Alex is not happy that his family are moving to the village of Noggings. He's even less happy when he discovers that Noggings is under siege from a vicious jackdaw called Graham who has been dive-bombing kids in the school playground and terrorising locals. Surely, it's only a matter of time before Alex himself is targeted. But can he defend himself against the flapping fiend and learn what's really behind these angry avian attacks?
When he spots a lonely old man watching his football games in the park, and then sees him again eating at the local gurdwara kitchen, Bobby wants to help. At first the man doesn't seem very friendly and he doesn't want to take part in the local walking football league for older people that Bobby tells him about. But when Bobby eventually changes his mind, it turns out that the man is a talented former professional footballer who has recently been widowed, and Bobby's invitation opens up a rewarding new opportunity for him to make connections in his local community.
It's the end of the summer and Denny is having to move away with his mum now that she's found a good job, but he's not planning on leaving quietly. He's made a list of scores to settle and wrongs to right before he goes. He asks his best friend, Jake, to help. Jake is absolutely gutted that Denny is leaving and worries what life will be like without him. Of course he'll do anything to help, no matter how weird or unrealistic the items on Denny's list might be. But the list is more powerful than either of them realise - it can make and break friendships.
Eva's football skills make her stand out while playing at break-time at school, so her friends can't understand why she's reluctant to join them in playing for their local team, the Lightmoor Lionesses. Horribly bullied at her last school due to a painful skin condition, Eva is terrified that the same thing will happen again if her new friends find out. Her instinct is to hide away, but can she find the courage to take to the field and play the game she loves?
Young chimney sweep Tom has started seeing strange, supernatural things - fairies in the flowers by the river, a soot monster crouching in the darkness of a chimney, and then the mysterious river spirit Elle. Elle joins Tom and the other children apprenticed to cruel master sweep Mister Crow. Together, they shimmy up the town's narrow, filthy chimneys. But Tom has an ominous feeling in his bones, and when he faces his most dangerous job of all, the reason for Elle's magical appearance becomes clear.
Joe is tired of being called average and feeling completely forgettable at school. So when he hears that a Bigfoot-like beast has been spotted in some nearby woods, he spots an opportunity. Surely capturing Bigfoot will make him stand out from the crowd and bring him the popularity he longs for? With no real plan or survival skills, Joe and his best friend Tiago set off on what turns out to be an unforgettably hilarious quest with some very unexpected results!
When Tia and Nat spot a turtle in difficulty off the coast of Devil Bird Island, they must help it find its way home in this inspiring tale of conservation from Gill Lewis.
Dapple the fawn gets carried away exploring the park near the woods where he lives with his mother, Fern. But when Fern comes to find him, she gets tangled in a wire. Can Dapple find someone to help set her free? Olive the otter loves playing in the river near her home. But when she disobeys her mother and strays out after a rainstorm, Olive gets washed far downstream and lands on the bank in a city park. How will she ever find her way home? Luckily for Dapple and Olive, Hassan and his mum, a wildlife ranger, live close to the park and can help both little animals back to safety.
Sparrow lives in the world after the Reek. The atmosphere is toxically polluted, and Axel Brodie, the tech billionaire behind Zephyr Industries, is cashing in as the only supplier of clean air. Sparrow is struggling to help her family survive until her brilliant inventor friend, Miriam Fenn, comes up with a new form of technology that could break Zephyr's stranglehold on the air supply. But men like Brodie are hard to defeat, and he will do everything in his power to stop Miriam and Sparrow. Who will triumph in this battle to breathe?
Josh has always called his brain Brian, and Brian can sometimes be his best friend, helping Josh with tests and giving him brilliant moneymaking ideas. But he can also be Josh's worst enemy, keeping him awake at night worrying, and telling him that his family's problems are all Josh's fault. When the arguments at home get really bad, Josh is sent to live with his grandma, who lives in a weird shack in the middle of nowhere. At first Brian's voice gets louder and louder, and Josh feels out of control. But as he helps his grandma in the garden, growing their own food, and with all the jobs that need to be done around the shack, Josh starts to realise that she understands him and Brian better than anyone.
Mabel and Will Greystone are looking forward to an exciting holiday with their aunt Lucy, a famous relic hunter in the land of Marvolia. Using an ancient map, they are searching for the legendary lost town of Umber, famous for the invention of clockwork, which was mysteriously abandoned hundreds of years ago. The only other clue they have is a strange old key left behind by the last inhabitant of the town, but they have no idea what the key is for. Also on the hunt for Umber is devious Byron Cogsworth, desperate for the glory such an important discovery will bring. Can Mabel, Will and Aunt Lucy find Umber before him? And what secrets will the clockwork key unlock?
Stella is astounded by the stars. But her brother Ryan is bored with space already. Less than a week into their family holiday on the Space Hotel orbiting Earth, he's moaning that there's nothing to do. Their parents suggest the two of them go on an excursion to the International Space Station Museum. But during the space walk, disaster strikes. A massive solar flare sends a deadly wave of electromagnetic radiation hurtling towards the Earth. In the panic to return to the Space Hotel, Ryan's jet-pack malfunctions and Stella has to rescue him before he spirals off into deep space. With only minutes before the solar flare hits, they're forced to shield themselves inside the ISS. The solar flare short-circuits its systems and causes the ISS to drift out of orbit. With all radio communications dead, Stella will need her knowledge of the stars and a whole galaxy of luck to return safely to Earth.
In a magical world where heroes go on exciting quests while witches keep everything running behind the scenes, Laurel works in her parents' shop, supplying everything from enchanted yarn to magical carpets. The shop is struggling after the opening of a big shopping centre nearby, so when a hero waltzes in with a long list of expensive items, Laurel sees an opportunity to help.But there's one item on the list that isn't in stock, and it's going to be very tricky to find, so join Laurel and her wise cat familiar as they take the reluctant hero on a quest to save her parents' shop.
Hana joins the Moonlight Mystery Agency to help Spark the bionic unicorn find her missing birthday cake in the first of an exciting new series from bestseller Vashti Hardy.
The library is Hetty's very favourite place in school, and since falling out with her best friends Ali, Mei and Rocket she's been spending even more time there. So she's absolutely horrified when she learns that her head teacher is planning to close it down, claiming there aren't enough funds to keep the library going. There's no way Hetty's going to sit back and let this happen. But can she repair her broken friendships and build support for her library campaign?
Peggy the sausage dog feels really sad when she finds she's too small to really compete with the other dogs at puppy school. Her little legs and long body make it hard for her to jump high or run very fast. But when one of her school friends has a dangerous fall, it's Peggy who comes to the rescue, proving that heroes come in all different sizes!
When Zahra accidentally swaps suitcases with a witch, it's the beginning of a whole series of magical mishaps. Her feet take on a dancing life of their own when she puts on a pair of enchanted boots, while her first flying adventure in a charmed cloak nearly ends in disaster! But it's not all bad. She learns a spell that can transform her dad's worst cooking into a gourmet delight and makes a new best friend in the form of a talking cat. When she finds the witch again, will Zahra even want to get her own suitcase back?!
The flat upstairs from Sav is empty, so who or what is making the strange yowling noises she can hear at night? Could it be a ghost cat?! Sav and her best friend Liam decide to investigate, but their ghost hunt takes a very strange turn when Liam gets stuck in the stinky bin room of the flat and it’s a new feline friend who helps to get him out.
As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement. After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?
Sonal needs to capture a great family picture for her school photography project but it's impossible when everyone's always so busy! Luckily they're heading off on a family camping trip which should provide lots of great photo opportunities, shouldn't it? Faced with an enforced digital detox, will Sonal's family come together and have fun - or will the trip end in complete disaster?
In the wake of a tempest hitting her town, Morwenna is left to take care of a stranger washed ashore. The storm is just another of many that have plagued the town for years - people blame the tide singers, legendary sea people who are said to charm storms with their singing. Morwenna has never believed the tales, but when she is left alone with the stranger, she realises this is no ordinary girl. Can the stories be true? Can the girl control the tides with nothing more than her voice? Her arrival brings danger of a different kind, and Morwenna must draw on all the courage she has in order to stop a conflict that could destroy her home...
After a devastating accident, a special new friendship helps talented musician Annie heal and rediscover her love of music through the joyous song of a blackbird nesting near her home.
Orphan Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless on the streets of London when she is spotted by her older brother Joe. Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can come back with him to Fagin's lair. At first Ettie is able to help out with mending and other domestic jobs, but when one of the other boys falls ill, Fagin demands that Ettie go out pickpocketing with Joe and everything goes horribly wrong.
Times are tough for Cari and her mum. A violent storm has flooded the valley where they live, destroying their home and café business. Things seem bleak - but hope appears in the form of a plan to reintroduce beavers into the area, as the changes that these amazing animals make to the waterways might prevent another flood.
Cari knows that she has to get involved. But with the project facing resistance from locals, can she convince them to give the beavers a chance - and will it be enough to save her home from being destroyed for a second time?
Anna's anxious when she's picked to befriend the new girl in her class. For a start, Ellie is ill and can't come to school herself. So Anna has to communicate with her through a new kind of robot. But Anna is also worried that her life's too small and boring to be of interest to her new friend. Compared to the other girls, she doesn't have anything exciting to talk about and so when Ellie asks her a question, a little white lie pops out. Then another and another. When Ellie finds out the truth, can their friendship survive?
Grace's family are wardens of the incredible Griffin Map, using its teleport technology to fight crime across Moreland. Right now it's all systems go at Griffin HQ, where Grace, her mum and her brother have their hands full answering a huge number of calls for help. They could really do with another warden on the team - but Mum believes their important work should be kept inside the family. Meanwhile, Grace is investigating a series of puzzling petty thefts. The clues lead her to a ramshackle castle on a lonely island, where the mystery only deepens. Will Grace be able to track down the thief?
When Pete, Nancy and Krish arrive at Heathland Camp for a school trip, they're in for an adventure - just not the kind they were expecting. Nearby sits the abandoned Harwood Institute. The crumbling buildings reek of secrets and, at night, strange screams come from the surrounding forest. Nobody knows what experiments took place at the institute during the war, so Pete and his friends make it their mission to find out. But the forest is hiding a sinister secret, and the trio could be in real danger. Are some mysteries best left undisturbed?
When the lighthouse no longer shines, what else has the power to guide you to shore? Deryn's father is the lighthouse keeper on Featherstone Island, keeping the lantern lit to protect passing boats from the treacherous rocky coastline. But when an emergency arises and her parents have to travel to the mainland for help, Deryn is left alone to keep watch over the lighthouse, and she finds herself in a terrible situation when the lamp runs out of oil during a wild storm. With a fishing boat in peril on the sea, and time running out to rescue those on board, Deryn seeks help from an unusual source. Will she be able to keep the lantern lit through the dark, dangerous night?
Winter 1943. Teenagers Francis, Joseph and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic convoy sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have to navigate treacherous waters, sailing through a narrow channel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases on the Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying enemy attacks from both air and sea, as well as life-threatening cold, gales and pack ice, will all three boys make it home again?
Annie is really excited about her new pet rabbits and can't wait to welcome them into the amazing new home her dad has built for them. But when Annie is in a rush to get to school the next morning, she doesn't check that the door to the hutch is shut properly, and one of the rabbits, Humbug, escapes. Can Annie find Humbug in time to save her from the neighbourhood fox?
When a meteorite crashes to Earth near Crooked Oak, Pete, Nancy and Krish are determined to find it. But they're not the only ones. After spotting one of their teachers up on the moor where the meteorite landed, they start to wonder if his strangely altered behaviour and appearance might be connected to the arrival from outer space. But nothing could prepare them for the horror they uncover deep down in Killburn Mine.
Porky Pies is always telling lies, trying to terrify his brothers and sisters into believing that the Big Bad Wolf is back. But when the biggest fibber in the litter tries to plan his most daring prank yet, the joke is on him this time. So who will have the last laugh?
Gayla is trapped when floodwater pours into her bedroom in a residential centre for kids with disabilities. The other children have been evacuated while Gayla waited for her father, but now the streets around are cut off and she's all alone with no way out. Junjun's makeshift shack has been washed away in the flood and he needs to find medicine for his sister, who's sick after drinking contaminated water. At first these two young people seem to have little in common and pity each other, but as the waters continue to rise, can they find a way to work together to survive?
Juno's furious about being sent to stay with her grandfather for the summer. She'll miss all the fun she and her friends had planned for the holidays. She'll also miss her mum, but it's her mum's fault for leaving anyway. Then Juno discovers a long-forgotten little family in her grandfather's attic. As she works to carefully craft a new home for them, can she learn to forgive her mum and understand her reasons for going away?
Money is scarce in George's family and so at the age of nine he has to join his father underground, hewing coal in the local mine. It's far from the dreams George had of continuing his education, and it's also a dangerous way to earn a living that has already claimed the life of his dad's older brother. Not long after he starts work, a summer storm leads to flooding in the mine. Trapped down in the dark, George spots a shadowy figure that seems to be telling George to follow him. Can a ghost from the past lead him back to safety, or will George meet the same fate as his long-lost uncle?
When Lacey gets sent to lunch-time music lessons to keep her out of trouble at school, she discovers a love and talent for the piano that opens up a whole new world. But when Lacey's music teacher leaves unexpectedly, will she be thrown back into turmoil?
While awaiting punishment in his headmaster's office for his latest piece of mischief, prankster Seth picks up an Egyptian amulet from the desk and is whisked back in time to Ancient Egypt. In a village by the Nile, Seth finds a place for himself, working for the local tradesmen and playing with the local children. One of his new friends, Mery, has a pet hyena that Seth grows to love, so when he hears that the hyena is going to be roasted as part of a feast for the visiting pharaoh, Seth decides to save him. But what consequences will Seth have to face for stealing the pharaoh's lunch?
When Noah's dad visits from New York, he and Noah come across an injured nightjar during a walk in the countryside. Noah is determined to save the bird, but his dad believes they should leave it alone to let nature take its course. As father and son argue, it becomes clear that Noah is angry about more than just the bird. He feels abandoned and misunderstood by his dad, who has moved to the US and started a new family there that doesn't seem to have room for Noah. Can they find a way to build a new relationship and rediscover the common ground between them?
Jodie never wanted to come on the residential trip to the field centre. A loner at school, she's forced into a dormitory with other girls from her class who don't understand her and talk about her behind her back. Even though they're not trying to be mean, Jodie feels excluded and miserable, and eventually escapes out onto the salt marshes in search of a little dog she can hear barking in the distance. But the salt marshes are dangerous and Jodie gets trapped by the incoming tide. Stuck in the sucking mud, will anyone even notice that she's gone? And where is the little dog that keeps barking so mournfully?
Lily always feels a little bit left out. Shy and anxious, she finds school really hard, particularly as most of the other girls all seem so confident. Most of the time, Lily wishes that she could just disappear. But during a game of football in PE, Lily's teacher spots her natural talent and invites Lily to join the local girls' team, where she starts to make friends with some of the other players. Finally, she thinks she's found a place where she fits in, but will a vicious argument with one of her teammates put all her progress in jeopardy?
When a majestic whale is stranded near their Scottish hometown, Tulsi and Satchen are determined to save it. But after their boat capsizes in a storm, they're left dangerously adrift. Just as all seems lost, help arrives from an unexpected source. An adventure with a powerful eco message at its heart.
