Books for Babies and Toddlers

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 Flip Flap Flop Flip Flap Flop Mary Cartwright Perfect for ‘reading’ in the bath; penguins slip and slide, swim and glide and  flip and flap agreeably through the pages. If you’re looking for other great books for this age range then go to our Babies and Toddlers category. ... Download free opening extract
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 That's not my frog That's not my frog Fiona Watt Shortlisted for Baby Book Award, Early Year Awards 2009 Irresistible to inquisitive fingers, the strokeable features within each book in the ‘That’s not my...’ series help an owner to know more about an animal.  In That’s Not My Frog, the frog’s ... Download free opening extract
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 The Big Night-night Book The Big Night-night Book Georgie Birkett Shortlisted for the Baby Book Award, Early Year Awards 2009 With cuddly touch and feel pages this board book will provide comfort to the smallest toddler.  With a blanket to cuddle, curtains to open, PJs to feel and furry Ted to ... Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 3+ readers

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 Tom's Tree Tom's Tree Gillian Shields A truly uplifting story about love, hope and the importance of patience.  Tom plants a seed and imagines what it will be like as it grows – the trunk is a tall mast of a ship with dragons hiding in ... Download free opening extract
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 Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide Mara Bergman Winner of the Pre-School Award, Early Year Awards 2009 Through the terrific rhyming text and bold illustrations Oliver discovers that, though small, he is indeed mighty as he lives through his fears in this glorious, rollicking work of imagination. A picture ... Download free opening extract
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 The Tail of the Whale The Tail of the Whale Ellie Patterson, Christine Pym Shortlisted for the Pre-School Award, Early Year Awards 2009 An absolutely delightful debut from a brilliant new talent in the form of Christine Pym.  Dive into this exquisitely decorative picture book of a bright underwater world, rich with colour and full ... Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

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 Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela, Chris Van Wyk Nelson Mandela’s inspirational life story has been adapted into a wonderfully child-friendly version. It tells of his childhood as an ordinary boy in a village and how his belief in democracy was already strongly developed while a student. Mandela’s fight ... Download free opening extract
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 The BFG The BFG Roald Dahl This is a delightful, funny and exciting story about a special friendship between two people from different worlds – a giant and a child. As the story develops it shows how trust and love develops between them. It also ... Download free opening extract
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 The Tear Thief The Tear Thief Carol Ann Duffy This is a warm, poignant and beautifully illustrated story set in a magical world where the tears of children arising from every emotion are of a different colour. An underlying thought-provoking message about emotions lies at its heart. The multi-coloured ... Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

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 The Best of Times The Best of Times Michael Morpurgo A story that is by turns heart-wrenching but also ultimately uplifting as the protagonist in the story, a recently married Prince must find a way to bring love and laughter out of the sorrow and tears that his Princess feels. This square little hardback ... Download free opening extract
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 Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children Conn Iggulden It's Peter Pan with attitude as Conn Iggulden, creator of the phenomenal bestseller The Dangerous Book for Boys, introduces an explosive and magical new fictional world of the Tollins – flying creatures that aren’t fairies! - all beautifully illustrated in ... Download free opening extract
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 Boom! Boom! Mark Haddon Everything about this deliciously improbable adventure is almost completely daft – and that’s the fun of it all. When Charlie sets up his walkie-talkie in the staff room he doesn’t hear gossip about the pupils as he had expected. Instead, ... Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

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 The Robbers The Robbers Josh Lacey Peter is minding his own business depositing his savings in a bank when there’s a ‘hold-up’.  Can Peter’s quick thinking surprise and overcome the robbers in order to save his and other people’s money.  Edge of your seat writing for ... Download free opening extract
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 I Spy: The Constantinople Caper I Spy: The Constantinople Caper Graham Marks An absolutely gripping spy adventure packed full of mystery, intrigue and high paced drama. It combines the action-packed exploits of Alex Rider, with the historical advnetures of Young Indiana Jones, in a classic story of one boy's fight to find ... Download free opening extract
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 A Misfitz Mystery: Two Tigers on a String A Misfitz Mystery: Two Tigers on a String Josh Lacey Humour and pace are the hallmarks of Josh Lacey’s writing (Grk series and Bearkeeper) and this new series (this is the second title) makes this an absolute must read for 9+ year olds.  The Misfitz are four children who share ... Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

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 The Pain Merchants (The Healing Wars) The Pain Merchants (The Healing Wars) Janice Hardy Part one of a powerful historical fantasy full of politics, magic and enchantment. The Healing Wars tells of the unusual powers of fifteen year old orphan, Naya. In a world where many have special power, Naya stands out from the ... Download free opening extract
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 The Return of Johnny Kemp The Return of Johnny Kemp Keith Gray A really gripping thriller for teenage boys.  Short and fast-paced, it’s the story of Johnny Kemp, a boy that no one is prepared to mess with, until that is, Dan manages to get him excluded from school.  But now he’s ... Download free opening extract
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 Threads Threads Sophia Bennett Fresh, witty and wholly contemporary, prize winning Threads won The Times/Chicken House writing competition in 2009. How three teenage friends with completely different interests – one’s into fashion, one plans to save the world and one is a budding young ... Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

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 The Traitor Game The Traitor Game B R Collins Winner of for the 2009 Branford Boase Best Debut Novel Award An extraordinary fantasy novel from a supremely talented debut novelist. Set partly in a boys’ school and also in another world that is both fierce and dangerous, it has themes ... Download free opening extract
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 Pastworld Pastworld Ian Beck Take a thrilling journey into the past in this clever time slip mystery which, written in different voices from different times, takes its readers from a dystopian future to a Dickensian past. Caleb is on a tourist trip to the ... Download free opening extract
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 A Trick of the Dark A Trick of the Dark B R Collins Prize winning B.R Collins' A Trick of the Dark is a gripping supernatural thriller which explores the darker sides of adolescence. Annis sees her older brother Zach crushed and broken when the walls of a ruined house fall on to ... Download free opening extract

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