Lula and Lenka are best friends and total opposites - Lula is a Dog Person and Lenka is a Cat Person; Lula is super messy and Lenka is neat and tidy; Lula likes talking to people and Lenka likes watching people - but together they make the perfect pair. Until The Day that Everything Goes Wrong ... and suddenly the girls are no longer friends. What started as a day like any other ends with Lula and Lenka ignoring each other and sitting on opposite sides of the classroom. As the days go by Lula makes a new friend who talks almost as much as she does, while Lenka just plays on her own. In spite of feeling lonely, neither one is prepared to listen or forgive ... or to say sorry. Will it be this way forever? A thoughtful story exploring friendship and the importance of listening and keeping an open mind.

Nature-loving Timi is unsettled by the arrival of a new sibling and turns to tending a tree growing in his local library. But there is something magical about the tree and it is growing FAST... and the library is going to close. Can Timi save the library and his tree, and maybe bring his community closer together along the way? A charming early reader for ages 5-8, filled with black-and-white illustrations.

An out-of-this-world middle-grade adventure about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things and authors, such as Ross Welford and Lisa Thompson. Something strange is happening in Ana's city . . . she's the only one awake. Confused and curious, Ana sets off to explore, bumping into the one other person who's been able to rouse themselves - her ex-best friend, Tio. On a mission to discover what's happening, Ana and Tio journey through the city looking for clues, their friendship mending with every step. When a mysterious creature suddenly materialises in front of them, Ana realises they've found the answer they've been looking for. But one question still remains: Why them? Praise for How I Saved the World in a Week: 'This tense, haunting zombie thriller perfectly balances terrifying peril with emotional depth.' - Guardian 'A fabulous page-turner' - Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song 'A compelling and timely survivalist journey' - Sita Brahmachari, author of Where the River Runs Gold 'A brave and powerful story' - Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha & the Spirit Bird Praise for Boy in the Tower: 'An unusual and very impressive debut' - Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

A brilliantly imagined new 8+ adventure about resilience, family and hope. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Ross Welford, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf. Rule number one: Always be prepared . . . Billy's mum isn't like other mums. All she wants is to teach him the Rules of Survival - how to make fire, build shelter and find food. She likes to test Billy on the rules until one day she goes too far, and Billy is sent to live with a dad he barely knows. Then the world changes forever as people begin to be infected with a mysterious virus that turns their skin grey. As chaos breaks out, Billy has to flee the city. Suddenly he realises that this is what his mum was preparing him for - not just to save his family, but to save the whole world. Praise for How I Saved the World in a Week: 'This tense, haunting zombie thriller perfectly balances terrifying peril with emotional depth.' - Guardian 'A fabulous page-turner' - Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song 'A compelling and timely survivalist journey' - Sita Brahmachari, author of Where the River Runs Gold 'A brave and powerful story' - Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha & the Spirit Bird Praise for Boy in the Tower: 'An unusual and very impressive debut' - Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

For fans of Black Mirror and The Handmaid's Tale, in Dark Lullaby a mother desperately tries to keep her family together in a society where parenting standards are strictly monitored.

Kit is an 'out', she doesn't want children. Infertility is universal and she has witnessed the agonies of her friends and sister going through the painful and dangerous fertility treatment, Induction, and then struggling to keep their babies, and cannot face going through it herself. But then she meets Thomas, and gradually the idea of a baby becomes more and more important. She and Thomas go through Induction and have a baby girl, Mimi. At first everything goes well but then the small mistakes, ISPs (Insufficient Standard of Parenting), build up and suddenly Kit is face to face with the idea of losing Mimi, and she is forced to ask herself how far she will go to keep her family together.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD 2015 LONGLISTED FOR THE BRANFORD BOASE AWARD 2015 SHORTLISTED FOR THE REDBRIDGE AWARD 2015 RUNNER UP TEACH PRIMARY NEW CHILDREN'S FICTION AWARD 2015 BOOKTRUST PICK When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way. Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. His mum doesn't really like looking outside - but it's going outside that she hates. She prefers to sleep all day inside their tower, where it's safe. Except it isn't any more. Strange plants have started to take over and tower blocks are falling down around them. Now Ade and his mum are trapped and there's no way out . . .

Feeling lost and alone in a strange new city, Leelu wishes she could fly away back home - her real home where her dad is, thousands of miles away. London is cold and grey and the neighbours are noisy and there's concrete everywhere. But Leelu is not alone; someone is leaving her gifts outside her house - wonders which give her curious magical powers. Powers which might help her find her way home . . . Fly Me Home is an incredibly moving portrait of one family's struggle to adjust to life in a new country. Full of friendship, family and magic, this stunning novel by Polly Ho-Yen, author of Boy in the Tower (shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award) and Where Monsters Lie, is a must-read for 9-12 readers. Praise for Boy in the Tower 'An unusual and very impressive debut' The Bookseller 'I loved it' Bookbag Praise for Where Monsters Lie 'One of the most unusual and distinctive new voices in children's fiction' The Bookseller

Thought-provoking contemporary fantasy from best-selling author Polly Ho-Yen. Mae spends a lot of time in hospitals. She's had asthma since she was little and sometimes she just can't breathe. She was in hospital the very first time she saw the hole - a tear in the universe which seems to appear only to her. Before she knows it she is drawn into a parallel world, where things aren't quite the same... This powerful fantasy story is full of big ideas and a great way to talk about chronic illness with children. It has beautiful black-and-white illustrations from TBC throughout, and is ideal for children who are developing as readers. The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with brilliant books to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2, with book-banded stories by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence, covering a wide range of genres and topics. With charming illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for reading both in the classroom and at home. For more information visit www.bloomsburyguidedreading.com. Book Band: Brown Ideal for ages 7+

Lula and Lenka are best friends and total opposites - Lula is a Dog Person and Lenka is a Cat Person; Lula is super messy and Lenka is neat and tidy; Lula likes talking to people and Lenka likes watching people - but together they make the perfect pair. Until The Day that Everything Goes Wrong ... and suddenly the girls are no longer friends. What started as a day like any other ends with Lula and Lenka ignoring each other and sitting on opposite sides of the classroom. As the days go by Lula makes a new friend who talks almost as much as she does, while Lenka just plays on her own. In spite of feeling lonely, neither one is prepared to listen or forgive ... or to say sorry. Will it be this way forever? A thoughtful story exploring friendship and the importance of listening and keeping an open mind.

The children of Mivtown have grown up hearing the legend of the monsters of the loch. But it's only a story - a warning to stay away from the water. Then strange things start happening in the village. Effie's rabbit Buster escapes from a locked hutch, her mum disappears without trace and slugs start to infest her home. Along with her best friend Finn, Effie begins to hunt for clues to solve the mysteries of Mivtown. Could this all be connected to the legend? Is it really just a story or is there something lurking in those deep, dark waters?

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. Boy In The Tower, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. Ade lives in a tower block in London. One day, something bad happens to Ade's mum. After that, she stays in her bedroom all the time and sleeps. Then buildings start falling down in the night, and there are strange plants on the street. What will happen to Ade and his friend Gaia? Visit the Penguin Readers website Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.