CLASH
Colin Mulhern

Alex: Underground cage-fighter and school psycho. Kyle: Talented artists and classroom joker. When these two collide a catastrophic sequence of events unfold…

‘Mulhern is definitely the next name in tense, gritty teenage fiction’ ANTHONY MCGOWAN

VISIT COLIN’S WEBSITE

THIRSTFORFICTION REVIEWS CLASH

9781846471162   |   £6.99   |   12+

MILICENT’S BOOK
Charlotte Moore

Scatty, dreamy and untidy, 14-year-old Milicent is the youngest of the recently orphaned Ludlow children. In a journal to her future self, Milicent writes uninhibitedly about family secrets and stories in episodes that are by turn lyrical, joyful, shocking and tragic.

9781846470806   |   £6.99   |   9+

WHITE CHIN
Marilyn Edwards
Illustrations by France Bauduin

Abandoned as a young cat, White Chin knows he must hunt for his supper and fight for a place to sleep, and soon adapts to the ways of the wood and the animals that live there. Yet there are all sorts of dangers in the wild and when one threatens all the animals of the woods, White Chin is forced to seek a human home once more.
 
But can he ever trust people again?

CLICK HERE TO VISIT MARILYN’S WEBSITE

CLICK HERE TO VISIT FRANCE’S WEBSITE

9781846471056   |   £6.99   |   9+

Edwin all-round loser and the only child in the Spencer family who isn’t a massive brainiac, discovers another world when he’s sucked through a fiery vortex. Hysteria is a world in which Edwin can pass for a prince, where magic and science work together and… wizards put snails in their ears?!

“Adventure, time-travel, parallel worlds and laugh-out-loud humour – what more could you want?” TBK MAG

“Fresh, relevant, timeless.” Lauren St John, author of The White Giraffe

Jinny walked on, seeing the hills sleeked smooth after the day’s sun and the far, mirror glint of the sea. Yet, more clearly than any of these, she saw the reaching neck of the Arab, her winnowing fringe of mane and her ears alive to the sound of her rider’s voice as Jinny rode her home to Finmory.

Follow wilful Jinny Manders to the wilds of Finmory in the Scottish Highlands and fall in love with free spirit, Shantih.

For Love of a Horse: 9781846471063
A Devil to Ride: 9781846471070
The Summer Riders: 9781846471124
Night of the Red Horse: 9781846471155
Gallop to the Hills: 9781846471223
Horse in a Million: 9781846471254

Maphead

WINNER OF THE GUARDIAN CHILDREN’S FICTION AWARD AND HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR THE CARNEGIE

MapHead, a visitor from the Subtle World has come to Earth to meet his mother for the first time, yet finds modern society bewildering. He can flash up a map of any place across his head, but the rhythms of human speech are quite alien to him. It is the language of the heart, though, about which he has most to learn if he is truly to find his power.

9781846471209   |    9+   |   £5.99

Swarf

Ant poked the Swarf with a stick. The car wasn’t out of petrol. It was just that petrol had changed.

What would you do if cars were clogged and diesel dried up? If your Nan was sick – really sick – and she needed help? Would you wait for help to arrive? Or would you get her to hospital any way you could?

Ant is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and the truths he learns along the way – about himself, his family and the mysterious arrival of Swarf – will not only change his life, they will change the world.
 

9781846471032   |   £5.99   |   9+

BODYSWAP: The boy who was 84
L.P. Howarth

Will Dudgeon is thirteen years old when his body is stolen. Suddenly he’s the oldest man he’s ever seen. At least he’s inherited the right job. At Nettlefold and Dad Funeral Directors he can offer really wicked, wedged, full-on, top-dog, superfine funerals, best and plushest on the terrace! But for how long? Can Will persuade the century-hopping Hornbeam to give him his young body back, or will his next funeral be his own?

A very dark but funny adventure, this is 21st century gothic for kids by an author with a totally unique voice.

Shortlisted for The Leeds Book Awards

9781846470752   |   £5.99   |   9+

Elfie, the eleventh orphan in Ma and Pa Bigsby’s pub The Pig and Whistle, is the star of these stories. Elfie is many things: outspoken, fiercely loyal, independent-minded and impulsive, whereas her best friend, Joe is anything but. Together the two find themselves drawn into three different and baffling mysteries surrounding Elfie’s family.

Victorian mysteries with a contemporary heroine, these are fantastic new stories from award-winning author, Joan Lingard.

The Eleventh Orphan 9781846470523
The Chancery Lane Conspiracy 9781846471087
The Lost Sister 9781846471292

9+   |   £6.99

What to do about Holly
Joan Lingard

Holly is mortified when her mother dumps her on Nina Nightingale, the author who came into their school that morning. It’s only supposed to be for a short train journey, but events take an unexpected turn. What follows is an intriguing and thought provoking exploration of an unusual friendship by one of the world’s best children’s authors.

9781846470905
£5.99   |   9+

The File on Fraulein Berg
Joan Lingard

1944. Belfast. The war drags on.

When Fraulein Berg, a real German, arrives at their school, Kate, Harriet and Sally decide their teacher is a spy and determine to prove it.

But the file on Fraulein Berg reveals a very different story – one that will haunt Kate for the rest of her life.

9781846470530
Paperback   |   £6.99

Scatterheart
Lili Wilkinson

It’s 1814 and Hannah Cheshire leads a privileged life in London, with fine clothes, servants and a handsome tutor. Then one day her father disappears and she is left to fend for herself. Not equipped for the real world she ends up penniless, and sentenced to transportation to the colonies for a crime she didn’t commit.

“Brilliant!” Sydney Morning Herald

9781846470776
£6.99

Company of Angels
Lili Wilkinson

NEW from the author of SCATTERHEART

A boy has come to Machery. I think he might be an Angel.

Stephan has arrow-blue eyes and a secret smile. He promises Gabriel power, riches and a place at his right hand, at the front of a glorious army. So Gabriel leaves everything he knows to follow Stephan on one of the most extraordinary journeys of all time.
An adventure story inspired by one of the most remarkable events in history.

VISIT LILI’S WEBSITE

9781846471049   |   £6.99   |   10+

PLAYING WITH PHYRE
Graham Marks

When everything Haden Akatine has ever known is obliterated by the ruthless Sadar, all he seeks is vengeance.
 
What he finds is a conspiracy stretching across the Territories, to the Sadar’s mountain stronghold, Ghadra. Here, in the heart of evil, a mysterious scheming science is about to unleash Phyre – an explosive so deadly even he has no idea what will happen . . .
 
Haden’s quest is no longer one of revenge – it’s one of survival.

9781846471117   |   £6.9   |    9+

Strange Hiding Place
Graham Marks

Another thrilling sci-fi adventure from the best-selling author of Takedown and Faultline.

Eleven years ago aliens from another planet came to Earth to hide something. Now they need it. But so do their arch enemies. As Earth becomes a battleground, one boy is caught up in the very heart of the fighting.

Does Dez have the strength to survive? The future of more than his own planet depends on him.

9781846470332   |   £5.99

Takedown
Graham Marks

It's 2667 and the safety of the world is in the hands of one man, a soldier more used to taking life than saving it.

In turn, he has to rely on a sixteen year old boy . . .

9781846470229   |   £5.99   |   9+

Shortlisted for the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards AND The John Lewis Solihull Children's Book Award.

Faultline
Graham Marks

Someone, somewhere, has learned how to use history as a weapon. And the result is going to be destruction on a massive scale.

Unless Jamie can stop them . . .

9781846470233   |   £5.99   |   9+

The Riddle of the Poisoned Monk
Sarah Matthias

In medieval Northumbria there are sinister goings-on at Goslar monastery – someone is poisoning the monks. Charlie is drawn into the mystery – can he solve the riddle before it’s too late? A thrilling adventure that will keep readers on the edge of their seats!

Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award

CLICK FOR SAMPLE CHAPTERS

Paperback   |   Ages 9 – 11   |   9781846470097   |   £5.99

Saint Wilfred's is no ordinary monastery, and Tom Fletcher is no ordinary novice . . .
 
Tom Fletcher is a novice who seems better suited to solving mysteries than attending Matins. Drawn into dark and dangerous dealings, he finds himself risking everything to expose the true nature of the unscrupulous characters that occupy Matthias’s medieval England.

Tom Fletcher and the Angel of Death
9781846470554   |   £6.99   |   10+
Tom Fletcher and the Three Wise Men
9781846470691   |    £6.99   |   10+

Sharp Beats
Dominic Barker

A welcome return for Dominic Barker’s teen private eye, and a sharp new story! Mickey Sharp is a private eye for teenagers. He figures that if adults have all these problems then teenagers must have them too. Loads of them.

“Stuffed full of hilarious characters, top teen observations and jokes about irritating parents, school stress and dating” The Times

978184647051   |   £5.99   |   9+

Jeannie of White Peak Farm
Berlie Doherty

A new edition of this compelling and beautifully written story of three generations of a Peak farming family.

Berlie Doherty is a highly distinguished writer for young people, twice winner of the Carnegie Medal.

A former teacher, she has worked in schools' broadcasting and adult education. She has also written for adults and writes plays for radio, theatre and television. She was born in Liverpool and now lives in the Peak District.

9781846470813   |   £5.99   |    11+

The Sailing Ship Tree
Berlie Doherty

This is the story of the Big House by the Mersey and the people who lived there. In particular the twins Walter and Dorothy, whose father is the butler; Master George, the desperately lonely son of the wealthy owner; and Tweeny, the little maid treated hardly better than a slave.

9781846470448   |   £5.99

Granny was a Buffer Girl
Berlie Doherty

Published to coincide with the Carnegie Medal's 70th Anniversary celebrations, a new edition of Berlie Doherty's superb novel, the heart-warming and moving stories of three generations of a Sheffield family seen through the eyes of eighteen year old Jess.

9781846470240    |   £5.99    |   11+

TEACHERS' NOTES   
PROMPTS FOR THE READING GROUP   
READING GROUP NOTES: GENERIC GUIDANCE

Children of Winter
Berlie Doherty

A new edition, recreating the time when the tiny village of Eyam in Derbyshire cut itself off from the rest of England in 1665.

"Vividly and sensitively realised" The Guardian

9781846470264   |   £5.99   |   9 - 11

TEACHERS' NOTES   
PROMPTS FOR THE READING GROUP   
READING GROUP NOTES: GENERIC GUIDANCE

The Wainscott Weasel
Tor Seidler, illustrated by Fred Marcellino

Bagley Brown Jr., the Wainscott Weasel, falls head over heels in love with Bridget, a beautiful bass who lives in a nearby pond. When Bridget and her pond mates are threatened by both a drought and a hungry osprey he determines to save them. A beautifully written story by one of America’s most highly respected authors.

“It’s possible that not since a spider named Charlotte saved a pig named Wilbur has there been a more tender tale of love and devotion. Tor Seidler infuses his text with warmth, subtlety, and humour.” The New York Times Book Review

9781846470783   |   £8.99   |   9+

The Nargun and the Stars
Patricia Wrightson

When Simon Brent’s parents are killed in a car accident he is taken to live with his mother’s cousins on Wongadilla, their sheep station in the Hunter Valley. Simon, with his city attitudes, feels like an outsider. But Simon is not the only thing that doesn’t belong. The arrival of heavy machinery intent on clearing the land brings to life the Nargun, a great rock, older than time itself, that has slowly dragged itself into the valley – and with it, a simmering rage that drives it to kill.

“Fantasy of a very uncommon kind: accessible yet profound, immensely readable” Susan Cooper
“Entirely convincing” The Guardian
Winner of the Australian Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award

9781846470769   |   £5.99   |   9+

Pirates eat Porridge
Christopher Morgan and Neil Curtis

Hoist the sails! Man the poop deck! And Feather your Swordfish! Two wonderful pirate tales of the absurd and ridiculous to delight young readers . . .

9781846470585   |   £4.99

Pirates drive Buses
Christopher Morgan and Neil Curtis

"The author has skillfully created characters that immediately capture the imagination. The bouncy text brimming with delightful work-play ("Well I'll be a pair of prawn's pyjamas!") nestles perfectly against Neil Curtis' exuberant black and white line illustrations."
Magpies

9781846470592   |   £4.99

The Worry Tree
Marianne Musgrove

Juliet has a lot to worry about: her irritating little sister Oaf messing with her stuff, her parents fighting over Dad’s junk, Nana getting old, her two friends fighting over who gets to be Juliet’s BEST friend, horrible Hugh Allen the class bully . . .

But under the wallpaper in her new bedroom, Juliet discovers a painting that might just hold the secret to coping with all the worries that are weighing her down.

Click HERE to download your own Worry Tree to print out and colour in. If you want to hang your worries up, draw a leaf on some paper and cut it out. Write what’s worrying you on the leaf and stick it onto the tree.

VISIT MARIANNE’S WEBSITE

9781846470943   |   £5.99   |   9+

My First Pet Dragon
Professor Georgie Blink

The definitive guide to looking after this most demanding but rewarding of pets, written by world expert and founding member of the International College of Serpentology Professor Georgie Blink (BSc, MSc, PhD, Dip. Drag, OBE). With special help from Amanda Mitchison. Illustrations by Andy Rowland.

Includes the all important What to do in an Emergency – e.g. Help! My dragon has black smoke pouring out of it in every direction and The dragon has bitten off my hand. What should I do? Interspersed with letters from hapless dragon owners and Professor Blink's stern replies.

Deserves to be on every child's bookshelf, whether their parents will let them get a dragon or not.

9781846470660   |   £6.99

Sunny Side Up
Marion Roberts

A lively debut novel from a quirky and commercial new writer, perfect for 8 – 12 year olds.

Start with one quiet, perfect life. Add 1 step dad, 2 pre-cooked step siblings, 1 best friend, 1 sworn enemy and a long-lost grandmother. Flavour with a dash of secrets, a pinch of jealousy and a good dollop of growing up. Cook on high all summer long . . .

9781846470547   |   £5.99
paperback

The December Boys
Michael Noonan

A marvellous coming of age story, full of vividly drawn eccentrics and unforgettable scenes: the story of four orphan teenagers growing up behind the closed doors of a Catholic convent in outback Australia in the 1960s.

The December Boys is now a major international film directed by Rod Hardy and starring Daniel Roberts as Maps.

9781846470479   |   £6.99

The Whipping Boy
Sid Fleischman

The prince is a brat. But it's forbidden to beat a prince - so a common boy is punished in his place. But there's trouble in store, and the boys are left with no choice but to trust each other.

9781846470277   |   £5.99   |   9+

Pirates Galore
Sid Fleischman

Treachery, adventure, bandits, romance and pirates galore! An irresistible novel for anyone who loved Pirates of the Caribbean!

9781846470219   |   £5.99   |   11+

A Time of Fire
Robert Westall

It is the start of World War II. Sonny is ten and like all his friends thrilled at the prospect of war, which he sees through the filter of his favourite comic Wizard. But the first bomb dropped kills his mother and everything changes.

9781846470323   |   £5.99    |    9+

The Making of Me
Robert Westall

A fascinating account of the early life of one of the most important and influential authors of the twentieth century, and provides a unique insight into his writing.

CLICK FOR SAMPLE CHAPTER

9781846470080   |   £7.99

The Wind Eye
Robert Westall

The Studdard family are holidaying in an inherited house on the Northumberland coast. The house faces the Farne Islands, long ago the home of the local patron saint Cuthbert – or Cuddy. The children, Michael, Beth and six-year-old Sally find a strange and very ancient boat, Resurre, which they come to suspect is driven by the power of St. Cuthbert himself. There follows a terrifying struggle in which each member of the family is changed by contact with the past, and with Cuddy.

9781846470288   |   £6.99

Christmas Spirit
Robert Westall
Illustrated by John Lawrence

Two haunting and atmospheric stories, perfectly illustrated by John Lawrence.

9781846470370   |   £9.99    |    8 -12

Ramose: Ascent to the Sun
Carole Wilkinson

Heir to a throne – now Ramose is on the run and facing death in the desert.

Enter the world of the Pharaohs in Ramose's quest to discover his destiny.

9781846470424   |   £4.99

Ramose: Fury of the Gods
Carole Wilkinson

Carole Wilkinson is an Anglish-born Australian writer with a deep interest in history. She's the best-selling author of Dragon Keeper, a mythical story set in China.

"An exciting adventure that takes you to the heart of the Egyptian world"
Lovereading4kids

9781846470400   |   £6.99

The Eye of the Cannon
Sam Llewellyn

The sharpest seaborne adventure in many a tide! It’s 1814 and, like many children, Kate Griffiths has a hard life.  But things get much harder the day she falls asleep on a Royal Navy ship and wakes to find herself out of sight of land, mistaken for one of the crew, and chasing an American man-of-war.

9781846470202   |   £5.99   |   9+

Raven Boy
Pippa Goodhart

This novel by Pippa Goodhart, popular author of over thirty children's books, is firmly rooted in history and vividly describes the horror of the Plague and the Great Fire.

At its heart though is a thrilling adventure about a boy, his battle with injustice, and his special relationship with a wild animal.

9781846470250   |   £5.99   |   9 - 11
Shortlisted for the Stockton Children's Book Award

The War and Freddy
Dennis Hamley

A new edition of Dennis Hamley's funny, wise and readable account of a young boy growing up during World War II.

". . . a wonderful, thought-provoking and above all, humorous book." School Librarian

9781846470417   |   £5.99   |   8+

Café on Callisto

What's so wrong with living on earth? Quite a lot if you live twenty-five floors underground and even school is just a network link on a computer. A café on Callisto can't fail.

B format paperback
Ages 9 – 11

184647003X
9781846470035   |   £4.99

Vampire Slugs on Callisto

What's worse than mutant cockroaches? Vampire slugs, that's what. Soon there'll be no trees or plants left on Callisto. Someone has to do something!

B format paperback
Ages 9 – 11

1846470056
9781846470059   |   £4.99

Space Pirates on Callisto

Sam and Cherry are kidnapped by evil space pirates and held to ransom in return for the fabulous treasure known as the Golden Queen. What is the Golden Queen - and more importantly - where is it?

B format paperback
Ages 9 – 11

1846470048
9781846470042   |   £4.99

KIDZ
Fiona Kelly

Three ordinary kids with a special talent for solving mysteries. This can be a risky business, but you can bet that the K.I.D.Z. will be having fun at all times!

A Pony Called Magic

A new, bumper collection of stories about Magic in one book!

9781905117314   |   £3.99