Hodder Children's Books

Leeza is a regular schoolgirl in the regular town of Owt. She’s plagued by allergies (hence her nickname, Sneezer), indecision and feelings of inadequacy. NOT exactly the type of person you want to have to depend on to save the world. But one Monday morning she wakes up to find that everyone in Owt is HAPPY. This happiness, strangely enough, manifests itself in a desire to exercise and eat healthily, which in the case of Leeza’s couch potato parents (and most of the townspeople to be honest) is highly unusual! Something suspicious is going on …

Kara Lukas is lonely. In the atmospheric Swedish winter, she watches the frozen lake, watches the stars, and tries to uncover the mystery of a snow angel. Strange noises in the woods and inexplicable footprints lead her to Rebecca and her brother Samuel in their small isle hideout. The Jewish siblings are not only from another place, but another time. A bond of friendship forms across space and time as two lonely girls find each other.

In an encyclopaedia like no other, Cressida Cowell gives an insight into her very own world where she categorizes dragons great and small from the minuscule Ziggerastica to the monstrous Leviathorgans, from the short-sighted Bog Spotted Gormless to the silly Two-Headed Gormatron. The book is filled with quirky facts and characteristics for each creature the reader would have met in the How To Train Your Dragon series. It comes complete with maps, collector cards and poster.

It’s the middle of the summer holidays and a boy named Jimmy Killen has been killed. Davie believes he knows who is responsible – another boy named Zorro Craig, whose family has a well-established feud with the Killens.

The Crystal Run introduced us to the long-running dystopian battle between the lands of Carcassia and Kanabia, and two young people caught up in its crossfire: Kaia, a girl brought up and trained to face danger to protect her native Carcassia; and Joe Hunter, an ordinary English boy who literally fell into danger when his escape from some schoolyard bullies led him through a portal to Kaia’s world.

Donaldson’s children’s play was first published in 2003, by Wayland, in a cheaper, practical edition suitable for using in schools. The most immediately striking thing about this more luxurious edition is the richly attractive illustrations creating a sense of warmth and intimacy not commonly associated with plays for children.

In the second instalment of Cowell’s The Wizards of Once, the adventures of Wish, a Warrior girl in possession of a powerful Magic Spelling Book, and Xar, a Wizard boy with a dangerous Witchstain on his hand, continue. Cowell masterfully creates a universe full of fearsome beasts who keep the story fast paced and firing on all cylinders.

‘I taught Zibbo how to fly. Zibbo taught me how to… ROARRR!’

Humpty Dumpty has a bit of a dilemma: he wants to be a boiled egg when he grows up, but his friends think this is an utterly ridiculous idea. Jack Be Nimble and Little Miss Muffet and even the Incey Wincey Spider offer alternative, more sensible career options. Why not an artist? A detective? A famous musician? Or even a crazy hairdresser? They encourage their nursery rhyme friend to aim for the stars, to think outside the box and to not be afraid to break out of his shell. So Humpty reconsiders his options…

Charlie is a shy drummer, trapped in a toxic relationship with an older boy. Nick is a rugby star who hangs out with the lads who used to bully Charlie. When they’re assigned seats beside each other in class, sparks unexpectedly fly, but both boys will have to break out of their social bubbles if they want their growing friendship to evolve into something more.