Whimsical stories for imaginative young readers
Dig Deep by Edwina Wyatt, illustrated by Lauren O'Hara
This is the first title in a new Junkyard Fairies series full of magic, charm, mischief and mayhem from Edwina Wyatt, author of the Magnolia Moon series, and Lauren O'Hara, co-creator of Frindelswylde.
Fur, Tip and Nug live in a chipped, china teapot at the bottom of the junkyard. They are messy, bossy and never eat their vegetables. With the help of a burping toad, a sleeping giant and a monstrous caterpillar, the junkyard fairies can find a way to fix just about anything.
Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria by L.M. Wilkinson, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
Brought up on tales of the gallant mouse hero Bravepaw, Titch has always dreamed of adventure, but she never thought it would actually happen to her. Afterall, she's just the smallest mouse in her family, living in a peaceful little village where nothing exciting ever happens.
But when dire trouble comes to the Plateau, Titch and her best-friend Huckleberry must set out on a dangerous quest to take the Heartstone to the heart of Alluria, and repair the crack in the sky before the whole world breaks apart. Can Titch ever hope to live up to the legend of Bravepaw?
The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Júlia Sardà
At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly – like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing.
One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story – in fact, seven stories, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales?
Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra by Cassy Polimeni, illustrated by Hykie Breeze
Eight-year-old Ella hates her new house. She wants to be back in her old house with her best friend Viv next door . . . until one day Ella discovers a secret pond in her neighbours' backyard with an orchestra of frogs!
At her new school Ella meets Mai and learns about their class frog bog project. But when Ella finds out that the neighbours' secret pond is under threat, Ella and Mai must come up with a plan to save the frogs before it's too late!
Puppet by David Almond, illustrated by Lizzy Stewart
What should a puppet master do when he’s old and alone, and all his puppets are gone? Sylvester makes one last puppet. But this one is different. When the old man speaks to him, Puppet speaks back. And then he walks . . .
While Sylvester shows Puppet the town, the playground and the wonders the world holds, Puppet in turn helps Sylvester to make a new friend, and share his puppet-making skills with the next generation in this wonder-filled story of creation and the circle of life.
Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen
Detective Beans is available 24/7* for all your mystery solving and ice-cream taste testing needs.
*Except on school days, and after bedtime.
Today he's investigating the case of the missing hat. His missing hat. The clues take Beans all over Cat Town. He encounters philosophical pigeons, dodgy street magicians, lounge singers and soup chefs, and even a mysterious trash portal. No one is a match for his crime-solving powers.
Mim and the Baffling Bully by Katrina Nannestad, illustrated by Cheryl Orsini
Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, with her dad and brother and a horse called Flossy. Flossy leads them where she will, to the place where they’re needed most . . . the place where the perfect book will find its way home.
Now Mim has arrived in a pretty Dutch village where she meets Willemina, a kind and gentle child, who is being bullied by a girl named Gerda.
Mim knows they’re here to help Willemina. If only Dad would find her the right book. If only he would stop giving everyone else the wrong book!
Little Gem by Anna Zobel
When her spell at Witchcraft School goes wrong, Gem lands in an unfamiliar, empty cottage, outside a strange, colourful town.
Everyone in Ellsworth Pining thinks Gem is their new village witch, even when Gem tries to correct them. And Gem’s new friends do need her. The Weather Worker is missing, and there are tales of a terrifying beast in the woods . . .
Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup by Giovanna Zoboli, translated by Denise Muir, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio
Mr Lepron lives in the forest and has a toasty warm home and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Oh, and he adores vegetables and making soup.
With dreams of becoming a famous chef, Mr Lepron opens a soup factory that starts working around the clock. But as his soup loses its magical flavour, and he realizes that what matters most in the world is not fame and riches, but time spent with his beloved children.
Hazel's Treehouse by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Judy Watson
Hazel is nine years old, as long as her bunk bed and as kind as a marshmallow. She and her friends – Odette, a pademelon, Walter the wombat, Tiny, a honey possum and Poky, an echidna who changes colour depending on Hazel’s mood – live together in a treehouse in the bush.
Every day brings new adventures, sometimes mistakes . . . and always, always, imagination and friendship.
Available 1 November.
