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July 2022 Book of the Month | Time for another Little Badman adventure. This time, Humza, Umer and Wendy must face The Undead. Welcome to Big School. Humza Khan - aka Little Badman, Eggington's greatest rapper - might have finally met his match. Evil teacher geniuses and giant killer hamsters (see previous Little Badman adventures for details) are nothing compared to starting a new school. He's already been out rap-battled by the school bully, laughed at by his classmates. Oh, and we haven't even mentioned the ancient magical orb causing havoc and very possibly leading to world destruction. At least Humza has found someone to help with his homework. It's just a shame this friend isn't exactly alive.
A thrilling adventure delivered at break neck speed starring two children who have been created by genetic modification: Darren is 21% monster while Marek is 19% alien! Not surprisingly, both have the most incredible special powers and both are being hunted down not only by the ordinary people in authority such as the police but also by their sinister creators. Can they continue to outwit their captors and can they bring down the evil organisation which created them? P.J Canning has launched a new series that will be sure to grab readers attention and keep them gripped.
Lift off in the hilarious edge-of-your-seat adventure series that is a home alone story with a difference! Written by the inimitable Larry Hayes and hilariously illustrated by Katie Abey, this is the perfect read for fans of David Solomons, Tom Gates and Back to the Future! Fresh from saving their parents from the jaws of frenzied billionaire Mr Noah, ten-year-old Eliza and her genius little brother, Johnnie, are called upon once again. Their parents have disappeared into thin air and it's up to the kids to save the day, travelling back in time to 5000 BC Egypt! Can they overcome friendly locals, a mysterious boy-god, snakes, a rainbow-coloured Sphinx and another plot to end the world? And - most importantly of all - will they survive time travel? For more out-of-this-world adventure don't forget to read about Eliza and Johnnie's first adventure in How to Survive Without Grown-Ups.
The second laugh-out-loud adventure for Leonora Bolt, Secret Inventor. Leonora isn't supposed to be building a submarine in a tree. Or turning the local wildlife luminous. In fact, she is supposed to be keeping her head down and drawing no attention - because Leonora Bolt is an inventor in secret. But she can't stop thinking of the clues she found to her missing parents' location. So, deep in hiding in Snorebury, desperately trying to avoid being discovered by her evil uncle, Leonora is hatching a plan. So what if involves launching a homemade submarine into the middle of the ocean, accompanied only by a couple of friends and an otter with particularly sensitive whiskers? For when disaster strikes, Leonora's wackiest plan might just be her most brilliant yet.
Half human, half vampire, Isadora Moon is 100% brilliant, especially for those growing in reading confidence. In this story, she’s puzzling about what to do for her class space project so joins her vampire dad for some stargazing. They notice two bright lights falling from the sky and go out to find them, only to discover that the lights they saw weren’t shooting stars but Nova, a Glow Sprite, and her cheeky moon kitten, Pluto, who’s now lost. Can Isadora find Pluto before Nova’s parents notice they’re missing? Readers will wish they lived Isadora’s life, flying into the forest with her family to enjoy an overnight camping trip as they help Nova track down Pluto. Tt all comes to happy ending with Nova and Pluto reunited, and Isadora enjoying a gift of moon cheese, a present from outer space! With their pretty pink and black illustrations and lively adventures, these are deservedly popular, and this is a sparkling addition to the series.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2022 | Tautly written and full of jeopardy, this is a fast-paced adventure with a cast of characters who's intersecting lives propel the drama excellently. Set in a crumbling society that is ruled by fear, Colony is heading towards complete destruction. But there is one girl, living secretly in the woods under the fiercely protective watch of the guardian who has cared for her since her parents died, who has an extraordinary power that may be able to change the destiny of Colony. If she summons all her mental powers, Cora can change the course of an action. Its a terrifying power that can be easily abused so it is no surprise that everyone in hunting done Cora. When she sets out on a dangerous journey how can she stay safe and who can she trust?.
Telling a time-slip tale of 1980s homophobia and friendship, David Valdes’ You Spin Me Right Round is a thrilling rollercoaster ride of humour and a heart - think Back to the Future with a 21st-century twist. Luis Gonzales, a drama-loving 17-year-old fashionista of Cuban heritage, is his high school’s Student Body President and on the Prom Council, determined to change school policy so he and his boyfriend Cheng can go to prom together - the “opposite gender” guest policy sucks. Reeling from having his dream quashed at a meeting, Luis is transported to a 1985 incarnation of his school, back to when his mom and dad attended. “I’m here, I’m queer, it’s 1985 - get used to it”, Luis announces with bravado, but life for a gay brown teenager in a predominantly white Christian school in the 80’s is far from easy. With time ticking away, and Luiz desperate to find a way to save closeted Chaz from homophobia and get back to his mom and Cheng, readers are in for a trip that’s thought- provoking and funny, with Luiz’s slick, witty voice propelling the drama at breakneck speed.
From an author acclaimed for her ability to tackle important global issues in the personal context of well realised and nuanced characters, we have a story set after a world-wide antibiotics crisis. Children must be protected until their immune systems have fully developed because a simple infection could kill. All schooling is on-line until the age of 14 and digital technology is central to all aspects of life. This theme is brilliantly worked through and will really resonate with readers who have experienced lockdowns, increased online shopping, online learning and of course not being able to meet their friends. They will understand the nuances of facing live interactions for the first time as these children join their designated boarding schools. How does live socialising work? What are the cues that help you understand behaviour? This would not be an Ele Fountain novel without also a cracking mystery to solve and wider political implications to consider, such as the risks to autonomy created by algorithms and realising just how easy it is to lose a digital identity. We learn that we need to watch very carefully how far big tech and big pharma can control our lives. This is a really rewarding read for children who are old enough to make the connections with the experiences they have lived through and who will be entirely gripped by the dilemmas, both ethical and physical which confront the main characters, as this gripping adventure plays out. Highly recommended
Best friends Connor and Ethan are back with a new case: someone – or something – has taken young Alfie’s adorable must-have new Synthpet, Smurble. Can our junior space detectives track down missing Smurble and keep their demanding new client onside? If they don’t, it’s a one-way trip to the Detention Swamps of Pluto for Connor … Their efforts bring them up against trash piranhas, see them hitch a ride on a Venusian racing newt and help them realise some important things about friendship. It’s another funny, fast-paced adventure in a setting where anything is possible. As far out as the action gets, Dapo Adeola is there to meet it with his fantastically lively black and white illustrations. Great fun!
Caught up in an alien war on a distant galaxy, Casey and her team are fighting for their lives - but which side should they be on? The second in an exciting and original debut sci-fi adventure trilogy for the gaming generation. Casey and hundreds of other SkyWakers are now stuck on the planet Hosin, thousands of miles out in space, forced by the Red Eyes to fight the elusive Squids. Casey and her squad, the Ghost Reapers, are determined to rescue the other gamers and return to Earth - but when the strangely compelling Squids enter Casey's mind, begging for help, Casey faces an impossible decision. With the team split in two and Casey's brother on the other side, home seems further away than ever. How can Casey save the planet if she can't keep her friends?
Charlie lives on Vela. She’s been there for two years with her family and three hundred other people, the first humans to make the planet their home. Vela is full of amazing plants and animals and Charlie thinks it’s the most beautiful place in the universe. Her best friend is a robot called Random, rescued from a scrap heap. When the two of them find a cheeky but adorable little creature helping himself to their shimmer-apples, Charlie decides to help find his missing family. She names him Silver and soon finds that keeping him hidden is not easy – he might be small but he’s always hungry and very, very loud! Little Silver is very lovable, especially in Sophy Williams’ illustrations, and the story is perfect for readers looking for a gentle mix of adventure, excitement, friendship and animals. There are more animal-based adventures for Charlie to come and this will be a very popular series.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2022 | Science fiction has long delighted readers with its inventive ideas and incredible technology. Ideas such as time travel, teleporting and the creation of artificial life have always seemed destined to remain a fiction: just something to dream about. Beyond Belief takes a look at how scientists and inventors have been inspired to turn some of these fantasies into reality. They are hard enough to imagine and it is even more remarkable to think that they might one day become part of everyday life.
Greenwich, London, 15th February 1894. Luna thinks that an evening at her aunt's butterfly club sounds deathly boring. But it turns out that the meeting, held in the Butterfly Room at the Greenwich Observatory, is not at all as Luna expects. The Butterfly Club is a society with an unusual secret . . . they use time travel to plunder the future for wonders. Together with her friends, Konstantin and Aidan, and a clockwork cuckoo, Luna boards the Time Train. The gang travel to 1912 and find themselves aboard a great ship travelling from Southampton to New York. They locate a man called Guglielmo Marconi and his new invention: the wireless radio. But as the ship heads into icy waters, they discover its name: The RMS TITANIC Can Luna and the boys save Marconi and his invention from the doomed ship? Can they get the radio back home to the Butterfly Club? And how will their actions change the rest of time?
This is a fantastic adventure that drives you on through the sheer need to know what happens next and how Ami and her friends get out of the escape room – or do they fail? Ami arrives at the Escape Room expecting a game and only once they are locked inside does she realise it’s a great deal more serious and she and her companions are the ones chosen to save the world. As a group of disparate pre-teens, they must learn how to work together quickly so they can solve all the problems they are presented with. There are a series of different games and puzzles to solve – from beating a chess computer to finding a way out of a tomb, until the final showdown in a computer game simulator that seems suddenly to be out in space and the asteroids heading for the ship are real. By using each character’s strengths the games can be resolved but it is not until the final chapter when a surprising reveal (no spoilers here!) shows there may be a way forward to save the world. Written with style and the same brilliant originality shown in all Edge’s books this is an adventure unlike others. Full of peril, gains and losses along the way this is an adventure that will be read and read.
February 2022 Debut of the Month | Inventors don’t come much more inventive than young Leonora Bolt. In her home on remote Crabby Island, shared with her otter Twitchy, eccentric housekeeper Mildred and (occasionally) with her nasty Uncle Lester, Leonora comes up with all sorts of amazing gadgets and most astonishing of all is the Switcheroo, which can make objects swap places, via a nifty bit of quantum computing. Despite her brilliance, Leonora has never yet left the island and Uncle Luther seems determined to keep it that way. When a boy called Jack is washed up though, Leonora has to help and in the process she discovers secrets her uncle was keeping (we knew he was a bad un!). The story is full of fun and surprises, plus a fair bit of tension: will Leonora escape the island and Uncle Luther? Were her parents really lost at sea? Favourite scenes include a ride in a hot air balloon, suspended from a wonderful variety of inflatables, and another in the stinkiest cave in fiction. Lots of fun, this is one to recommend to readers who like their adventures wild, wacky and full of invention(s).
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