He loves their trips to the fair and Dad's no-nonsense attitude when Max gets in trouble at school. But everything changes when mysterious boxes and even more mysterious wads of cash start turning up at their house, and when Dad disappears it's up to Max to look after his three sisters until Dad comes home.Determined to keep the family together, Max takes his sisters to a remote village in Wales, where he's convinced that no one will find them. What Max doesn't expect to find is new friends, new questions, and a very old legend. Just how easy is it to look after three kids with no grown ups around? Where did Dad go, really? And what are the whispers Max keeps hearing, of a golden dragon, asleep under the mountain...?

    But when her beautiful world is shattered, she finds that in the city's dark places there are a thousand ways to fall, each more deadly than any crevasse. In a world of strangers, does she dare trust Snow, whose ballet dreams are haunted by a past she's still running from? And is the sparkling fox friend or foe?After a fresh start in the Scottish Highlands turns bad, Makena flees to the mountains. But will they betray her or be the making of her?

    There, on the shelves next to the old books, live the Little People, a tiny family who were once brought from England to Japan by a beloved nanny. Since then, each generation of Moriyama-family children has inherited the responsibility of filling the blue glass with milk to feed the Little People and it's now Yuri's turn. The little girl dutifully fulfils her task but the world around the Moriyama family is changing. Japan is caught in the whirl of what will soon become World War II, turning her beloved older brother into a fanatic nationalist and dividing the family for ever. Sheltered in the garden and the house, Yuri is able to keep the Little People safe, and they do their best to comfort Yuri in return, until one day owing to food restrictions milk is in shorter supply...From the Trade Paperback edition.

    Lynch illustrates this moving tale of a young dragon's quest for fire.Ignis, a young dragon, is admired by all his friends. But he is sad, for while he can run faster and fly higher than the rest, there is one thing he cannot do--breathe fire. Perhaps he isn't a dragon at all, he thinks. So Ignis leaves the safety of Dragonland to find out who he is and where his fire might be. Along the way, he meets some unforgettable friends, shares some wonderful times, and feels truly warm inside. But he still cannot find his fire. Will Ignis ever discover the spark he needs to be a real dragon? Dazzling illustrations by renowned artist P.J. Lynch illuminate this magical, heartwarming tale by Gina Wilson.

    Aurora's mother is a lawyer and her graduate-student father stays home to care for her and baby Socrates -- a situation that raises eyebrows among the neighbors and leads to some embarrassing situations for Aurora, who must answer the nosy questions of ladies at Socrates' baby clinic and is puzzled by her new friends' scenario for playing ""Mothers and Fathers,"" Obviously, this is a consciousness-raiser, and besides being liberated, Mother and Father are the very epitome of sweet reason. But Aurora's daily adventures -- a bungled trip to the supermarket, confrontation with the scary boy from upstairs, a visit from Granny -- have a comfy universality that make the lesson a friendly one.

    But it’s only a story – a warning to stay away from the water.Then strange things start happening in the village. Effie’s rabbit Buster escapes from a locked hutch, her mum disappears without trace and slugs start to infest her home.Along with her best friend Finn, Effie begins to hunt for clues to solve the mysteries of Mivtown. Could this all be connected to the legend? Is it really just a story or is there something lurking in those deep, dark waters?

    . .Here are six magical stories to thrill and enchant you. Watch Blackberry Blue rise from the bramble patch; follow Emeka the pathfinder on his mission to save a lost king; join Princess Desire as she gallops across the Milky Way on her jet-black horse.These beautifully written and original stories will delight readers of all ages, and the stunning illustrations by Richard Collingridge will take your breath away.

    But Strokker isn’t confident about his skills and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. How will be prove himself without upsetting his dad and everyone around him? A funny and moving story about the bonds between fathers and children, with a positive, peaceful message – and all the magic and mayhem you’d hope for in a tale about dragons.

    English teenager Bill Coward finds himself losing control of his life when the mill where his father works is shut down and a mysterious beast begins making savage attacks on local livestock.

    When Fran unearths a bone in the garden of Longbarrow House on the same afternoon that Leo breaks his leg, it must surely be just a coincidence. But Fran can't shake the uneasy feeling that the events are somehow connected, and there is a shift in the atmosphere that leaves her troubled and anxious. Roped into keeping wheelchair-bound Leo company, Fran is forced to listen to his foolish theories about the looming threat of war in Europe. But as the pair start to uncover more secrets buried beneath the garden, they dredge up threatening shadows of the future, and Fran begins to fear that Leo's dire predictions might be coming true ... Queen of Historical Fiction, Emma Carroll, makes her Barrington Stoke debut with a powerful, evocative, and spine-tingling story of childhood on the brink of war.

    There are days the lake is beautiful, shimmering, and full. And then there are other days . . . where the lake is completely empty.Meara asks her granddad WHY the water disappears, but every time he blames far-fetched culprits: Narwals! Mermaids! Giants!Unsatisfied with these wild tales, Meara sets out to look under every pebble and search every hill—exploring the entire island to uncover the truth for herself. Little does she know the answer is much larger than she realizes, and it might just take stepping back and opening her eyes to the impossible to discover the magic of Lake Loughareema.From debut author-illustrator Paddy Donnelly comes a captivating tale celebrating a young girl’s determination, a granddad’s wisdom, and the fantastical wonders of the natural world.What to Expect:Wild and Fun: Readers are caught up in a slew of outlandish situations.Natural Themes: With a sense of wonder throughout, this book encourages young readers to explore the wider world around them and seek their own natural wonders.Gorgeous Art: The illustrations in this book are rich-textured, fun, lively, and entirely engaging.A Clever Combination of Fiction and Non-Fiction: An educational back matter offers opportunities for discussions about geographical phenomena.

    But before they go, they must conjure and train three new replacements. Who else will look after the Sleepwalking House and be there to answer the call of a child frozen with fear, trapped in a nightmare? Faced with a series of cliff-hanging dream predicaments, the three brave new heroes tackle the weird and the wild in this tale about pulling together as a team and having the confidence to stand up to your fears.

    Particularly when there's a danger they might turn into new and unwanted stepfathers...

    Tuan was lonely and looked hard for a wife, but even the matchmaker couldn't help him. One night, however, Tuan's luck changed. And so begins the story of Tuan, White Wave, and the Dinner that Cooked Itself. This beautiful and enchanting Chinese fairytale will captivate the imagination with the perfect blend of magic and realism!J.C. Hsyu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Los Angeles. A graduate of UCLA and the Clarion Writers' Workshop, she has worked in the animation, VFX, and video game industries and published speculative fiction short stories. She lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband and reads incessantly. The Dinner That Cooked Itself is her first children's book.Kenard Pak grew up in Baltimore and Howard County, Maryland. He studied at Syracuse University and California Institute of the Arts. A visual development artist on many films, Pak has worked for Dreamworks Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation. The Dinner that Cooked Itself is his second children's book. Pak now lives and works in San Francisco with his patient wife.

    A classic story of survival and adventure from the author of The Little Grey Men.