Big ​Day Out

Jacqueline Wilson - The ​Worst Thing About My Sister
Being ​a sister isn't always easy...but what's the very worst thing about your sister? Marty and her sister Melissa couldn't be more different. Marty loves her Converse trainers, playing football, hiding in her secret den and helping her dad with his DIY. But Melissa loves Justin Bieber and all things pink, girly and pretty. The sisters can manage to live together, despite their occasional scraps but then Mum tells them they have to share a room. For Marty, having to share her bunk beds and lose her private sanctuary turns out to be the very worst thing about having a sister. But the girls soon discover that being too close for comfort can have unexpected consequences, and when an accident happens, the sisters realise they are closer than they thought.

Jacqueline Wilson - The ​Longest Whale Song
This ​is a tender and gentle story that will captivate readers of 8+ from bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson. Ella's mum's in a deep coma having just had a new baby. That means Ella has to live with Jack, her hopeless stepfather and cope with her tiny newborn brother, as well as worrying about Mum. The only thing that's going right is her school project. It's all about whales and how they sing out to each other to attract a mate - sometimes for hours. Maybe a whale song could reach Mum, wherever she is, and bring her back to Ella and baby Samson. Surely it's worth a try?

Jacqueline Wilson - My ​Sister Jodie
Quiet, ​cautious Pearl has always adored her bold, brash, bad big sister Jodie. When their parents get new jobs at a grand, fusty old boarding school, Melchester College, the girls have to move there - and when they arrive, things start to change. Jodie has always been the leader - but now it's Pearl who's making new friends. Jodie just seems to be getting into more and more trouble - arguing with Mum, scaring the little children, flirting with the gardener. She really doesn't fit in with the posh teenagers at the school. Pearl begins to wonder if she needs Jodie as much as she used to. But when Firework Night comes around and a tragic event occurs, Pearl realises quite how much Jodie means to her.

Georgia Byng - Molly ​Moon stops the World
Georgia ​Byng's mind-bending heroine makes a California-bound comeback, this time heading to L.A. to stop a power-hungry businessman from hypnotizing his way into the presidency of the United States. When Molly learns that Lucy Logan has a dangerous job for her -- stop multibillionaire (and ultra-strong hypnotist) Primo Cell in his tracks -- the orphan thinks this task might be more than she can handle. Thankfully, she has Rocky and other characters along for the trip, and Molly soon finds herself hobnobbing with Hollywood stars. But Molly learns that Primo has the power of permanent hypnotism that can only be broken by a secret password -- how can she reverse his effects? Molly discovers a startling surprise -- she has time-stopping powers of her own -- and after Primo's son saves them from near death, she finds out that her problems have only just begun. Glittering with even more action and adventure than Byng's first book, Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, this sequel will have readers starry-eyed for more. Plot-twisting turns of events keep coming throughout, and with all of Molly's personal revelations, fans will feel like their world has stopped, too, until the last page. Shana Taylor

Georgia Byng - Molly ​Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure
Molly ​Moon returns . . . and bumps into earlierversions of herself -- four of them, to be exact -- all kidnaped and transported back in time to nineteenth-century India by Molly's most fearsome nemesis yet, an insane maharaja. Molly foiled his plans once already, by stopping Primo Cell from becoming president of the United States. This time around, the maharaja is determined to alter the course of history. The only thing standing in his way is Molly and her brave pug, Petula. . . .

Jacqueline Wilson - Little ​Darlings
The ​story of two girls who are worlds apart, but destined to be together . . . Sunset lives a life of luxury with her beautiful ex-model mum, her world-famous ex-rocker dad and two little celeb siblings. But life on the red carpet is no compensation for rowing parents, constant nagging, intensive media scrutiny and no real friends. Destiny, on the other hand, is an only child living on a rundown estate with a sickly but devoted mum who constantly tells her that she's really the daughter of a famous former rock star . . . When the two girls meet in unlikely circumstances, they are surprised to find in each other something they've been missing all their lives . . .

Jacqueline Wilson - How ​to Survive Summer Camp
Stella's ​mum and step-dad have gone off on holiday and have dumped Stella at the Evergreen Holiday Camp. She's not happy! Especially when she finds out she's expected to learn to swim - the one thing her mum promised she wouldn't have to do. She's determined not to enjoy herself and settles down for a nightmare summer, but in the end she finds herself making friends, getting into scrapes, and having much more of a good time than she ever could have imagined!

Jacqueline Wilson - Clean ​Break
Em ​adores her funny, glamorous dad - who cares if he's not her real father? He's wonderful to her, and to her little brother Maxie and sister Vita. True to form at Christmas, Dad gives them fantastic presents, including a real emerald ring for his little Princess Em. Unfortunately he's got another surprise in store - he's leaving them. Will Dad's well-meaning but chaotic attempts to keep seeing Em and the other children help the family come to terms with this new crisis? Or would they be better off with a clean break - just like Em's arm?

A. S. Byatt - The ​Children's Book
A ​spellbinding novel, at once sweeping and intimate, from the Booker Prize–winning author of Possession, that spans the Victorian era through the World War I years, and centers around a famous children’s book author and the passions, betrayals, and secrets that tear apart the people she loves. When Olive Wellwood’s oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of the new Victoria and Albert Museum—a talented working-class boy who could be a character out of one of Olive’s magical tales—she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends. But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house—and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children—conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. As these lives—of adults and children alike—unfold, lies are revealed, hearts are broken, and the damaging truth about the Wellwoods slowly emerges. But their personal struggles, their hidden desires, will soon be eclipsed by far greater forces, as the tides turn across Europe and a golden era comes to an end. Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children’s Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.

Jacqueline Wilson - The ​Dare Game
Tracey ​Beaker, the Great Inventor of Extremely Outrageous Dares - and I dare YOU not to say this is the most brilliant story ever! I thought I was going to live happily ever after with Cam as my foster-mum. Well, ha ha! It hasn't turned out like that. Cam's so MEAN! She won't buy me designer clothes so all the other kids at my new school laugh at me. No wonder I bunk off and go to this special secret place. There are these two boys I meet there, Alexander and Football. We play the Dare Game - and I always win. I'm the greatest. I AM!

Jacqueline Wilson - Girls ​Under Pressure
Magda ​is tall and glamorous, Nadine is willowy and 'gothic'. And Ellie ...well, Ellie is just plain normal. The three girls have been best friends forever, but now Ellie is convinced she's fat, Nadine wants to be a model, and Magda worries that her appearance is giving guys the wrong idea. The pressure is on for them to change the way they look - but can they learn to love themselves, just the way they are?

Jacqueline Wilson - Midnight
Violet ​has always been in the shadow of her mesmerising, controlling brother Will, and when a shocking secret about Will's past is revealed, things get even worse. Violet retreats further into her own fantasy world, built around the fairy characters created by her favourite author, Casper Dream. The arrival of a new girl at school, Jasmine, seems like it might change Violet's life for the better. But is Jasmine a true friend? And will Violet ever manage to break free of Will's spell?

Jacqueline Wilson - Sleepovers
Sleepover ​parties are the greatest! Everybody's having one... All of Daisy's friends in the Alphabet Club - Amy, Bella, Chloe and Emily - have had sleepovers for their birthdays. Daisy has a dilemma. She'd love to have a sleepover too, but then she'd have to let her friends meet her sister... A funny and moving story for younger readers from the award-winning author of Lizzie Zipmouth and Double Act.

Jacqueline Wilson - Cookie
Beauty ​Cookson is no beauty. She's a plain, timid girl who constantly feels inferior to the super-confident, snooty girls at school. Worse than the teasing in the playground, though, is the unpredictable, hurtful criticism from her father. Beauty and her meek, sweet mother live in uneasy fear of his fierce rages, sparked whenever they break one of his fussy house rules. Eventually, after an unbearable birthday party and the very real threat of Dad's out-of-control temper, Mum and Beauty run away. Finding themselves in a quiet, idyllic seaside village, their new-found freedom and a moment of culinary inspiration give them a hobby, an income and even a new nickname for Beauty. Can they begin a happier, sweeter life - without Dad? A charming, page-turning and heart-warming story from this beloved author.

Jacqueline Wilson - Secrets
India ​lives in a large, luxurious house with a mum she can't stand and a dad she adores, though he hasn't had much time for her recently. She seeks solace in her journal, which she keeps in sincere imitation of her heroine, Anne Frank. Treasure lives on the local council estate with her loving and capable grandmother. She is devoted to her nan but lives in fear of having to go back to live with her mother and violent stepfather. A chance meeting sparks a great friendship between the girls. And when Treasure has to run away to avoid her stepfather, India comes up with a hiding place inspired by her favourite writer. India hasn't got a real secret annexe like Anne Frank - but she has got a hidden attic ...

Jacqueline Wilson - Lola ​Rose (angol)
When ​life at home suddenly gets really frightening, Jayni, her mum and her little brother Kenny have to pack their bags and escape in the middle of the night. Although they are scared of being caught, travelling to London and staying in a hotel does seem like it might be a big adventure - at first. They even get to choose new names - and so Jayni becomes the glamorous, grown-up Lola Rose!But Lola Rose's new life isn't quite as wonderful as her new name. She doesn't like Mum's new job, or Mum's new boyfriend, and she's not sure about the boys at school either. And when Mum has to go into hospital, Lola is forced to be much more grown up than she really feels. A new story for older readers - a wonderfully moving tale of family life as it sometimes really is - from multi-award winner Jacqueline Wilson.

Julia Golding - The ​Chimera's Curse
Connie ​is the world’s last Universal – the only person who can communicate with all creatures; the only person who can keep peace between humans and the hidden mythical beings being destroyed by pollution. But the shapeshifter Kullervo craves her power. He wants to wipe out humanity. During a long, hot summer, as the sun beats down and the earth gets dryer, Kullervo prepares for war. The serpent-like chimera is just one part of his frightening army. As the inferno of Kullervo’s hatred crackles into life, Connie and her best friend Col must stop him. But how? And who will survive this fight to the death?

Christopher Paolini - Eldest
Darkness ​falls... Despair abounds... Evil reigns... Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now, Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall - one that puts Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life...

Susan Beth Pfeffer - The ​Dead and the Gone
Susan ​Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event--an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle. With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

Julia Golding - Mines ​of the Minotaur
Connie ​is a Universal – she can talk to animals and mythical creatures. But something dark is calling to her, giving her dangerous power, and her best friend Col doesn’t know what to do. When her strange behaviour means Connie is rejected by the Society for the Protection of Mythical Creatures - the very group of people who are supposed to protect her - she hides in an abandoned tin mine. There she is befriended by a blinded Minotaur, and feels safe amongst the other wounded creatures the Society and the world have forgotten. But even deep underground she can’t block out the dark voice in her head. Who is it, and where does it come from? And why does Connie feel so terrified by the power it gives her?