My ​Secret Diary

Noel Streatfeild - The ​Maitlands: All Change at Cuckly Place
The ​Maitlands: All Change at Cuckly Place begins five years after the end of Meet the Maitlands. Following the death of the Squire, both of David's elder brothers resign from the army. Colonel Tom Maitland, who has inherited Cuckley Place, moves in with his wife, Emma, and children Henry, Fanny and George. Then Major Timothy Maitland writes to ask whether he and his family (wife Kitty, and daughters Angela, Sylvia and Ruth) can move into empty rooms in Cuckly Place, at least initially, when they return to England from India. Miss Dinage is getting married, and had planned to give up the governess position at the Rectory; but with nine children now needing educating (the elder boys being sent to school), an arrangement is made for her to teach them all at the Place. While these changes are happening at Cuckly, Violet has graduated from her Grammar School and won a scholarship at Oxford. She has also become involved in the women's sufferage movement. For some years, Chloe has been attending dancing classes, and - without her parents' knowlege - has progressed from baby skipping and ballroom dancing into toe dancing and ballet. Angela does piano lessons at a private school, and one day, while she is waiting for her lesson, she is convinced to join a Greek dancing performance, filling in for a girl who has broken her wrist. The school is impressed with her dancing, and offers her free piano and Greek dancing lessons, and a place as a weekly boarder, in return for acting as a demonstrator when their head dancing teacher gave lectures. Chloe is furious when she finds out, and as a result of this David withdraws her from her dancing classes. She and Selina are sent to a finishing school in France, but Chloe is determined that nothing will stand in the way of her learning to dance. John comes to realise that he wants to be ordained: traditionally the youngest son of the family has become rector, but Andrew has made it quite clear that he intends to go into the Navy.

J. K. Rowling - Harry ​Potter (angol)
All ​seven eBooks in the multi-award winning, internationally bestselling Harry Potter series, available as one download with stunning cover art by Olly Moss. Enjoy the stories that have captured the imagination of millions worldwide.

Arthur Ransome - Coot ​Club
It ​all started with a coot's nest. Dorothy and Dick meet Tom Dodgeon, Port and Starboard, and three pirate salvagers all members of the Coot Club Bird Protection Society. When one of the coot's nests is disturbed by a shipful of Hullabaloos-rude holiday boaters - trouble begins. Frantic chases, calamitous boat collisions, and near drownings fill the pages of this exciting fifth addition to Ransome's classic children's series.

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?

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.

Roald Dahl - Charlie ​and the Chocolate Factory
When ​Charlie Bucket hears about the Golden Ticket that will take him through the gates of Willy Wonka's wonderful Chocolate Factory, he longs to win one with all his heart. And then - his dreams come true! But the marvellous factory holds more than simple sweets and Charlie embarks on an adventure that will last him and his family a lifetime! A whipple-scrumptious tale for all the family!

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 - 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 - 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.

David Almond - Skellig ​(angol)
Michael ​was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage and encounters a strange being who changes his world forever.

David Almond - Clay
Another ​lyrical and gripping read from the multi-award winner, David Almond. With fascination, Davie and his best friend Geordie watch the arrival of a new boy, Stephen Rose, in their town. His history is a mystery, he seems to have come from nowhere, and when he arrives to live with his distant aunt, the local 'loony', 'Crazy Mary', no one envies him his new home. But perhaps he's the answer to Davie and Geordie's prayers - a secret weapon in their war against monstrous Mouldy and his gang? Intrigued by him, gradually Davie and Geordie befriend Stephen. But they are heading innocently down a dangerous path that brings with it a monster of an entirely unexpected nature. Their encounter with the mysterious Stephen is as incredible as it is menacing, and as the true shocking story of Stephen's past slowly emerges, Davie's life is changed forever.

Neil Gaiman - The ​Graveyard Book
When ​a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him — after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod’s life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?

Lissa Evans - Horten's ​Miraculous Mechanisms
The ​exciting launch title of Sterling's middle-grade fiction list: HORTEN'S MIRACULOUS MECHANISMS Enter a wonderful world filled with real magic, mystery … and danger. As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isn't bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends. But on his very first day in his new home, Stuart's swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tony's marvelous, long-lost workshop. Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician who's also desperate to get hold of Tony's treasures. A quirky, smart, charming page-turner, Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms will enchant young readers--as well as teachers, librarians, and parents.

E. Nesbit - Five ​Children and It
_'Don't ​you know a sand-fairy when you see one?'_ I dare say you have often thought about what you would do if you were granted three wishes. The five children - Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother - had often talked about it but when they are faced with the grumpy sand-fairy they find it difficult to make up their minds. And that is just the beginning of their dilemmas. As they discover, there is nothing quite like a wish for getting you into terrible trouble.

J. R. R. Tolkien - The ​Hobbit
Seldom ​has any book been so widely read and loved as J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale, The Hobbit. Since its first publication in 1937 it has remained in print to delight each new generation of readers all over the world, and its hero, Bilbo Baggins, has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals: Alice, Pooh, Toad... As with all classics, repeated readings continue to bring new detail and perspectives to the reader's mind, and Tolkien's Middle-earth is a vast mine of treasures and knowledge, its roots delving deep into folklore, mythology and language. The Hobbit is, therefore, an ideal book for annotation: as well as offering a marvellous and entrancing story, it introduces the reader to the richly imagined world of Middle-earth, a world more fully and complexly realised in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

Stephanie Burgis - The ​Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
Aventurine ​is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw. But she's still the fiercest creature in the mountains -- and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is get herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be conquering new territory in no time...won't she?

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 - 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 - 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 - Glubbslyme
Glubbslyme. ​You're magic!' When Rebecca wades into the witch's pond after a row with her best friend Sarah, she meets a very unusual new friend - a huge, warty toad! And Glubbslyme is no ordinary toad. Hundreds of years old, he can talk and - best of all - he can work magic. Maybe, just maybe, he can help Rebecca be best friends with Sarah again ...