Set in a lavish world of sorceresses, alchemists, jinn and flying carpets, this spine-tingling middle-grade book is perfect for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Sophie Anderson.

Confined to a besieged Settlement, Yara longs to free her mother from the alchemists in the City of Zehaira. When Yara receives a message from her mother to find the hidden residence of the Grand High Sorceress, it sets her on a different path.

Yara and her friends set off on an adventure to find her mother’s home, and to seek out a secret magic that her mother was working on – magic so powerful that it could defeat the alchemists once and for all. But the wicked alchemist Omair Firaaz is on her trail and will stop at nothing to gain the power himself…

Can Yara and her friends find the magic that could be the answer to everything … before it destroys them all?

‘Enchanting, immersive and beautifully imagined. Once I’d finished, I couldn’t stop dreaming of this magnificent magical world’ A.F. Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief 'Spellbinding storytelling - lyrical, heartfelt, and glittering with possibilities' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs 'Intricately-woven and wholly authentic.' Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars My own Yara, if you are reading this, then something terrible has happened, and you are on your own. To return to the city of Zehaira, you must read out the words on the back of this letter . . . Good luck, my brave girl. When Yara’s mother passes away, she leaves behind a letter and a strange set of instructions. Yara must travel from the home she has always known to a place that is not on any map – Zehaira, a world of sorcerers, alchemists and simmering magic. But Zehaira is not the land it used to be. The practice of magic has been outlawed, the Sultan’s alchemists are plotting a sinister scheme – and the answers Yara is searching for seem to be out of reach. Yara must summon all of her courage to discover the truth about her mother’s past and her own identity . . . and to find her place in this magical new world. A breathtaking adventure for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sophie Anderson and Eva Ibbotson – perfect for intrepid young explorers age 9+!  

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available. Jam Malik has grown up hearing tales of the hero Jack, who climbed up a beanstalk and rescued three treasures from the land of the giants. When a visit to Jack's house makes her question everything she thought she knew about her village and its stories, she is determined to seek justice. Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books. Pages 78 and 79 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Big Cat for Little Wandle Fluency has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It consists of a range of chapter books with increasing word counts across 10 fluency levels aimed at children in Year 2 and 3. Each book builds reading confidence, stamina and speed and nurtures a love for reading. Fluency 7 books have a word count of 4800 words with an expected reading rate of 100 words per minute. When Yasmina graduates Ms Gillyflower’s Finishing School for Fairies she is reluctant to guard a tall tower (she’s afraid of dragons) or live in a tumbledown cottage (she has horrible hayfever). Instead, she moves into a narrowboat on Gossamer River, and is tasked with looking after the local wildlife. However, she soon discovers that the water is being polluted by the Wizard of Waste, who is determined to turn the river into a rubbish dump. Yasmina must rally the community, but will she be able to defeat the Wizard of Waste?