Books

There’s a place where all the wildest stories began … From Katherine Rundell, the British Book Awards Author of the Year, comes the paperback release of the first novel in the critically acclaimed, award winning, best-selling Impossible Creatures series. This edition includes The Centaur’s Spectacles bonus short story.

With his train home set to leave in a matter of minutes, Callum is forced to confront an unfortunate that his summer abroad in Paris was a disappointing, unmemorable failure of a trip. There was no teenage adventure, no summer fling, and his French-speaking skills didn't even improve. Going home after having accomplished so little would be bad enough too, without the many foreboding missed calls from his dad. So after a panic attack in the toilets jeopardises Callum's chances of catching the train back, he instead decides to stay in Paris to try and salvage the summer. It's the hottest weekend in France's history, however, and a curfew has been placed on the city. In need of a place to stay, Callum seeks out his estranged cousin and concert oboist, Harrison. Things go south after one of Harrison's shows, when his prized oboe is stolen just after a conversation with suspicious oboe super-fan Arnaud and his step-sister, the alluring but enigmatic Lilou. Callum finds Lilou outside the venue, who offers him a stick with Harrison and the remains of his failed trip, or come with her in search of Arnaud, into the heat of the scorching hot streets of Paris …From bestselling, award-winning author Meg Rosoff comes a hilariously chaotic novel of heartbreak, mystery, adventure, and thievery

Jo used to be the perfect high-school girl – class president, popular, bright and successful. But when nude photos of her were leaked to the entire school, her grades plummeted, her friends fell away and now she's a reckless, difficult social outcast. The girl who 'deserved' it. Then her former best friend Maddie disappears. Everyone else assumes Maddie has just run away but that doesn't add up to Jo. To discover the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the group of classmates who have shut her out: the boys who betrayed her and the clique of girls who whisper behind her back. And she has to make it look as if she wants to be there. The only way back in is through Hudson. An old fling with his own reasons for finding Maddie, he persuades Jo to fake date him. And it works. But as the truth about Maddie's disappearance comes to light, so do long-hidden secrets from Jo's past. Who is Jo really trying to find-Maddie, or the girl she herself used to be? A gripping read, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, We Were Liars and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Aspiring inventor Isaac Turner lives with his dad, the horologist in charge of Big Ben. But when his father vanishes from the belfry on the night the clocks go back, leaving behind only a smashed pocket watch and a cryptic message, Isaac determines to find him. Hunting a trail of clues through London’s landmarks, Isaac uncovers a sinister plot in the gears of government and embarks on a race against time to save his father – and time itself.

Bea CAN’T WAIT for her birthday. There are only three days to go, and everything is going to be PERFECT! Then snow begins to block the roads … and everything begins to go wrong. With no party, no cards, and maybe even no cake, can Bea find a way to be OK – even in the middle of a really BAD day? This reassuring and funny book is the perfect springboard for talking to children about setting expectations and finding balance amidst disappointment.

A thrilling read set in the American West from New York Times bestseller C.J. Box, award-winning author of the Joe Pickett and Cassie Dewell series, now adapted into the hit TV shows Joe Pickett and Big Sky.

Joe Pickett's in his last week as the temporary game warden in the town of Baggs, Wyoming, but there have been strange things going on in the mountains, and his conscience won't let him leave without checking them out: reports of camps looted, tents slashed, AND elk butchered.

And then there's the runner who simply vanished one day. Joe doesn't mind admitting that the farther he rides, the more he wishes he could just turn around and go home.

When he'd first saddled up, Joe had thought of this as his last patrol. What he hadn't known was just how accurate that thought might turn out to be. Because what awaits him is like nothing he's ever dealt with: like something out of an old story, except this is all too real and too deadly.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging killers – one animal, one human – in this riveting NEW YORK TIMES #2 BESTSELLING NOVEL from award-winning author C.J. Box.

A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage, killing, among others, the prospective fiancé of Joe Pickett's daughter.

At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up, is released from prison with a list of six names tattooed on his skin. He wants revenge on the people who sent him away: the people he blames for the deaths of his entire family and the loss of his reputation and property.

Targeted are his lawyer, a judge, the county prosecutor, a prison guard, Joe's associate Nate Romanowski – and Joe Pickett himself.

Using the grizzly attacks as cover, Cates devises a method of violence identical to the bear killings and sets out to methodically check off his list. Can Joe stop him before he himself becomes the next target on the killer's list?

Could Joe Pickett's foster daughter, seemingly killed six years ago, still be alive? A gripping read from award-winning author and New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.

'Tell Sherry April called.'

A simple message that shakes Sheridan Pickett to the core. For April – foster daughter to Sheridan's parents Joe and Marybeth – has been presumed dead since a brutal massacre that Joe Pickett himself witnessed.

To Joe, it doesn't seem possible that April could have survived. But the person who now begins to text Sheridan is able to recall things only April would know about.

When the texts turn ominous, Marybeth discovers that they are being sent from locations where vicious murders have taken place. Desperate to discover if April really is still alive and if so, to protect her, Joe and Sheridan take to the road with Joe's associate Nate Romanowski.

Their paths will cross with a dying Chicago mobster on a mission of his own, as Joe and his family seek to discover the truth, and if the danger is as real as it seems.

'Rico and Nick make a great team!' Jacqueline Wilson-----A warm, inclusive football story by footballer Rico Hinson-King, illustrated by the award-winning Nick Sharratt.-----Charlie LOVES to play football. In fact, it is his life. He practises at every opportunity – morning, noon and night – and eventually, all his hard work pays off when he's offered a spot on a Junior Premier League football team. It's a dream come true ... and he soon becomes their top scorer!However, things on his school football team aren't going so well. The team is losing match after match, and badly. They don't have enough players, and there are people who would like to play but don't think they will be welcome. Charlie decides that it's up to him to prove that football is for EVERYONE, no matter what your gender is, what you look like or if you have a disability.This warm and inspiring picture book from Premier League Young Writer of the Year, 12-year-old Rico Hinson-King, is all about teamwork, standing up for yourself and others and the importance of letting everyone join in!

Every grandma is different … but they're ALL special!

Is your grandma an actor or an acrobat? Is she an ambulance driver, an expert chef, or secret spy? Whatever your grandma does, you can be sure she loves you!

A heartwarming celebration of grandmas everywhere, and the love and friendship they share with their grandchildren. With Ben Faulks' irresistibly bouncy rhymes and charming illustrations by the talented Nia Tudor, this book is the perfect gift for any grandparent or grandchild.