Hymers College Junior School Recommended Reading

Junior School Recommended Reading

Fantasy Stories that include magical or impossible elements, such as talking animals, witches or fairies. Stories with magic, superpowers or other things that do not exist in reality.

7+ 7+

The Nothing to see here hotel

When a goblin messenger arrives at The Nothing to See Here Hotel, announcing the imminent arrival of the goblin prince Grogbah, Frankie and his family rush into action to get ready for their important guest. But it soon becomes obvious that the Banister family are going to have their work cut out with the demanding prince and his never-ending entourage, especially when it turns out the rude little prince is hiding a secret...

9+

Looking Glass Girl Cathy Cassidy

9+

Alice is lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Lost in a wonderland of dreams and halfformed memories, she's surrounded by voices - the doctor, her worried friends and Luke - whose kisses the night of the fall took her by surprise . . .

The Boy who went magic A P Winter

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They say magic is long-gone ... but is it? A chain of fantastical mishaps in schoolboy Bert's dull life spiral out of control - but then he's rescued by Finch, a plucky girl-adventurer with metal legs.

Soon they're sailing through the clouds on a pirate airship bound for the forgotten land of Mirinor.

Magic is their destination, for reasons Bert will soon discover ...

Winter Magic

9+

Abi Elphinstone

The Dreamsnatcher’s Abi Elphinstone heads up this gorgeous collection of wintery stories, featuring snow queens, frost fairs, snow dragons and pied pipers . . .

Wolf Brother Michelle Paver

9+

An ambitious and malevolent force conjures a demon: a demon so evil that it can be contained only in the body of a ferocious bear that will slay everything it sees, a demon determined to destroy the world.

Sky Song

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Abi Elphinstone This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of our world .

Dragons at Crumbling Castle

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Terry Pratchett

Dragons have invaded Crumbling Castle, and all of King Arthur’s knights are either on holiday or visiting their grannies. It’s a disaster!

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The Secret Keepers Trenton Lee Stewart

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When Reuben discovers an extraordinary antique watch with a secret power, his life takes an intriguing turn. As one secret leads to another, Reuben finds himself torn between his honest nature and the lure to be a hero..

The Crooked Sixpence

8+

Jennifer Bell When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store.

Returning to Sylvie’s house, they find it has been ransacked by unknown intruders – before a mysterious feather scratches an ominous message onto the kitchen wall. A very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. Ivy and Seb make their escape – only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, where ordinary objects have amazing powers. The forces of evil are closing in fast, and Ivy and Seb must get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late.

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The Peculiars

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Kieran Larwood

8+

The Peculiars are a band of misfits, trapped in a nightly Victorian sideshow. There's Wolfgirl, Sheba; Sister Moon, who can move at the speed of light; and Monkey Boy, ace climber and human stink bomb. But during the day, in a world of childsnatchers, grave robbers and dastardly doctors, they solve the mysteries no one else cares about - including why London's poorest children are being snatched from the banks of the Thames ....

Science Fiction Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. Science fiction texts are often set in the future, in space, on a different world, or in a different universe or dimension.

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A Wrinkle in Time

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Madeleine L’engle

When Charles Wallace Murry goes searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for his lost father, he finds himself on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'. How Charles, his sister Meg and friend Calvin find and free his father makes this a very special and exciting mixture of fantasy and science fiction, which all the way through is dominated by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels known as Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which.

Clockwork

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Philip Pullman A tormented apprentice clock-maker, a deadly mechanical knight in armour and the sinister Dr Kalmenius, who some say is the devil. A great modern fairy tale.

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Artemis Fowl

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Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl is the twelve-year-old son of an Irish crime lord. After significant research, Artemis believes that he has confirmed the existence of fairies, and he intends to track them down.

Beetle Boy M G Leonard

8+

Darkus is miserable. His dad has disappeared, and now he is living next door to the most disgusting neighbours ever. When things seemingly can’t get any worse, a super intelligent talking beetle comes to the rescue. Anarchic, funny, and at times completely mad—with a hint of Roald Dahl

Operation Gadgetman!

7+

Malorie Blackman

Beans calls her dad ‘Gadgetman’ because of the amazing gadgets he invents—everything from exploding biscuits to Spy Kits.

Cosmic

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Frank Cottrell Boyce

Liam is a big lad, so big that strangers mistake the 12-year-old for an adult. Too often, they expect to act like an adult, so Liam decides to enter the Greatest Dad Ever Contest. In short order, he finds himself on a rocket ship that is off course and 200,000 miles above the earth.

The Funny Life of Pets James Campbell

7+

The Funny Life of Pets is a comical take on how to choose and care for a pet but also covers more niche topics such as why big dogs are better than small dogs (small dogs are yappy and annoying), where cats originate from (aliens) and famous pets throughout history (Lord Nelson’s guinea pig).

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The City of Ember

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Jeanne DuPrau The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever.

Fortunately, the Milk…

Neil Gaiman

7+

This laugh-out-loud adventure from award-winning children's author Neil Gaiman is a popular choice with lower KS2. When Dad is left in charge of the very important job of remembering to get milk, he forgets and ends up on a fantastic adventure involving space ships, aliens, time-travelling dinosaurs and saving the universe as he attempts to fetch some milk and get it home on time. .

7+

George's Secret Key to the Universe

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Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking

9+

Part of a series written by Professor Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy, this fast-paced adventure follows a boy called George as he discovers a portal to outer space inside his neighbour's super-intelligent computer called Cosmos. As you might expect in a book by Stephen Hawking, the narrative is filled with scientifically accurate facts and figures about space.

Action & Adventure Adventure fiction is a genre of fiction in which an adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, forms the main storyline.

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The Explorer Katherine Rundell

9+

As the plane crashes into the canopy, Fred is suddenly left without a choice. He and the three other children may be alive, but the jungle is a vast, untamed place. With no hope of rescue, the chance of getting home feels impossibly small.

Except, it seems, someone has been there before them.

The Light Jar

9+

Lisa Thompson

9+

Nate and his mother are running away, hiding out in a tumbledown cottage in the middle of a forest. When Mum heads off for provisions, and then doesn't return, Nate is left alone and afraid, with the dark closing in all around him...

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The Chocolate Factory Ghost David O’Connell

7+

All is not well in Dundoodle, and when Archie reads the mysterious letter his great-uncle left him, he finds himself on a quest to save his family's company from ruin. With the help of his new friends Fliss and Billy, Archie has to try to figure out the puzzles of Honeystone before his sweet future melts away like an ice lolly in the sun!?

The unlikely adventures of Mabel Jones

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Will Mabbitt When Mabel Jones unknowingly commits 'The Deed' she finds herself swiftly bundled into a sack and carried off to the pirate ship the Feroshus Maggot!

Sky Chasers

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Emma Carroll A encounter with a boy dangling from the sky changes pickpocket Magpie's life forever.

Together with Pierre, Magpie is soon caught up in a world of inflatable bloomers, spies and a trio of unruly animals in a race to be the first to fly a hot air balloon - in front of the King and Queen of France.

The City of Secret Rivers Jacob Sager Weinstein

9+

Everything feels strange. Very strange. And it gets stranger the day she accidentally unleashes the power of a secret river running through London. To prevent a second Great Fire, Hyacinth needs to retrieve a single, magically charged drop of water from somewhere in the city sewer system.

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Running on the Roof of the World

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Jess Butterworth Join 12-year-old Tash and her best friend Sam in a story of adventure, survival and hope, set in the vivid Himalayan landscape of Tibet and India. Filled with friendship, love and courage, this young girl's thrilling journey to save her parents.

Brightstorm

7+

Vashti Hardy

As the winged ship Aurora sets sail, Arthur and Maudie must keep their wits about them and prove themselves worthy of the rest of the crew. But will they find the answers they seek?

The Bubble Boy

9+

Stewart Foster THE BUBBLE BOY is the story of how Joe spends his days, copes with his loneliness and frustrations, and looks - with superhero-style bravery, curiosity and hope - to a future without limits. Expect superheroes, super nurses and a few tears from this truly unique story.

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The Dreamsnatcher

9+

Jessica Cole

9+

Twelve-year-old Moll Pecksniff wakes one night in the middle of the forest, lured there by a recurring nightmare - the one with the drums and the rattles and the masks. The Dreamsnatcher is waiting. He has already taken her dreams and now he wants her life.

War A war novel in which the primary action takes place in a field of armed combat, or in a domestic setting (or home front) where the characters are preoccupied with the preparations for, or recovery from, war.

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Private Peaceful Michael Morpurgo

9+

Told in the voice of a young soldier, the story follows 24 hours in his life at the front during WW1, and captures his memories as he looks back over his life.

Stay where you are and then leave

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John Boyne

9+

Four years after the First World War Alfie doesn't know where his father might be, other than that he's away on a special, secret mission.

Valentine Joe Rebecca Stevens

9+

It's the day before Valentine's, but Rose can sense the shattered old city beneath.

And it seems that it can sense her too. She hears the sound of marching feet and glimpses from her window a young soldier on his way to the front line .

9+ The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips

9+

Michael Morpurgo Lizzy and her family have to move out their home, and her beloved cat, Tips, goes missing. Lizzy explores the danger zone to try to find her.

Eleven Eleven Paul Dowswell

9+

Set during the final 24 hours before the armistice at 11 a.m. on 11th November 1918, the story follows a German storm trooper, an American airman and a British Tommy. Their destinies converge during the death throes of the first ever conflict to spread across the globe.

9+ Carrie’s War

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Nina Bawden It tells the story of World War II evacuees Carrie and Nick, who are sent to a small town in Wales under the care of the formidable Mr Evans and his timid sister. Follow their adventures as they make new friends and enemies and experience what it might have been like to be a child evacuee during the war..

The Buried Crown

9+

Ally Sherrick The story centres on George Penny, a young Londoner who has been evacuated to the countryside. Before long, George finds himself involved in an exhilarating plot to save the crown from falling into the hands of Nazi invaders.

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Blitzcat

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Robert Westall WW1 is raging, suspicion and fear are growing, and Alfie and Lucy are ever more under threat. But as we begin to see the story of Merry, a girl boarding a great ship for a perilous journey across the ocean, another melody enters the great symphony – and the music begins to resolve…

The Emergency Zoo Miriam Halahmy

9+

This story follows a group of children who have to act quickly when an order for pets to be put down is issued at the dawn of World War II.

Billy the Kid Michael Morpurgo

7+

This is a book for every generation to share but in particular for a grandfather to share with his grandson for this is the story of Billy, a supremely talented footballer who at 19 was picked to play for one of the top clubs. But it was 1939 and his life changed at the start of World War Two.

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Goodnight Mister Tom

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Michelle Magorian

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Young Willie Beech is evacuated to the country as Britain stands on the brink of the Second World War. A sad, deprived child, he slowly begins to flourish under the care of old Tom Oakley - but his new-found happiness is shattered by a summons from his mother back in London . . .

Mystery Mystery fiction is a genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals, and their motives.

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Emil and the Detectives

7+

Erich Kastner A classic detective story told at a cracking pace, this features one of the first fictional child detectives. When Emil is robbed of his mother’s hard earned savings from right out of his pocket as he is asleep on a train, he takes swift action.

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Smart

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Kim Slater There's been a murder, but the police don't care. Kieran cares. He's made a promise, and when you say something out loud, that means you're going to do it, for real. He's going to find out what really happened.

Murder most unladylike Robin Stevens

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Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She assumes it was a terrible accident – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared.

Beetle Boy

9+

M.G. Leonard Darkus is miserable. His dad has disappeared, and now he is living next door to the most disgusting neighbours ever. A giant beetle called Baxter comes to his rescue. But can the two solve the mystery of his dad's disappearance.

Kat Wolfe Investigates

9+

Lauren St. John After a pet owner vanishes from his clifftop mansion, Kat turns to her new friend, Harper Lamb, for help. What began as mystery-solving holiday fun quickly turns deadly for Wolfe and Lamb. Can they count on their unruly animals to save their lives?

Goldfish Boy

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Lisa Thompson Twelve-year-old Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by crippling OCD, spending most of his time staring out of his window as the inhabitants of Chestnut Close go about their business. Until the day he is the last person to see his next door neighbour's toddler, Teddy, before he goes missing. .

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The Secret of Platform 13

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Eva Ibbotson

Under Platform 13 at King's Cross Station there is a secret door that leads to a magical island . . . It appears only once every nine years. And when it opens, four mysterious figures step into the streets of London....

Rory Branagan (Detective)

7+

Andrew Clover Meet RORY BRANAGAN – he eats bad guys for breakfast. Well, not ACTUALLY. But he IS the best detective in town. Rory and his Accomplice, Cassidy, as they investigate the poisoning of Rory’s next-door neighbour.

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The Guggenheim Mystery

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Robin Stevens This summer, I went on holiday to New York, to visit Aunt Gloria and Salim. While I was there, a painting was stolen from the Guggenheim Museum, where Aunt Gloria works. Everyone was very worried and upset...

Dead Man’s Cove

7+

Lauren St. John Why does her uncle, Calvin Redfern, forbid her to go to Dead Man's Cove? What's the truth about Tariq, the silent Indian boy who lives with the flamboyant Mukthars? Who is J? Who has left the message in a bottle for Laura to discover?

Mysteries abound and who better to solve them than Laura Marlin, ace detective.

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HUMOUR BOOKS TO MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD!

Timmy Failure: Mistakes were made 7+ Stephan Pastis

7+

Meet Timmy Failure, founder of the "best" detective agency in town – Total Failure, Inc. With the help of his polar bear, Total, the clueless, comically self-confident Timmy already has plans for world domination. Plans that will make his mother rich and unpaid bills a thing of the past.

Wed Wabbit Lissa Evans SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA CHILDREN S BOOK AWARD 2017.

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You're called Fidge and you're nearly eleven. You've been hurled into a strange world. You have three companions: two are unbelievably weird and the third is your awful cousin Graham. You have to solve a series of nearly impossible clues.

You need to deal with a cruel dictator and three thousand Wimbley Woos (yes, you read that sentence correctly). And the whole situation the whole, entire thing - is your fault. ….

My Brother is a Superhero David Solomons

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Luke is a comic-mad eleven-year old who shares a treehouse with his geeky older brother, Zack.

Luke's only mistake is to go for a wee right at the wrong time.

While he's gone, an alien gives his undeserving, never-read-acomic-in-his-life brother superpowers and then tells him to save the universe. Luke is massively annoyed about this, but when Zack is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, Luke and his friends have only five days to find him and save the world...

Time Travelling with a Hamster Ross Welford

9+

On Al Chaudhury’s twelfth birthday his beloved Grandpa Byron gives him a letter from Al’s late father. In it Al receives a mission: travel back to 1984 in a secret time machine and save his father’s life. Al soon discovers that time travel requires daring and imagination. It also requires lies, theft, setting his school on fire and ignoring philosophical advice from Grandpa Byron. All without losing his pet hamster, Alan Shearer.

Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth

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Frank Cottrell Boyce The Blythes are a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm. Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word. Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik.

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Tom Gates: Dog Zombies Rule Liz Pichon

Here's my EXCELLENT PLAN to make DogZombies the BEST band in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! How hard can it be? (Very.)

Right now I'm going to: 1.

Write more songs. (Not about teachers.) 2. Make a SPECTACULAR music video. (Easy.) 3. Get some sleep. (Tricky when you're being kept awake by LOUD NOISES.) 4.

Annoy Delia. (Nothing to do with DOGZOMBIES but always FUN.).

Dog Man: Unleashed Dav Pilkey

7+

Dog Man needs to dry up the drool, dust away the dander, and roll out of the refuse if he's going to impress the Chief, and he needs to do it fast!

Petey the cat is out of the bag, and his criminal curiosity is taking the city by storm. Can the canine crime biter unleash justice on this ruffian in time to save the city, or will Petey get away with the purrfect crime?.

Darcy Burdock

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Laura Dockrill

9+

Darcy learns that turning into an angrosaurus-rex and causing chaos just gets you in trouble, it's best not to throw a massive strop just before your surprise birthday party, Halloween is all about spider costumes and having a pumpkin with a wonky eye, and if you're ever in a situation where you're not sure what to do, you should write a story around it, and the truth will be illuminated by your imagination.

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The Person Controller

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David Baddiel

Fred and Ellie are twins. But not identical (because that's impossible for a boy and a girl). Then, they meet the Mystery Man, who sends them a video game controller, which doesn't look like any other controller they've ever seen. And it doesn't control any of their usual games.

When the twins find out what it does control, though, it seems like the answer to all their problems. And the key to all their wildest dreams. At least it seems like that….

Kid Normal Greg James and Chris Smith

9+

Murph Cooper has a problem.

His new school is top secret, and super weird. His classmates can all fly or control the weather or conjure tiny horses from thin air. And what's Murph's extraordinary skill? Um, oh yeah - he hasn't got one.

Just as well there are no revolting supervillains lurking nearby, their minds abuzz with evil plans. There are!?

Right. Ok, then...

9+

It's time for Kid Normal to become a hero!

Horror Horror fiction are intended to, or have the capacity to frighten, scare or startle their readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror.

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Stitch Head

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Guy Bass Gruesome and scarily witty, this is the spooky story of Stitch Head, a lonely almost-human creature made by a mad professor in the sinister Castle Grotesque.

Almost lost...

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Guinea Pig Killer

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Annie Graves When Dolly goes off to Irish College, she leaves her brother Sandy in charge of Princess Snowflake. But the thing about guinea pigs is that you kind of need to feed them. Or else -

Count Karlstein

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Philip Pullman

9+

With his pack of howling hounds, the Demon Huntsman terrorises the villagers but luckily, all does not go smoothly and Count Karlstein is shown up as a fraud as comes to a satisfying bad end....

The Wolves in the Walls Neil Gaiman

9+

When Lucy hears noises in the walls of her home, she tries to warn her family that the wolves are coming. However, they do not heed her warnings – until it is too late.

Mind Writer

9+

Steve Cole Luke has a secret, a hidden skill: he can read minds. This has been really useful for school tests and on the sports field. But suddenly, everyone's thoughts are crowding into his head, and it's getting really noisy and scary.

9+ Shiverton Hall Emerald Fennell

9+

As Arthur finds out more about the sinister story of Shiverton Hall, peculiar and frightening things begin to happen - and soon things take a dramatic turn for the deadly. What is going on at Shiverton Hall? Arthur and his new friends are determined to uncover the truth.

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The Creeper Files: The Root of All Evil

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Hacker Murphy There's evil in the air. Jake's dog won't go into the garden on his own, his friends know there's a problem, and who's the strange figure in their gardens? Soon Jake is being chased by a terrifying half man half plant creature!.

Nancy Parker’s Spooky Speculations

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Julia Lee Nancy Parker started a new job at Oxcoombe Grange, a house that’s absolutely in the middle of nowhere. That sense of isolation makes it all the more chilling when bumps are heard in the night, strange figures are seen and objects inexplicably topple down from their shelves.

Dust ‘n’ Bones

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Chris Mould

7+

Mould has adapted five classic short ghost stories and added five of his own invention in a similar vein. This is an anthology guaranteed to chill spines pleasurably!

The Thornthwaite Inheritance

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Gareth P Jones The twins decide to call a truce and discover the truth about their parent’s deaths, but when the threats to their own lives continue – poisonings, killer bees, and an attack by a bear – it’s not long before they suspect something even more sinister is afoot.

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