Welbeck Editions

Children have been disappearing in London, but Cassie Morgan is more concerned with trying to be invisible at her boarding school, where she has attracted the ire of school bullies and, as a consequence, is a social pariah to her peers. Cassie copes with her solitude by retreating into a world of reading, yearning for the day when her mother will come for her. This hope is shattered when the callous school head mistress announces that Cassie's mother has officially been declared dead, which prompts the girl to run away rather than be despatched to an institution.

First name Action. Second name Dude. The hero (who most definitely does not answer to Charlie) that lives for danger, specifically non-spider-related danger! While he might fumble a minor errand or dodge chores, when the robotic inhabitants of the local theme park – Prehistoric Land – go berserk, he’s the nine-year-old for the job.

One Million Insects is a hive of information about the various species of creepy crawlies that outnumber us humans 1.4 billion to one, with exciting little titbits about their sometimes-bizarre habits and life cycles. The chapters are organised into insect orders, introducing children to the scientific methods of classification. The book is full of colourful illustrations that give the insects charm and character, reminiscent of the style of Eric Carle’s classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Come along and explore the wilds and ways of the animal kingdom in Funny Bums and Freaky Beaks! Hear the call to the wild from the words of Alex Morss and Sean Taylor while poring over the illustration by Sarah Edmonds. Young readers can explore chapters on Strange Tails, Extraordinary Eyes and Terrific Teeth, to name just a few.