A spell-binding fantasy adventure of loyalty, courage and being careful what you wish for…

Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should have known better than to utter a wish and a curse on the same day – the day that Josh Underhill went missing… Who is Gus, the boy with the impish grin, who seems to appear in answer to her wish? And what does the black horse want? Ella soon discovers that her grandmother’s warnings of creatures that dwell in the lake are more than just stories, and she and her pony Magpie are drawn into a dangerous life-saving mission.

Set in New Zealand and imbued with Scottish folklore, this is a future classic not to be missed, for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Katherine Rundell and Neil Gaiman.

‘A compelling, lovingly-crafted novel about magic, liminal spaces, language and folkloric fusion’ David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas

‘The best book I’ve read this year’ Bren MacDibble

‘this genuinely is a future classic.’ Zana Fraillon, author of The Bone Sparrow

‘A tense tale of animal companionship, wild magic, and the majesty and awe nature inspires.’ Sydney Morning Herald

The second book in the acclaimed Bigg School series! Each book follows a kid in Year 7 at the Henry Bigg Academy – the ups and downs of secondary school are shown with empathy, warmth and humour, illustrated with gorgeous doodles from master illustrator Jess Bradley (the Phoenix comic, A Day in the Life).

Life isn’t easy for Daniel Littleton – Mum’s poorly, Dad’s always working and his twin sisters drive him up the wall! At school he’s the only kid without the latest trainers or Xbox and his mates are starting to notice. 

Things look up when he gets a starring role in the school play – though if his football-mad mates find out, they’ll make his life a misery! But leading a double life is tricky and before long, Daniel’s lies start spinning out of control…

“Another perfectly observed and pitched story of Year 7 life, funny, warm and true”
Lovereading Book of the Month

Praise for BEST FRIENDS FOREVER:

‘Warm, honest and hugely relatable’ Cath Howe

‘A funny, sweet and touching “big school” book, ideal for 9+ fans of Jacqueline Wilson’ The Bookseller

Lillian Velvet lives a quiet lonely life until on her tenth birthday her mean grandmother gives her a pickle jar full of golden coins. Incredibly, the coins whisk Lillian away into different places and times, and she meetes: the members of a lively family each in mortal danger; a boy with a skateboard; a girl who can Whisper and a small boy who desperately needs saving.

As a web of dark magic closes all around them, can Lillian find a way to help her new friends? And, more importantly, what will happen if she fails?

‘Thrilling… readers will have a hard time closing this book’ School LIbrary Journal

Absorbing and strange’ Kirkus

If you find Charlie’s books, please look after them! His adventures started in Gorilla City and six of his diaries have been discovered so far… with illustrations and doodles, maps and collectors cards, they’re perfect for young adventurers aged five upwards – find out whether Charlie Small EVER gets home for tea!

After four hundred years of incredible adventures, twelve-year-old Charlie Small is desperate to find his way home. But first he must survive being attacked by a slobbery Slime Monster and escape from a pack of ferocious Snapping Toads – yikes! Charlie flies through a raging snowstorm on the back of a huge owl and crash-lands in the Frozen North, only to discover that the only person who can help him is being held prisoner by a gang of barbarous brigands – double drat!
There’s definitely something familiar about the captured reindeer herder, with his long white beard and jolly laugh… Can Charlie outwit the horrible highwaymen and save Christmas? And will Charlie ever find his way home for tea?

Join Charlie Small on his sixth remarkable adventure, packed full of fun illustrations, maps and clever inventions.

The fourth brilliant adventure from Jaclyn Moriarty about Bronte Mettlestone and her friends, introducing a character from our world!

On Monday morning, Oscar is hanging out at the skatepark when he suddenly finds himself transported to a world where witches and water sprites really exist – and there are no aeroplanes, Netflix or even pizza!

He meets a friendly group of kids – Imogen Mettlestone Staranise and her sisters, their cousin Bronte and friend Alejandro – who are on an urgent and dangerous quest that must be completed by Friday at the latest, or there will be devastating consequences for a kingdom of elves – and not least, Oscar discovers he might never get home to his world ever again…

Grown-ups are scared ALL THE TIME! These books are not for them. They’re for YOU!

COMPETITION TIME!

To celebrate the publication of the NEW Ghost Scouts adventure, we are running a competition with the Week Junior – how many spooky spiders can you find in the picture? Send your answer plus your name and adult’s email address to submissions@guppybooks.co.uk – and we will pick FIVE lucky winners of a SIGNED set of all four Ghost Scouts titles, plus bookmarks. Competition ends 30th November 2023, and the winners will be announced on the website! UK and Ireland only.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Lexie Wilde is having a rollicking time at Camp Croak with her ghoulish pals Bebe, Sweet Boo and Emmy Loulou. That is until the smarmy scouts from Happy Hollow issue a deadly ancient challenge. If the Ghost Scouts lose, their beloved camp will be destroyed… Lexie must summon all her courage to defeat the wicked Euphemia Vile and her crew. But watch out, the malicious Whispering Snakes are loose! Could working together be the answer?

In the fifth adventures of Charlie Small, our intrepid explorer finds himself trapped below the earth’s surface, not his idea of fun… especially as there’s a giant SPITTING SPIDION on the loose… HELP! Full of inventions, monstrous creatures and evil villains, no adventure is too big for Charlie Small!

If you find Charlie’s books, please look after them! His adventures started in Gorilla City and five of his diaries have been discovered so far… with illustrations and doodles, maps and collectors cards, they’re perfect for young adventurers aged five upwards – find out whether Charlie Small EVER gets home for tea!

 The thrilling second book about Maggie Blue and Hoagy, as they try and live a normal life in the real world – but the Dark World won’t let them go, and when a white crow appears they become drawn back into the mystery and terror of a world where Maggie is more important than she knows…

Maggie Blue is adjusting to a quieter life, back living with her aunt Esme and hanging out with friends Ida and Will as well as her beloved Hoagy the cat. She tries to forget about the events of the previous year – but she’s being watched, and one day a small white bird appears. Where has the white crow come from, and why won’t it leave Maggie alone? Little does she know that the Dark World is waiting for her to return… and when Cynthia her mum is kidnapped and taken there, Maggie only has no choice but to go back. With the help of Hoagy and some new friends by her side, Maggie must go back to the place that she never wished to see again, if she’s ever to see her mum – or gain control of her own life – again.

In the fourth hilarious story about the brilliant, calm, ingenious 12-year-old Knight Sir Louis, Splint the Sinister Snowball has his icy eyes set on world domination with the help of his frosty siblings, Flint, Hint, Mint, Clint and Sharon. But champion dragon-slayer Louis isn’t about to let Castle Sideways become smothered in snow! Louis rides off to the legendary Brrrrrland with his friends, Reader Catalogue and Clunkalot, but waiting for them are goofy goblins, a talking carrot and the biggest meanest snowball in the whole wide world… 

Bursting with illustrations, madcap humour and plenty of jokes, the latest book in the Knight Sir Louis series will delight fans everywhere!

Written by Myles and illustrated by Greg, the brothers are well-known in the tv world for their animation, including series Circle Square on Channel 5’s Milkshake. Myles has written a blog on what makes funny books important – read here.

From a Carnegie-shortlisted author and illustrator duo comes a stunning companion to Tsunami Girl – a wonderful collection of ghost stories told equally in manga and prose.

Abducted by spirits from his village, lost boy Akira must make the long journey in northern Japan to find his family and save his young sister before time runs out. Voyaging deeper and deeper into a Japan ‘between the worlds’, Akira and his companions encounter a host of yokai monsters and famous ghosts, discovering a sometimes comical and sometimes terrifying world of interlinked and ghostly short stories along the way.

Lola and Evie have been BFF since they were babies, just like peas in a pod – and even though they don’t end up in the same class, Lola expects everything to stay the same. At home things are tough because Lola’s parents are divorcing and they’re having to move the family home. So when the annoying Cleo becomes friendly with Evie, stealing her from Lola, three most definitely becomes a crowd – Lola must learn that not all change is bad…

With illustrations from the award-winning Jess Bradley (illustrator of The Day in the Life of a Poo, A Gnu and You and contibutor to the Phoenix Comic) that express the often hilarious inner lives of the characters, the Bigg School series tells stories of the extraordinary lives of ordinary kids navigating friendships, change and all the ups and downs of growing up.

‘Funny engaging and captures the essence of young people figuring out old and new friendships and changes that come with growing up’ Emma Suffield, Little Blog of Library Treasures

‘Funny, sweet and touching’ Guardian

”Funny, touching and wise… as good as Jacqueline Wilson at her best’ The Bookseller

Reviews

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito—his legendary crime-fighting grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution. But that doesn’t mean Pedro is excited at the news that abuelito is coming to live with their family.

After all, Pedro has eight very noisy brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.

‘The graphic novel was definitely invented for important human stories like this. A story from the heart spilled out onto the page in every possible detail; a fascinating cultural insight wrapped up in a stunning visual tale’ Chris Mould, artist

Something extraordinary happened to Charlie Small.

He went on a journey and has been trying to find his way home for over four hundred years!

Rattling rattlesnakes! Charlie has wound up in the Wild West. How will he deal with the most WANTED outlaw of all time? YEEHAH! Full of inventions, monstrous creatures and evil villains, no adventure is too big for Charlie Small! Will he ever get home for tea…?

Something extraordinary happened to Charlie Small – he went on a journey and has been trying to find his way home for over four hundred years!

In his third diary, Charlie finds himself in BIG TROUBLE! He’s been turned into a helpless puppet by the evil Puppet Master who is pulling his string! How on earth is he going to escape this time?

Full of inventions, monstrous creatures and evil villains, no adventure is too big for Charlie Small!

Pete loves the pizza shop, where he lives with his dad, and is terrified of the outside world. But when a new restaurant steals their customers, Pete and his friend Anna have to come up with an INGENIOUS plan to sell more pizzas, otherwise he’ll be forced to move. When they find a mysterious briefcase in the attic, they create the most extraordinary magical pizzas, and soon a queue of customers snakes down the road. But can they make enough money in four days to save Pete’s home? Throw in an exploding headmistress, a fire-breathing dog and a vengeful bully and Pete’s life soon ramps up from Margherita to Spicy Pepperoni!

 When Charlie Small is twelve years old he falls through a gap in space and time and has been trying to get home ever since – PIRATE GALLEON is his second lost diary, full of drawings and top tips for survival, reveals how he ends up as a cabin boy for a gang of cut-throat pirates and must face a ferocious enemy…will they make him walk the plank? Or will their skeleton enemy be the worst of them all? No adventure is too big for Charlie Small…

‘Buccaneering books to grip the most reluctant reader’ Daily Telegraph

‘Charlie’s scrapes and escapes are mapped step by step, like a good action stunt, with

a balance of detail and pace’ Times Educational Supplement

‘My seven year old couldn’t put it down‘ The School Librarian

‘Should prove irresistible to readers of seven and upward’ The Bookseller

The very first story in the Charlie Small series – Charlie Small is only twelve years old when he falls through a gap in space and time and ends up in a series of adventures which he records in a diary format. Packed full of fun illustrations, maps and clever inventions, Charlie’s first adventure takes him to Gorilla City, where he meets the mighty Thrak and must battle for survival, finally ending up as king of the jungle. No adventure is too big for Charlie Small! Will he ever get home for tea?

Thrak is a villainous gorilla from Charlie Small’s amazing first diary, GORILLA CITY. Thrak is king of the jungle and does not like the look of boy adventurer, Charlie Small… so he challenges him to an arm wrestle to see who will become King of the Jungle!

Learn how to draw Thrak here with the help of Nick Ward, curator of Charlie Small’s diaries!

Perfect for 6-10 year olds!

‘Buccaneering books to grip the most reluctant reader’ – Daily Telegraph

‘C harlie’s scrapes and escapes are mapped step by step, like a good action stunt, with

a balance of detail and pace’ – Times Educational Supplement

‘My seven year old couldn’t put it down.’ – The School Librarian

‘Should prove irresistible to readers of seven and upward’ – The Bookseller

‘A raw, unflinching verse novel for 14+ filled with white-hot, justified rage’ GUARDIAN

Raw and heart-rending, inspirational and hopeful, Louisa Reid’s Activist is a beautiful, vital book with the power to help readers mend, make readers mad, and make readers rise. An empowering novel-in-verse about speaking up and refusing to be kept down by the individuals and institutions that perpetuate misogyny. LOVEREADING, OCTOBER BOOK OF THE MONTH AND STAFF PICK

 Activist is the third powerful and immersive YA verse novel from acclaimed author Louisa Reid. Tackling the sexual abuse and misogyny endemic in Secondary Schools, this is a novel about activism in all its forms, about speaking out and standing up for what’s right. 

Cassie’s school is enmeshed in a scandal when a female student anonymously posts about the sexual abuse she has suffered and the school fails to act properly. As accusations start flying, a powerful movement arises in the school, with calls for those responsible to be punished – not just the students but the school whose environment has allowed this sort of behaviour to happen, unchecked, for so long. 

Inspired by real world events, Louisa Reid says: ‘When survivors of rape culture began to tell their stories via the website, Everyone’s Invited, in June 2020, I – like many – was aghast. Rage is a powerful source of inspiration for me, and I channelled the anger that I was feeling into writing my latest verse novel Activist. The title of the novel makes it clear that this isn’t a story about giving in. It’s a story about rising up. I sincerely hope that for any young person who’s been a victim of any sort of misogyny or sexual violence, for any young person who cares about the environment and the future of the planet and its people, then this book will resonate.’ 

Activist is a novel which demonstrates the power that one lone voice can have against failing and outdated institutions.

Activist achieves the perfect balance between heartbreak and hope in a compulsive and beautifully written story. I want girls to read this, I want boys to read it. I want it to be required reading for teachers, heads and parents everywhere! Thank you, Louisa, for going places that few dare. Teri Terry

‘With a high-stakes premise, harrowing growing pains and moments as chilling as midnight ocean spray, Oppel plays his readers’ nerves like an out-of-tune harp’

THE NEW YORK TIMES

 ‘Rebecca Strand was sixteen the first time she saw her father kill a ghost’ 

From the master storyteller Kenneth Oppel comes a fast-paced, high-stakes ghost story like no other – perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and the Netflix series Stranger Things. 

When Gabe accidentally awakens the ghost of Rebecca Strand, murdered by a wicked creature, he and his friends become swept up in a thriller that threatens not only them but the whole of humankind … 

‘Rebecca Strand was just sixteen when she and her father fell to their deaths from the top of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse in 1839. Just how they fell—or were they pushed?—remains a mystery. And their ghosts haunt the lighthouse to this day … ‘ Gabe tells this story every day when he gives the ghost tour on Toronto Island. He tries to make it scary enough to satisfy the tourists, but he doesn’t actually believe in ghosts — until he finds himself face to face with Rebecca Strand. The true story of her death is far more terrifying than any ghost tale Gabe has told. 

Ghostlight is a fresh, and terrifying, take on the ghost story. Combining action-adventure with an exploration of grief, anger and family relationships, Oppel elevates the classic ghost story to another level. 

DIE CUT COVER with a spooky reveal!

Will Jakeman, inventor of the world famous Marvellous Mechanimals, is back with a brand new adventure featuring merciless space pirates and a 12-year-old adventurer who goes by the name of … Charlie Small! (Watch out for his adventures coming soon!)

At the ripe old age of 99 and three quarters, Will Jakeman decides he must try to discover the whereabouts of the lost planet of his birth invaded by Reptoids, a gang of merciless Space Pirates, when he was still a little baby. Will builds a giant telescope that can see far out into the cosmos – but what he doesn’t realise is that his fiddling with the fabric of the cosmos causes a massive space-quake, and a twelve-year-old boy called Charlie Small is catapulted through the hole and lands near Will’s factory of inventions. The two embark on a series of adventures trying to get Charlie home – will they succeed or will they be left dangling in space forever?

‘What a hero! What a story! Sublime daftness on every page.’ Jeremy Strong

“Probably the funniest book I’ve ever read. A masterclass in silliness!” Gary Northfield, author of Julius Zebra series

‘The Brothers McLeod spin the fairy tale in a new direction, as if Hans Christian Andersen had cornered you in a pub and got his own yarn in the wrong order or The Brothers Grimm had squeezed up next to you with a Tupperware box of home-made sandwiches on a long coach journey. Knight Sir Louis is an epic non-epic saga’ Stewart Lee, comedian

King Burt the Not Bad is in a huff with his chief dragon-slayer, Knight Sir Louis. So when a stranger with piercing green eyes and a devastating smile arrives at Castle Sideways, King Burt is thrilled and demotes Louis to chief cleaner. But Louis is suspicious about the stranger, Squire Lyme, with his charming compliments and endless supply of green gummies … with the help of his friends Reader Catalogue, Pearlin, his haiku-loving steed, Clunkalot as well as a few ogres and gnomes, our hero determines to get to the slimybottom of things …can Louis’ calm courage once again save the day?

Perfect for readers who love Tom Gates, Bunny Vs Monkey and Julius Zebra!

ILLUSTRATED BY TAMSIN ROSEWELL

When Ailsa’s mum becomes ill, the two of them spend the summer with her aunt and uncle on the faraway island, a beautiful fishing village surrounded by beaches and clifftops. Ailsa and Moxie the dog spend their days exploring until one day they discover a hidden cave and in it, Hefring – a strange woman not keen on strangers.

Slowly Ailsa gets to know who Hefring is – a selkie, a billow maiden – and with the help of her new friend, Camilla, it falls to them to retrieve Hefring’s sea-skin. But there are obstacles ahead of them, and it is not only Hefring who is at risk but Ailsa’s mother too. A beautifully told tale of friendship, family, healing and transformation, from a stunning new writer for children.

James talks here about his inspiration for the book:

I’ve always found it important to explore mental health with children. I’ve had my own experience here, and my parents’ openness and receptiveness to discussing mental health has been a great help. This was the launchpad for Ailsa and her mum’s story. I wanted to link this with the idea that our health is connected to the planet’s health – though perhaps not causally linked in any neat and tidy way, mental health concerns are on the rise even as the planet dies around us. 

This brought me on to the idea of the Earth rising up in rebellion against what we are doing to it, in some kind of immune response, as it tries to protect its health. I played around with a few ideas for this – diluvian situations, ancient legends come back to haunt us, those kinds of things. However, I needed an avatar for this uprising, which is where Hefring stepped into the story. 

Folklore and folk stories have always fascinated me, so the idea of a selkie came fully formed. I researched different mermaid mythologies – mermaids themselves, selkies, sirens, and so on. This brought me to the billow maidens, Norse mythology’s answer to sea-folk. The billow maidens perfectly suit the history of Scotland’s islands, which has often been bound up with that of the Nordic world. 

I chose Hefring from amongst them – her name means ‘the rising tide’, which perfectly suited the idea of this immune response, this rebellious uprising. 

The rest came with time. All the ingredients were there, I just had to order them and get the story down. This process resulted in The Billow Maiden. 

Gina Filomena has been told that she has an overactive imagination. With her bright clothing and artistic spirit, she’s always felt different from the other kids in her class. That is, until she meets her neighbour, a mysterious boy called Anotonio. And when a creative new teacher, Miss Lightstone, arrives at school, Gina finds a world of possibilities opens up. A wonderful tale about the transformative power of imagination, the effects of an inspirational teacher, and the journey to becoming who you are meant to be.

A ‘Star’ Book on Lovereading.co.uk

‘Infused with love and hope’ PATRICE LAWRENCE

‘Fresh, hopeful and thought-provoking and with a real lightness of touch. Another gem from @guppybooks.’ Rashmi Sirdeshpande

‘Moving, unique…full of life’s slow richness’ The Guardian

A ONE TO WATCH in The Bookseller

Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn’t seen her sister June for two years. And now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months’ time, she and her mother decide that it’s time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past. Along with Aisha’s Chinese boyfriend, Walter and his parents (and Fleabag the stray cat), the group take a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan – to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future.

Long ago, the little Prince of Cloudburst was stolen from the seashore by a Water Sprite. Now, ten years later, the prince has found his way home. The King and Queen are planning the biggest party in their Kingdom’s history to welcome him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Kingdoms and Empires, Esther Mettlestone-Staranise is looking forward to another year at Katherine Valley Boarding School. But she arrives to find a number of strange and unsettling changes. For one, her new teacher is rumoured to be an Ogre. Two mysterious students have joined the school, and one of Esther’s classmates is an undercover Spellbinder. Most disturbingly, the mountains surrounding the school – usually a delight of glaciers, teashops, lakes and Faeries – are now crowded with wicked Shadow Mages.

As secrets and dangers escalate, Esther must find the answers to several puzzles. Why is her teacher behaving so oddly? Which of Esther’s classmates is the Spellbinder, and can they really protect the school from gathering hordes of Shadow Mages? Could the Stolen Prince of Cloudburst be connected?

How can Esther – who is not talented like her sisters, nor an adventurer like her cousin, but just Esther – save her family, her school and possibly her entire world?

Knights and wizentors of the world, it’s time to get your puzzle brains working! A puzzle book for all fans of Knight Sir Louis!

Knight Sir Louis’ friends have been banished to the Kingdom of Puzzles by the meddling magician, Pally Meedees! Dun Dun DURRRR! Now, it’s your turn to help Louis save the day by completing comics, drawing doodles and whizzing through wordsearches – will you be able to save the day?

No one said a champion would be easy… Hooray for Knight Sir Louis and hooray for everyone!

Lexie and her friends (who include an English zombie called Mary, a very quiet ghost called Boo and a fierce skeleton called Bebe) are super excited about Halloween this year – after all, where better to spend it than at Camp Croak, spookiest holiday camp EVER? And the arrival of two new Ghost Scouts is the icing on the cake – until Lexie accepts a dare from one of them, and a rogue spell is cast … does this mean the end of Halloween? And could it be the evil Euphemia Vile behind the chaos that ensues? With a lot of runny noses, the Ghost Scouts show that they can again band together and enjoy the party!

LONGLISTED FOR THE ALLIGATOR’S MOUTH AWARD!

‘Nick Ward’s utterly brilliant, highly illustrated story about a boy inventor is in an absolute class of its own’ BookTrust

‘With stunning two-colour, elaborately detailed illustrations, and the chance to invent your very own Marvellous Mechanimal, this marvellously original and ingenious book is packed full of knockabout fun, amazing illustrations… and the strangest menagerie you will see this year!’ Lancashire Post

Will Jakeman is an incredible inventor – perhaps the best the world has ever seen! Read all about his childhood, the terrible fate of his parents, and about the incredible machines he invented – with stunning two-colour detailed illustrations, and the chance to invent your very own Marvellous Mechanimal

People come from far and wide to buy his ‘Mechanimals’ – incredible machines that come to life and perform all sorts of amazing tasks. For example, Steel-Skull the gorilla, perfect for dealing with bullies, and The Armoured Armadillo, a magnificent machine that can barge through most obstacles and is even armed with a gunge gun…Learn all about Will Jakeman’s childhood, the terrible fate of his parents, and discover whether the evil Ida Gripp ever gets her hands on his marvellous mechanimals…

Nick Ward is the curator of the Charlie Small journals, where Will Jakeman first makes his appearance – if you loved those books you’ll adore this one too!

‘I love these books so much! Mr Gum levels of weird and brilliant!’ Jo Nadin

‘Both of these books are stone cold smashers’ Stuart Heritage

‘The ideal way to get youngsters interested in reading’ Lancashire Post

Knight Sir Louis has defeated dragons, goblins and evil wizards but when he is sent to do battle with Borax the Dragon, even he is not prepared for the mayhem that follows …the second in the series which started with KNIGHT SIR LOUIS AND THE DREADFUL DAMSEL!

The double-headed dragon Borax is causing fiery mischief across the land. The only hope of stopping the fiendish lizard is a long-lost, ancient Thingamabob (a talisman with watery powers.) Who will find it? Who will come to the rescue. Well, obviously, Knight Sir Louis and his chums Clunkie the robot horse, Pearlin the Wizentor, Mr Catalogue the talking boar, and Dave the sword with a hat.

The second in the series about Knight Sir Louis, readers will love returning to this bonkers world!

‘The Brothers McLeod…spin the fairy tale in a new direction, as if Hans Christian Andersen had cornered you in a pub and got his own yarn in the wrong order, or The Brothers Grimm had squeezed up next to you with a Tupperware box of home-made sandwiches on a long coach journey. Knight Sir Louis is an epic non-epic saga’ Stewart Lee, comedian

‘What a hero! What a story! Sublime daftness on every page.’ Jeremy Strong

“Probably the funniest book I’ve ever read. A masterclass in silliness!” Gary Northfield, author of Julius Zebra series

Shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award 2021

Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award, shortlisted for the Biblio Buzz Alexandra Palace Award

Nominated for the Carnegie Medal

‘A sophisticated magical tale, awash in sinister villains and perplexing plights… bursting with invention.’ Financial Times

‘Bizarre, brilliant, fantastical, & exciting… Definitely one to watch.’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Maggie Blue is an outsider, both at home and at school. She lives with her eccentric aunt Esme, and has no friends other than the irascible Hoagy, a stray cat who can talk to her. When Magge sees Ida, her foe from school, being taken through a window to another world by one of their teachers who has transformed into a wolf, she is determined to save her, whatever the cost. But the dark world is full of danger, a place where happiness is valued above all else, and Maggie discovers that her role is far more important than anyone could have guessed. A thrilling and gripping tale of friendship, courage and the power of being yourself.