Children's Fiction

Stolen stars of Matariki

by Miriama Kamo

Behind dusty orange hills, where the sky stretches down to the sea, theres a magical, wild, windy place called Te Mata Hapuku. Sam and Te Rerehua love to visit their Grandma and Poua at Te Mata Hapuku (aka Birdlings Flat). They like to collect agate from the stories, with a backdrop of whipping wind, flashing torchlight, and the splash of Pouas gaff in the water. But one night, Grandma notices something mysterious. Someone has stolen some stars from the sky. And then the patupaiarehe come out to play on the beach... Can Sam and Te Rerehua rescue the Matariki stars?

Do you believe in groovicorns?

by Stuart Lynch

Everyone loves unicorns, but the groovicorns are even more fun! This unique touch-and-feel book is perfect for young children, with a funny rhyme that explains why groovicorns are better than unicorns.

Meddy Teddy : a mindful yoga journey

by Apple Jordan

Say namaste to Meddy Teddy, a rising star in the yogi world, in his debut picture book! Media and social media sensation Meddy Teddy is a cuddly, yoga pant-clad, completely poseable plush bear that introduces meditation and mindfulness practices to little yogis. In this first-ever companion book, Meddy encourages readers to try yoga poses as he comes out of hibernation, greets the springtime, and teaches his forest friends how to mindfully get through a variety of situations.  Meddy Teddy is perfect for introducing kids (and grown ups) of all ages to the practice of yoga.  

Robot gets it wrong

by Elizabeth Dale

In this fun family story, Robbie the Robot is getting things very wrong. The Browns end up being soaked and having ice cream EVERYWHERE! Can Robbie be fixed? Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills. Fantastic, original stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure. Independent Reading: Orange stories are perfect for children aged 5+ who are reading at book band 6 (Orange) in classroom reading lessons. 

Oolaf and the golden book

by Andy Elkerton

Viking Adventures are thrilling stories mixing that perfect match of fantasty and history. Join the crazy world of Ooolaf and his friends as he stirrs up trouble in the Viking village and suddenly a simple joke becomes something far more dangerous...

The Viking Adventures series are vividly colour illustrated first chapter books, pitched perfectly for 6-8 years olds or readers in key stage 2.

Paddington's finest hour

by Michael Bond

Paddington - the beloved classic bear from Darkest Peru, now a major movie star - is back in this fantastically funny, brand new illustrated novel from master storyteller Michael Bond! Hurrying forward, he held out a welcoming hand. "Sir Percival Rushmoor," he said. "I'm invigilating.""I'm sorry to hear that, Sir Percival," said Paddington. "I hope you feel better very soon." Paddington always finds himself in unusual situations so it is no surprise when he has a run-in with the police, appears in a TV cookery show, and gives one of his hard stares to a hypnotist!.

Midnight (Skulduggery Pleasant #11)

by Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back in their most gripping story yet, as book 11, Midnight, picks up where Resurrection left off - and runs. For years, Valkyrie Cain has struggled to keep her loved ones safe from harm, plunging into battle - time and time again - by Skulduggery Pleasant's side, and always emerging triumphant. But now the very thing that Valkyrie fights for is in danger, as a ruthless killer snatches her little sister in order to lure Valkyrie into a final confrontation. With Skulduggery racing to catch up and young sorcerer Omen scrambling along behind, Valkyrie only has twelve hours to find Alice before it's too late. The clock is ticking...

Non-Fiction

Brick building 101

by Courtney Sanchez

Now kids can combine a love for LEGO with learning STEAM topics (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) in this awesomely fun activity book!

 Industrious minds will love learning to build a bunch of different stuff with these 20 step-by-step projects that range from beginner projects, such as a geoboard and DIY slime, to more challenging projects, such as a bird feeder and balloon racer. Large, full-color photos show each step along the way, with simple instructions and inspiration to extend projects and keep learning.

 With STEAM learning on the rise, this book is the perfect way to inspire play and interest in the topics kids need to know about!

The kitchen science cookbook

by Michelle Dickinson

The Kitchen Science Cookbook is a beautiful, lovingly crafted recipe book with a twist - every recipe is also a science experiment that you can do at home using only the ingredients found in your pantry.

Coding with Minecraft : build taller, farm faster, mine deeper, and automate the boring stuff

by Al Sweigart

Using ComputerCraft, a free Minecraft mod, and the Lua programming language (used by professional game developers), you'll write programs to make your bots dig mines, chop wood, craft items, and build anything you can imagine. Sit back, relax, and make your turtle army do the work! The book provides the full code needed to write each program and walks you through it line by line, explaining how things work along the way. By book's end, you ll have a handle on computer science basics, a taste of how fun and powerful coding can be, and plenty of turtle robots at your command. 

Will you be my friend?

by Molly Potter

What makes us a good friend? And what might make us a not-so-good friend?What can friends do together? And how do we make friends?Best-selling author Molly Potter presents practical advice on helping children understand how to be a true friend and what helps and what hinders friendships. Will You Be My Friend? is ideal for starting conversations about making friends and includes a guide for parents and carers about supporting a child if they are having friendship difficulties.With fun and lively illustrations from Sarah Jennings, this book is both humorous and charming, and prompts children to discuss the idea of friendship with parents and peers.

I'm just no good at rhyming and other nonsense for mischievous kids and immature grown-ups I'm just no good at rhyming

by Chris Harris

Forget what you think you know about poetry - this is something totally different. Chris Harris's I'm Just No Good At Rhyming combines wit, wordplay and nonsense with visual and verbal tricks to make you look at the world in a new and wonderfully upside-down way, reminiscent of Shel Silverstein.This entirely unique collection offers a surprise around every corner, from the ongoing rivalry between the author and illustrator, to the mysteriously misnumbered pages that can only be deciphered by a certain code-cracking verse, to a poem that is 100% genuinely infinite.