The Adventures of Alfie Onion by Vivian French
Alfie Onion has just set off on a great adventure …but only to carry his brother’s luggage. It’s his elder brother, Magnifico Onion, who’s destined to win their family a Happily Ever After. But when it turns out Magnifico isn’t half the hero he’s cracked up to be, it falls to Alfie to save the day – with a little help from his loyal dog, a talking horse and a couple of meddling magpies.
Perijee & Me by Ross Montgomery
When 11-year-old Caitlin discovers a shrimp-like alien creature on the shores of her island home, she takes responsibility for teaching it about the world. Mostly, this just involved stopping little Perijee from eating everything. Caitlin becomes increasingly close to her alien friend, treating him like a brother. There’s only one problem – Perijee won’t stop growing. Then the authorities try to hunt him down and through his fear, Perijee disappears and starts causing trouble. Caitlin must leave home and travel across the country to try and convince Perijee to stop destroying everything before it’s too late.
Binny Bewitched by Hilary McKay
Binny Cornwallis has lost some money. Money that wasn’t really hers in the first place. With her best enemy Gareth and her beloved dog Max she turns detective to track it down, but the Cornwallis family are anything but helpful. Little brother James and his friend Dill are having an adventure of their own and big sister Clem is acting very strangely. And on top of all this, Binny suspects their next-door neighbour may be a witch …
The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella dreams of the faraway lands her cartographer father once mapped. When her friend disappears, she volunteers to guide the search. The world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.
Emily Sparkes and the Backstage Blunder by Ruth Fitzgerald
‘It’s school play season, and Emily Sparkes has landed herself a starring role… not. In fact it’s the most HUMILIATING role in the history of all time – even worse than the time she was cast as a duck. (Quack, quack.) Emily’s friends Chloe (pretty much a Hollywood-star-to-be, daahling) and Zuzanna are very excited. Partly because, for the first time ever, they’ll be performing in a gala at the local theatre like proper actors! But things take a turn for the worse when they meet the other school who’ll be performing. The girls from Mag Hall have a history with Chloe that seems a bit mysterious. It’s going to take some real Emily Sparkes creativityness to get to the bottom of things!’ – taken from book cover.