Book picks similar to
Grinny by Nicholas Fisk


science-fiction
childrens
fiction
sci-fi

Ash Road


Ivan Southall - 1965
    No teachers, no school, no homework, no parents breathing down their necks! The boys are elated until they accidentally start a fire that quickly gets out of control in the dry underbrush. No one is prepared; no one can quite believe what is happening. As the adults in a nearby town bumble their way into helping to fight the fire, a group of children is inadvertently trapped by flames and separated from outside help. Pippa and Peter and Gramps and others must make their own way through the conflagration. Separately and together, they all find out what inner resources they have. There are no heroes or villains, just people caught and humbled by an awesome and catastrophic force.

Old Bear


Jane Hissey - 1986
    Bramwell Brown and his friends Little Bear, Duck and Rabbit attempt to rescue Old Bear from the attic using a number of ingenious methods.

Space and Beyond (Choose Your Own Adventure, #4)


R.A. Montgomery - 1979
    Your parents are from different planets in different galaxies. Their planets are alike enough so that you will not be a freak on either one. But they are different enough so that YOUR choice will have a huge effect on your life. The planet Kenda is visible on the galaxy scanner. Now that you have chosen, your parents announce that Kenda is your father's home. The crew of the spaceship carefully prepares a spacepod for the journey to Kenda. Seating yourself at the controls and positioning the programmed flight path, you disengage from the mother ship and drift off into space... Something is wrong! You look at the scanner and see a nebula that is not supposed to be on your course. Suddenly the gases and particles of the nebula surround you. If you try to return to the mother ship, turn to page 4. YOU choose what happens next!

Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School


Frank Richards - 1947
    This story is for children aged six to ninety plus.

Haunted House


Jan Pieńkowski - 1979
    Yes, it is a quaint old place - chilly, though...The owner of the Haunted House is unwell, and it's not surprising. There's a ghoul in the cupboard, an octopus in the sink, a crocodile in the bath, and in every room, a sinister black cat watching it all with roving eyes. Every page of this thrilling pop-up book is packed with spine-tingling surprises, culminating in a spectacular final spread complete with a creepy creaking saw. Since 1979, hundreds of thousands of readers have taken this scared-silly tour of one of the best-selling pop-up books of all time. This is one Haunted House that remains as innovative and exciting today as it was twenty-six years ago-but now offers even more tantalizing twists.

The Transall Saga


Gary Paulsen - 1998
    As Mark searches for a pathway back to his own time on Earth, he must make a new life in a new world. His encounters with primitive tribes bring the joy of human bonds, but violence and war as well—and, finally, a contest in which he discovers his own startling powers.

Anno's Journey


Mitsumasa Anno - 1977
    "With paintings, visual puzzles and tricks of perception, Anno introduces geography and science by focusing on children and adults at work and play, as well as on art, architecture, composers, and painters, as he conducts an imaginary tour of England . . . Lush paintings, exquisitely detailed . . . An exceptional book."--Publishers Weekly "Executed in meticulous and gently hued watercolors, this imaginative rendering will fill hours of wonderment, always with the delightful anticipation of seeking still one more amazing detail."--Booklist

The Mysterious Benedict Society


Trenton Lee Stewart - 2007
    (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?This tenth anniversary edition of The Mysterious Benedict Society includes over thirty pages of bonus materials that will delight old and new fans alike.

The Snow Spider


Jenny Nimmo - 1986
    She gives him five gifts to help him--a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. One blustery day, unsure what to do with his newfound magic, Gwyn throws the brooch to the wind and receives a silvery snow spider in return. Will he be able to use this special spider to bring his missing sister, Bethan, home? THE SNOW SPIDER spins an icy, sparkly web of mystical intrigue that sets the stage for the next two books in this outstanding trilogy!

The Emerald Atlas


John Stephens - 2011
    Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.Until now.Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And — if an ancient prophesy is correct — what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales


Chris Van AllsburgSherman Alexie - 2011
    Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with his intriguingly titled pictures. And now, some of our most imaginative storytellers attempt to solve the perplexing mysteries of Harris Burdick. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to read this incredible compendium of stories: magical, funny, creepy, poignant, inscrutable, these are tales you won't soon forget.(front flap)

Morris's Disappearing Bag


Rosemary Wells - 1975
    He was there to open his present--a teddy bear--and to watch his older sisters and brother open their gifts. His siblings went off to play with each other's new toys, but nobody wanted to play with Morris's bear. So Morris found something new to play with--a disappearing bag. He jumped right in and became invisible! Now he has something everybody wants to try. But they have to find him first. This warm and humorous story proves that sometimes the littlest bunny gets the last laugh.* "Irresistible . . . The author-artist does some wonderful things with Morris's cars and eyes, expressing exactly the sentiments of a put-out preschool rabbit."--Booklist, starred review

The Boy Who Grew Flowers


Jen Wojtowicz - 2005
    Shunned at school because he sprouts flowers every full moon, Rink Bowagon makes a special pair of shoes for a classmate who is able to appreciate his unique abilities.

Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?


Martin Waddell - 1988
    He's frightened of the dark, the dark all around, which not even Big Bear's largest lantern can light up. Big Bear finds a way to show Little Bear that there is no need to be afraid.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles


Julie Andrews Edwards - 1974
    Perfect for young readers who love whimsical stories about magic!The Whangdoodle was once the wisest, the kindest, and the most extraordinary creature in the world. Then he disappeared and created a wonderful land for himself and all the other remarkable animals—the ten-legged Sidewinders, the little furry Flukes, the friendly Whiffle Bird, and the treacherous, "oily" Prock. It was an almost perfect place where the last of the really great Whangdoodles could rule his kingdom with "peace, love and a sense of fun"—apart from and forgotten by people.But not completely forgotten. Professor Savant believed in the Whangdoodle. And when he told the three Potter children of his search for the spectacular creature, Lindy, Tom, and Ben were eager to reach Whangdoodleland.With the Professor's help, they discovered the secret way. But waiting for them was the scheming Prock, who would use almost any means to keep them away from his beloved king. Only by skill and determination were the four travelers able to discover the last of the really great Whangdoodles and grant him his heart's desire.The novel was originally published in 1974. This edition includes a foreword by Julie Andrews.