Books

Lulu is the perfect character to introduce preschoolers to first experiences. Join her as she spends a fun day at the zoo and meets a whole host of noisy animals. With an accessible tone, warm and reassuring text and interactive flaps to lift on every page, Lulu at the Zoo is the perfect introduction to exciting visits out and about. Popular, trusted and reassuring, the Lulu picture, novelty and board books make the perfect companion for inquisitive little minds.

Lulu is the perfect character to introduce preschoolers to new experiences, and here she is welcoming her new noisy baby brother. With an accessible, warm and reassuring text and interactive flaps to lift on every page, Lulu and the Noisy Baby offers a gentle introduction to the arrival of a new baby through the eyes of the older sibling.

Deep in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, where the full moon rests on the horizon, lies a secret kingdom called Darksea. Ruled by the Pirate King, Captain O’Malley, Darksea’s tranquil waters have, of late, been haunted by an invisible and deadly monster – a monster that is eating the once-beautiful islands in gigantic bites. On the other side of the horizon, at his home in Galway, Max Reid and his family are battling a different monster. His big brother Christopher is in hospital and getting sicker – and his parents have begun to talk of miracles. Then one night a loud, bright red parrot taps on Max’s bedroom window, carrying an invitation from the pirate king. Captain O’Malley needs a new crew member for a dangerous quest; and the reward is everything Max has been hoping for. But in Darksea, not everyone is as they seem. When Captain O’Malley’s secret threatens to upend their mission and destroy Max’s chance to help his family, Max realises he''s going to have to navigate much more than he bargained for…

Galatea has taken over the throne, Prince Mather has run off with Cinderella, and now Bari must find a new royal to marry. After discovering that there is an illegitimate prince in another Queendom, Bari sets off to make him fall in love with her - and acquire his land as well. But Bari''s mission is soon complicated when South joins her and sparks begin to fly . . . Meanwhile, Farrow is on her own journey to reunite with Cinderella and Prince Mather in the first Queendom. Amid brewing conflict, Farrow continues to grapple with her love for Mather and her loyalty to Cinderella. Once as close as sisters, Bari and Farrow now find themselves on opposing sides. Will malice win out, or will Farrow find a way to bring them all back to their less vengeful selves?

Everyone knows a fairy godmother helped Cinderella get to the ball. But no one knows why. For centuries, Farrow's family-the Entente-have been magical advisors to the Queen. Their wisdom and foresight kept the Thirteen Queendoms in harmony. Until a new queen, Magrit, takes power, outlaws magic, and executes the Entente. Only Farrow survives, with her magic warped beyond repair. She can now use it only to fulfill the feeble wishes of commoners.

There’s a place where all the wildest stories began … From Katherine Rundell, the British Book Awards Author of the Year, comes the paperback release of the first novel in the critically acclaimed, award winning, best-selling Impossible Creatures series. This edition includes The Centaur’s Spectacles bonus short story.

October and her dad live in the woods. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends. They live in the woods and they are wild. And that''s the way it is. Until the year October turns eleven. That''s the year October rescues a baby owl. It''s the year Dad falls out of the biggest tree in their woods. The year the woman who calls herself October''s mother comes back. The year everything changes. Written in Katya Balen''s heart-stoppingly beautiful style, this book is a feast for the senses. And, as October fights to find the space to be wild in the whirling chaos of the world beyond the woods, it is also a feast for the soul.

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.

With his train home set to leave in a matter of minutes, Callum is forced to confront an unfortunate that his summer abroad in Paris was a disappointing, unmemorable failure of a trip. There was no teenage adventure, no summer fling, and his French-speaking skills didn't even improve. Going home after having accomplished so little would be bad enough too, without the many foreboding missed calls from his dad. So after a panic attack in the toilets jeopardises Callum's chances of catching the train back, he instead decides to stay in Paris to try and salvage the summer. It's the hottest weekend in France's history, however, and a curfew has been placed on the city. In need of a place to stay, Callum seeks out his estranged cousin and concert oboist, Harrison. Things go south after one of Harrison's shows, when his prized oboe is stolen just after a conversation with suspicious oboe super-fan Arnaud and his step-sister, the alluring but enigmatic Lilou. Callum finds Lilou outside the venue, who offers him a stick with Harrison and the remains of his failed trip, or come with her in search of Arnaud, into the heat of the scorching hot streets of Paris …From bestselling, award-winning author Meg Rosoff comes a hilariously chaotic novel of heartbreak, mystery, adventure, and thievery

Jo used to be the perfect high-school girl – class president, popular, bright and successful. But when nude photos of her were leaked to the entire school, her grades plummeted, her friends fell away and now she's a reckless, difficult social outcast. The girl who 'deserved' it. Then her former best friend Maddie disappears. Everyone else assumes Maddie has just run away but that doesn't add up to Jo. To discover the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the group of classmates who have shut her out: the boys who betrayed her and the clique of girls who whisper behind her back. And she has to make it look as if she wants to be there. The only way back in is through Hudson. An old fling with his own reasons for finding Maddie, he persuades Jo to fake date him. And it works. But as the truth about Maddie's disappearance comes to light, so do long-hidden secrets from Jo's past. Who is Jo really trying to find-Maddie, or the girl she herself used to be? A gripping read, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, We Were Liars and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.