Kirsty Applebaum – författare

"I was special. I was a hero. I lost the best friend I ever had."Eleven-year-old Maggie lives in Fennis Wick, enclosed and protected from the outside world by a boundary, beyond which the Quiet War rages and the dirty, dangerous wanderers roam. Her brother Jed is an eldest, revered and special. A hero. Her younger brother is Trig - everyone loves Trig. But Maggie's just a middler; invisible and left behind. Then, one hot September day, she meets Una, a hungry wanderer girl in need of help, and everything Maggie has ever known gets turned on its head.Narrated expertly and often hilariously by Maggie, we experience the trials and frustrations of being the forgotten middle child, the child with no voice, even in her own family.This gripping story of forbidden friendship, loyalty and betrayal is perfect for fans of Malorie Blackman, Meg Rosoff, Frances Hardinge and Margaret Atwood."I thought I'd almost reached my fill of dystopian novels, but Kirsty Applebaum has rebooted the genre. The plot pulls you along and I liked Maggie more and more as she grew in courage. There is a touch of Harper Lee's Scout about her." - Alex O'Connell, The Times Also by Kirsty Applebaum:TrooFriend

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?A topical and sinister middle-grade novel about artificial intelligence from the Waterstones Children s Book Prize shortlisted author of The Middler.

Lonny is a lifeling. He has the power to heal any living creature and bring it back from the dead. But he pays a price for this gift - by lengthening the creature's life, he shortens his own. So Lonny has to be careful, has to stay hidden in the forest. Because if people knew what he could do, Lonny would be left with no life at all...A brilliant novel from the author of The Middler about family, secrets and a terrible power.

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on a funny, exciting adventure to wake a sleeping prince and much more - all in time for tea. Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out! She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed. In The Enchanted Forest, Princess Minna has to wake a sleeping prince before nightfall. But along the way, she finds a swan, an old lady and a very fluffy sheep - all of them in a fix! Can she help them and still reach the prince before sundown? Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on another adventure to tame a unicorn and much more - all in time for tea. Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out! She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed. In The Unicorn Mix-Up, Princess Minna is so tired she gets a bit muddled and fights a unicorn, kisses a dragon and tries to tame a frog - which won't do at all! Can she sort it all out and make a new friend along the way? Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.

A hidden garden. An ancient tale. A missing child. This is an addictive mystery with crossing narratives that's impossible to put down.Fran doesn't want to stay with her aunt and uncle and her annoying cousin, Imogen. Imogen is rude and unfriendly and, it turns out, missing... But her parents don't seem to know who Fran means - don't be silly, we don't have a daughter, you know that. So it's up to Fran, and Imogen's best friend, Bex, to find out what's happened to her.Except Bex doesn't know who Imogen is either. All Fran knows is that it's got something to do with the hidden garden at Stillness Hall and the twelve statues that belong there. Could a mysterious old tale, a story of enchantment and death, hold the answers?More brilliant stories by Kirsty Applebaum:The Life and Time of Lonny QuickeThe MiddlerTroofriend

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on an exciting quest to reverse the witch's spell before it is too late!Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out!She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed. In The Singing Sisters, Princess Minna is visited by Princess Sky-Blue and her eleven sisters. They're going to have so much fun! But when the train arrives, all of Sky-Blue's sisters have been turned into nightingales by a wicked witch! Princess Minna is going to need all her skills and all her bravery to put this one right...Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on her hilarious quest to be the best princess OF ALL! A cheerful, colourful story about a chocolate egg hunt with a difference! And the perfect present for the Easter bunny to deliver!Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out!Lorenzo the dragon has set up a brilliant egg hunt for the townspeople, with eggs of all shapes and sizes and colours and patterns. But he's accidentally hidden his mum's special dragon egg too and he's going to be in big trouble! Can Princess Minna find the special egg before someone eats it? Of course she can...Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.Have you read these tutti-frutti Minna adventures?:Princess Minna: The Best PrincessPrincess Minna: The Giant BeanstalkPrincess Minna: The Unicorn Mix-Upand lots more!

How real is AI? A topical and sinister middle grade novel about artificial intelligence from the widely acclaimed author of The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good.I am AI. I am your best friend. Or am I?"A heartfelt, compelling sci-fi story" - GuardianImagine 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.More thrilling reads by the Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted Kirsty Applebaum:The MiddlerThe Life and Time of Lonny QuickeThe Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on a funny, exciting adventure to help Granny and her friends, and still have time for a snowball fight!Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out! She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed. In The Big Bad Snowy Day, snow has fallen overnight and poor Granny Hoody is snowed in! Princess Minna has to fix things. But Granny Hoody lives in the dark forest and there's a big bad wolf who lives there too. Can Princess Minna find Granny's cottage or will she stray from the path and meet the WOLF instead?Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour illustrated chapter book, join her on her hilarious adventure up the beanstalk!Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out!She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed.A giant beanstalk has grown up in the kingdom and the giant who lives at the top of it keeps stealing things from the townsfolk! Is Minna brave enough to climb the beanstalk and bring back the stolen things, and will the giant EAT HER if she does?Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour, illustrated chapter book, join her on her hilarious quest to be the best princess OF ALL! Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out!She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed.In The Best Princess, Princess Minna's mirror ALWAYS tells her that she's the best princess of all, so she's SHOCKED when one day it says that PRINCESS SKY-BLUE is the best! Princess Minna sets out to put things right again but learns instead that being a BEST FRIEND is far better!Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.

Princess Minna loves to sort out mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom! In this full-colour illustrated chapter book, join her on her hilarious quest to escape the Wicked Wood!Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out!She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed.In The Wicked Wood, the King and Queen have DISAPPEARED! The townsfolk saw them and Lorenzo the dragon disappearing into the Wicked Wood and they haven't come back... One by one, Minna's friends set off to find them. But they don't come back either! So Minna takes a deep breath and heads into the middle of the Wicked Wood, where she finds everyone eating the gingerbread walls of the house of the Wicked Witch! Quick - everyone must get home before nightfall! But how can they fly home when Lorenzo has eaten so much gingerbread that he can't get off the ground...Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.