School Recommended Reading Y6-Y8

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The first novel in the award winning and globally best-selling Impossible Creatures series is the story of two children's epic adventure to transform the world. This edition includes The Centaur’s Spectacles bonus short story. Read the stunning sequel to Impossible Creatures: book 2, The Poisoned King, is OUT NOW!Christopher is stunned when he discovers a Way-Between from our world to the Archipelago: a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures of myth still live and breed and thrive in their thousands. There he meets Mal: a girl from the islands, who is in possession of a flying coat and a baby griffin, and who is being pursued by a killer. Together they embark on an urgent quest to discover why the creatures are suddenly perishing, voyaging across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder, in a bid to save both the islands and the world beyond them from a rising evil – before it's too late. *Please note the book cover you receive may be different from the one that is shown*
A brand new hilarious adventure from the author of the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out series!  Meet the children of Elliot and Virgo, beloved heroes of Who Let The Gods Out?  Football-loving Vesper, and  super bright Aster. Now it's their turn to take on the world's worst-behaved immortals. Beginning with Maya bad boy, Kizin, and his Lords and Ladies of Death ...  Superstar author Maz Evans’s hilarious new adventure is a welcome return to the bestselling world of the Who Let the Gods Out? series – shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Book 1 of 3 in a superlative new spin-off series of mythological baddies Packed full of edge-of-your-seat adventure, belly laughs and Maya mythology As well as a brand-new Gods Squad led by Vesper and Aster, your favourite characters from Who Let the Gods Out? are back. Perfect for readers aged 8+ 
Join the Gods Squad in Ancient Egypt in the new hilarious adventure from the bestselling author of the Who Let the Gods Out series! The Gods Squad is back! Vesper and Aster are in knots. Wicked Egyptian immortal Seth has kidnapped the Sun God, Ra.  And if the children can't save him in time, they'll soon be mummies . .  .  The second story in superstar author Maz Evans’s hilarious series, which started with Oh Maya Gods!. As well as a brand-new Gods Squad led by Vesper and Aster, your favourite characters from the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out? series are back. Book 2 of 3 in a superlative new spin-off series of mythological baddies – this time in Ancient Egypt. Ties in neatly with KS2 curriculum as readers learn about Ancient Egyptian mythology – amongst epic adventure and belly laughs! Perfect for readers aged 8 and up. 
Join the Gods Squad in the third and final hilarious new installment of the Oh Maya Gods series! Vesper and Aster need Excalibur to save the day.  They must journey through the enchanted realm of Camelot, with King Arthur and his loyal knights to help them on their quest.  But will they return in time to defeat the daemons vying to rule the world?  The third and final instalment in the laugh-out-loud bestselling series. Over half a million copies of Maz’s books sold. Ties in neatly with KS2 curriculum as readers learn about mythology and Arthurian legend. Full of epic adventure and big laughs! 
Ottoline and Mr. Munroe do everything and go everywhere together. That is, until the day Mr. Munroe mysteriously disappears, leaving a strange clue written in string . . . Armed with her Amateur Roving Collectors' travel pass, Ottoline sets off on a journey over, under and on top of the sea to find her hairy best friend - and bring him back home. Ottoline at Sea is the third enchanting Ottoline adventure from Kate Greenaway award winner, Chris Riddell. With his appealing illustration style, Riddell's humorous details make this a book to pore over and adore.
Introducing Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr. Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . . Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr. Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high-society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City. Ottoline (who luckily has a diploma from the Who-R-U Academy of Disguise) and Mr. Munroe go undercover - and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat. Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is a quirky mystery-adventure from star author/illustrator, Chris Riddell. Winner of the Nestle Prize, and crammed with black and white illustrations, Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is perfectly packaged and highly collectable. For ages 11+ Format: Paperback | 176 pages ISBN: 9780330450287
The fifth magical adventure in the epic and funny bestselling Land of Roar series. Rose, Arthur, Win are going back to dragon school, and now they are officially dragon riders, it’s time for their first mission. It's another epic and magical Roar adventure, where they’ll encounter a cursed island of witches, a ghostly mystery and the most fearsome dragon in Roar. But someone is on their tail… Thrilling magical fantasy adventures that celebrate the power of imagination, The Land of Roar is perfect for readers aged 8-12 and fans of Skandar, Percy Jackson and How to Train Your Dragon.
Unlock a magic that could save the world ... or destroy it. From bestselling, award-winning author Kiran Millwood Hargrave comes an epic new fantasy: 'This tale of adventure and magic is as brave as it is exciting' Independent'Destined to be a classic' Garth Nix'A stunning adventure' Cressida Cowell'Pure joy to read' Jasbinder BilanWhen her sister vanishes after a mysterious earthquake, Ysolda sets off on a rescue mission. But these are dangerous times, and soon she is forced to strike a deadly bargain with the wolf queen herself. Join Ysolda and her loyal sea hawk as they embark on an epic quest to save her sister and unlock the earth's most powerful magic ... From the author of The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark and The Mercies, the Geomancer trilogy is a new modern classic for readers young and old. Kiran Millwood Hargrave is winner of the Wainwright Prize, the Waterstones Book Prize, and the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year.  *Kiran Millwood Hargrave was a top 5 bestseller in the UK Nielsen Bookscan chart, 18 February 2025
The thrilling second Geomancer book in the epic fantasy trilogy from the bestselling, award-winning Kiran Millwood Hargrave, for readers of Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell.  Unlock a magic that could change the world ... or destroy it. Ysolda is on the run, travelling with a rebellious princess to the wilds of the Drakken Peak - on the back of a huge sea wolf. With her faithful sea hawk Nara by her side, her quest to find the fabled magic of the Geomancer is just beginning ...  From the author of The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark and The Mercies, the Geomancer trilogy is a new modern classic for readers young and old. Kiran Millwood Hargrave is winner of the Wainwright Prize (in Sept 2023), the Waterstones Book Prize, and the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year.
The epic and funny new magical fantasy series set in the world of the bestselling Land of Roar. Twins Rose and Arthur love visiting their imaginary world of Roar which is hidden inside a folding camp bed in their grandad’s attic. When they can’t get to Roar, Rose writes about it instead, inventing the Dragonlands, a realm where the dragons are ferocious and a clan of witches are rumoured to be rising. She makes up a school for young Dragon Riders and, of course, writes herself as the star pupil. When Arthur reads Rose’s story he can’t believe he’s been left out. They argue and the story gets shoved deep inside the folding camp bed…where it bursts into life. Now Rose, Arthur and Win must race to the Dragonlands, enrol at Dragon Rider Academy and try to stop to the disaster they have set in motion. But do they have what it takes to become Dragon Riders? And can Arthur survive a term in a school invented by his sister? If only Rose had written an ending to her story… Perfect for readers aged 8-12 and fans of Skandar, Percy Jackson and How to Train Your Dragon Before Jenny became a writer, she was Head of English in a secondary school; she now loves visiting schools as an author and delivering funny and inspiring talks and workshops. The Land of Roar series is Jenny’s debut for readers of 8-12.
The third and final action-packed eco-techno-adventure in The Light Thieves series from Helena Duggan, bestselling author of A Place Called Perfect. URGENT! People now know that the sun is being stolen by tech-billionaire Howard Hansom. The only person who can stop him is the mysterious White Rose. She must keep her identity a secret, so she's been sending out coded letters. Each of these letters leads to a separate piece of a larger puzzle that when solved could save the sun. Young heroes Grian, Shelli and Jeffrey have tracked the White Rose to the city of Quantum. But can they find her before the sun is extinguished? Join them on the treasure hunt of a lifetime!
FROM THE WINNER OF THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2022We are her world and her universe and her space and her stars and her sky and her galaxy and her cosmos too. Frank is ten. He likes cottage pie and football and cracking codes. Max is five. He eats only Quavers and some colours are too bright for him and if he has to wear a new T-shirt he melts down down down. Sometimes Frank wishes Mum could still do huge paintings of stars and asteroids like she used to, but since Max was born she just doesn’t have time. When tragedy hits Frank and Max’s lives like a comet, can Frank piece together a universe in which he and Max aren’t light years apart?This jaw-dropping, heartbreaking and hopeful novel from Katya Balen will remind you we are all made of stardust. For fans of thought-provoking, moving middle grade from Wonder to Skellig.
Half boy. Half God. All Hero. Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive. This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I've stolen his lightning bolt - and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea. For ages 9+ Format: Paperback | 400 pages ISBN:  9780141346809
From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal, comes a heartbreaking and heart-warming story about sisterhood, found family and accepting love in the most unusual and unknown places. Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her. They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began. So when a fox appears late one night at the house, Fen and Rey see it as a sign - it's here to lead them to their truth, find their real family and fill the missing piece they have felt since they were born. But the wildlands are exactly that: wild. They are wicked and cruel and brutal and this journey will be harder and more life changing than either Fen or Rey ever imagined
Following a traumatic accident, a special friendship helps talented musician Annie heal and rediscover her love of music in this stunning novella from celebrated author Katya Balen. The blackbirds’ song uplifts and restores in this captivating novella from one of the most exciting voices in children’s fiction. After a devastating car crash, Annie is unable to play her flute and retreats from the music she’s always loved. She exists in a world of angry silence – furious with her mum and furious she can’t seem to play her beloved flute any more. Then she meets Noah, who shows her the blackbirds’ nest hidden in the scrubland near their flats. As their friendship grows, the blackbirds’ glorious song reignites Annie’s passion for music. But when tragedy strikes again, will her fragile progress be put at risk?
The second of six titles, set in a thrilling world of wild cat clans. Firepaw, the warrior brave, is now Fireheart, warrior cat. Fireheart finds new danger lurking in the woods as the chill of winter sets in. This new series will have particular appeal for fans of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. Fireheart could hear a roaring around him, like wind in tall trees. The acrid stench of the Thunderpath stung his nostrils, together with a new smell, sharper and more terrifying. Fire! WindClan is missing, and hostilities between the remaining three clans place all the cats in peril. Illness and tragic accidents weaken the camp, and ThunderClan needs all its warriors to defend itself… but Fireheart suspects that certain cats may not be as loyal as they appear.
The second book in the hilarious bestselling WHO LET THE GODS OUT series. Elliot Hooper's troubles are far from over: his mum's health worsens, he's struggling at school, and a bunch of anarchic Greek immortals have moved into his home – including teen goddess Virgo, who's in trouble with the Zodiac. What's more, death-daemon Thanatos and his scary mum, Nyx, are at large – and determined to destroy the world. As even more immortal allies and enemies emerge, Virgo and Elliot must learn how to be heroes ...  The second book in the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out series! An exciting, laugh-out-loud hilarious and highly-acclaimed Percy Jackson-esque adventure Book 1 was shortlisted for both the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Books Are My Bag Readers
The third book in the hilarious bestselling WHO LET THE GODS OUT series. Elliot's life is spiralling out of control. He's been suspended from school, his ex-convict dad is useless around the house and his mum's health is worsening. What's more, the gods are determined to forge on with the quest for the third chaos stone – and an unlikely, hilarious and heart-warming odyssey begins. But Elliot has heard of a mythical potion rumoured to cure all ills – can he save his mum, even if it means sacrificing the fate of the world? The third book in the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out series! The third book in the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out series! An exciting, laugh-out-loud hilarious and highly-acclaimed Percy Jackson-esque adventure Book 1 was shortlisted for both the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Books Are My Bag Readers
The fourth book in the hilarious bestselling WHO LET THE GODS OUT series. Elliot faces his darkest period yet. As well as facing up to his fears, he realises that the future of mankind - and the survival of everything he holds dear – is at stake. But can a bunch of misfit gods, a lost constellation and a mortal boy stand up to the daemon hordes? Book 4 and the finale to the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out series! An exciting, laugh-out-loud hilarious and highly-acclaimed Percy Jackson-esque adventure Book 1 was shortlisted for both the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Books Are My Bag Readers' Award Hilarious and heartfelt, the Who Let the Gods Out? series is centred on the Olympian gods – perfect for fans of Greek mythology!
See that tall, skinny kid with the ball in his hand saying see you later to his mate? That's me: Nathan Wilder. Nate.10 years old and a week away from the end of Year 5. Life can be tough in your last year of primary school. Tests to take, preparing for the change to high school. Nate is ready for it all, knowing his best friend PS is at his side - they've been inseparable since Nursery. But when they are put in two different classes and PS finds a new friend in Turner, the school bully, Nate's world turns upside-down. As he struggles to make sense of this and forge new friendships, he's dealt another blow when his youngest brother, Dylan is rushed into hospital. His new teacher, Mr Joshua, sees a spark inside of Nate that's lit by his love of reading and writing and shows him how to use this to process what's going on. But with so much working against him, and anger rising inside him, will this be enough? A powerful and lyrical story about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it.
Armpit and X-Ray are living in Austin, Texas. It is three years since they left the confines of Camp Green Lake Detention Centre and Armpit is taking small steps to turn his life around. He is working for a landscape gardener because he is good at digging holes, he is going to school and he is enjoying his first proper romance, but is he going to be able to stay out of trouble when there is so much building up against him? In this exciting novel, Armpit is joined by many vibrant new characters, and is learning what it takes to stay on course, and that doing the right thing is never the wrong choice.
Board the California Comet and help Harrison Beck to solve another heart-stopping mystery in the second Adventures on Trains story, Kidnap on the California Comet, from bestselling authors M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. After the excitement of his adventures aboard the Highland Falcon Thief, Harrison Beck can't wait for the opportunity to go on another amazing train journey. So when his Uncle Nat invites him aboard the California Comet, the iconic three-day train journey from Chicago to San Francisco, he leaps at the chance to travel. But when the daughter of billionaire entrepreneur August Reza goes missing en route, Hal finds himself with another mystery to solve. Can he uncover the kidnapper before the journey's end? Kidnap on the California Comet can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the Adventures on Trains series.
CELEBRATING 10 HIGH-FLYING YEARS OF THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING MODERN CLASSIC, FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE EXPLORER Winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award. Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal A brilliant new edition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Katherine Rundell's modern classic tale of wild hope and thrilling adventure on the rooftops of Paris. This limited edition features an extra letter from Katherine Rundell.  Everyone tells Sophie that she was orphaned in a shipwreck - found floating in a cello case on the English Channel on her first birthday. But Sophie is convinced her mother also survived. When the Welfare Agency threatens to separate her from her guardian and send her to an orphanage, Sophie takes matters into her own hands, starting with the only clue she has - the address of a cello-maker in Paris. On the run from the authorities, Sophie finds Matteo and his network of rooftoppers - urchins who walk tightropes and live in the sky. In a race across the rooftops of Paris, will they be able to find her mother before it's too late? Hopeful, inspiring and thrilling in equal measure, this is a classic adventure story about pursuing your dreams and never ignoring a possible.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 is the first book in Sue Townsend's brilliantly funny Adrian Mole series. Friday January 2nd I felt rotten today. It's my mother's fault for singing 'My Way' at two o'clock in the morning at the top of the stairs. Just my luck to have a mother like her. There is a chance my parents could be alcoholics. Next year I could be in a children's home. Meet Adrian Mole, a hapless teenager providing an unabashed, pimples-and-all glimpse into adolescent life. Writing candidly about his parents' marital troubles, the dog, his life as a tortured poet and 'misunderstood intellectual', Adrian's painfully honest diary is still hilarious and compelling reading thirty years after it first appeared. Bestselling author Sue Townsend has been Britain's favourite comic writer for over three decades. 'I not only wept, I howled and hooted and had to get up and walk around the room and wipe my eyes so that I could go on reading' Tom Sharpe 'A satire of our times. Very funny indeed' Sunday Times 'We laugh both at Mole and with him. A wonderful comic read, that, like all the best comedy, says something rather meaningful' Heat Sue Townsend is Britain's favourite comic author. Her hugely successful novels include eight Adrian Mole books, The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman (Aged 553/4), Number Ten, Ghost Children, The Queen and I, Queen Camilla and The Woman Who Went to Bed For a Year, all of which are highly acclaimed bestsellers. She has also written numerous well-received plays. She lives in Leicester, where she was born and grew up. For ages 12-17 Format: Paperback | 272 pages ISBN: 9780141315980
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