White Pine Award 2022 - Shortlisted During a sweltering summer, Dills must come to terms with a horrific crime and the parent he loves who committed it. Dills and his mom have returned to Hamilton, her hometown, hoping to leave the horrors of Windsor behind. But it's impossible to escape the echoes of tragedy, and trouble always follows trouble. When Dills hurts a new classmate, it comes out in court that he was in the Windsor High library when the shooter came in. But he won't talk about what he saw, what he still sees whenever he closes his eyes. He can't. He definitely can't tell anyone that the Windsor Shooter is his stepfather, Jesse, that Jesse can speak into his mind from hundreds of kilometres away, and that Dills still loves him even though he committed an unspeakable crime.

Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and learn to talk to them! That's what happens for the girls at Lakeside Unicorn Academy on the beautiful island of Ellinor.The girls have an important job to do - they must discover their unicorn's special magic before the annual Starlight Parade. What's more, it looks like some mysterious people want to harm the island and its magic. This year at the Lakeside Unicorn Academy is certainly going to be a big adventure!Sophia is thrilled to be at unicorn school on Ellinor Island and can't wait to meet Rainbow, her gorgeous unicorn. She just knows they'll get on brilliantly! And soon, after witnessing a sinister event at the magical lake, they're away on their first amazing adventure!

The thirteenth (lucky for us!) title in the bestselling series, from the brilliantly talented Liz Pichon. Having two sets of grandparents is turning out to be very good for me. The Wrinklies are keen on giving presents AND they're planning a family outing which is going to be EPIC! Even Delia wants to come. (I can always ignore her.) ABOUT THE SERIES: Written in diary form Full of Tom's doodles and pictures & his amazing sense of humour The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, was the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize! Perfect gifts for boys & girls who love to laugh themselves silly The first series of The Brilliant World of Tom Gates won the Scottish BAFTA for Entertainment! Love Tom Gates? Don't miss Liz Pichon's spectacular Shoe Wars, a laugh-out-loud, gadget-packed adventure!

Cat Wilcox has left chilly Boston for sunny Mexico and a summer of girl bonding with her best friend, Sabrina. But Sabrina has a surprise. She is accompanied by her boyfriend--a boyfriend Cat didn't even know existed. So rather than Sabrina and Cat spending their study-abroad semester working together at the orphan school building site, Cat expects she'll be hammering nails all by her lonesome. Then she meets Aidan. He's cute, he's smart, and he's paying her a lot of attention. Cat can't tell if he's flirting or friendly, but she's not sure it matters. Isn't it easier to be just friends? But this is enchanted Mexico and, between hiking in the rain forest, diving off waterfalls, and finishing the orphan center, it's going to take a little bit of salsa spirit, and a lot of heart, for Cat to make it through the summer unchanged.

Another hilarious take on school life from the brilliant Pamela Butchart - three stories of mayhem and chaos where pupils' imaginations run riot... The strangest things happen at Wigglesbottom Primary! A school trip to a farm introduces Year 2 to a lamb like no other. IT CAN TALK! And it's about to get them all into big trouble! Perfect for newly-independent readers, these are more funny school stories from award-winning Pamela Butchart, brilliantly colour-illustrated by Becka Moor.

No one knows Yami is gay, least of all her mum, and Yami intends to keep it that way . . . Until, uh oh, she's falling in love again. Yami prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, rich Catholic school - or for being gay. So after being outed by her ex-best friend, before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami decides to lie low, make her mum proud and definitely NOT fall in love. The thing is, it's hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And cute. So cute. Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud. 'Sonora's voice is one to watch!' Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

Klara Klein het alles wat sy moontlik kan begeer. Maar alles is nie genoeg nie. Sy wil nog en nog en nóg goed hê! Op ’n dag besluit Klara sy wil ’n DINGETH hê, maar daar is net een probleem. Wat is ’n DINGETH?

Mnr. en mev. Klein sal enigiets doen om hul dierbare doggie gelukkig te hou, selfs al beteken dit hulle moet by die kelder onder die biblioteek ingaan om ’n antwoord in die geheimsinnige Monsterklopedie te kry. Hul desperate soektog lei na die donker dieptes van die oerwoudagtigste oerwoud waar die vreemdste vreemde dierasies lewe.

Maar gaan hulle ooit ’n DINGETH kry?

Brains are sizzling in the seventh grade...

The first day of seventh grade is probably the worst day of Duncan Dougal's life. He knows that things are really bad when he finds an alien's hand in a Dumpster and then gets plugged into an alien brain fryer!

Can Duncan find out which of the four new teachers in his school is an alien before his brains get fried to a pulp -- or before the aliens try to fry the whole planet?

Is the Classroom Cat trying to tell them something! YES! Can eating a puddle crisp make you ill? YES! Is Imaginary Margaret a bit of a prankster? YES! So what are Class 2R going to do about it all? HAVE A LOT OF FUN! Look out for other Wigglesbottom titles! The Shark in the Pool The Toilet Ghost The Magic Hamster The Super Dog!

The fourth mega-selling instalment in the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series!

Greg's mom has a vision of "family togetherness" that really doesn't sound a whole lot of fun. But there's a brand-new addition to the Heffley family to contend with and it looks like Greg might be outnumbered.

It could be a real dog of a summer ...

Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl by way of Jenny Han in this knock-out sequel, about a Korean American teen who is thrust into the competitive, technicolor world of K-pop, from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend and former lead singer of one of the most influential K-pop girl groups of all time, Girls Generation. Couture gowns, press parties, international travel. Rachel Kim is at the top of her game. Girls Forever is now the number-one K-pop group in the world, and her fame skyrockets after her viral airport styling attracts the attention of fashion's biggest names. Her life's a swirl of technicolour glamour and adoring fans. Rachel can't imagine shining any brighter. The only thing that's missing is love-but Rachel's determined to follow the rules. In her world, falling in love can cost you everything. Enter Alex. When Rachel literally falls head over designer heels into his lap on a crowded metro, she's tempted to give up her anti-love vows. Alex is more than just heart-stopping dimples and adorably quirky banter. He believes in Rachel's future-both in music and in fashion. But the higher you rise, the harder you fall. And when a shocking act of betrayal shatters her world, Rachel must finally listen to her heart.

Join Horrid Henry in a bumper book of mayhem with this brilliantly mischievous collection of six of his best food-related stories!

Horrid Henry loves food . . . except vegetables! Here are six hilarious stories about food, from the delicious to the disgusting.

An irresistible introduction to reading for pleasure, with six stories plus a joke and activity section - the perfect gift for Horrid Henry fans everywhere.

Part of the 'Children's Book Selection for Summer 2016' in The Express.

Izzy and her friends have never liked school dinners. And they're getting worse. The dinner ladies are acting strangely (making up random rules, wearing hats, and cooking new food, even more horrible than usual). Lollipop man mentions there is a new head dinner lady and calls her "a bit of a legend" (in a bad way) and that she used to be here a long, long time ago and has returned. Izzy and friends wonder if she is the reason for the strange behaviour. They wonder why she has returned. They find out she was fired. They speculate as to why and decide she's a demon who's returned to do bad things. Because why wouldn't she be?

As Rietrot moet jy jou plek ken, besef Daniël du Randt met die intrapslag in Rietvallei Hoër. Almal sê daar bestaan nie iets soos ontgroening nie, maar hierdie matrieks het duidelik nog nie die boodskap gekry nie. Gelukkig het hy vriende soos Malebo, Antonie en Giovanni, want Peet Pretorius eet graad 8’s vir ontbyt en spoeg hulle soos fyngekoude grate uit.

Een vir een. Wanneer Daniël en Malebo een nag uit die koshuis glip en hulle vasloop in ’n skelm – wat vir Peet soos ’n lammetjie laat lyk – begin hulle probleme werklik. Moet hulle vir iemand daarvan vertel? Kan hulle dit waag? Sê nou daardie ou kom een donker nag terug om sy dreigemente uit te voer? Hoërskool is beslis nie vir sissies nie!

The gang from Woodsword Middle School have re-entered the world of Minecraft, and this time they’re taking the plunge to discover the secrets of the ocean biome. When the friends follow a treasure map, they find their underwater quest ties in perfectly with their new school science project. But trouble quickly threatens to sink them in both worlds!

For fans of the Minecraft game, Jumanji and Wreck it Ralph.

A bag of chips. That's all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad's pleadings that he's stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad's every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the pavement?

There were witnesses: Quinn - a varsity basketball player and Rashad's classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan - and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his saviour could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team - half of whom are Rashad's best friends - start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.

"So this is really a school for criminals." It was meant as a question, though it came out more as an accusation. "We are so much more than that," Caspian said, sitting in a plush leather chair and gesturing for Gabriel to sit in a similar one across the table. "We are a home for the forgotten, a sanctuary for the lost and ... yes, a training ground for the greatest crooks of the future." 13-year-old Gabriel is a brilliant pickpocket, a skill which he uses to keep his often empty belly not quite so empty. And then one day, he's caught. But instead of being arrested, he is invited by the mysterious Caspian Crook to attend Crookhaven - a school for thieves. At Crookhaven, students are trained in lock-picking, forgery and 'crim-nastics', all with the intention of doing good out in the world, by conning the bad and giving back to the innocent. But ... can you ever really trust a thief? With a school wide competition to be crowned Top Crook and many mysteries to uncover, Gabriel's first year at Crookhaven will be one to remember... An irresistible series about chosen family, high stakes thievery, and what it really means to do good. Perfect for fans of M.G. Leonard and Anthony Horowitz.