Karen Peakin

Nina Peanut is a confident and funny young girl living in a quiet small town called Dozyville. Excitement ensues when a new boy joins her class, although Nina is not the only one who has noticed him and suddenly, she is competing with lots of her classmates for his attention. The situation becomes even more dramatic when Nina’s teacher announces that they are going to be staging the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet! Nina and the other girls in class must face up to whether they are staying true to themselves or trying to be someone else for the new boy’s attention.

A funny and action-packed story with a sporting theme. Gloria is a hippo who along with her family form a fantastic, synchronised swimming team. They always do very well in competitions, but Gloria is tired of sharing the spotlight and begins to consider if she could try her hand at a solo sport.

This story brings us into the world of an old house in a park, that has had a long history of many people and personalities who have lived there. Now the old house only has visitors sometimes, except for its one resident – Tiny Ghost. Tiny Ghost lives alone in the old house and longs for someone to play with, but no one can see him.

This quirky mystery story introduces young readers to a town full of monsters, werewolves, vampires, gnomes and other spooky inhabitants. Werelock and Scratch’s investigative skills are put to the test when the vampire mayor is murdered – temporarily, because he is undead – and Werelock’s Mum is framed for the crime. Fans of ghostly stories and mythical characters will love the city of Gothica, where these eerie creatures live.

This book is an inventive collection of short stories that start not at the beginning, but in the middle, right at the ‘good bit’ of the story. The stories are short and snappy and encourage readers to imagine what happened before and after this bit, to think creatively and maybe even inspire young writers.

Nina Peanut is a confident, creative and hilarious young girl. Inspired by her favourite vlogger, she is determined to make a travel vlog, though her holiday to Sunshiney island doesn’t exactly live up to her high expectations. Nina and her friends, who all end up in the same resort, find themselves in lots of funny, embarrassing and unexpected situations, forcing Nina to learn to appreciate the good things about her trip, even if it is not exactly what she imagined.

This puzzle adventure book guides readers through a series of STEAM themed challenges with a fun, entertaining story. Knutz, a STEAM whizz kid and best friend Boltz, a talking dog who is also an incredible inventor, are horrified when their favourite online personality, the Sorcerer of Science is taken prisoner by Dr Chaos during a livestream. Knutz and Boltz take on the task of rescuing her and in doing so are faced with a series of puzzles and challenges as they work their way through the Mansion of Mayhem.

This story is both an enchanting reimagining of the traditional Rapunzel fairytale and an homage to the stories and experiences of enslaved African people who wove patterns into their hair and used them as maps to make their way to freedom.

In this magical story, Meara and her grandad enjoy an adventure and the wonder of nature. Meara is disappointed she has not seen some of the animals that she reads about in her books, like giraffes and dinosaurs, and wonders if she will ever see something so amazing. Her grandad tells her about the legendary golden hare, and they decide to set off on an adventure to see if they can find it.

A book that celebrates music, creativity and community; One Sweet Song was inspired by the impromptu balcony musical performances during the Covid 19 pandemic. The story begins with a little girl hearing one musical note ringing out as she looks out her window, she joins in by playing a note on her triangle and soon many of her neighbours have also joined in to create a song together.