A Little Blue by Jeanette Goode

$23.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction

Simmy is sent to live with his father on the West Coast of the South Island. He finds himself in a quiet rural place, devoid of technology. There is no internet and no mobile phone coverage! How will he survive away from his mum, his friends and the city life he is accustomed to? It takes a while to get used to living in such a remote and isolated place. He is forced to pick up a pen and write letters home to his mum to communicate his frustration and loneliness. When he realises she is ill and cannot respond, he knows he has to be brave. It is the kororā, little blue penguins who capture his attention and change the way he sees the world. A Little Blue is a hand-illustrated picture book designed for children 8 to 12 years’ old. It is particularly relevant for reluctant readers as Jeanette has drawn the pictures to tell a slightly different and deeper story.  It is a tale of love and the arresting power of nature. ...Show more

Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney

$18.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction | Series: Awesome Friendly Kid

Scare yourself silly with Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney, the #1 international bestselling author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid! Grab a flashlight, crawl under the covers, and dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley Jefferson's imagination. You'll meet zombies, vampires, ghosts, and much more in these comically terrifying tales. Rowley's spooky stories might leave you laughing, but beware-you could end up sleeping with the lights on! And don't miss Rowley Jefferson's first two awesome friendly books, the instant #1 bestsellers Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid- Rowley Jefferson's Journal and Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure! ...Show more

Skunk and Badger (#1) by Amy Timberlake

$25.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction | Series: Skunk and Badger

When friendly, free-spirited Skunk moves in with solitary rock-scientist Badger, both are forever changed in this whimsical, emotionally rich story from Newbery Honor author Amy Timberlake, illustrated in full-colour and black-and-white pictures by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen (This Is Not My Hat, Pax ).   No one wants a skunk. They are unwelcome on front stoops. They should not linger in Rock Rooms. Skunks should never, ever be allowed to move in. But Skunk is Badger's new roommate, and there is nothing Badger, who prefers to be left alone to do Important Rock Work, can do about it. Skunk ploughs into Badger's life, and Badger's life is upended. Tails are flipped. The wrong animal is sprayed. And why-oh-why are there so many chickens? ...Show more

Mr Stink by David Walliams

$10.00 NZD

$19.00 (47% off)

Category: Children's Fiction

The second original, touching, twisted, and most of all hilarious novel for children by David Walliams. The characters from David's book spring to life with fantastic voices and characters galore that will make you laugh out loud.  "Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well..." Chloe sees Mr Stink every day, but she's never spoken to him. Which isn't surprising, because he's a tramp, and he stinks. But there's more to Mr Stink than meets the eye (or nose) and before she knows it, Chloe has an unusual new friend hiding in her garden shed. As Chloe struggles to keep Mr Stink a secret, and her dad tries to hide a secret of his own, the stage is set for an epic family confrontation. But there's one other person with a an extraordinary secret - Mr Stink himself... ...Show more

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (#1 Nevermoor) by Jessica Townsend

$20.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction | Series: Nevermoor

A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world-but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she is blamed for all local mi sfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart - an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests-or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate. Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers. ...Show more

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (#3 Nevermoor) by Jessica Townsend

$20.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction | Series: Morrigan Crow

Morrigan Crow and her friends have survived their first year as proud scholars of the elite Wundrous Society, helped bring down the nefarious Ghastly Market, and proven themselves loyal to Unit 919. Now Morrigan faces a new, exciting challenge: to master the mysterious Wretched Arts of the Accomplished Wundersmith, and control the power that threatens to consume her. Meanwhile, a strange and frightening illness has taken hold of Nevermoor, turning infected Wunimals into mindless, vicious Unnimals on the hunt. As victims of the Hollowpox multiply, panic spreads. There are whispers - growing louder every day - that this catastrophe can only be the work of the Wundersmith, Ezra Squall. But inside the walls of Wunsoc, everyone knows there is a new Wundersmith - one who's much closer to home. With Nevermoor in a state of fear and the truth about Morrigan threatening to get out, the city she loves becomes the most perilous place in the world. Morrigan must try to find a cure for the Hollowpox, but it will put her - and everyone in Nevermoor - in more danger than she could have imagined. ...Show more

The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor

$20.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction

Pearl and Vally Cole live in a bookshop. And not just any bookshop. In 1893, Cole's Book Arcade in Melbourne is the grandest bookshop in the world, brimming with every curiosity imaginable. Each day brings fresh delights for the siblings: voice-changing sweets, talking parrots, a new story written just for them by their eccentric father. When Pearl and Vally learn that Pa has risked the Arcade - and himself - in a shocking deal with the mysterious Obscurosmith, the siblings hatch a plan. Soon they are swept into a dangerous game with impossibly high stakes: defeat seven challenges by the stroke of midnight and both the Arcade and their father will be restored. But if they fail Pearl and Vally won't just lose Pa - they'll forget that he and the Arcade ever existed. ...Show more

Soulfire (PB) (Soulfire Chronicles #1) by Chaz Harris

$25.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction

Twelve-year-old George Grimes is afraid of growing up. If becoming a teenager means he has to stop believing in Grandad's tall tales about Mythika - a magical place where artists have special powers - then he wants to stay twelve forever. On the eve of George's thirteenth birthday, a man with a forked beard and a crooked nose clambers out of the grandfather clock in the upstairs hallway. The man claims to be from Mythika, where the evil Lord Helwrath - once a boy who lost his imagination - has been murdering Creators, the name given to artists who keep his power in check. When George enters Mythika, he joins forces with a talented group of young artists to stop Helwrath before it's too late. However, a long-kept family secret leads some to believe that George can create the only power strong enough to fight Helwrath... Soulfire. From the co-author of LGBTQ fairy tales Promised Land and Maiden Voyage comes a new upper middle grade fantasy adventure. ...Show more

Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-exupery

$21.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction

A NEW TRANSLATION BY MICHAEL MORPURGO, AUTHOR OF WAR HORSE Meet the Little Prince, a young fellow who hails from a tiny, distant planet. He loves to watch sunsets and look after his flower, to ask questions and to laugh. And now here he is on Earth, appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the desert, looking for a friend. The friend he finds is the narrator of this story - a pilot who has crash landed and is in grave danger of dying of thirst. The Little Prince might be just a boy but he can help our pilot. Because he understands the really important things in life - things like flowers, stars, a drink of water or laughing. Many grown-ups have lost sight of what matters and children have to remember to be tolerant towards them. But adult or child, very silly or very wise, this story is for you. Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can read a letter from master storyteller and translator of this book Michael Morpurgo! ...Show more

Blended by Sharon M. Draper

$19.00 NZD

Category: Separation & Divorce

Eleven-year-old Isabella's blended family is more divided than ever in this "timely but genuine" (Publishers Weekly) story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper. Eleven-year-old Isabella's parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she's Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she's Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves. Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they're always about HER. Isabella feels completely stuck in the middle, split and divided between them more than ever. And she is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad involves more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it's also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: "You're so exotic!" "You look so unusual." "But what are you really?" She knows what they're really saying: "You don't look like your parents." "You're different." "What race are you really?" And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn't just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you're only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?  It seems like nothing can bring Isabella's family together again-until the worst thing happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired. ...Show more

Lizard's Tale by Weng Wai Chan

$21.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction

It's Singapore in 1940, war is just around the corner-but twelve-year-old Lizard doesn't know that. He lives in Chinatown above a tailor's shop, surviving on his wits and hustling for odd jobs. When he steals a small teak box containing a Japanese code book from a Raffles Hotel suite, he finds himself i n a dangerous world of wartime espionage. Lizard doesn't know who to trust. How is the mysterious book inside the box connected to his friend Lili, a girl full of secrets and fighting skills? Can he trust her, or will she betray him in the end? Lizard's Tale is an action-packed adventure for middle-grade readers, set in a British colony in Asia as the Japanese invasion of Singapore looms. ...Show more

The Clockill and the Thief (The Traitor and Thief #2) by Gareth Ward

$20.00 NZD

Category: Children's Fiction | Series: The Traitor and Thief

Winner Best Novel – Young Adult,  2020 Sir Julius Vogel Awards This fantastic follow-up to the Storylines Tessa Duder Award-winning The Traitor and the Thief is just as exciting and action-packed as the first instalment. Sin is dying, poisoned by his blue blood. His troubles deepen when the traitor who poisoned him escapes from the custody of the Covert Operations Group and sets out for revenge. COG tasks Sin, his friend Zonda Chubb and their frenemy Velvet Von Darque with recapturing the traitor, whatever the cost. Taking to the air in pursuit, they must battle skypirates and the terrifying Clockill to complete their mission. But with his condition worsening, can Sin survive long enough to save his friends, himself and the day? ...Show more