A funny celebration of friendship and kindness that is the perfect Christmas story. Macca is an alpaca. He loves to canter And dress up like . . . SANTA! It's Christmas time, and Macca has a long list of presents that he would love to buy his friends. But when Macca checks his piggy bank, he realises that he's spent all of his savings. Oh no, this is a disaster! Except, Macca's friend Al reminds him of something very important: that you don't need to spend anything on a friend. So Macca gets busy, making thoughtful gifts for everyone. Maybe, just maybe, this year will be the best Christmas yet. Thought-provoking message promoting kindness and caring at Christmas a great gift for crafty kids

An essential guide to help children become more aware of their emotional needs. This book examines a range of everyday topics that might give children's minds difficulties, for example: when parents don't seem to understand us; when we fall out with friends; when school feels boring or difficult; when we're too busy and get overwhelmed; when our phones create trouble; when we feel sad, bored, anxious or fed up with things. As an atlas to a child's mind, we explore a range of common scenarios encountered by young children and talk about some of the very best ideas to help deal with them. By offering a sympathetic and supportive framework, we encourage children to open up, explore their own feelings and face the dilemmas of growing up armed with emotional intelligence.

Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can’t nobody stop you/can’t nobody cop you…

Twelve-year-old Nick is a football-mad boy who absolutely hates books. In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel The Crossover, football, family, love, and friendship take centre stage as Nick tries to figure out how to navigate his parents’ break-up, stand up to bullies, and impress the girl of his dreams. These challenges – which seem even harder than scoring a tie-breaking, game-winning goal – change his life, as well as his best friend’s. This energetic novel-in-verse by the poet Kwame Alexander captures all the thrills and setbacks, the action and emotion of a World Cup match.

From New York Times best-selling author Amy Tintera, a high-stakes sci-fi adventure about a teen girl who will do anything to escape her troubled home--even if that means joining a dangerous monster-fighting squad. Perfect for fans of Warcross and Renegades. Seventeen-year-old Clara is ready to fight back. Fight back against her abusive father, fight back against the only life she's ever known, and most of all, fight back against scrabs, the earth-dwelling monsters that are currently ravaging the world. So when an opportunity arises for Clara to join an international monster-fighting squad, she jumps at the chance. When Clara starts training with her teammates, however, she realizes what fighting monsters really means: sore muscles, exhaustion, and worst of all, death. Scrabs are unpredictable, violent, and terrifying. But as Clara gains confidence in her battle skills, she starts to realize scrabs might not be the biggest evil. The true monsters are the ones you least expect.

Coauthors Acosta (Little Captain Jack) and Amavisca (Bang Bang I Hurt the Moon) keep their focus tight, concentrating on Ben's feelings and the way the boys' taunting torments him ("He felt even sadder than the day his fish went to fish heaven"). Loose-lined drawings with gently tinted wash by Gusti (Mallko and Dad) underscore the intimacy and loyalty of Ben's family. ~Publishers Weekly This is a story inspired by true events. Ben is a little boy, and he likes painting his nails. There's no big reason to it, he just loves all the amazing colors on the tips of his fingers. Until one day, some of his schoolmates start laughing at him because of it. He suddenly feels sad, helpless, and doesn't want to paint his nails anymore. Even when his father starts painting his nails to support Ben, the helplessness doesn't go away. Why can't boys paint their nails? A tale to understand that a kid's joy has no boundaries. A simple story about a small revolution.

For as long as ten-year-old Moon can remember, he has lived out in the forest in a shelter with his father. They keep to themselves, their only contact with other human beings an occasional trip to the nearest general store. When Moon's father dies, Moon follows his father's last instructions: to travel to Alaska to find others like themselves. But Moon is soon caught and entangled in a world he doesn't know or understand; he's become property of the government he has been avoiding all his life. As the spirited and resourceful Moon encounters constables, jails, institutions, lawyers, true friends, and true enemies, he adapts his wilderness survival skills and learns to survive in the outside world, and even, perhaps, make his home there.

Taylor Before and After tells the story of middle schooler Taylor Harper through journal entries alternating between two timelines: before and after a drunk driving accident, in which Taylor Harper was a passenger - and her brother was the driver. Before, Taylor was finally becoming popular, navigating the pressures of friends, frenemies, and a cut-throat initiation challenge by the coolest girl in school. After, she finds herself ostracised, bullied, and facing the glaring silence of things unsaid at school (and at home).

Get ready to journal and learn to tell your own story with Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of Smile, Sisters, Drama, Ghosts and Guts - and now the Baby-sitter's Club graphic novels! Calling all fans of Raina Telgemeier! Have you ever thought about telling your own story, whether it be true or imagined? Are you interested in writing, drawing, or both? If the answers are yes, this fun, colorful, and interactive journal is for you! With guidance from Raina herself, brainstorm ideas, make lists, paste in personal photos, and use your imagination like never before to create your own stories. For additional inspiration, behind-the-scenes info from Raina's own comics-making adventures is featured inside. BONUS: A special sneak peek of Guts is included in this book! PRAISE FOR SHARE YOUR SMILE "An encouraging and compassionate guide for budding comics creators." - Publishers Weekly "Honest and encouraging, this will get young storytellers started - and perhaps leave them wishing for more." - Kirkus Reviews

As heard on Radio 4's Woman's Hour and BBC Breakfast TV

It is difficult trying to talk in our family cos:
a) Grandparents don't speak English at all
b) Mum hardly speaks any English
c) Me, Bonny and Simon hardly speak Chinese
d) Dad speaks Chinese and good English but doesn't like talking
In other words, we all have to cobble together tiny bits of English and Chinese into a rubbish new language I call 'Chinglish'. It is very awkward.

Jo Kwan is a teenager growing up in 1980s Coventry with her annoying little sister, too-cool older brother, a series of very unlucky pets and utterly bonkers parents. But unlike the other kids at her new school or her posh cousins, Jo lives above her parents' Chinese takeaway. And things can be tough whether it's unruly customers or the snotty popular girls who bully Jo for being different. Even when she does find a BFF who actually likes Jo for herself, she still has to contend with her erratic dad's behaviour. All Jo dreams of is breaking free and forging a career as an artist.

Told in diary entries and doodles, Jo's brilliantly funny observations about life, family and char siu make for a searingly honest portrayal of life on the other side of the takeaway counter.

Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. A heartbreaking story, narrated by twelve-year-old Jack, whose family is caring for fourteen-year-old Joseph. Joseph is misunderstood. He was incarcerated for trying to kill a teacher. Or so the rumours say. But Jack and his family see something others in town don't want to. What's more, Joseph has a daughter he's never seen. The two boys go on a journey through the bitter Maine winter to help Joseph find his baby - no matter the cost.

What's the good in keeping secrets?

Secret Friends is a heartbreaking story about friendship and bullying from the multi-award-winning Elizabeth Laird.

Rafaella doesn't find it easy to make friends. She looks and feels different from the others at school. And Lucy is the first to tease, the first to call her 'Earwig', until they get to know one another and Lucy sees that Rafaella is full of hopes and ideas, just like she is. Lucy loves keeping her own secret friend, until tragedy strikes and secrets can't be kept any longer.

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Children's Book Award and reissued with gorgeous illustrations, more than twenty years after first publication, Elizabeth Laird's moving and unflinching novella brings home the crucial importance of cultivating empathy in young people.

It's MY Body has been written in order to help adults and preschool children talk about sexual abuse together in a way which minimizes embarrassment and fear, but emphasizes self-reliance and open communication. You will not find specific references and stories about sexual abuse in this book. Preschool children are not ready for detailed discussions of this issue. They are ready, however, to learn how their feelings can help them make decisions about sharing their bodies, and how to communicate those decisions to others. This kind of learning serves as a vital first step in the protection of children from sexual abuse. It's MY Body introduces two touching codes which children can use to protect themselves when they're uncomfortable. Popular with preschool teachers and pediatricians, who report children sometimes practice the protective phrases on siblings and dolls.

For readers aged 9+ comes the second book in a sparkling new series about family, friends and finding the joy in life! From the mind of Guardian award-winning author Jenny Valentine, this is the perfect series for fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Cath Howe and Lara Williamson! Hi! My name is Joy Applebloom and I'm ten years old. People say I am a 'glass half full' kind of person, which basically means I see the good in everything. And right now I'm going to need all my powers of positive thinking to fix a really tricky situation . . . My new best friend Benny just hasn't been himself lately. I have to find out what's going on and bring back Benny's special smile for good... A heart-warming and positive story about family, friends and the importance of kindness with gorgeous illustrations from Claire Lefevre. Praise for A Girl Called Joy: 'This book [. . .] is a delight for its warmth and humour, but principally because the writing is alive and stunning.' The Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week.

Today's middle school girls have it rough.
In a few short years, they go through an incredible number of biological and emotional changes, making this the most formative--and riskiest--time in their lives. Groups turn on each other, a trusted childhood friend can reveal secrets by sending a text message or updating a Facebook status, and deciding where to sit in the cafeteria can be a daily struggle. As any tween will tell you, life for a middle school girl can be summed up in one word: "drama."
Haley Kilpatrick's own turbulent middle school experience inspired Girl Talk, a nonprofit organization in which high school mentors offer a "just been there" perspective to tween girls, helping them build self-esteem and develop leadership skills. Here, Haley delivers the definitive guidebook, packed with anecdotes from real girls around the country, who offer their insight into why her friends' approval is suddenly vitally important, why she feels pressured to be perfect, why she's no longer telling her parents everything, and what three vital things adults can offer to the girls in their lives to downplay the drama.
Filled with practical strategies from tweens and teen mentors to help adults understand what girls today are facing, "The Drama Years "is a must-read for anyone struggling to help girls navigate the often difficult transition into adolescence.

From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia, Every Time a Rainbow Dies is a moving, lyrical, and diverse love story-perfect for fans of One Crazy Summer who are ready for an older voice. Dreamy Thulani spends most of his time up on the roof, taking care of the flock of doves in the cote and watching the streets of Brooklyn bustle below him. He is up there on the day he sees a girl being brutally attacked in an alley. Though the girl makes it clear she wants nothing more to do with him after he helps her home, he can't stop thinking about her. Is she okay? What is her name? Would she be scared if he tried to talk to her? Suddenly, for the first time since his mother died, Thulani finally has a reason to come down from the roof. But as much as he wants to care for this girl, Ysa-more fragile and fiercer than his birds-she will not trust easily. Is it possible to shelter someone who needs to be free? First published in 2001, the novel has now been repackaged with gorgeous new cover art. Previously available only as an e-book, this remarkable novel is now back in print!

*A 2019 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book*

A dark, twisted, unforgettable fairy tale from Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of

The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: When the king dies, his son the prince must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been.

When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon or what horrors she faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome young man, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. It's all like a dream, like something from a fairy tale.

As Ama follows Emory to the kingdom of Harding, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. There is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows, and the greatest threats may not be behind her, but around her, now, and closing in.

Lexi's unhappy home life with an alcoholic mother drives her to join a neo-Nazi group, but eventually she discovers that her new friends thrive on hatred and destruction.