Life can be pretty confusing when you’re a 12-year-old. Vinny thinks he is the only one with problems. Everything seems to be going wrong for him; his mum is constantly busy keeping up her social media profile as an agony aunt and his dad is coming home from work later and later every night. Then…
Born in 1906 in the segregated East St Louis, Josephine Baker knew she wanted to be a dancer from a very young age. She wanted to be a star with her name in lights and adoring fans wherever she went. However, her reality as a child was miles away from any opportunity of achieving the…
Cody wants an adventure on Halloween. Trick or treating for candy won’t do for him! Persuading his friends, Sean and Duri to come with him to discover the ruins of the old McBride house isn’t easy. Only the promise of chocolate entices them to come with him on Halloween. Only, why do their phones stop…
Twelve year-old Tally Smuck is a descendant of generations of Sting Winkler’s so when she gets stung by a jelly (that’s never meant to happen to her kind), she begins to doubt not only her abilities to communicate with the beautiful sea creatures but also the success of the festival. When the jellies do start…
Eleven year-old Jamie is at breaking point. His mum’s new boyfriend, Garrett, is creeping into their lives in so many ways. A new house, a new school and new supposed friends, he doesn’t want for anything but it’s all too much. When Garett lets it slip that Jamie’s dad is in prison, and not working…
Daring to follow her Nana-Marie’s stories of magical wishes, Emma is convinced her life WILL change for the better. After all, it is changing for the better for her two best friends, Kennedy, with her amazing success at YouTube gaming videos and Allie going all in for cheerleading. Only being at home with Mum eating…
Eddie, never call her by her full name, Edifina, will eat anything when she is nervous; a wheelie bin, the table, the plate that held her sandwiches. Life at school is hard when you are different and eventually her unusual behaviour results in the one thing her aunts, Hettie and Roo had hoped would never…
Kyle is not happy. Well who would be. He knows fine well he’s being fobbed off on his Grandad for the afternoon. His parents insist it is only for two hours while they attend an appointment but to Kyle that feels the same as two weeks. Grandad is more switched on than Kyle gives…
When twelve-year-old Lettice Breech learns she’s going on an exciting trip to Europe with her Pa, she can’t wait to venture to Paris, Rome, Greece and all the places she’s ever dreamed of visiting. However, their plans are cut short when a famous statue of Athena her Pa excavated many years ago is exposed…
Hugo’s house is enveloped by fog. As he and his mother wait hopefully for news about his father’s return from the war, they survive in a cold house with help from the matter of fact, Mrs Stubbs. When Hugo looks outside, he is sure there is a ghostly figure at the window asking to be…
Three strangers. Three families. Three connections. Sen and her mum have finally found a place to live. There are rules to be followed in the mysterious woman’s house and if they break them they’ll find themselves out on the streets again. However, their relationship with Vixen mellows over time but secrets within her life jeopardise…
When Zeke the monitor lizard becomes a hall monitor at his school, his life takes an unexpected turn. Persistent bullying by Pelicarnassus, a wannabe pelican supervillain comes to a head and he gets in big trouble. Fuming with himself and yet eager to show the bully that he isn’t getting away with it, he calls…
Frankie Parsons is a worrier. Are the smoke alarm batteries dead? Does the cat have worms? Could that odd-shaped spot on his chest be something more sinister than a freckle? Most people are gloriously untroubled. Only his Ma listens patiently to his 10pm questions. However, Frankie’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel around him…
Natalie’s house is busy with people coming and going now that there’s a general election about to take place. Determined to be involved in the revolutionary meetings held at her house she sneaks around trying to listen into conversations, decipher their tactics and contemplates whether or not she really needs red boots to be a…
Written by Paola Peretti, translated from Italian to English by Denise Muir, published by Hot Key Books (Aug 2022). Cover design by Nick Stern, illustration by David Dean. Nearly thirteen, Mafalda’s best friends are rule-breaker Filippo, and her cat, Ottimo Turcaret. She’s been blind since she was ten so she has a different perspective of…
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