A heart-lifting, heartbreaking story by Michael Morpurgo, the second-biggest children's author in the UK. In the Imperial War Museum is a wooden Dachshund, carved by a German prisoner of war for the children of the British family with which he stayed after the fighting ended. This is the story of how it got there... When the Bismarck sinks, one of the only German survivors is taken on board a British ship as a prisoner of war. Sent to live with a host family, Walter must adapt to a new way of life, in the heart of an enemy country. Gradually, though, he finds a friend in ten-year-old Grace. So when the time finally comes to go back to Germany, it's an emotional parting, with Walter leaving Grace with only a carved wooden dog to remember him by. The question is, will Walter and Grace ever meet again? In 1966, with the World Cup coming to Britain, that opportunity may just have come along.

Angela McAllister's seven original stories follow the changing landscape of lives on one hillside from the Stone Age to the present day. Six thousand years ago, people first came to the hillside and a story began. A Neolithic girl, Roman twins, a herbalist's daughter, an orphaned bird-scarer, an archaeologist's niece, three children without a home. Each faced their troubles on that ancient downland. All found healing in the place that Granny Down calls home. Wilderness, weather, history, archaeology and folklore infuse each tale. With gorgeous illustrations of the wildlife and surrounding landscape at different points in history, this glorious full-colour, gift book is a celebration of the enduring power of nature and lives well lived.

Elsie witnesses the rise of antisemitic fascism in 1930s London in this gripping new story from award-winning author Tanya Landman. Life has always been tough on the streets of Stepney, where Elsie and her brother Mikey are growing up in a vermin-infested slum nicknamed "Paradise". But the rise of antisemitic fascist Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts in the 1930s stirs up trouble between families who have lived closely together for years, and Elsie sees friendships torn apart. When Elsie and Mikey attend a Mosley rally, intending to heckle and cause trouble, they soon see how dangerous the situation has become, but out in the streets the fascists find that people will stand and fight against them and against hatred in what becomes the dramatic Battle of Cable Street.

The highly anticipated, unforgettable new story from the internationally bestselling, multi-award-winning author of WONDER. 'Thrillingly told . . . Palacio is a fantastic writer' The Times 'Perfection . . . A beautiful, funny, heart-twisting wonder of a book . . . A brilliant story of love and courage' Wall Street Journal When Silas Bird wakes in the dead of night, he watches powerlessly as three strangers take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost. But then a mysterious pony shows up at his door, and Silas knows what he has to do. So begins a perilous journey to find his father - a journey that will connect him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him. PONY is a breathtaking and powerful read, perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo and Hannah Gold and destined to become a future classic.

Book Band: Dark Blue (Ideal for ages 9+) An exciting time-travel adventure by Emma Shevah, ideal for fans of Horrible Histories. The librarian at Ariella and Yosef's school loves History. She even has a collection of historical objects in the library. When she starts acting strangely, Ariella and Yosef can't resist investigating. Transported back to Georgian London, how will they get back home? This thrilling story features beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Laura Catalan. The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com. 'Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed ... Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.' Books for Keeps

A thrilling new short story collection in the number-one bestselling, award-winning Murder Most Unladylike series. Featuring six marvellous mini-mysteries, including four original, brand-new and never-seen-before stories: The Case of the Second Scream: set aboard the ship carrying Daisy and Hazel back from Hong Kong The Case of the Uninvited Guest: Uncle Felix and Aunt Lucy's wedding is the target for an unlikely threat The Hound of Weston School: the Junior Pinkertons investigate a mysterious arrival The Case of the Deadly Flat: introducing Hazel's little sister May, who's determined to be the greatest spy ever The Case of the Missing Treasure: the detectives crack fiendish codes to catch a daring thief who is targeting London's famous museums The Case of the Drowned Pearl: murder follows the Detective Society wherever they go, even on holiday... The perfect book for all Detective Society fans and avid readers of the Murder Most Unladylike series. Praise for Murder Most Unladylike 'Ripping good fun' The Times 'Plotting is what sets this book apart' Telegraph 'Enormous fun' Irish Times 'A skilful blend of golden era crime novel and boarding school romp . . . Top class' Financial Times 'I absolutely loved it' Susie Day

The moving story of an orphan, determined to know her own history, who discovers the true meaning of family.

Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.

Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

Vivid and heart-wrenching, Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea is a gorgeously crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family.

An NPR Best Book of the Year • A Parents’ Magazine Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors’ Choice selection • A BookPage Best Book of the Year • A Horn Book Fanfare Selection • A Kirkus Best Book of the Year • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year • A Charlotte Observer Best Book of the Year • A Southern Living Best Book of the Year • A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

With his older brother gone to fight in the Great War and his father prone to sudden rages, fourteen-year-old Stanley devotes himself to taking care of the family's greyhound and puppies. Until the morning Stanley wakes to find the puppies gone. Determined to find his brother, Stanley runs away to join an increasingly desperate army. Assigned to the experimental War Dog School, Stanley is given a problematic Great Dane named Bones to train. Against all odds, the pair excels, and Stanley is sent to France.
But in "Soldier Dog" by Sam Angus, the war in France is larger and more brutal than Stanley ever imagined. How can one young boy survive and find his brother with only a dog to help?

Quebrado has been traded from pirate ship to ship in the Caribbean Sea for as long as he can remember. The sailors he toils under call him el quebrado - half islander, half outsider, a broken one. Now the pirate captain Bernardino de Talavera uses Quebrado as a translator to help navigate the worlds and words between his mother's Taino Indian language and his father's Spanish. But when a hurricane sinks the ship and most of its crew, it is Quebrado who escapes to safety. He learns how to live on land again, among people who treat him well. And it is he who must decide the fate of his former captors.

Recommended for Grade 7+. With her whimsical and informative illustrations and timelines Foster has magnificently captured a remarkable age and a remarkable man. Originally published in 1944, Foster earned her reputation by her masterful display of "horizontal history"—telling the story of world events in the geo-political sphere, while giving as much importance to advances in science, medicine, music, literature, and exploration.

Thus, while Abe Lincoln was a boy romping the woods of Kentucky, Thomas Jefferson was completing his eighth year as president, George III reigned in Great Britain and Napoleon was about to meet his Waterloo. Beethoven and Sir Walter Scott were at the height of their creative powers, while Victor Hugo was staging plays at school. By the time Lincoln was old enough to help his father chop wood, other young boys and girls were being prepared for the future parts they would play.

Harriet Beecher was reading anything she could get her hands on, Charles Darwin was collecting toads, crabs and shells, and the impoverished boy Dickens was working in a shoe blacking factory in London. When Lincoln opened his shop in Salem, David Livingstone was opening up deepest Africa, and thousands of Americans were opening up the West on the Oregon Trail. The spirit of freedom was moving around the globe as the abolitionist movement gained power in the States and serfdom saw its demise in Russia. Technologically the world was bursting with the invention of the telegraph, the railroad and the steamboat.

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015.

The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric novel by Frances Hardinge, award-winning author of Cuckoo Song and Fly By Night.

Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered.

The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .

From the best-selling author of Horrible Histories... 17,300 years ago; Lascaux, France Willow isn't the strongest or fastest in his tribe, he is careful and clever. But that's not what matters to the other boys. All they care about who is the best hunter, and who can provide meat for the tribe. So when the brawny and brash Bull takes over as the tribe's chief, it's going to take all of Willow's wits to survive. A new exciting tale, based on real historical and archeological evidence, this story is full of Terry Deary's imaginative style and dry wit.

One of the greatest historical fiction adventures in children's literature.

Marita Conlon-McKenna's Children of the Famine series brings to life as never before the Great Famine of 1840s Ireland and the immigrations that followed. Winner of many awards and accolades, these are all-time classics in historical fiction for children. Join siblings Eily, Michael, and Peggy on their incredible journey as they overcome tragedy, famine, and poverty to make their way in a dangerous new world.

" Beautiful and moving...historically true and fictionally vivid."-Sunday Times
" Not a word, spoken or unspoken, nor an emotion, is wasted. Pace and style keep the pages turning, and you are filled with a sense of wanting more at the end. Highly recommended." -Books Ireland
" Brings to a satisfying conclusion one of the undoubted achievements of contemporary Irish children's literature." -Children's Books in Ireland
" Three novels which, in my opinion, must be counted among the very highest achievements of contemporary children's writing - from Ireland or elsewhere." -Robert Dunbar

Liberté by Gita Trelease is the spell-binding sequel to the bestselling Enchanteé.

Magic. Betrayal. Sacrifice.

Camille Durbonne gambled everything she had to keep herself and her sister safe. But as the people of Paris starve and mobs riot, safety may no longer be possible . . .

Not when Camille lives for the rebellion. In the pamphlets she prints, she tells the stories of girls living at society’s margins. But as her writings captivate the public, she begins to suspect a dark magic she can’t control lies at the heart of her success. Then Louis XVI declares magic a crime and all magicians traitors to France. As bonfires incinerate enchanted books and special police prowl the city, the time for magic – and those who work it – is running out.

In this new Paris where allegiances shift and violence erupts, the answers Camille seeks set her on a perilous path, one that may cost her the boy she loves – and even her life. If she can discover who she truly is before vengeful forces unmask her, she may still win this deadly game of revolution.

From the bestselling author of Horrible Histories... Young Acheron is a liar. Everybody knows it. Troy is under siege and Acheron tells tales of Trojan bravery to entertain Prince Paris and the beautiful Helen at the palace. But when a stranger comes to the city to announce that the Greeks have departed, leaving a special gift of a wooden horse, Acheron is suspicious. He races to tell Prince Paris about the Greek plot, but will anyone at the palace believe him? Terry Deary's Greek Tales explore the world of Ancient Greece through the eyes of children who could have lived at the time. These stories feature real people and take place in some of the most recognisable Greek settings. This new edition features notes for the reader to help extend learning and exploration of the historical period.

Follow SOS and his fiery friend Furia on a quest that takes them from gladiator school to Mount Olympuss. Find out more at www.spartapuss.co.uk