Long ago there lived a troll named Ulf, who had a very bad habit – he liked to eat fingers! Many men, women and children lost a finger thanks to the razor-sharp teeth of the Finger-eater. And many more might have suffered the same fate if it hadn’t been for the plucky Gudrun…

9781406378726

A touching story about family life and a boy’s birthday treat, from a multi-award-winning storyteller.
It’s Jack’s birthday and his friend Sam is coming round after school for a little party. It’s just Sam and Jack in a small flat, with Jack’s mum talking too loudly and getting them to play childish games. Jack’s birthday cake is a homemade shark and doesn’t look as good as the huge windmill cake that Sam had for his birthday, nor is there a DJ, treasure hunt or a magician. But when Sam’s mum comes to collect him, Jack realises just how lucky he is.

Move over, Sherlock Holmes – there’s a new detective on the block!
Drusilla is a quiet, thoughtful little girl who has a small toy hippopotamus and four older brothers. Her hippo (Mrs Mu) goes everywhere with Drusilla. Her brothers (Harlan, Kal, CJ and Joe) go nowhere with her. In fact, their sole aim seems to be to taunt their small sister and stop her from joining in with their games. Usually, Drusilla can withstand any amount of teasing, but when Mrs Mu goes missing, she suspects foul play… This time Drusilla will have to call upon all her resourcefulness to win through

An endearing and heartwarming story about a little girl’s summer holiday in Edinburgh with her grandma.
Ellie usually goes to see Yiayia, her Greek grandma, for the summer holidays, but this year Yiayia can’t have her. Instead, Ellie will have to stay with Granny Mac in Edinburgh. Ellie had been looking forward to swimming in the sea and seeing octopuses and feeling silverfish between her toes. She isn’t so sure about summer in Scotland – doesn’t it always rain there? But Ellie is pleasantly surprised to discover that there are lots to do with Granny Mac, and when she tells Yiayia all about it on the phone she realises that when you have two grannies you get the best of both worlds!

Enter a prehistoric world with cave-boy Glog in this innovative storybook designed to boost reader confidence.
Cave-boy Glog is accidentally left behind when his tribe move to new hunting grounds – and things look bleak. Glog will have to do the best he can to fend for himself until they come to find him. Along the way, he encounters a ferocious wolf and gathers some new friends. He draws them on the cave wall for company, but it’s not the same as his own tribe. Will Glog’s family come back for him?

An early reader with 3 times the birthday surprises!
Jo, Amy and Jess always look forward to their birthday: three cakes, three lots of presents, three times the fun! But choosing what to buy for each other is a lot harder than they thought.

• The perfect first step into fiction — Three short stories to build reading confidence.
• A new book from a much loved Australian author!

“Your imagination made that cave big enough for a dragon,” said Uncle Paul. “A dragon as big as a bus!”.
Jake is excited when Uncle Paul offers to take him and his little sister out for the day. Jake wants to go to the big dark cave at the beach – they haven’t been there for ages, and he can pretend to be a brave knight and save Princess Pip from the terrifying dragon.

A heartwarming story about a feisty young Polish girl determined to be unhappy in her new life in England – but who finds herself settling in despite herself. Kasia wishes that she and her mum hadn’t moved to the UK – she misses Poland and all her old friends, and most of all she misses her grandparents. As the long school holidays stretch out in front of her, Kasia wonders how she’ll fill them: her mum has promised to take her out for some day trips, but the rest of the time she’ll be at work.

A beautiful story about finding yourself

Mia’s Uncle Robbie is amazing. He knows so many clever tricks, like how to produce an egg from Mia’s ear or how to make a silver ball float through the air. But one day he loses his magic powers – and it’s up to Mia to help him get back…

The perfect first step into fiction.

Join Mr Tripp and Room Five for three great stories about an escaped rat, a surprise birthday party and an itchy insect invasion.
Room Five’s teacher, Mr Tripp, is good at telling jokes, loves riddles and is great at using his nose. When a student’s pet rat escapes from its cage, it’s up to Mr Tripp to be brave, and to smell it out! Three fun and engaging stories which will have early readers eagerly turning the page for more adventures.

A touching yet amusing story about a boy’s admiration for his dad – and his acceptance of his limitations.
T is part of a happy family, and he loves everything about them – especially his clever dad, who drives a taxi and can make anything you like out of wood. When T’s teacher arranges for his dad to come into school to talk about what he does for a job, T should be as proud. But there’s one problem: his dad doesn’t speak English. T worries and worries about what to do – does his teacher realize? Will everyone laugh at him because his dad can only speak Bengali? But T’s dad is cleverer than T thinks. When he comes into school anyway and does an amazing puppet show, T realizes that being the same as other people is not everything. His dad really is a hero!

A new baby can make for a busy family, but the Gags machine is always there to help out.
A new baby means a hectic household for the whole family. Luckily Gags, the narrator’s grandmother, is always around to help – turning into the Gags machine when the house is in need of a good clean and dinner must be made. But Gags also has time for fun stuff like playing dress up and going to the park. And when there is so much to pack for the family holiday to the beach, Gags is a great help too – but everyone soon learns that even Gags machines need a rest.

One of an innovative new series of linked stories designed to build reader confidence.
The Murphys live at 53 Parrot Park, Dublin. There’s Mammy, Rory, Anna and Mary (the twins), Cormac, Catherine and Susan (who is only one – she is full of smiles and listens to nobody). Whether they’re mowing the lawn, getting rid of pesky headlice or hunting down UFOs, everything is an adventure with the Murphy family!

Sadie and Ratz are Hannah’s hands – and they turn into wild beasts when Baby Boy is around!
Sadie and Ratz are the names of Hannah’s hands. They aren’t animals but they behave like wild beasts, especially when four-year-old Baby Boy is around. They jump on his head and try to rub his ears off. One day Baby Boy decides to get his own back. He draws on the wall. He spills milk on the carpet. He tells Grandma that Sadie and Ratz pushed him.