Mystery

Twelve-year-old Leonie is a force to be reckoned with. Having escaped the clutches of the wicked Wishmaker Institute, she finally feels free; her magic no longer caged, she begins to become an everyday girl.

This intriguing, fast-paced psychological thriller tells the story of a queer, runaway teenager who, after being caught shoplifting, assumes the identity of Nate Beaumont, a boy who disappeared ten years earlier. What begins as a desperate attempt to escape his past quickly becomes much more dangerous when Nate’s family takes him home, believing him to be their missing son. Bad things begin to happen as someone threatens to reveal who ‘Nate’ really is, and our protagonist starts to fear for his own life.

This fast-paced, suspenseful adventure, set on Mars in 2067 explores themes of loss, betrayal and trust. The Red Planet is getting crowded with countries, companies and the United Nations all vying for land, resources and influence. The powerful GravesUP corporation exerts it’s hold, both on Earth and this new frontier. The United Nations trying (and failing) to assert authority has established PAX Station.

A mysterious yellow rock that kicked off the Gold Rush in nineteenth century America; a scrabble in Egyptian sand that uncovered ancient steps to a boy-king’s tomb brimming with gold; a trio of French boys burrowing down a hole in the forest to see their simple lamp illuminating vivid, lifelike cave paintings. These are just three of the twelve thrilling true discoveries that are described in this engaging, beautiful book.

In this adaptation of an anime series, Hikaru faces a challenge even bigger than middle-school as he finds himself attached to a mechanical arm named Alma. With Alma having lost her memory, Hikaru must dodge the mysterious characters of Kita-Kagami city that are out to get them.

After a storm, the animals hear a strange sound coming from a big, dark, scary hole in the ground. What is going on? Badger, Owl and Red Deer do their best, but it is the smallest creature of all – Pigmy Shrew – who bravely faces the dark.

Tuftorious Snook awakes while his fellow Finders hibernate, and he cannot get back to sleep. He decides to break the strict rule against seeking the Faraway Forest, a place whither many Finders set out, and whence none of them returned. Tuft’s own parents were among those lost, and his aunt Timordora has become a cautionary tale for the young.

Andrew Perrault is convinced that when he returns to Wickwood Academy, everything will be alright; his twin sister Dove will make up with Thomas, the school rebel who illustrates Andrew’s macabre fairytales, and the only person who truly understands him. But on his first day back, Andrew realises nothing will be the same again. Dove is still angry, and Thomas is the number one suspect behind his abusive parents disappearance. Following Thomas to the out-of-bounds forest beside their school one night, Andrew learns that the truth is far more gruesome than he could have imagined.

This is a sequel to the immensely popular middle-grade fantasy The House with Chicken Legs, published in 2018, and combines the same winning team of author and illustrators. The plot of the original novel is synopsised in a short prologue, so a reader approaching the sequel won’t feel lost, though they will surely want to seek out the first volume.