In 1771, Robert Burns, future national poet and folk hero of Scotland, has big problems. 12-year-old Rab spends all of his time doing backbreaking work on his family's farm instead of attending school, but when he finds a hag stone in one of the fields, everything changes. Looking through its circular hole, he sees witches gathering in a coming storm, and they've set their sights on his family. Can Rab save his sisters from the clutches of the witches' coven before their Halloween ceremony in the old kirk? Filled with mystery and magic, Hag Storm is a spooky, historical adventure with a supernatural twist, based on the life of Robert Burns and one of his most famous and best-loved poems, Tam O'Shanter.

Warsaw, 1942. Sixteen-year old Mira smuggles food into the Warsaw ghetto to keep herself and her family alive. When she discovers that the entire ghetto is to be 'liquidated' - killed or resettled to concentration camps - she desperately tries to find a way to save her family. She meets a group of young people who are planning the unthinkable: an uprising against the occupying forces. Mira joins the resistance fighters who, with minimal supplies and weapons, end up holding out for twenty-eight days, longer than anyone had thought possible. During this time, Mira has to decide where her heart belongs. To Amos, who will take as many Nazis as he can with him into the grave? Or to Daniel, who wants to help orphans in a shelter?

A powerful, moving adventure inspired by the extraordinary true story of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo, COBWEB is a stunning tale of courage and kindness – a book about humanity, animals, and the heartbreak of war, from a writer at the height of his powers. “They call me Cobweb. I’ll tell you why later. I may be a dog, but I know and understand a lot more than people think I do.” Britain. 1815. After years of loss and sacrifice, the end of the war with Napoleon is approaching. Cobweb knows nothing of the war – he loves being a young puppy and playing with his owner, Bethan, exploring the countryside and chasing rabbits. But when he is taken away from Bethan and sold, Cobweb must learn to become a Drover’s Dog – herding sheep and cattle for hundreds of miles on the long, treacherous journey to London. And after the Napoleonic wars finally come to an end with the Battle of Waterloo, Cobweb meets an unexpected stranger with an incredible tale to tell on his journey home …

Leopold se wêreld stort in duie wanneer sy familie hul rykdom verloor. Hy sluit by ’n togryer aan op pad na die diamantvelde om sy fortuin te soek. Sara, vermom as ’n touleier, reis saam op soek na die merk van haar voormense. Maar wanneer hulle by die geheimsinnige tolhuis in Ceres gestrand raak, kom hulle ’n donker wese in die berge tee en ontdek dat hulle nog altyd bestem is om die skrikbewind van die Verdwaalding stop te sit . . .

Gabriel skrik wakker in ’n donker kelder in ’n vreemde stad, sonder enige herinnering van hoe hy daar gekom het. Al wat hy weet is sy naam en dat hy in Amsterdam woon. Tot sy verbasing bevind hy hom in die Kaap van Storms, die VOC se ou halfwegstasie – en in die begrafplaas is ’n graf met sy naam en geboortedatum op. ’n Pragtige slawemeisie, Zytia, probeer hom help om uit te vind wie hy werklik is. Sy potloodsketse bring visioene van ’n Khoi seun en ’n vreemde klip. En Zytia se geheimsinnige meesteres soek sy bloed . . .

The most exciting debut of 2025 – an incredible fantasy Dark Academia, perfect for fans of Babel, Fourth Wing, and the Scholomance trilogy

EVERY FIRE STARTS WITH A SINGLE SPARK.

Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons.

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job’, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort – if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realises that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must decide: What war is she really fighting?

An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story, filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities, A Language of Dragons is the unmissable debut of 2025, from an extraordinary new voice.

Whatever happens, no matter what, DO NOT step into Asco Express because you might just end up leaving with more than you bargained for... When eleven-year-old Wesley stops by at a mysterious local shop to buy a drink, he does not realise the trouble he is getting himself into. CURSED by the fiendish Pharaoh AKAHTEN IX, Wesley and his friends, Marishana and Aiden, must solve the evil spell quickly or be trapped for all ETERNITY! Cursed Tales is a brand-new series bringing ancient scares to life. Readers BEWARE - this story will leave you wrapped up and wanting your mummy!

Devon, 1941. Bonnie wants to help in the war effort like her brother, Ralph, rather than tend the home vegetable patch. So when the mysterious Mr Fisher is billeted at their family home, Bonnie's mission to uncover his secrets begins. Why is he here? Is he a shirker? Or worse ... a German spy?

Written by bestselling author Saviour Pirotta, this fast-paced story is set in the Islamic Golden Age when Baghdad was the largest and most dazzling city in the world. Perfect for fans of thrilling adventure. Thirteen-year-old Jabir is hoping to save his family from being made homeless by finding work in Baghdad. Famished after his long journey to the city, Jabir is caught stealing bread and sent to prison. Luckily, one of the guards there notices that he has a gift for carving wooden models and he is released on the orders of the grand caliph Harun al Rashid himself. In return Jabir must carve twelve golden horsemen, a gift from the caliph to the emperor Charlemagne. But someone is determined to stop Jabir from completing the work and he will stop at nothing, not even arson, to achieve his aim. Can Jabir and his friend Yasmina finish the horsemen or will Jabir be sent back to prison? Ideal for readers aged 8+, this exciting and readable adventure story is packed with great characters and insight into Islamic civilisation and the historic culture of the Middle East circa AD 900, a period which is now studied in the National Curriculum. The Flashbacks series offers dramatic stories set in key moments of history, perfect for introducing children to historical topics.

The year is AD1190... ...and Matthew is an apprentice at St Leonard's Priory, which has been given deeds to some land. However, they need to claim the land through the Royal Court at Lincoln Castle. En route they are ambushed, the deeds stolen and two monks injured. Matthew must seek help but is mistaken for a criminal and chased through Lincoln. Time is running out to prove his innocence, find justice and claim the land!

Necessary for all of humankind, Under the Broken Sky is a breathtaking work of literature.--Booklist, starred review A beautifully told middle-grade novel-in-verse about a Japanese orphan's experience in occupied rural Manchuria during World War II. Twelve-year-old Natsu and her family live a quiet farm life in Manchuria, near the border of the Soviet Union. But the life they've known begins to unravel when her father is recruited to the Japanese army, and Natsu and her little sister, Cricket, are left orphaned and destitute. In a desperate move to keep her sister alive, Natsu sells Cricket to a Russian family following the 1945 Soviet occupation. The journey to redemption for Natsu's broken family is rife with struggles, but Natsu is tenacious and will stop at nothing to get her little sister back. Literary and historically insightful, this is one of the great untold stories of WWII. Much like the Newbery Honor book Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Mariko Nagai's Under the Broken Sky is powerful, poignant, and ultimately hopeful. Christy Ottaviano Books