson, who collected things that people had swallowed by accident (for science, of course). And learn about why we poo (and why it smells).

Packed with facts, history and humour, this beautifully illustrated book, from global bestselling science and history author Bill Bryson (ask your mum, he’s the one with the beard), will help you understand the secrets to our bodies and brains.

Choose Your Own Evolution

Evolution as you've never seen it before! An incredible pick-your-own-path adventure through the story of life on Earth. Think of an animal, any animal at all. It could be a shark, a squid, a snail, or even a human like you! Every single animal has a secret history.

A death-defying adventure that has happened across millions of years, called evolution. On every page, you will discover a new animal with its own exciting story to tell. It's up to YOU to make the decisions that will lead to their next evolutionary step.

Can you survive to the present-day or will you face extinction along the way? Will you grow a backbone, take to the skies, or dive deeper for your dinner? For the first time ever, the journey is in your hands . . .

This unique book features ferociously funny and brilliantly accessible science from zoologist, author and TV presenter Jules Howard. Meet chimpanzees and chickens, Tyrannosaurus rexes and tigers, with over 50 different animal endings to discover. The perfect introduction to the awe-inspiring story of life on Earth.

Earth Heroes

When faced with climate change, the biggest threat that our planet has ever confronted, it's easy to feel as if nothing you do can really make a difference… but this book proves that individual people can change the world. With twenty inspirational stories celebrating the pioneering work of a selection of Earth Heroes from all around the globe, from Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough to Yin Yuzhen and Isatou Ceesay, each tale is a beacon of hope in the fight for the future of our planet, proving that one person, no matter how small, can make a difference.

You Are a Champion

I want to show you how you can be a champion in almost anything you put your mind to. Marcus Rashford MBE is famous worldwide for his skills both on and off the pitch – but before he was a Manchester United and England footballer, and long before he started his inspiring campaign to end child food poverty, he was just an ordinary kid from Wythenshawe, South Manchester. Now the nation's favourite footballer wants to show YOU how to achieve your dreams, in this positive and inspiring guide for life.

Written with journalist Carl Anka, You Are a Champion is packed full of stories from Marcus’s own life, plus brilliant advice and top-tips from performance psychologist Katie Warriner. It will show you how to be the very BEST that you can be. It shows kids how to:- Be comfortable with who you are – you can't be a champion until you're happy being you!- Dream big- Practise like a champion- Get out of your comfort zone and learn from your mistakes- Navigate adversity in a positive way- Find your team- Use your voice and stand up for others- Never stop learning

Graphic Novels

New Kid

New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft.  Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one.

Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

Global

This is a powerful, hopeful and timely story about the real effects of climate change: two young people on different continents whose lives are catastrophically changed by global warming. A graphic novel with glorious colour artwork throughout for children of all ages - from Eoin Colfer, previously Irish Children's Laureate, and the team behind Illegal, and his bestselling Artemis Fowl graphic novels. Yuki lives in an increasingly deserted Inuit township in Nova Scotia.

One day she sets out into the wilderness of the Arctic tundra planning to photograph a rare grolar bear (a terrifying grizzly-polar crossbreed created by climate change) - if she can prove it's a grolar, she can protect it from being shot. With only her faithful dog for company and adrift on a fragment of melting glacier, she finds herself being stalked across the changing wilderness by a starving grolar bear, with only her wits and her harpoon to keep her alive. Sami lives in a fishing village on the Bay of Bengal.

But because of the ever-rising ocean level, each day is a struggle to survive. One night, Sami sets out to return to his old, submerged family home, alone. He takes a deep breath and dives beneath the moonlit waters, hoping to find his past.

But a cyclone is coming ...

The Last Kids on Earth

‘Forty-two days ago I was an ordinary kid, living an uneventful life. But now it’s TOTAL MONSTER ZOMBIE CHAOS and I’m battling beasts on a daily basis. Crazy, right? But I know exactly how to make it through the zombie apocalypse.’ Meet Jack Sullivan, self-described as a late-blooming, slow-developing 13-year-old who has so far survived the zombie apocalypse by hiding out in his treehouse.

Overnight Jack’s life has become like the plot of a video game and he has come up with his own ULTIMATE FEATS OF APOCALYPTIC SUCCESS: · Locate Quint Baker, best friend and inventor· Find and rescue June Del Toro, his secret love interest· Defeat Blarg, the biggest, baddest monster in town· Become a zombie-fighting, monster-bashing tornado of cool!

Meesh the Bad Demon

When Meesh banded together with Fairy Princess Nouna to save the underworld, she never expected she'd have to . . .

do it again someday. Though, as Meesh grows into her newly discovered destiny as the Guardian of the world, she figured there would be a few minor rescues, maybe some crime-fighting here or there. But before long, her new friend Chai's family is forced out of their home by an evil force who threatens to destroy all of wolf-kind if they dare stay.

Meesh suspects the same masked villain she faced before is behind all of this, but will she be able to stop them before it's too late?

Poetry

The Final Year

See that tall, skinny kid with the ball in his handsayin see ya later to his mate?That’s me:Nathan WilderNate.  10 years oldand a week away from the end of Year 5.  Life can be tough in your last year of primary school.

Tests to take, preparing for the change to high school. Nate is ready for it all, knowing his best friend PS is at his side - they’ve been inseparable since Nursery. But when they are put in two different classes and PS finds a new friend in Turner, the school bully, Nate's world turns upside-down.

As he struggles to make sense of this and forge new friendships, he’s dealt another blow when his youngest brother, Dylan is rushed into hospital. His new teacher, Mr Joshua, sees a spark inside of Nate that’s lit by his love of reading and writing and shows him how to use this to process what’s going on. But with so much working against him, and anger rising inside him, will this be enough?A powerful and lyrical story about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it.

The Stories Grandma Forgot

"Grandma Farida is losing her memory - 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 supermarket, Nyla wonders if she is 'time-travelling' again - the phrase she uses when Grandma forgets.

But when Grandma asks Nyla to find her dad and bring him home, Nyla promises that she will. As Nyla sets out on her journey, she hopes that uncovering the past will help her to understand the mystery at the heart of her family ... and to work out who she is.

A page-turning verse novel about memory and identity, and a bond that soars above all else.

Life

“While up in the air, warm and bright, Feathery creatures with wings took flight. Soaring high in the blissful breeze,And deep in the wind whipped waves of the seas.”From tiny dots of microscopic bacteria to enormous dinosaurs. Through the Ice Ages and the gallop of evolution.

From cavemen to cars, discover how our world began. Elli Woollard's lyrical text is a pitch-perfect blend of storytelling, science and wonder.

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!

This lavishly illustrated gift book treasury of 366 animal poems - one for every day of the year - ranges from unforgettable classics to contemporary works from around the world, including poetry in translation. The spectacular range of poems for children includes work by Roger McGough, William Blake, Dick King-Smith, Ted Hughes, Grace Nichols, Lewis Carroll, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson. Britta Teckentrup's breathtaking illustrations bring together all the richness and wonder of the animal kingdom, making this poetry anthology a perfect gift that will be treasured by generations.

Non Linear Novels

The Tale of Truthwater Lake

The future has a lot to learn from the past in this time-travelling adventure that explores the before and after of global warming. On one side of the underwater street is the remains of a house. It's beautiful here, and eerie, a lost kingdom, a ghost village…

It's the near-future and Britain is having yet another heatwave. Of course, the government have put in the normal curfews for this kind of weather, and shops are forced to shut again. For Polly, it's the sort of heat that makes her do wild, out-of-character things just to cool down. Like face her fear of deepwater. Essential when she and her brother have been sent to their aunt's eco lake-side house for the summer. But Truthwater Lake is beginning to dry up. As the water level diminishes, a lost village emerges. Swimming over the rooftops at midnight, Polly dives down and is suddenly able to breathe, to hear church bells and bird song… Polly has discovered an underwater gateway .

Running Out of Time

I can steal time. The most I can take at the moment is fifteen seconds, which is not a lot.

Grandmother took almost three minutes once and she told me she's done more, but I never saw it. She says there are stories of someone who can take all the time in the world, but how can that be right?When Alex and his father are forced to flee their home to escape a brutal government, they begin a life-threatening journey across Europe. But when they are separated before they can reach Britain, Alex finds himself alone, with only his extraordinary gift to keep him alive. Running out of Time is an ingenious, high-concept thriller with a twist that you won't believe.

The Nowhere Emporium

When the mysterious Nowhere Emporium arrives in Glasgow, orphan Daniel Holmes stumbles upon it quite by accident. Before long, the 'shop from nowhere' -- and its owner, Mr Silver -- draw Daniel into a breathtaking world of magic and enchantment.

Recruited as Mr Silver's apprentice, Daniel learns the secrets of the Emporium's vast labyrinth of passageways and rooms -- rooms that contain wonders beyond anything Daniel has ever imagined. But when Mr Silver disappears, and a shadow from the past threatens everything, the Emporium and all its wonders begin to crumble. Can Daniel save his home, and his new friends, before the Nowhere Emporium is destroyed forever?

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright

When Albie's mum dies, it's natural he should wonder where she's gone.

His parents are both scientists and they usually have all the answers. Dad mutters something about Albie's mum being alive and with them in a parallel universe. So Albie finds a box, his mum's computer and a rotting banana, and sends himself through time and space to find her...