Finn is on a school trip in the French Alps with his friend Milo (the ‘Professor’) when he falls into a glacier and discovers a mysterious egg. Later that night the egg begins to hatch, Finn thinks this could be his big break into becoming a YouTuber, so he films it. But he could never have anticipated what actually emerges – an extinct, 65 million-year-old, flying dinosaur called a microraptor. Arty (Artemis) the microraptor immediately imprints on Finn but they hardly have any time to bond before their hotel room is under siege by mercenaries trying to steal the microraptor, and Finn, Milo ..read more

When James’ mum announces she is finally going to participate in the annual Summerlake Primary School Cake Competition, he is thrilled. But also suspicious since she has never participated before. Then James finds out that his mum is moving out and his parents are getting a divorce. He doesn’t understand how this has happened and why they can’t just work things out. He remembers all the good times they had together as a family, and wishes he could go back in time to when everything used to be perfect. And then he meets Yan who claims to have a time machine.  While James is obsessed with ..read more

Eleven-year-old Una has lived in a children’s home for two years since her parents died and she had to leave her beloved lighthouse. When the Smiths arrive and decide to adopt her, she is thrilled, and excited to live next to the sea once again, but their grand old house, Copperlins, is a little strange. No one else in the village will go near it, it used to be the home of a dollmaker and so the house is full of antique dolls and parts and, in the middle of the night, Una hears creaking noises from the unused second story of the house. But there are plenty of positive things to distract her ..read more

Inspired by the same legends that informed Wilkie Collins’s ‘The Moonstone’, ‘Secrets of the Snakestone’ is a thrilling, pitch-perfect middle grade adventure set in the streets and the sewers of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century. Zélie has been sent away from her family in India to live in Paris and work as a maid. But when a boy appears out of the sewers with a mysterious locket belonging to her father, the two children are swept up in a breathtaking mystery involving a cursed stone, a dark secret society and a vibrant cast of circus performers. There is also, very importantly, a b ..read more

When Tuva comes back to school after the summer holidays, she’s dismayed to realise that some things have changed in her friendship group. Now she is in seventh grade they are allowed to go into the woods behind the school at lunch and Tuva and her friend Bao are really excited to build dens and enjoy themselves, but their other friend, Linnea, has a new boyfriend and is not interested in joining them. The girls in Tuva’s class seem to have split into two groups, Tuva thinks she’d like to fall in love and have a boyfriend but she also loves building dens and playing in the woods – she feels ..read more

Lilian’s first night at her new boarding school is interrupted by a sinister tapping on the walls and her roommates tell her the story of ‘Cold Mary’ (a brilliantly spine-chilling invention!) – the ghost of a former student who haunts their dormitory. But this is not the only strange thing going on at Shadowhall Academy. With the help of her new friends, Angela, Marian and Serena, Lilian must investigate the mysterious happenings and solve a centuries-old curse.  This is a fantastically fun and creepy ghost story, from the author of the ‘Haunting of Aveline Jones’ series, perfect for th ..read more

The starling observes how lovely the landscape is as he flies above and decides to sing a song about it. But when he tells the other birds, they urge him not to forget other elements of natural beauty in the world like the trees, the water and life itself. Together they look closely and see it all.  The book is gorgeously illustrated with striking woodcut images in black and white with pops of yellow for the starling’s beak and feet.  ‘The Starling’s Song’ is a celebration of nature and a lyrical exhortation to look around us and appreciate the natural world, perfect for fans of Ch ..read more

This beautiful picture book for older children is a menagerie of bizarre and mysterious beasts from mythologies all over the world. It explains the origins of some creatures you have heard of (the phoenix, the mermaid, the dragon) as well as some that might be new to you like the Japanese elephant-tusked Baku who eats your bad dreams, the giant crocodile Cipactli with mouths on all of its joints, and the terrifying swallowing monster from Lesotho – the Khodumodumo.  In addition to the fascinating information, compelling ink and watercolour illustrations create ethereal and yet vivid man ..read more

Seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest is the youngest member of the notorious Quest Crime family and she has been trained in the criminal arts since she was a small child by her ruthless mother. When she receives a mysterious email inviting her to compete in the Thieves Gambit, she ignores it at first. But when she finds herself in an impossible situation, she signs up and is whisked away on a private plan to an undisclosed location to join up with several other criminal teens to compete in a winner-takes-all heist competition. The winner gets a wish – something that Rosalyn desperately needs. Bu ..read more

Autumn has always been able to see ghosts, like her friend Jack – a Victorian chimney sweep, but when her Dad tragically dies, there’s no sign of his ghost anywhere. And even worse, his will compels Autumn and her Mum to leave their home in London and move to a tiny, stormy Cornish island called Imber. Imber, unlike London, is surprisingly devoid of ghosts. Autumn enjoys the peace and quiet, and even makes her first real-live friend, but the island is hiding a sinister secret and time is running out for her to unravel the mystery of the witchstones. ‘The Witchstone Ghosts’ is a dark and capt ..read more