Just Jem (Jaynes Nature)

Ernest and Mildred

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When words in verse are paired with the awesomeness of nature, something magical happens! Patrick Lewis curates an exhuberant poetic celebration of the natural world in this stellar collection of nature poems. From trickling streams to deafening thrunderstorms to soaring mountains, discover majestic photography perfectly paired with contemporary such as Billy Collins , classics such as Robert Frost , and never-before-published works.

From the enormous whale shark to the legendary great white to the enigmatic goblin shark to the small cookie- cutter shark, Slickety Quick is a delightful frenzy of shark mayhem. Mysterious species such as the camouflaged wobbegong and the elusive frilled shark share the waters with better-known blue and nurse sharks, each commemorated in a poem by Skila Brown and illustrated by Bob Kolar.

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Sneaky shark facts ripple through each spread to further inform the brave and curious young reader intrigued by the power and danger of these amazing creatures. Guess who, haiku , words by Deanna Caswell ; pictures by Bob Shea. A collection of haiku, each of which describes an animal and asks a question that rhymes with the answer on the following page. When green becomes tomatoes: A book of poetry moving through the seasons. Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways. Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at.

But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write! From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes another clever collection that shows kids how to look at words and poetry in a whole new way. What happens when you hold up a mirror to poems about Greek myths? You get a brand-new perspective on the classics!

And that is just what happens in Echo Echo, the newest collection of reverso poems from Marilyn Singer. Read one way, each poem tells the story of a familiar myth; but when read in reverse, the poems reveal a new point of view! Readers will delight in uncovering the dual points of view in well-known legends, including the stories of Pandora's box, King Midas and his golden touch, Perseus and Medusa, Pygmalion, Icarus and Daedalus, Demeter and Persephone, and Echo and Narcissus. These cunning verses combine with beautiful illustrations to create a collection of fourteen reverso poems to treasure.

Don't stand under a fu fu tree , written by Jill Eggleton. When children listen to and recite poetry, rhymes and songs from a very young age, they begin to develop and build many literary skills. They hear the sound of language and the rhythm of words, which will asist them in learning to read and write.

Most importantly, the rhythm and rhyme help them develop a love of language. It is vital for very young children to hear the kind of langugae used in poems and rhymes. Poems enrich children's vocabulary. The rhythm, rhyme and repetition help them develop phonological awareness skills, which is the ability to recognise that words are made up of a variety of sounds. This awareness is needed for them to learn to read easily.

Humorous poems to 'hook children in', poems where words ask to be shouted, short snappy poems, reptitive poems - a whole variety of poems is needed to help children catch the rhythm of language and the power of words. Vikings in the supermarket , Nick Sharratt. Six Vikings on a shopping trip, one tartan-patterned cat, a clever little mermaid, a naughty vampire bat, the queen who's really fond of green, the pirate Tidy Clyde, open up this jolly book and meet them all inside! This kid can fly: Aaron Philip's memoir chronicles his extraordinary journey from happy baby in Antigua to confident teen artist in New York City.

His honest, often funny stories of triumph-- despite physical difficulties, poverty, and other challenges-- are as inspiring as they are eye-opening. Depicts Victorian-era artist, writer, and animal lover Beatrix, who is dismayed when a neighbor's guinea pig in her charge passes away unexpectedly. Beatrix Potter and her paint box , David McPhail.

Chronicles the life of children's illustrator and author Beatrix Potter, examining how art influenced her young life.

Books beginning with: T

The prehistoric masters of literature , written by Saskia Lacey ; illustrated by Sernur Isik. A lift-the-flap book packed with information about life from the Stone Age to the start of farming, early metal working and the Iron Age. Who built the pyramids? What were pyramids for? Why are they so big? How were they made? These questions and more are answered in this engaging introduction to Ancient Egypt, full of fascinating facts and colourful illustrations about families, pharaohs, religion, and more. Readers can follow internet links to specially selected websites to find out more. What were castles for?

Describes the architecture, function and daily life of castles during the Middle Ages. Who were the Vikings? Gives answers to the first questions children ask about history, provoking comparison with life as they know it today. Colorful illustrations and well-researched text take readers back in time.

Mana describes his life on Aitutaki and community preparations for celebrating Gospel Day, when church groups join together to sing hymns, and perform dramas and dance. Te ano , Jill MacGregor. Describes the traditional game of Te Kabwe, as played in Kiribati, and how two young girls weave a new ball ano out of pandanus leaves.

A thrill-seeking twelve-year-old boy with a mysterious family heritage discovers ancient objects of rare power and must protect them from the terrifying demons who will do anything to possess them. The most important thing: One of the most beloved writers of our time presents seven short stories exploring the vital ties between fathers and sons. Luke sees the ghost of his father but can't figure out what Dad wants him to do. Paul takes a camping trip with the grandfather he's just met and discovers what lies behind the man's erratic behavior. Ryan has some surprising questions when he interviews his prospective stepfather for the job.

In a compellingly honest collection of stories, multiple-award-winning author Avi introduces seven boys boys with fathers at home and boys whose fathers have left, boys who spend most of their time with their grandfathers and boys who would rather spend time with anyone but the men in their lives. By turns heartbreaking, hopeful, and funny, the stories show us boys seeking acceptance, guidance, or just someone to look up to.

The worst night ever , Dave Barry ; illustrated by Jon Cannell. Wyatt Palmer is just another undersized freshman hoping to fit in at high school, but when his best friend Matt Diaz's pet ferret ends up in the hands of the Bevins, the most popular boys at Coral Cove High, Wyatt and Matt try to get the animal back by attending a party for the cool clique and stumble onto the Bevin family's dark secret. The Blythes are a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm and sometimes foster children.

Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word. Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik. As Prez dithers on the doorstep, Sputnik strolls right past him and introduces himself to everyone in the household. Prez is amazed at the response. The family pat Sputnik on the head, call him a good boy and drop food into his mouth. It seems they all think Sputnik is a dog. It's only Prez who thinks otherwise.

But Prez soon finds himself having to defend the family from the chaos and danger unleashed by Sputnik, as household items come to life like a TV remote that fast-forwards people: It turns out that Sputnik is writing a guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, and he takes Prez on a journey to discover just those ten things. Each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by.

But they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever. The wild robot , words and pictures by Peter Brown. Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants. The eye of midnight , Andrew Brumbach. In May Maxine Campbell and her cousin William Battersea arrive at their grandfather's house in New Jersey to find that the house is empty and soon they are caught up in the contest for an ancient Arabian relic called the Eye of Midnight, which several secret societies are willing to do anything to posses.

They've promised to stay best friends forever and nothing can tear them apart. But sometimes things happen that you couldn't ever have expected and forever might not be as long as you think. Now, two years later, Eden and Ryan are haunted by memories of the past. Can they find a way to bring the club back together or is it too late to mend a broken heart? Ivy and her mother live in Australia, far away from where the Great War is raging. They have moved in with Aunt Hilda whose flat is so small that Ivy has to sleep under the kitchen table.

Not only that, but she also has to empty Aunt Hilda's chamber pot! Ivy writes to her father, who is fighting overseas. She tells him all about life at home-how the family has little money; how she and other children have to sew sandbags, knit socks and roll up bandages for the war; how she volunteers for the Cheer Up Society, making cups of tea at the wharf when the hospital ships come in; and how the Big Pest collects leeches for the hospital. Raymie nightingale , Kate DiCamillo. Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her.

And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father who has run away with a dental hygienist will see Raymie's picture in the paper and maybe come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton, but she has to compete with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante with her show-business background and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who's determined to sabotage the contest.

But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship and challenge them to come to each other's rescue in unexpected ways. Lily and Dunkin , Donna Gephart. But being a girl is not so easy when you look like a boy.

Especially when you're in the eighth- grade. Norbert Dorfman, nicknamed Dunkin Dorfman, is bipolar and has just moved from the New Jersey town he's called home for the past thirteen years. This would be hard enough, but the fact that he is also hiding from a painful secret makes it even worse. In twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is a resident of Moon Base Alpha, and at the moment he is faced with a number of problems: In March of , Rocco, an eleven-year-old from an Italian village, arrives in New York City where he is forced to live in squalor and beg for money as a street musician, but he finds the city's cruelty to children and animals intolerable and sets out to make things better, whatever the cost to himself.

Shadow magic , Joshua Khan with illustrations by Ben Hibon. Thorn, a boy sold into slavery who must serve the royalty of Castle Gloom for a year and a day to earn his freedom, and Lilith Shadow, the year-old ruler of Gehenna, who is forbidden to practice the magic that is her heritage, join forces to solve the murders taking place in Gehenna. Slacker , Gordon Korman. When eighth-grader Cameron Boxer creates the Positive Action Group at school he intends it as a diversion to fool his parents, teachers, and sister into letting him continue to concentrate on his video-gaming but before he knows it other kids are taking it seriously, and soon he finds himself president of the P.

Kumari is a goddess-in-training who lives in a secret valley kingdom. She is destined to stay young forever, unlike people in the World Beyond. But Kumari longs to break out of her closeted life at the Palace, where her only real friend is a baby vulture, and there's nothing to think about except the mystery of her mother's death.

It's hard to kill a goddess, but someone did. And so Kumari steals away to the Holy Mountain, determined to summon Mamma back from the dead and to find out the truth. But the next thing Kumari knows, she's in Manhattan. Surrounded by strange buildings and even stranger people, and running for her life through Macy's Parade. Island of dragons , Lisa McMann.

Head mage Alexander Stowe and his friends successfully fended off the latest threat to their magical world of Artime with the help of a surprise ally. But old enemies have secretly been plotting against them. Now Alex must lead his people in a final epic battle, one they can't hope to win alone. Genie in a bottle , Sarah Mlynowski. In their ninth journey through the magic mirror Abby and Jonah find themselves in the tale of Aladdin, and after giving the hero of the story a bloody nose in a game of dodge ball, they take his place with the evil magician looking for the magic lamp and things continue to go down hill from there.

Wishing Day , Lauren Myracle. Three sisters in the town of Willow Hill participate in a fabled tradition of making three wishes and find out what they really want only after their wishes Lair of the sentinels , Geoff Palmer. Things get weirder - and even more perilous - for Tim, Coral, and their "visitor" friends. The slimy, slug-like, mind-reading Sentinels won't give up without a fight.

Deep within their lair, they formulate a foul plan to exterminate Tim, Coral, Alkemy, Ludokrus, Norman and Albert one by one There's a fiendish flesh-eating plot, prying journalists, more secret revelations, and a space battle that will knock your socks off! Legacy of secrets , Ridley Pearson. When five present-day teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers travel back to for Disneyland's Opening Day, the early days of the Tower of Terror, the origin of the Overtakers, and the real power of magic unfold in an unexpected series of events that propels the Keepers into a darkness no one saw coming.

Pax , Sara Pennypacker ; illustrated by Jon Klassen. Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by 'his boy', Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather's roof he sneaks out into the night, determined to find his beloved friend. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their journeys back to each other as war rampages throughout the country.

Thatchthorpe , Elizabeth Pulford. It is up to Abigail to save the story-tree and its people from extinction. If she doesn't then there will be no more stories, no more fairy tales, illustrations, no more free use of the imagination. It will all be under the control of Rackenard, who wants to dominate and rule the kingdom with his words". The hidden oracle , Rick Riordan. After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus.

He must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour. Once was a time , Leila Sales. In World War II England, ten-year-old Lottie is transported via a portal to present day Wisconsin, where she must find her way back to her family and her best friend, Kitty. Rent a bridesmaid , Jacqueline Wilson ; illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Tilly can't believe it when her best friend Matty is asked to be a bridesmaid. In Tilly's favourite daydream, she's kitted out in the most beautiful bridesmaid dress, walking down the aisle behind a beautiful bride.

The one wedding she'd really like to attend is her own mum and dad's. But as that's never going to happen, it's time for Tilly to make her own dream come true and put her bridesmaid services up for hire. Winnie is challenged to adapt to a new school for girls where teaching is anything but ordinary and where the eclectic student body includes magicals as well as humans, and while Winnie uses her wits to find her own way, crusty dragon Miss Drake is secretly trying to discover and foil a new plot by Winnie's grandfather to gain custody of her.

Gnome cannot wait to help his friends harvest the school garden! But his eagerness and excitement get him into trouble, leaving them all saying 'No, no'. The Lending Zoo , Frank Asch. Overseeing a "zoo-brary" that lends out all types of animals, librarian Miss Perkins discovers that the tiger has gone missing, a disappearance that triggers a citywide search alongside a new friend.

Rules of the house , Mac Barnett, Matt Myers. Ian always follows the rules and his sister, Jenny, never does but when she angers some monsters while breaking all the rules of their vacation house in the woods, Ian first runs away, then realizes there should be a rule about protecting your sister from being eaten by monsters. My house , Byron Barton. Jim the cat describes his favorite places inside and outside his house. Little elephants , Graeme Base. The wheat is ripe, but the harvester is broken and a plague of locusts is on the way. It looks as if Jim and his mother may lose the farm.

But when Jim shows kindness to a stranger, their fortunes are set to change in the most surprising way imaginable! Stanley the mailman , William Bee. It's going to be a busy day for Stanley! He gets up early to sort through all of the mail in his post office. Then he sets off through town to deliver it all.

Myrtle, Little Woo, and Charlie all receive exciting gifts and letters. But will everyone be happy with what's in Stanley's mail bag? Ten little monsters , Mike Brownlow, Simon Rickerty. Ten little monsters set off in search of adventure. But what will the ten little monsters do when they meet a howling werewolf, a giant spider and other scaries in the night? There was an old woman who lived in a shoe , Jane Cabrera. This variation of the nursery rhyme features a chaotic household of children and pets who live in a shoe, and who know how to repair broken furniture, remake work clothing, and reuse and recycle.

The brave little grork , written by Kathryn Cave ; illustrated by Nick Maland. Two friends, one shy and easily frightened, and the other brave and fearless, do almost everything together. How does such an unlikely pair get along on an outing? Who woke the baby? It's early morning in the jungle and little gorilla is not happy. Whoever woke him up?! As the mystery unfolds, we learn about a chain of events involving an assortment of animals who all played a part, but who did it all begin with?

Oscar visits Melbourne, Australia , Carolyn Collis. He finds ways to compare objects he sees". The shrew that flew: One Saturday, in the middle of June, one bright and windy afternoon, all the creatures by Piggyback Wood were getting ready as fast as they could. There was only a short time left to prepare for the birthday party at Badger's lair.

Badger's having a birthday party and Harry and Lil are getting ready, but just as Lil is getting her favourite hat off the washing line to wear, it blows away. Harry says it's gone for good, but Lil says you should never say never "if birds can fly, shrews can, too". An umbrella doesn't work, nor does a fan but then Deer comes along with a big green balloon! A crash of rhinos and other wild animal groups , Greg Danylyshyn ; illustrated by Stephan Lomp.

Introduces in rhyming text the collective names used for various animal groups. Fatima and Galo load the luggage while their dad Big Ali drives the bus. Help count on bikes, sacks of rice, melons and even goats and chickens as the bus travels past Gurunsi houses, the hippo lake, waterfalls and jungle, all the way to Bobo. Pete the cat's groovy guide to love: Pet the cat shares some of his favorite quotes from famous people about the subject of love, and adds his own groovy take to them. This book teaches first words having to do with baby animals, using a combination of word clusters and simple, raised die-cut shapes on a left-hand page mirrored in the scooped-out forms of the right.

Albert's tree , Jenni Desmond. A picture book about making new friends from the award-winning Jenni Desmond. Albert's favourite tree won't stop crying. What can be the matter? How can the bear cheer up his old friend? A funny and charming picture book about making friends in the most unexpected places from the award-winning Jenni Desmond. Why did the chicken cross the road?

Everyone thinks the chicken crossed the road just to get to the other side! Find out what happened next in this hilarious tale based on a favourite joke. A windy day walk , written by Pamela Dixon ; illustrated by Maree Horner. Findlay and Gran go for a walk on a windy Wellington day. Together , Emma Dodd.

This little sea otter loves spending time with his mummy learning new things, playing together, or even just holding each other. In fact, every day this little sea otter spends with his mummy is special, just because they are together. Illustrations and easy-to-read text portray a young brother and sister as they spend an afternoon imagining great adventures The animals' ark , Marianne Dubuc. A secular re-telling of the story of Noah's Ark.

The animals are trapped on a hill and rescued by Noah. Most of the story describes how the animals pass the time on the ark, until they find land and a rainbow appears. Noah sails away and the animals say thank-you. When Bear breaks a little girl's kite, she thinks he is a "Horrible bear! Using die-cut pages the story explores the shapes and colours of an apple tree through the passing of the seasons. Calling all cars , written by Sue Fliess ; illustrated by Sarah Beise.

This bouncy text explores the wonderful world of cars zipping up, down, fast, and slow. And at the end of the day it's bedtime for these busy cars. The wonderful habits of rabbits , [by Douglas Florian ; illustrated by Sonia Sanchez]. Illustrations and rhyming text explore how rabbits spend their days throughout the year.

Tufty the duckling lives with his family on an island in the middle of a lake. But when the ducks fly south for the winter, Tufty gets left behind. Lost and alone, Tufty doesn't know what to do, until he finds an unlikely new friend. Queenie has one big ambition. When she grows up she is going to be Queen. Because growing up can take "forever" she is already practising doing queenly things. One day, Queenie summons her Dear Loyal Subjects to a royal tea party. Queenie reluctantly invites her shy little sister, Ella, but during the party forgets to include her in the games.

Suddenly, Queenie doesn't feel so queenly, she feels horrible and mean. In this laugh-out-loud, feel-good tale, Queenie discovers that if there is one thing more important than being a good queen, it is being a great sister! Beep beep beep time for sleep! The big machines work to build a road all day, then they go through their night-time ritual and fall No place like home , Ronojoy Ghosh. The city is no place for a polar bear like George.

Being homesick is making George a terrible grump. Not knowing where home is makes it even worse. So George sets off on a search. He isn't sure what home looks like, but he'll know it when he finds it. Home , [illustrations, Lesley Grainger]. Enjoy your baby's first words for home with this fun-to-touch board book.

Add your own sound effects too! When a cave boy gets a puppy, things don't quite turn out as he expected. My dog Dash , Nicki Greenberg. Dash is badly behaved at puppy school, he chews things that he shouldn't, he makes puddles on the floor, he wrecks the garden, and he steals food off the bench when no one is looking. Perfectly standard puppy behaviour. But Dash is far from an ordinary pet and his inquisitive nature and insatiable appetite get him in all kinds of trouble.

A highly entertaining and hilarious picture book that celebrates the ups and downs of pet-ownership and the power of imagination. A quirky ode to spirit, identity and the joy of having a library card follows the adventures of Little Card, who delightedly anticipates going to school to become a birthday card only to trade jobs with Big Card and embark on a life at the library, where he struggles to use his exuberant gifts in a quiet environment.

Pass it on , Sophy Henn. A joyful and uplifting picture book about finding happiness in the smallest of things, from picture book star Sophy Henn. Spot loves his Grandpa , Eric Hill. Join Spot for this classic story about all the fun things he does with Grandpa. From sledging to watering the garden, they laugh together whatever the weather.

This fun, reassuring story makes a great gift and is perfect to share at bedtime. Are you sitting comfortably? Have you found the perfect snuggle-up-and-lose-yourself-in-a-book place? Somewhere comfy, not itchy-fuzzy? Somewhere quiet, not buzz-buzzy? Unfortunately the little chap in this book isn't having quite as much luck as you are. We're going on an egg hunt , Laura Hughes. We're going on an egg hunt.

We're going to find them all. Hooray for Easter Day! Join the Easter Bunnies as they set off on an exciting lift-the-flap Easter egg hunt. With ten eggs to find and count, it's great fun. But watch out for the obstacles along the way lambs, chicks, bees and ducks and there's even a wolfish surprise, so do take care. Alfie and mum , Shirley Hughes. She has reddish brown curly hair which often gets untidy, but Alfie likes it like that. Alfie and Mum love to tell stories together, to explore and have adventures over fields, across streams, and even into big dark houses!

But Alfie isn't ever frightened when he's with Mum she'll always be there to take care of him. Mama, do you love me? Joosse ; illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. A child living in the Arctic learns that a mother's love is unconditional. On the farm, at the market , G. On the farm, workers pick vegetables, collect eggs, and make cheese. At the market the next day, the workers set up their stands and prepare for shoppers to arrive. Amy, the baker at the Busy Bee Cafe, has a very special meal in mind and, of course, all the farmers show up at the cafe to enjoy the results of their hard work.

The man who loved boxes , Stephen Michael King. Once there was a man who loved boxes. He also loved his young son, but because he did not know how to say so, he made things for his son out of boxes. Love is expressed in different waysand a small boy comes to understand his father's special way of showing his love for him. This is a circle , Christina Krebs. This is a circle. This is a square. Unhappily separated from his wife, Paris is a heavy drinker but not by his own definition an alcoholic. Though presumably a decent actor to get as much stage and TV work as he does, he has apparently collected more wittily denigrating reviews than anyone in theatrical annals.

Not a Great Detective but a determined one, Charles routinely accuses or at least suspects the wrong person before finding the truth. Though essentially humorous and satirical, the saga takes on a slightly darker mood as the problem drinking becomes more obvious. Paris enters virtually every corner of British acting: In Dead Room Farce , he reads for audiobooks, first of an insipid romance, then of a thesaurus. Purely as a theatrical novel, Sicken and So Die may be the best in the series, one of the great novels about putting on a play.

Melita Pargeter, the lates widow of an accomplished professional criminal whose success left her wealthy and whose underworld contacts aid her amateur sleuthing, appears in six books from A Nice Class of Corpse to Mrs. A passage in Mrs. We had a wonderful time. Quite tricky at the time, actually. They were looking out for him at the airports. Pargeter overhears his employees on the phone dealing with clients. The Pargeter series seems determined to recycle some of the most time-honored situations and plot elements in detective fiction.

See for example the method of smoking out the killer in Mrs. The Body on the Beach introduces the odd-couple sleuthing team of Carole Seddon, staid and proper, prematurely retired home office functionary, and her free-spirited alternative-healer friend Jude Nichols, inhabitants of the seaside community of Fethering. Like the Paris saga, the Fethering series began in a fairly comic mode—we learn in the first entry that a neighboring community is called Tarring—and grew more serious in later books.

My pick for best of the series is Murder in the Museum , set at a stately home once occupied by a semi-famous World War I poet. The recreation of documents from that period gives the novel an extra resonance, and the prickly family relationships and satire of academic scholarship are beautifully done. Only in his newest series does Brett essay a flat-out comic novel.

Twinks has deduced the real culprit, and she and Blotto spend the rest of the book trying to clear their servant while battling the sinister League of the Crimson Hand, led by the mysterious Crimson Thumb. In Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of the Riviera not yet in US book form but available as an ebook , the sleuthing siblings travel to France to retrieve two stolen portraits. Much punning fun is had with the French language and personalities of Paris in the '20s, including a couple of rival American novelists based on Fitzgerald and Hemingway.

Be warned that Blotto and Twinks are best taken in small doses. Reading a whole novel at a stretch is like overeating a rich dessert. Even the least of his books rewards the reader. Dates given are for first US publication. Publication in the UK is usually a year or two earlier. Pargeter's Package Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh Mrs. Pargeter's Plot Mrs. Pargeter's Point of Honour This article first appeared in Mystery Scene Winter Issue The multitalented and prolific master of the modern whodunit.

Berlin police detective Bernie Gunther is suicidal after he returns home from the grisly events in Belorussia, where he witnessed and was forced to participate in Nazi executions. Wracked with guilt, he trudges on like most everyone else in the city, doing whatever it takes to survive. If you want to survive in Nazi Germany, you learn to turn a blind eye to corruption. Bernie's job, though, is to solve murders, and there's plenty of bloodshed to go around. When a horribly mangled body is found on the railroad tracks, it appears to be clearcut case of suicide.

That man simply jumped in front of the train. Then a Czech national possibly with terrorist connections is found murdered in a park, and Bernie learns that the two seemingly unrelated cases may be connected to a terrorist attack being plotted. His life gets considerably more complicated when the monstrous head of the Nazi Sicherheitsdienst in Czechoslovakia, Reinhard Heydrich, summons Bernie to his Czech villa to become his private bodyguard.

Despite Bernie not being a Nazi party member and loathing Heydrich, the Reichsprotector trusts him. Bernie is once again caught between doing his duty and maintaining his humanity. Kerr's sardonic realist, Bernie, has been one of crime fiction's most intriguing detectives ever since his first appearance in the late s in the Berlin trilogy— March Violets , The Pale Criminal , and A German Requiem. Our protagonist is certainly no angel, but his moral core has always been clearly defined in contrast to the vile political machine that has grown stronger and vaster around him with each book.

One of the major themes throughout Kerr's superb series has always been, how does one combat criminality when it's being committed as political policy all around you? Prague Fatale continues this theme, but complicates the issues with Bernie agreeing to protect the infamous Heydrich. Events also get precarious with the arrival of the lovely Arianne into his life, a bar girl Bernie doesn't necessarily trust, but whom he can't refuse either.

Surprisingly, the novel incorporates an Agatha Christie influence into the proceedings, once a murder occurs at Heydrich's villa and Bernie ferrets out the perp amongst a small group of trusted friends of the Nazi officer. Prague Fatale is another splendid entry in an already excellent series, and very highly recommended. When it comes to portraying life on the street from a cop's perspective, no one tells it with more authenticity and flair than former L. Police Detective Joseph Wambaugh. Harbor Nocturne , the fifth in his Hollywood Station series, is proof positive that the master hasn't lost his touch.

This highly entertaining book, possibly his best fiction since The Choirboys , has it all: What a tale he tells, or rather what a series of tales, as each tour of duty is filled with incidents that are short stories in themselves. Many of the cops from the previous four books are back and as loveably loony as ever Britney Small, surfer cops "Flotsam" and "Jetsam," handsome "Hollywood Nate" Weiss , but with new and zany civilians to perk up or ruin their nights. Wambaugh isn't just relating a series of vignettes in the daily life of these men and women in blue, he has written a fully developed crime novel dealing with the sex and drug culture of present-day California.

A young longshoreman, Dinko Babich, falls in love with Lita Medina, an illegal Mexican immigrant he helps after she witnesses a murder and is hunted by violent thugs. The contrasts between the longshoreman's Croatian family background and the girl's Mexican one are beautifully drawn and their love affair so gently portrayed that the reader can't help but root for them. How these star-crossed lovers and the cops of Hollywood Division intertwine makes for one unforgettable, delightful reading experience.

Rural Vermont is the setting for this psychological thriller, and author Olshan portrays it so picturesquely that readers just might want to move there. The story opens at the start of the spring thaw when former investigative reporter Catherine Winslow discovers the body of a young woman who went missing three months earlier just as a major blizzard covered the area with snow. The killing is the latest in what appears to be a serial killer's rampage and it draws Catherine deeply into the investigation.

Readers learn the killer is likely someone Catherine knows, and as the story unfolds it seems that many of her acquaintances have deep psychological scars in their background that makes each of them suspect: She had previously been dropped from a university for having an affair with a postgraduate student 15 years her junior; she broke it off when he became too possessive.

Catherine must fight her own personal demons in the search for the truth: The tension builds slowly, but steadily, and when another woman is murdered suspicion falls on Catherine's young lover, who has returned from what he claims were two years abroad, but which the police prove is a lie. Has he returned to kill her or is the killer someone else who wants her dead? A little-known rare book by Wilkie Collins provides mysterious clues to the solution. A startling, and unexpected, ending will leave readers thinking about Cloudland long after.

Fans of culinary mysteries spiced with humor will relish Kerry Greenwood's sixth Corinna Chapman adventure. It's not surprising that Greenwood has devoted fans: She is a winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers' Association of Australia, where her clever mysteries are set. Perhaps better known for a series featuring the svelte and chic Phryne Fisher set in the s, the Chapman series features a plus-size sleuth with a sense of fun, a taste for adventure, and, oh yes, an ardent enthusiasm for her hunky boyfriend.

This time, Corinna is supposed to be vacationing from the rigors of running her own pastry shop, but boredom looms so she agrees to cater the set of a soap opera, Kiss the Bride , in which two of her lissome employees have scored small parts. Corinna uncovers devious schemes among the actors, tangles with a tiger, and helps to track down the corporate culprits who are "cooking the books" while exploiting a female employee.

Animals are a staple in this series but it is the sarcastic humor of the Joseph Wambaugh sleuth coupled with surprising twists that keeps the plot on the right burner. Cooking the Books should send readers scurrying to read Greenwood's earlier mysteries. As a finale to this tasty tale of murder, the author offers up medieval recipes adapted for modern cookery. I confess I approached this book reluctantly. I usually avoid books by celebrities or books about trials and this one promised to be both. Clark is a well-known Los Angeles trial lawyer,most famous as the lead prosecutor on the O.

I now happily admit that my trepidation was percent misplaced and that Clark's second novel, Guilt by Degrees , had me sold in the first few chapters, and kept me that way until the surprising, yet wholly satisfying, conclusion. Clark's writing is fluid and easy, her characters well delineated, her dialogue crisp and witty, and the story she tells is entertaining and suspenseful—all combining for hours of pure reading pleasure.

Clark demonstrates here that she does indeed know her way around the L. But this novel isn't just another "Is the defendant innocent or guilty? It is more about tracking down a suspected killer and unraveling the reasons behind the murders. DA Rachel Knight, with help from her pals, LAPD Detective Bailey Keller, and fellow DA Toni LaCollette, search for a clever femme fatale who two years earlier had been acquitted in the brutal murder of her police officer husband and is currently suspected of murdering his brother. It comes down to a case of one brilliant evil woman against three hardcharging dames.

Huge events to celebrate first UN sanctioned “World Tuna Day” in Pohnpei

And what a battle of wits it is! The story bogs down a little when it comes to Rachel's love life, but not enough to spoil the fun. But as fans of the series know, her titles are also the names of plants whose characteristics often point to the book's theme. Cat's Claw herbs have sharp, strong, claw-like thorns that "hold fast and refuse to let go. A quiet neighborhood in Pecan Springs is shocked when one of its inhabitants is found dead in his kitchen, an apparent suicide. Larry Kirk is in the middle of a messy divorce, his computer shop has been burglarized, and his finances are in ruins.

Who would doubt the gunshot wound to his head, the weapon in his hand, and the suicide note on his laptop? But a closer look at the evidence proves it a homicide and the hunt for the killer is on. Among the suspects are his estranged wife and her new boyfriend, a disgruntled employee, a female stalker, and the unknown burglar.

A second gruesome murder further complicates the investigation. Cat's Claw is unique in the series because two protagonists share in solving the crime. In alternating chapters, herb shop owner China Bayles uses her intuitive observations and connections in the community to ferret out facts, while Sheila Dawson, the town's new police chief, follows law enforcement protocol in a detailed investigation.

The book has the feel of an experiment, an attempt by the author to mesh a cozy mystery with a police procedural. Uneven in parts, it nevertheless works. Together the cop and the sleuth believably unravel the multiplot mystery and deliver a satisfying ending. To write one murder mystery starring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle might be considered unfortunate; to write two looks like carelessness. By the fifth book, one may deduce a publisher in the background who knows when she is onto a good thing. An ex-Conservative Member of Parliament, he famously declared on the radio that however much he despised the Labour Party, it was nothing compared to the loathing and contempt he felt for the constituents who had voted for him.

Natural World is an extremely beautiful reference book that explores the way that habitats, plants and animals are connected, and the way that all elements of nature work in harmony. This funny, touching and compelling novel was the winner of the inaugural Booktrust Teenage Prize. One night, the night-light goes out, and the dark calls Laszlo down into the basement to meet it.

James and Webster, a pair of unlikely friends, embark on a curious rampage across the Devonshire countryside: This is probably one of the greatest fantasy sequences ever written. Darkly magical and intense Cooper weaves her storytelling wonder over fully realised characters and worlds, drawing in the reader and leading them on a journey that will leave them clambering for the rest of the series.

This is a gripping and unsettling story with some disturbing characters and a menacing atmosphere which pervades throughout. A dark but compelling read. Chris Hadfield with Kate Fillion Illustrator: The Fan Brothers Publisher: One night as a boy, Chris Hadfield watches the Apollo 11 moon landing and decides to be an astronaut. This atmospheric book draws on the Commander's childhood fear of the dark, and his realisation that dreams can come true. With a refreshing spin on the traditional roles and full of sinister undertones and dark magic, this is a bewitching and exciting modern fairy tale for this generation of readers of YA fiction.

A warm, reassuring tale about individual talents and about belonging, which will appeal to small children everywhere. Glorious illustrations swirl through the pages in a crescendo of appealing, harmonious images. But when Mike tries to get his dad back, he finds he's already been traded for an electric guitar. How were they to know it would pinpoint the exact location of Planet Earth to Alan, the grumpiest alien in the universe? One day, a surprising stack of postcards arrives for Duncan.

They are all from his old forgotten crayons, demanding to be brought home to the crayon box. A captivating, comical sequel to The Day the Crayons Quit. Award-winning illustrator and artist Oliver Jeffers has teamed up with film writer and director Drew Daywalt to create this gorgeously colourful picture book. Long ago, when the world was new, Lindiwe gazed down from the heavens, proud of the earth and the creatures she'd created. A heartbreaking picture book that perfectly explains the displacement of people, and especially children, in war, and the trauma experienced by people forced to leave their homes.

Jack and Ed think things are looking up after they escape boarding school in this sequel to The Enemy , but then something terrible happens that will put them in more danger than ever. This is an utterly compelling and creepy psychological thriller which has the reader gripped from the very first page. In this reinvention of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' a young boy sets out to sea with his uncle, but the voyage is soon damned by a curse that throws them off course.

The Government has a plan to clean up the environment — closing down motorways and returning the roads to nature. When Scott Williams' father is found dead in his government office, Scott resolves to find out the truth behind his death. The story has many twists and turns. Through Uncle Pogo we are introduced to interesting inventions and unusual inventions and the monsters help Nelson to become better at making friends.

For all of his short life, Pepper Roux has been waiting to die. Now, on his fourteenth birthday, he knows he won't have to wait much longer. A chilling story of a future where Longevity drugs have made sections of the population almost immortal. This is a thought-provoking read. A sweet little girl happily sets off to visit her best friend for tea through a deep dark wood full of lurking witches, trolls and giants. Edgy Taylor has a gift - he can see demons in the crowded streets of Victorian London.

A gripping, gothic, horror story lightened by its dark humour and unpredictable characters. Strange things are happening in the dead of night. Children who put a tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy wake to find Have you ever wondered if magic spells actually work? Well, Grace and her four best-friends have.

Joseph is a half-goblin boy leading a miserable life as a tavern servant. When he finds a mysterious parcel he hopes that by returning it to its owner he might be offered a new, exciting life as a sailor or pirate. But he soon discovers that there are dangerous magical forces abroad that will stop at nothing to regain the package. Detective Dog Nell is famed for her sleuthing skills in this witty detail-packed book, full of exuberant rhyming couplets - perfect for sharing and reading aloud.

Ella has a secret so toxic she dare not share it - not even with Max, the guy she loves. Soon the couple get caught up in a cycle of revenge and violence, in this pacey and engaging thriller for young adults. Twins Sam and Niamh accompany their father to Florida each summer while he tries to unravel the mystery of their mother's disappearance at sea nine years ago. Aimed at older readers, this novel deals with adult themes of birth, sexuality, teen pregnancy, gang-culture, abuse and post-natal depression, but all in Wilson's usual credible, accessible style. Watch as a new estate is built, from the demolition of old properties to families moving into their new homes.

J C Hysu Illustrator: This retelling of an old Chinese folk tale is beautifully illustrated in a contemporary, cinematic style and offers a glimpse at the culture and traditions of an ancient civilisation. Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter Illustrator: Danny is greedy and spoilt - he already has so many toys there is no space in his room. When he sends Santa a long list for Christmas, St Nick decides to teach him a lesson. Dinah is having a bad day — nothing seems to be going right: Lars Joachim Grimstad Translator: Don Bartlett and Sian Mackie Publisher: This enjoyable and very funny story of adventure and intrigue is a brilliantly witty political satire appealing to a wide age range from early teens to adult.

Nine-year-old Mafalda has a degenerative eye condition. She starts to keep a list of all the things she'll miss when her sight goes, but also the constants that surround her. Tender and thought-provoking, with a powerful but unforced message. In this lively and atmospheric tale of s New York, party girl Evie finds herself investigating a sinister string of occult murders. The valley was a picture of harmony until the dog appeared and ate everything up. A sensitive and fascinating portrayal of how Christmas might be experienced by a boy on the autistic spectrum, and how a therapy dog provides reassurance and helps him enjoy the festive season.

Spooky and atmospheric, The Dogs is everything you could want from a murder mystery and ghost story. Doll Karolina is saved from war in her native Land of the Dolls and transported to Poland to live with a man known as the Dollmaker - only for their lives to be turned upside down by World War II. An unusual novel blending reality with folklore and fantasy that will have a lasting impact on readers. There's a Dickensian flavour to this satisfying time-travel tale, which takes its teenage hero on a journey from gritty modern-day London, to the city of the s.

Jenny Valentine presents another enthralling, perplexing and thought-provoking novel exploring family, friendship and identity. Sally Gardner lives up to her reputation for delivering ambitious and highly imaginative writing for teenagers in this unusual and complex historical novel. Peanut butter sandwich Nancy McNutty must battle a giant killer doughnut in this hilarious, tongue-in-cheek picture book full of puns and spot-the-joke illustration. An uplifting story about a timid baby dragon and a friendly young knight who discover they have much more in common than people think - and refuse to fight.

Freya Hartas chapter headings Publisher: When spirited young dragon Aventurine is tricked into drinking some enchanted hot chocolate, she is turned into a human girl. Dragons, magic and chocolate combine in this captivating fantasy adventure. In this collection of 11 stories about Vikings, you will encounter sailors, traders and explorers. It had sounded so easy: Edward was going to look after Uncle Morton's unusual pet for a week while he went on holiday.

But soon the fridge is empty, the curtains are blazing, and the postman is fleeing down the garden path. An exceptional debut novel that is packed with adventure, magic and humour. Emigrating to America, a girl loses the trunk that contains her beloved dress.

The dress then embarks on an epic around-the-world journey to find her. A poetic and exquisitely illustrated story about love, loss, the passing of time and the power of memory. Life" series, which focuses on musical instruments from around the world, created by award-winning picture book author and artist Ken Wilson-Max. In this book, we meet the drum. Seventeen year old Bianca believes her friends are all much more attractive to boys than she is herself. Wesley, a boy whom she hates, confirms this when he tells her she is 'The Duff' - the designated ugly fat friend chosen by other girls to draw attention to themselves.

Lynne Reid Banks Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books. Paul Hansen must follow the dangerous Eagle Trail through the Pyrenees Mountains to get to England and escape Nazi persecution in this well-researched historical drama. Learn about the inner workings of our earth, including earthquakes, volcanoes, thunderstorms and tsunamis; animal life on earth; the earth regions and the impact of humans on the planet, including information on migration, population and sustainability in this comprehensive hardback book celebrating the biodiversity and structure of this fascinating planet.

Engaging, harrowing and thought-provoking, this is a story that should not be forgotten. Danny and his mother Cathy are on the run from her abusive boyfriend, Chris. They go back to the Edge, Cathy's childhood home, which she left after having Danny at the age of sixteen.

The first book of The Edge Chronicles which sees Twig start his quest to find out who he really is. Cade and his friends are forced into action to defend their beloved home; they must summon the combined forces of the Deadwoods to repel the force of their enemies. A storm is brewing far in the open sky, headed straight for the floating city of Sanctaphrax.

But, when Twig has lost his memory of being warned of this catastrophe, he must find his crew and save the day. The second part of the Twig Saga follows Twig as he joins the crew of the Stormchaser in a dangerous quest to collect stormphrax to save the floating city of Sanctaphrax. Fleeing the scene of his father's murder in the city of Great Glade, Cade Quarter smuggles himself onto the Xanth Filatine , a floating skytavern that journeys over the vast landscape of The Deadwoods. A mythic-feeling story about a girl who lives on the flat marshes, fishing for eels, and soon befriends an otter that will help her flee danger.

Professor Ohms, a scientific detective, takes you on a journey of discovery around the periodic table. Packed with many weird and wonderful facts, it's perfect for any aspiring scientists or detectives! One day, an elephant offers a baby a ride through the town, and the set off on a great adventure. Who is the culprit? This is a magnificent magical mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end about who the culprit might be. This story provides an engaging context in which much wider, complex environmental issues are explored.

A foolish greedy lion and a disloyal crocodile are two of the animals who get their just deserts in this quirky and beautifully-presented collection of traditional Indian folk tales. In a distant future in which wars, riots and environmental crises have changed the world as we know it, year-old Silver is an Elite, specially chosen to guard the city of Neo-Babel.

Detailed and original, yet never sacrificing the human story for fantasy, this is a fabulous book that will enchant and inspire. This new fantasy adventure will appeal to lovers of Narnia and Harry Potter. Readers will enjoy immersing themselves in …. An unusual and atmospheric story set in the run-up to World War II. As London's children prepare for evacuation to the countryside, they are horrified to discover that their beloved pets are due to be put down.

The Emperor of Absurdia awakes one morning and can't find his snuggly scarf, so after checking with The Wardrobe Monster, begins to search for it. This is a satirical story about a very vain Emperor who adores beautiful new clothes and has wardrobes full of them! Marina Le Ray Publisher: The story is told simply, using short sentences and a small number of frequently repeated words. Award-winning writer and director Richard Curtis turns his hand to picture books in this magical festive story, beautifully illustrated by Rebecca Cobb. A magical tale of a little girl whose enduring love brings a very special horse to life.

With a traditional feel and timeless quality, it could be a future family favourite. When Joe, Beth and Frannie move into a new home, they discover a mysterious wood on their very doorstep. When the sickness came, the adults became ill. The lucky ones died but many mutated into brainless, deformed monsters with a seemingly insatiable appetite - for children. In full colour throughout with great, modern design, this book is extremely well written and fun.

Every page is full of genuinely fascinating and unusual facts. F C Yee Publisher: An emotionally powerful story about friendship and grief, family and secrets, with a good dose of mystery and a dramatic, race-against-time conclusion. It's very readable and feels like a future classic.

This picture book about a missing toy bear somehow seems like a classic already - with a lovely whiff of nostalgia about it all, while also feeling very current and gently inclusive. The crowds at the Tower of London love nothing better than the grisly spectacle of an execution. But as the executioner's daughter, Moss has seen more than her fair share of horror. Now, lost in the Amazon rainforest, they must figure out the basics of survival.

S M Wilson Publisher: And one is inhabited by vicious, predatory dinosaurs. A tense, brutal fantasy adventure: The Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park. George loves helping out at Wormestall Farm, a secret sanctuary for exinct and mythical beasts, where unlikely things are always happening. An utterly nonsensical but engaging romp through the weirdest town in the world, featuring a warty witch, a creepy scientist, vegetarian piranhas and a dastardly plot that could change the town forever. M L Peel Illustrator: Fabulous hairdresser to the fairy-tale stars Kittie helps Cinderella meet her Prince in this fun and light-hearted reworking of a favourite fairy story.

Eighteenth century Edinburgh and a dark faerie underworld collide in this fast-moving, gripping Steampunk fantasy romance. Romance, art, monasticism and murder in Umbria, Hoffman has specialised in creating atmospheric historical novels, filled with intrigue Edgar Allan Poe Publisher: This selection of Poe's short fiction demonstrates his intense interest in aesthetic issues and the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. Adam Epstein and Andrew Jacobson Publisher: Orphaned alley cat Aldwyn is bought by Jack, a likeable young wizard, and has a home and family at last.

But when Jack is kidnapped, Aldwyn and his fellow familiars must rescue him. A joyous picture book about the importance of family and all the strength it can give you, this celebrates family in all its wonderful, diverse glory. The message is subtle, but a crucial one: The Famished Road is the story of a spirit child Azaro. Azaro meaning 'born to die' has been born to his parents many a times only to die shortly after birth. Mammoth has a problem. His tiny friend Bug brings him food, but one gulp later, it's gone - and Mammoth is gloomy and starving, all over again.

A charming, comical, rhyming tale of two unlikely friends. John Green tackles the subject of teenage cancer with sensitivity in this witty, life-affirming young adult romance. Children quake in the darkness as they hear the terrifying roar of the fearsome beastie as it searches for food Jeremy De Quidt Publisher: The first part of J R R Tolkien's epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings , this is the story of young hobbit Frodo Baggins, who finds himself faced with an immense and terrible duty.

Dunmore has spun a magical story to show how a small boy in a remote island setting who misses his Dad is reassured by a make-believe trip to visit him in the Far North. Laura McGloughlin from Catalan Publisher: When crisis strikes, a girl convinces her brother that they are the stars of a film to protect him from the harsh realities of their new life.

Darcy might be a dolphin, but her daily life at school and home will be incredibly relatable to primary school children. When Bobby begins a new school and endures sadistic cruelty at the hands of his new teachers, he is drawn away from his old friends and towards newcomer Daniel. Jan Pienkowski's silhouette illustrations lend an air of mystery and drama to this text, taken from the King James Bible. The message is that working as a team is the best way forward.

This book is testament to Blake's belief that all children need to be able find themselves in books. When her new baby brothers are born critically ill, Jess becomes convinced that the strange and beautiful flask in Aunt Edie's desk has the power to help them. Energetic illustrations and some lift-the-flap sections add interest as the humble housefly buzzes through this lively book. But can she really change the future? What will happen when the fourth and final rider appears, will his appearance signal the end of the world? This sweet story weaves Morpurgo's effortless storytelling with ancient and very recent history: Leicester City's win of the Premiership title.

Beautiful illustrations make it a lovely gift: Told in dual narrative, this story follows Reema and Caylin as they negotiate a shaky friendship: A truly excellent and ultimately uplifting book with plenty of heart. A clever and thoughtful picture book showing how much fun the older generation can be and the valuable contribution they can make to young lives. After the Princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome prince, and they lived happily ever after… or did they? Hannah and her brother Benjy are on holiday. But instead of relaxing, Hannah is terrified: The suspense builds chillingly in this pared-down, atmospheric ghost story.

Author James Campbell Illustrator: This outlandish encyclopaedia covers everything a child could ever need to know about pets. Children will get lost in its mix of hilarious pet-related misinformation, trivia and educational facts. At the end of Edward Lear's much loved poem, the happily married Owl and the Pussy-cat are dancing hand-in-hand on the edge of the sand Oscar-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson has turned her hand to children's books in this new continuation of Peter Rabbit's adventures.

Alexander Gordon Smith Publisher: Cal, Brick and Daisy are three very different teenagers, living very different lives, but one horrific day they are thrown together in unimaginable circumstances. This gently humorous chapter book was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize ; black and white line drawings add to its appeal and the length is perfect for emerging readers. This lovely new series of baby books includes games with art, patterns and light, all designed to get very young children to have fun with exploring and using their imagination.

This pacy coming-of-age adventure concentrates on the private hopes, dreams and feelings that drive its characters along, but also keeps enough sense of the gritty realities of street life. Alfie's parents are very silly, and it's no time at all until young Alfie shows common sense beyond his years. Soon, he is headteacher, town mayor and prime minister of the country - all before his ninth birthday.

Giggles and guffaws aplenty. Notorious cheese thief Fingers McGraw is on the run or rather, on the moped from chief law enforcer The Elephant. Set in s Malaysia, this is the story of seventeen-year-old Li Lan, whose quiet life with her father is dramatically altered when he returns one evening with a proposition for her. Helen Watts and Taffy Thomas Publisher: This slim volume includes 14 'war stories' made up of poems, songs and re-tellings of ghostly sightings and mysterious coincidences, themed around World War One.

Jamal wakes to find that everyone in his West African village have been killed. He alone has survived because of how others perceive his epilepsy. This is a powerful, moving and mesmerising story, set in a violent world and seen through a year-old's eyes. Creakie Hall is falling down but there is no money in the bank so Aunt Gardenia Bogey-Mandeville needs to come up with a money-making scheme pretty quickly The Ghosts of Heaven is an excellent book that will open up new avenues of thought and future reading and introduces teenage readers to a more inventive understanding of storytelling.

Elli Woollard and Benji Davies Publisher: The illustrations brim with jokes and delightful details, the rhyming text is breezy fun, and the line between darkly gruesome and good-hearted is deftly maintained. The children in Miss Honeywood's class decide to grow vegetables in their school garden. What a shock they get when they discover a huge turnip that they are unable to move. Jumbeelia, a young girl giant from Groil, the Land of Giants, loves the stories of the iggly plop who climbed up the bimblestonk and was chased back down again by a giant.

A giant is caught short when his loo roll drops to the floor and rolls away. As it rolls through the town the people make use of the enormous sheets to devise all sorts of useful creations. We are taken right back to the action, with Podkin, his sister Paz and the poor rabbits they rescued sheltering in the Dark Hallow warren.

Everything about this book is exquisite. When seven-year-old Echo, a runaway and thief, is discovered in the library by a mysterious lady covered in feathers her life is changed for ever. This is a book all tween girls should have. Like a chat with a friend with an excellent sense of humour, The Girl Guide is precisely the straight-talking and empowering read girls need at what can be a confusing and awkward time.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave Publisher: When her closest friend disappears into the island's Forgotten Territories, Isabella Riosse volunteers to guide the search. A stunning debut, full of myth, magic and mapmaking. When Wilhelmina Silver's home is sold, she is torn from her best friend, her adopted monkey and her pet horse, and banished to an inhospitable boarding school in England. Catherynne M Valente Publisher: When the Green Wind turns up and carries September away to Fairyland, she soon finds herself battling to stop the evil Marquess. When babies are left in the forest as an offering, the witch Xan protects them and feeds them on starlight.

But one day, Xan feeds a baby the moon by mistake — and fills her with a dangerous amount of magic.

Into Reading

A thoughtful book about belonging and fear. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is the story of year-old schoolgirl Kazuko, who accidentally discovers that she can leap back and forth in time after a strange encounter with a shadowy figure at school. Stella sets out to discover if her mother really was a mermaid. Louie is a feisty heroine, loyal to her friends and determined to succeed in this engaging historical adventure.

Life is tough in Victorian times, the world into which Alice Peasbody is born - and Alice is a girl with no nose. A wonderful, thoughtful book that teaches compassion, celebrates difference and tackles some weighty issues with a gentle touch. Hollie's hatred of the hair brush results in her tangled curls attracting a range of nesting birds.

When mysterious men kidnap her mother, Minnow has to set sail alone for the magical, dangerous and beautiful Wild Deep. Four friends find a tree that becomes their Secret Meeting Place. As they grow into four very different young women, their friendship stays as strong as the tree. This touching picture book perfectly encapsulates the value and joy of female friendship. After the death of her father, Billie and her mum are moving to a new town for a fresh start. But the house - or somebody in it - is trying to drive them out.

Legend has it that Bonschariant, the demon, haunts a medieval stained glass window and emerges from it to bring death and destruction to anyone who sees him. Jan Pienkowski and David Walser Publisher: A wonderfully entertaining collection of Polish fairy tales, with striking illustration by Pienkowski. Lauren St John Publisher: Part gripping adventure, part love story, this powerful novel travels through an exhilarating yet terrifying landscape. A mountain goat, a girl called Kid and a boy who speaks in spoonerisms are the main characters in this quirky novel about love, fears and friendship.

Surprising, tender and engaging. Al Haji has three wives, seven children and an assortment of animals including five goggle-eyed goats. But his goats eat everything in sight and Al Haji's family have had enough. Matthew has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Can he help an investigation into the abduction of a child, perhaps without even leaving his house? A captivating read, combining a compelling whodunit with an engaging protagonist. Jesus is a passionate, charismatic preacher, while Christ is his cynical and introspective twin, with an eye for posterity. The finger puppets are back for another adventure.

This time the finger puppet experiences various morning rituals: Red Fox Picture Books. In this second adventure in the series, Max and the Goozillas must navigate through the monstrous maze, avoiding the pixelated ghosts. This fast-paced, accessible series will appeal to fans of computer games, comics and all things slimy.

While Max is playing on his favourite game on his tablet, he manages the impossible. With just one sneeze, Max manages to transport himself into the game itself, World of Slime. This gang of slimeballs need Max's help. Their world is being take over by the obnoxiously sweet and fluffy….

Like everyone else in town, River is obsessed with the Graces: But are they really what they seem? A beautifully written, deliciously dark YA fantasy with a fresh take on witches. Orphan Hans is running away from a life of grave-robbing; Countess Angela wants to avoid death at the hands of the evil Archduke and his Necromancer. Together, can they escape? Ben and his friend Becky work for the Ministry of Pandemonium, guiding recently dead souls safely to the afterlife. But the enemy, the Lords of Sundown, are never far away and have unfinished business.

Simon the squirrel and his friends head to outer space in a hot air balloon in this lively picture book. How does the human body develop and change in a lifetime? Hoffman and Asquith explore these questions and more in this honest, entertaining and fact-filled celebration of the human body, which also reflects the diversity of the world we live in.

The simple message is that every family is unique and special and that there is no such thing as "normal" or "abnormal". How are you feeling today? This warm-hearted and thoughtful picture book explores a whole range of emotions that children might experience. The Great Big Green Book is filled with facts about our planet, and asks lots of questions to help children think about green issues. The book also gives simple tips on how you can save the environment. Tom's cat likes to kill small animals. When it kills the Vicar's expensive Koi carp, Mum is so cross that the cat is locked out of the house.

But then it goes missing When the skirting board mice kidnap the ship's cat for a cheese ransom, the pirates are ready for action. An easy-to-read and exciting adventure story, which is perfect for readers starting to read alone. Flamie Oliver is a terrifying dragon with a secret: F Scott Fitzgerald Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books. But that doesn't stop Anna and her friends from hatching a plan to persuade Mum to let them get a hamster. Shy Eva lives a quiet life with her protective Dad - until the noisy McIntyre family move in next door.

This is an intelligent and entertaining picture book, with unique and fascinating illustrations. Davies attracts young readers with her familiar plot, engaging characters, and understanding of nine year-olds' minds. Nathan Kumar Scott Illustrator: Kanchil, the mouse deer, boasts he is the fastest animal in the forest - but Pelan the snail believes he can beat him in a race.

This read-aloud story also provides a great stepping stone for introducing other cultural ideas to young children. Lou Pine is one hungry wolf who cunjurs up a cunning plan to catch a sheep for his dinner. But the sheep are not as dumb as they first appear… This hilarious romp from the award-winning creators of The Great Dog Bottom Swap , which was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize will have you rolling in laughter.

Detective genius, Shelby Holmes, may be small but she comes up trumps when the police are flummoxed by a 'dognapping' in a wealthy part of New York. In the little town of Blackbird Tree, friends and fellow orphans Naomi and Lizzie are startled when a strange boy, Finn, falls out of a tree. Each story is inspired by a different object from World War I, from a soldier's writing case to the nose of a Zeppelin bomb. Matt Edmondson and Garry Parsons Publisher: A sweet story about believing in yourself with a series of fantastic magic tricks included in various ingenious slots, boxes and envelopes — all engineered to provide an exciting book full of brilliant activities, as well as a storyline.

Kitty's predestined role is to marry, have children and keep house, but her dream is to work with horses. So she disguises herself as a boy and runs away to join the circus. Kitty's story is about following your dreams and staying true to your values. Haifaa Al Mansour Publisher: Wadjda's dream is to ride through Riyadh on a green bicycle.

She develops plans, schemes and enlists the help of her friend Abdullah to help her achieve her dream. Benjamin J Myers Publisher: Atmospheric illustrations with a nostalgic feel help build suspense in this delightful rhyming story about how your mind can play tricks on you.

In this much-loved picture book, a little mouse walks through the woods and encounters a fox, an owl and a snake. The ever-popular Gruffalo returns in musical form in this book of songs to sing and play from Julia Donaldson. Five years after the publication of multi award-winning The Gruffalo , author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler return with a much-awaited sequel. Meet deliciously disgusting duo The Grunts in the first of an irreverent series from Philip Ardagh.

Robin Stevens based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd Publisher: When Ted Spark's Aunt Gloria is framed for the theft of a painting from the Guggenheim Museum, he must race through the streets of New York to find the real culprit. An exciting and heartwarming tale from Robin Stevens, continuing the legacy of late author Siobhan Dowd. Deep down, Jonas knew that he shouldn't have taken the gun home: Sam and his new friend Max the Martian decide to steal a diamond from the Tower of London.

They need to power Max's spaceship back to Mars, in this exciting tale of bravery and friendship. Bali Rai once again hits home with a current and unfortunately necessary book. As always, the characters are fully fleshed out, the dialogue both believable and accessible, and the plot well paced and worthy of its subject matter. Carol Ann Duffy Illustrator: Bubbling over with humour and life, the poems in The Hat paint pictures, evoke smells, conjure sounds and encapsulate events both contemporary and historical.

The Hate U Give is rightly named by many critics as one of the most important books of It's a profound, deeply compelling modern-day classic that explores race in America. When Jake receives a mysterious text, he assumes his friend Roddy is just playing tricks. But the increasingly desperate messages are from an unknown girl called Alice. And they seem to come from his own phone.

Bodley Head Children's Books. The Haunting of Charity Delafield is a heart-warming tale of friendship, family and love with an uplifting, magical twist. Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets. An inquisitive little girl, who is enchanted by the world around her, is badly shaken when she loses someone she loves. The Hello Atlas is the ideal book for children eager to learn more about the world around them and parents, too.

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