Síne Quinn

‘Look at that lovely white chest and glossy black wings. She looks just like an ice-cream covered with dark chocolate.’

Nellie Choc-Ice is a Marconi Penguin who lives in the Antarctic with her very, very, very large extended family. Once she masters walking without falling over, she soon becomes a fearless adventurer. Nellie’s love of adventure soon earns her the accolade of the ‘World Famous Penguin Explorer’. Nothing stops her travels – besides her fear of killer whales – until one day she encounters a submarine.

Bee can see what others can’t, especially her older sister Grace who has shut down many aspects of her senses because of her grief. Through Bee’s eyes real and imaginary people live side by side. While Grace is preoccupied with her new boyfriend and sitting at the ‘top table’, Bee’s imagination soars to other realms. She longs to visit Hotel Magnificent to embrace the dead and hopes to be reunited with her parents, whom she lost too young. In her world lines aren’t blurred and realms collide and work together.

‘”It’s a good day for sailing,” his grandfather would have said.’

Finn wakes early on the morning of his late Grandfather’s ninetieth birthday. He decides to build a boat to honour his memory. He recalls the sound of his grandfather’s voice and the stories he told of ‘a place far away where ocean meets sky’. In his hand-made boat, Finn sets sail on a long, magical journey encountering incredible places and amazing creatures along the way, including the Library Islands, filled with roosting bookish birds and a sea of dancing moon jellies.

Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing Boys Who Changed the World Without Killing Any Dragons is an extremely important collection about remarkable, sensitive and emotional men. Men who felt so much that they were driven to overcome a myriad of obstacles in order to reach their goals or to help others through adverse conditions.

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

‘I was very young and had little experience of cruelty. But, when we reached France, I witnessed the horror and savagery of war firsthand. Cruelty lingered everywhere in conflict. A nasty business and no mistake.’

This captivating and at times thrilling as well as hard-hitting adventure is the first book in an exciting new historical ‘Voices’ series shining a light on unsung stories from the past.

From the award-winning author of The Wolf Riders, Rooftoppers and The Explorer comes another incredible and stellar adventure story: The Good Thieves. Katherine Rundell’s latest novel is a riveting caper set against the magnificent backdrop of New York City. The Good Thieves is packed full of exciting elements, including acrobats, animal charmers, pickpockets, dodgy criminals and much, much more, to make the reader dive straight into the heart of the story.

In a stressful world, this book Be Kind: Be Your Best Self Every Day is like a breath of fresh air. ‘Whether you practise kindness towards others or are lucky enough to receive the ‘gift’ of kindness yourself, it has an infinite transformative energy.’ Not only does the book Be Kind advocate being kind to others, it also stresses the importance of being kind to yourself.

This is an important and informative story that deserves international recognition, so it’s not surprising to learn that a film entitled Harriet was made based on this exceptional woman’s life story. Born into extreme hardship as a slave in America’s southern state Maryland, Harriet Tubman led an extraordinary life, helping hundreds of people escape slavery moving from southern plantations to cross the boundaries into the free states. Harriet’s father taught her many essential skills which in time not only assisted in her own escape, but also in her survival.

‘A wee donkey sat in the shade of a tree.

“If you had one wish, Grandad, what would it be?”

“I’d fix this old back and these wobbly knees, and go see the sights that are out there to see.”’

Wee Donkey’s Treasure Hunt is the latest picture book from the dynamic duo, award-winning author Erika McGann and illustrator Gerry Daly (of the beloved Where Are You, Puffling?). In this wonderful tale, the reader follows the determined young donkey, as she travels around Ireland collecting the ‘sights’ and bringing them home to show her granddad on her sturdy wooden cart.