New Releases by Amy Sparkes

Nine and her friends team up with an unlikely ally to rescue Spoon’s friend from a dangerous witch in this third book in the adventurous, magical, and brilliantly funny The House at the Edge of Magic series. Nine and her friends have cured the house’s hiccups and are off to the strange and utterly unpredictable Back of Beyond in search of Professor Dish—Spoon’s best friend and partner in all things alchemy. When they find Dish trapped by the greedy witch Ophidia in the basement of a particularly marvelous shop, it soon becomes clear they’re going to need something more than Flabberghast’s dicey magic and Nine’s quick thinking to triumph this time. Perhaps they can find a rather clever witch, one particularly good at curses…

An orphan girl fights to save the inhabitants of a magical house in this first book in the rollicking middle grade magical adventure series perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Greenwild! Nine is an orphan pickpocket determined to escape her life in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures where she’s one of many thieves only valued for what they can steal. When she lifts a house-shaped ornament from a mysterious woman’s purse, she knocks on its tiny door and watches it grow into a huge, higgledy-piggledy building. Inside, Nine meets the eccentric people who call the magical house their home: Dr. Spoon the alchemist, Flabberghast the young wizard and competitive hopscotch-er, and Eric the troll housekeeper with a strong emotional attachment to his feather duster. For years, they have been desperate to end the curse on the house that prevents them from leaving, finding the bathroom on the first try, or opening the tea cupboard. They can’t even change the scenery outside the windows because the toad’s tongue that enables the structure to move around has gone missing. After years of having only herself to count on, prickly Nine doesn’t have an altruistic bone in her body and should be the very last choice for anyone looking for a hero, but she’s the only one around. With the promise of a life-changing reward in the balance, she sets her street smarts against bats with acid dung, a burping sugar bowl, and worse as she uncovers more about the curse…and herself.

"Nine and her friends are headed to the mortal realm in search of the only thing that will shake a very tricky witch off their tail: a priceless stargold locket. It lies hidden in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures, guarded by Nine’s old foe – the formidable gangmaster of all the thieflings in London. Even if Nine can get her hands on the locket, the friends must find a way to release its power – and for that they must travel through the World Between Worlds to the lighthouse on the Isle of Illusion, where nothing is quite as it seems..."-- Provided by publisher.

Une malédiction. Un trésor caché. Un sorcier en pantoufles molletonnées. Trois... Repérer sa cible. Deux... Se mettre en position. Un... Bondir ! Neuf est une orpheline contrainte de voler dans la rue pour mériter le gîte et le couvert. Jusqu''au jour où elle dérobe le bibelot qui va enfin changer sa vie : une maison tenant dans le creux de la main et sur laquelle pèse une terrible malédiction. La rencontre avec ses habitants – un magicien sans pouvoirs, un troll majordome ou une éminente cuillère en bois – ne se fera pas sans heurts... ni sans éclats de rire ! Oseras-tu franchir à ton tour la porte de La Maison à l''orée de la magie ?

A little girl in wartime England finds that a simple act of generosity and kindness changes her life forever in this heartfelt holiday book based on a popular British TV show. Susan is very young when she''s evacuated from London during World War II and sent to live in the countryside with a family she has never met. Uncertain of her new surroundings and desperately missing home, she holds out little hope for the months ahead. Then, on Christmas Day, she receives a doll that she names Lizzy. It is the best present she''s ever had. Only decades later, when Susan and her great-granddaughter Evie bring the precious doll in for repairs--and Susan narrates the tale of her tumultuous childhood--does she realize the true meaning and scope of the gift she received that long-ago Christmas morning. From the bustling endpapers showing the repair team at work restoring a legacy to glowing illustrations evoking nostalgia and warmth, this cozy tale based on an episode of the British TV series The Repair Shop is a festive read-aloud to share at the holidays.

An uplifting and reassuring picture book filled with hope and new beginnings. My tree had been there from the beginning... and I loved it. Beautifully told and stunningly illustrated, My Treeis a story about the joy and adventureof life, the dark cloudsthat sometimes hang over us, and how endings can also be new beginnings. This comforting picture book is uplifting, reassuring and rather like a hug- one that will keep you warm long after reading. Lyrical and heartfelt story by award-winning author, Amy Sparkes Beautifully vibrant illustrations full of warmth by bestselling illustrator, Fiona Lumbers Gently touches on the circle of life in a hopeful and child-friendly way

An uplifting and reassuring picture book filled with hope and new beginnings. My tree had been there from the beginning... and I loved it. Beautifully told and stunningly illustrated, My Treeis a story about the joy and adventureof life, the dark cloudsthat sometimes hang over us, and how endings can also be new beginnings. This comforting picture book is uplifting, reassuring and rather like a hug- one that will keep you warm long after reading. Lyrical and heartfelt story by award-winning author, Amy Sparkes Beautifully vibrant illustrations full of warmth by bestselling illustrator, Fiona Lumbers Gently touches on the circle of life in a hopeful and child-friendly way

Book Band: Gold (Ideal for ages 6+) A laugh-out-loud, zany tale about monsters, friendship and bath times, ideal for children practising reading at home or in school. Gerald the monster HATES baths. Being all washed and clean? Yuck! So Gerald''s mum hires Maggie, a professional monster washer, to help. Can Gerald learn to have fun at bath time? This hilarious story from Amy Sparkes is perfect for Key Stage 1 (KS1) children who are learning to read by themselves. It features colour illustrations by Jack Viant and lovable characters that children will easily relate to. _______________ Bloomsbury Young Readers are the perfect way to get children reading, with book-banded stories by brilliant authors like Julia Donaldson. The series is ideal for both home and school, with gorgeous colour illustrations, tips for parents, and fun activity ideas. Online guided reading and teaching notes, written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), are available at bloomsburyreaders.com. ''Every child needs a Bloomsbury Young Reader.'' - Julie-Ann McCulloch, Teacher

Ein magisches Haus auf Reisen Taschendiebin Neun und ihre Freunde haben den Fluch gebrochen und können wieder mit ihrem magischen Haus reisen. Es gibt nur ein Problem: Das Haus wird nervös und kriegt Schluckauf! Mit jedem „Hicks" hopsen sie von einer Welt in die nächste. Nur der magische Turm am Ende der Zeit kann ihnen helfen – jedenfalls wenn sie eine Reihe von Rätseln lösen und beweisen, dass sie einer Antwort würdig sind. Und vielleicht findet Neun ja auch endlich heraus, wer sie wirklich ist ... Für Fans von verspieltem Humor und Magie, die sich selbstständig macht

Adventurous, magical and brilliantly funny sequel to The House at the Edge of Magic. Nine and her friends have broken the curse on their marvellous, magical House, and are free to travel the worlds once more. There''s only one problem: the House is nervous about travelling - and gets the hiccups! With every HIC! they bounce from one world to the next, and magical mayhem erupts in every room. They try a drink of water (turning on all the taps) and giving it a fright (landing in a monstrous world), but nothing seems to work. Only the magical Tower of Unanswered Questions can help them - if they can make their way through a series of tricks, riddles and challenges. And perhaps Nine can finally discover who left her the beloved music box, and who she really is... A young middle grade novel full of humour, magic and mischief.

Jack was seven and Chloe was six. Jack liked his sister, but loved to play tricks . . . So begins this rollicking, rhyming tale that celebrates the power of imagination - with a difference! When Chloe''s silvery crayon develops magical powers, it sparks a thrilling chase through a fairytale world - an unbelievable adventure where her drawings spring to life! Can Chloe use all her creativity and inventiveness to rescue her brother and save the day? An adventure from the author of Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo, brought to life by the bestselling illustrator behind The Littlest Bandit and Girls Can Do Anything.

No-Wings the dragon cannot fly, so he spends his days puffing out cloud pictures using his dragon smoke. When he is banished by the Dragon King, he meets Toby, who has run away from his own village. They soon become firm friends but what can they do to prevent a battle between the dragons and humans? The Cloud Dragon is part of the Galaxy range of books from Rising Stars Reading Planet. Galaxy provides captivating fiction and non-fiction for Pink A to White band. The rich collection of highly decodable books immerses children in a range of cross-curricular topics and genres. Reading Planet books have been carefully levelled to support children in becoming fluent and confident readers. Each book features useful notes and activities to support reading at home as well as comprehension questions to check understanding. Reading age: 6-7 years

Set sail with the funniest pirate on the seven seas in this hilarious adventure for readers of 7+ with brilliant pictures throughout from ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS illustrator Ben Cort.

Set sail with the funniest pirate on the seven seas in this hilarious adventure for readers of 7+ with brilliant pictures throughout from ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS illustrator Ben Cort.

Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds features exciting fiction and non-fiction decodable readers to enthuse and inspire children. They are fully aligned to Letters and Sounds Phases 1-6 and contain notes in the back. The Handbooks provide support in demonstration and modelling, monitoring comprehension and expanding vocabulary. It''s Mama Monster''s birthday, and as she loves to eat, the monster children want to make a mega monster treat This wonderfully funny rhyming poem is filled with misunderstandings and unusual ingredients and is written by Amy Sparkes. Green (Band 5) books offer early readers patterned language and varied characters. Pages 22 and 23 contain a fun I Spy Letters and Sounds activity, which uses visual support to help children embed phonic knowledge. Reading notes within the book provide practical support for reading Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds with children, including a list of all the sounds and words that the book will cover.

Can the worst pirate ever find his way home from the Island of No Return?

Galaxy reading books are a wonderful collection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays to capture the interest of every child, helping to develop a life-long love of reading. On Monday I saw twenty chimps, skipping in the rain! They danced with some umbrellas, then they did it all again! In this humorous rhyme, a little girl looks out of her bedroom each day as the weather changes. In her imagination she ''sees'' lots of funny and unusual animals playing in the garden. Reading age 5-6 years

Can the worst pirate ever win the Pirate of the Year Award...?

Ellie Pengelly is fed up and bored, until she gets a pair of magical new wellies! When Ellie goes out to explore in her new wellies she jumps into a puddle but something jumps out! When the strange Flibberty-Gibberty starts juggling with jam, guzzling and gobbling food, and squeezling toothpaste, he makes quite a mess! Will Ellie manage to clean up all the mess before mum gets home?

Galaxy reading books are a wonderful collection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays to capture the interest of every child, helping to develop a life-long love of reading. Tim can''t find his favourite teddy bear, and needs him in time for bed! Tim searches high and low in his bedroom, but the teddy is nowhere to be found ... But what is that lump under the covers at the end of the bed? Could that be Ted? Reading age: 4-5 years

Little Robot has an itchy nose. "AAAACHOOOO!" Out shoots some sticky, stretchy, gooey green stuff. Soon Little Robot''s snot makes him famous. He doesn''t want to share it with anyone, but, just as he realises there is such a thing as too much snot, all of the other robots start sneezing too!

What would you do if your wishes came true? Meet the wishgiver boy - with lotions and potions and secret ingredients, he glides through the night making wishes come true. He can conjure up dragons, magical midnight feasts and even make you fly. But will he ever find the magic to grant his own wishes? This is a tale of hard work rewarded and the special power of the words ''thank you''.

This title is part of Pearson''s ''Bug Club'' - the first whole-school reading programme that joins books and an online reading world to teach today''s children to read. Have you ever seen a shark who is afraid of the dark, or a kangaroo who loves lollipops? Join in the fun and meet some animals who are just crackers!