Have a keen little reader in the house? Stuck for ideas for the next book to get stuck into? Check out our top picks for early readers for June below.
The Infinite, by Patience Agbabi
The Infinite is a mind-bending, time-twisting adventure for readers who loved Time Travelling with a Hamster and A Wrinkle in Time. The first book in The Leap Cycle series.
We fight crime across time…
Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings with The Gift – the ability to leap through time.
Elle Bibi-Imbele Ifie has The Gift, but she’s never used it. Until now.
On her twelfth birthday, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048. Elle has received a mysterious warning from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing in time – and not everyone at the centre can be trusted.
Soon Elle’s adventure becomes more than a race through time. It’s a race against time. She must fight to save the world as she knows it – before it ceases to exist…
Alice-Miranda in the Outback, by Jacqueline Harvey
A dusty desert adventure beckons!
Alice-Miranda and her friends are off to the Australian Outback! They’re going to help an old family friend who’s found himself short staffed during cattle mustering season. The landscape is like nothing else – wide open and dusty red as far as the eye can see. It’s also full of quirky characters, like eccentric opal miner Sprocket McGinty and the enigmatic Taipan Dan.
As the gang settles in at Hope Springs Station, mysteries start piling up. A strange map is discovered indicating treasure beneath the paddocks, a young girl is missing and there are unexplained water shortages. Can Alice-Miranda get to the bottom of this desert dilemma?
Tashi 25th Anniversary Edition, by Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg and Kim Gamble
For twenty-five years Tashi has been telling fabulous stories. He escaped from a war lord in a faraway place and flew to this country on the back of a swan. And he wished he would find a friend just like Jack. In this first book of his daring adventures, Tashi tells Jack about the time he tricked the last dragon of all. Now, a whole generation of readers will know that when Tashi says, ‘Well, it was like this …’ an exciting new adventure is about to begin. This special anniversary edition includes the stories ‘Tashi and the Silver Cup’ and ‘Kidnapped!’ together for the first time.
Troofriend, by Kirsty Applebaum
A topical and sinister middle-grade novel about artificial intelligence.
Imagine having the perfect friend, one who never steals, lies or bullies. Now you can, with the TrooFriend 560, the latest in artificial intelligence! What can go wrong with a robot buddy? Especially one that’s developing human characteristics and feelings, and who has just run away with her human?
Shoestring, The Boy Who Walks on Air, by Julie Hunt, illustrated by Dale Newman
A gripping illustrated adventure about a travelling circus troupe, a future-telling macaw and a cursed pair of gloves that Shoestring must conquer once and for all. A companion to the award-winning KidGlovz.
‘Shoestring loved the sudden intake of breath when he stepped onto the rope. The upturned faces of the audience made him think of coins scattered at his feet, more coins than he had ever taken when he was a pickpocket.’
Twelve-year-old Shoestring is leaving behind his life of crime and starting a new career with the Troupe of Marvels. Their lead performer, he has an invisible tightrope and an act to die for. But trouble is brewing – the magical gloves that caused so much turmoil for KidGlovz are back.
When he’s wearing the gloves, the world is at Shoestring’s fingertips. It’s so easy to help himself to whatever he likes – even other people’s hopes and dreams. But when he steals his best friend’s mind, he’s at risk of losing all he values most.
A thrilling, heart-in-the-mouth adventure of ambition, friendship and the threads that bind from the award-winning creators of KidGlovz.
So You Think You’ve Got it Bad? A Kid’s Life in the Aztec Age, by Chae Strathie, illustrated by Marisa Morea
A hilarious and fascinating look at what life was life for a child in the Aztec age.
Written by award-winning author Chae Strathie and developed in consultation with experts from the British Museum, this fascinating book reveals what life was really like for kids in the Aztec age, from being jabbed by cactus spikes to snacking on maggots… and even wearing jaguar skins!
British Museum: Find Tom in Time, Ancient Rome, illustrated by Fatti Burke
Join Tom on a time-travel adventure to ancient Rome . . . if you can find him!
Tom’s not only lost in time, he’s lost his cat, too! Can you find Tom and his naughty cat, Digby, across the pages? Packed with detailed artwork, fascinating ancient Roman facts and over 100 other things to find – from a sacrificial cow to an escaping gladiator – lose yourself in ancient Rome with this brilliantly interactive book!
Beatrix the Bold and the Balloon of Doom, by Simon Mockler
An enchanting series full of humour and heart and silliness – featuring bold and brilliant young heroine Beatrix and her sidekicks Wilfred the Wise, Oi the Boy and Dog the Dog
A gloriously funny and anarchic series full of wizards, queens and more than a little mud
Perfect for fans of Andy Stanton, Danny Wallace and Roald Dahl
Beatrix the Bold is a queen. A very bold queen. And she’s also only ten years old. But that’s never stopped her from doing anything before, and it’s not going to stop her now. She’s on the run from the Evil Army AND her evil aunt Esmerelda, but she’s getting closer to finding her long-lost parents, whom she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. She just has to cross the Sea of Sinking Ships and the Volcanos of Doom to get to them – easy, right? But when you’re Beatrix the Bold and you’ve got Oi the boy, Dog the dog and Wilfred the Wise by your side, you can do anything . . .
