Little Island – förlag

A powerful and poetic novel from the multi-award-winning author of Tangleweed and BrineCes longs to be a tattoo artist and embroider skin with beautiful images. But for now she’s just trying to reach adulthood without falling apart.Powerful, poetic and disturbing, Needlework is a girl’s meditation on her efforts to maintain her bodily and spiritual integrity in the face of abuse, violation and neglect.‘Reading Needlework is similar to getting your first tattoo – it’s searing, often painful, but it is an experience you’ll never forget.’ – Louise O’Neill, author of The Surface Breaks and Asking For It‘Needlework is a powerful novel that deserves to be read.’ – Sarah Crossan, author of One and We Come Apart‘I loved Deirdre Sullivan’s Needlework, a novel that is just as sharp and precise as its title suggests.’ – Doireann Ní Ghríofa, poet‘A modern, broken fairy tale that gets under your skin.’ – Tara Flynn, author and comedian

When proud mermaid Muireann flees her climate-ravaged ocean in search of hope on land, she confronts human cruelty and body-shaming as she struggles to find her true home and voice. Caught between a dying ocean and a divided world, she must grapple between the sea that made her and the surface that might break her – in this stunning verse novel that reimagines The Little Mermaid.Muireann is a mermaid – fierce, curious and proud of the body that keeps her warm beneath the waves. But life in the ocean is becoming impossible. The merfolk are at war with the human ramifications of climate change: food is scarce, and her twin sister has been killed in a mass-fishing net. With her mother lost in grief and her world falling apart, Muireann longs to escape to the surface to find some answers. But the human world isn’t the haven she hoped for. It’s colder, crueller – and here, her large body is seen not as strength, but as something to be ashamed of.In this beautiful novel-in-verse, Muireann must find her voice and fight for where she belongs – whether that be beneath the waves, or above them.

A luxurious gift edition of Wilde's classic children's talesOscar Wilde's children's tales have enchanted readers young and old alike for over a hundred years. This stunning new hardback edition is beautifully illustrated in full colour by major illustrator Lauren O'Hara and features six classic tales, including "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant".This is the first time an Irish publisher has produced an edition of these stories by a canonical Irish author, and no expense is spared: gorgeous paper, linen-effect cover, gold foil, cloth head-and-tail band and a ribbon bookmark adorn the book.In 1888, the famous queer Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde published a collection of bedtime stories for children. Oscar Wilde's Stories for Children is stunningly illustrated new edition of six of these tales. Feeling both classic and fresh, timeless and modern, Lauren O'Hara's delicate, rich colour illustrations bring this cornerstone of children's literature to life for readers of all ages.

A dark and witchy feminist retelling of the Irish fairytale, The Children of Lir – from the author of the multi-award-winning Tangleweed and Brine.Aífe is a witch, a stepmother, and a woman pushed to the edge. When she marries Lir, a powerful chieftain, she finds herself living in the shadow of his four beloved children – and of the wife he lost. Consumed by jealousy, grief and rage, Aífe commits an unforgivable act, transforming the children into swans cursed to wander for nine hundred years.But this is not the story you think you know.Told in Aífe’s own voice, Savage Her Reply is unsettling and lyrical, brutal and beautiful – a story about female anger, motherhood, guilt and the cost of being silenced. As Aífe reckons with the consequences of her magic, she forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: monsters are often made, not born.Perfect for fans of dark fairy-tale retellings, Irish mythology and feminist YA fantasy, this is a spellbinding novel that will linger long after the final page.‘No-one else writes like Deirdre Sullivan. She is lyrical, poetic and thoroughly intoxicating.’ – Juno Dawson‘Unsettling, haunting, and darkly lyrical’ Louise O’Neill

Uprooted from city life by the death of his father, Dark is beckoned into a rath as he wanders the fields near his new home. There, he meets people big and small whose magnificent stories of warriors, monsters and the fairy people provide an escape from his crumbling school and home life and take him deep into the world of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Fianna.O’Neill’s powerful new tales of adventure, heroism, treachery, weakness and redemption entwine with ancient Irish folklore as Dark realises that he, like his eccentric uncle Connie, belongs to two very different worlds.

Did you ever hear that telling a nightmare makes it fade away? It doesn’t. Not here anyway. Welcome to the Nightmare Club’s Halloween Sleepover. You might not last till morning.Glen is a nasty little boy who always moans and lies. After a strange encounter in the woods, he suddenly disappears, and the only one who seems to know what happened to him is a dog. And everyone knows that dogs can’t talk. Right?

An intriguing murder mystery set in an imaginary world, peopled by vampires, dimorphs, luchrupáns and the odd – very odd – Salmon Farsade, an orphan with the ability to read auras. Salmon becomes apprenticed to Muinbeo’s most famous nocturnal detective, the long-lived and sharp-toothed Inspector McCabe, and together they try to sniff out who killed Fen Maguire – and why. ‘Hard silver light caught in her dark hair, the moon shadows giving her pointed face a romance it lacked in life. He wedged his nose against the clenched hand under the bent arm, against the blood-soaked earth where her life had finally trickled away. The ghost of wind, which only he could feel, stirred, and he raised his head. Cullen had learned the odour of her dead body, and turned to inhale the story of her death.’

Girls have the right to play football, wear blue, and aspire to be president! Boys can learn ballet, like hugs and cry when they're sad.A funny, beautifully illustrated and heartwarming list of the rights of boys and girls, presented as a flipbook to be read from either end.Girls as well as boys have the right to be scruffy, ruffled, agitated, to choose the job they want, not to be every day princesses, to love who they prefer: boys or girls (or both).Both boys and girls have the right to cry, to play with dolls, to wear pink, to be good at reading, not to be a superhero every day, to love who they prefer: girls or boys (or both).A fun book about being free to be yourself, sure to appeal to both boys and girls.

Belfast in 1916. Fourteen-year-old Helen is shaped by her mixed background – rural, Catholic Irish values from mum Kathleen; urban, Protestant Ulster ones from dad James. Her parents are relaxed in their politics but others in the family circle are more extreme – Aunt Violet is a die-hard anti-Home Ruler, more British than the king, while Uncle Sean is staunchly nationalist. These are the parents of Helen’s older cousins:  Sandy, who joined the army straight from school and has already seen action in France, and Michael, who runs away from home to enlist. But before he leaves for France, Michael is deployed to Dublin to help quell the Rising, where he’s expected to open fire on his fellow Irishmen. Who and what are they fighting for?  The story of a young girl caught between the Easter Rising, the outbreak of World War 1 and a divided Ireland

Philip's mum has breast cancer. Philip wants to be a stand-up comedian like his hero, Harry Hill. Now he has to find the funny side of an unfunny subject, to help his mum – and himself.Philip is twelve years old and life is pretty good. He gets on with his mum and gets by pretty well at school – in spite of girl problems, teacher problems, bully problems and – er – poetry problems. Philip’s happy-go-lucky life is disrupted when his mother gets breast cancer. Bad enough that your mother is seriously ill – but could she not have developed a less embarrassing kind of cancer – toe cancer, maybe, or ear cancer? Philip’s attempts to cope with his situation are both hilarious and touching. Through it all, he’s writing letters to his hero, the comedian Harry Hill, looking for advice. A multi-award-winning and hilarious take on the unfunny subject of cancer; this book brings one of modern life’s most prevalent illnesses into the light and gives it a human face

A touching story of unlikely friendship and the redemptive power of love.The last thing either Jana (13) or Louise (17) is looking for on this hot and boring summer is a friend of totally the wrong age. But then one day, they abandon their responsibilities and irritating families, and head off in a ‘borrowed’ car for a day by the lake. Their adventure is simple — beer, ice-cream, swimming, singing — but the friendship it forges between them turns out to be profound. When Jana experiences loss, it is only Louise’s tender and funny postcards that can haul her out of depression — right out of her bedroom window and off on another adventure. Written in a light, amusing style, and in the alternating voices of its two heroines, this is a touching story of the redemptive power of love.'Wherever It Is Summer deftly explores the no-man's-land between childhood and adulthood and the power of female friendship, in language that is subtle and surprising.' - Deirdre Sullivan, author of Tangleweed and Brine

A fast-paced adventure story full of heart, courage – and horses.Ella and Johnny are distraught when Johnny's horse Storm disappears from his field. Johnny knows that he has been taken by 'the pound man'. This is plain stealing.Ella, Johnny and Ella's granny aren't going to let Storm go that easily. They round up the evidence and set off to the pound, where they confront the officials with proof that Storm is a well-cared-for animal who was snatched from a field.But it isn't so easy and Johnny and Ella will have to find another, daring plan to rescue Storm.A pageturner adventure tale of Irish Traveller children and their fight to keep their horse.

Everyone hates going to the doctor – taking their medicine, having their temperature taken, maybe having to go for surgery. This collection of poems and rhymes helps to make being sick a little less scary, with poems about broken bones, the chickenpox, having an injection and many more – with characters that will make young readers smile and laugh.Children can sing along to Owen’s Broken Bone Blues, meet Ultan Ulrich Ultrasound – the man who can look right into your insides with his magical powers – and Eliza Analyser, who looks at all your cells under the microscope.Translated from Latvian and retold for the English market by award-winning Irish poet Catherine Ann Cullen.

Eleven-year-old Fennymore lives with his strange great-aunt in an old house with only a magical bike for company. After she dies, Fennymore sets off with his new friend Fizzy to find his parents, who mysteriously disappeared. They fall foul of a silvery grey gentleman and an evil doctor who wants to get his hands on his father’s mysterious invention.A brilliant and hilarious adventure from award-winning author Kirsten Reinhardt with black-and-white line drawings by David Roberts Translated from the German by former Irish Children’s Laureate, Siobhán Parkinson.

Full colour, illustrated and hardback poetry book containing poetry on all the seasons for young readers.It includes poems about nature, the landscape, the weather and children’s experiences of the seasons from ice-creams to Christmas trees.An accompanying ebook will be free to download, introducing children to the poetic forms used in the book and chock-full of ideas to encourage readers to try their hand at writing their own poems. It will be especially helpful also to teachers who would like to include writing poetry as a classroom activity with their pupils.The full-colour illustrations are by Lauren O’Neill, winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Award for Illustration in 2016.

Bumpfizzle is an alien sent to Earth on a mysterious mission from Planet Plonk. Or is he a ten-year-old boy who is jealous of all the attention his parents are giving to The Baby? So hilarious! Patricia Forde is definitely the high queen of Irish comedy. Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl Bumpfizzle is on a mysterious mission to Earth from Planet Plonk. His Earth family is OK. Except for the four-legged brother (Mr Sooty) and The Baby which leaks from both ends. Bumpfizzle's confusion at Earthling behaviours, as reported in his diary and his frequent reports back to Plonk, are hilarious, and his adventures are ridiculous, from eating the cat's food (it makes him throw up, always good for attention) to biting his teacher (to check if humans would make a good source of food for Plonkers) and attempting to sacrifice a goat (he soon discovers what goats' horns are for). Elina Braslina's playful, Quentin Blake-like illustrations bring Bumpfizzle's adventures on Earth delightfully to life. The book was funny. It was very funny. People who like books with cartoons, and who read Roald Dahl would probably like this book. I'd recommend it to my friend Brooke. You don't know her. Sienna (age 11) for the Dublin Inquirer

Aidan has spent most of his life keeping a low profile because his mum has a terrible secret - one that he can't be trusted to keep if he mixes too much with other kids or goes to school. You see, Aidan's mum is part-dragon. She has scales and claws and can breathe fire. But she is terrified of anyone finding out. When Aidan's mum suddenly disappears, Aidan and his best friend Charlotte set out on a dangerous adventure to find her. They track her to a murky research laboratory on the other side of the country, and there they find several other part-mythic-beast `freaks' all in the thrall of an evil scientist who is hell-bent on stealing their special powers for himself. Aidan and Charlotte have to find a way to rescue Dr Krinksky's victims from the horrors of his lab and bring his mum back home safe and sound.

Bewitched retellings of classic fairy-tales with brave and resilient heroines.WINNER: Book of the Year 2018 (CBI Awards)WINNER: YA Book of the Year 2017 (Irish Book Awards)WINNER: Reader's Choice Award for YA Fiction 2017 (Irish Times Ticket Awards)A multi-award winning collection of twelve dark, feminist retellings of traditional fairytales from one of Ireland’s leading writers for young people. In the tradition of Angela Carter, stories such as Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin are given a witchy makeover. Intricately illustrated with black and white line drawings.‘Exquisitely written and powerful – I’m enchanted by it.’ — Marian Keyes‘Deirdre Sullivan’s writing is beguiling, bewitching and poetic. Her prose is almost dreamlike, reminiscent of Angela Carter.’ – Juno Dawson, author of The Gender Games‘Sullivan’s prose is delicate and masterful.’ – Dave Rudden, author of Knights of the Borrowed Dark‘Witchy, eerie and beautiful. These thirteen fairytale retellings already feel like feminist classics.’ – Claire Hennessy, author of Like Other GirlsDark, feminist retellings of traditional fairytales for a teen audience – not for the faint-hearted

I spent most of this beautifully written verse novel blinking back tears. Grehan has created one of those rare gems, a book that feels so utterly real and involving that the reader lives every page with the main character.' - Sarah Webb, author A warm and sensitive LGBT story for young readers from an award-winning author. Stevie is eleven. She loves reading and sea creatures. She lives with her mum, and she's been best friends with Andrew since forever. Stevie's mum teases her that someday they'll get married, but Stevie knows that won't ever happen. There's a girl at school that she likes more. A lot more. Actually, she's a bit confused about how much she likes her. It's nothing like the way she likes Andrew. It makes her fizz inside. That's a new feeling, one she doesn't understand. Stevie needs to find out if girls can like girls - love them, even - but it's hard to get any information, and she's too shy to ask out loud about it. But maybe she can find an answer in a book. This second verse novel from the winner of the 2018 Children's Books Ireland Eilis Dillon (first book) award is a sensitive and reassuring exploration of LGBT identity for younger readers.

In this YA sensation, a teen boy becomes trapped in a time loop of the day of his classmate’s death and must confront toxic masculinity, his own complicity and the courage it takes to change the future. Louise Finch’s Carnegie shortlisted time-loop YA novel ‘tackles sexual assault, toxic masculinity, and grief with precision and courage’ (Kirkus starred review).Wake up. Friday. Clara Hart hits my car. Go to class. Anthony rates the girls. House party. Anthony goes upstairs with Clara. Drink. Clara dies. Wake up. Friday again. Clara Hart hits my car… Why can’t I break this loop?Spence and Anthony have been friends for years, but it’s only when he witnesses a classmate die in what looks like a tragic accident at a house party that a flicker in the fabric of time helps Spence ‘see’ Anthony for the first time.When Spence wakes up to the same day again and sees Clara, the girl who died, alive and well, it’s clear he’s been granted a second chance. And a third. And a fourth…Caught in a loop, condemned to experience the same 24 hours over and over, Spence tries to prevent the terrible events of the party. To break the spell, he has to re-evaluate everything he previously took for granted and find the courage to call out his own and others’ complicity in events that marked the life and death of Clara Hart.

An invigorating tale of suffragettes and heroes, courage and survival, as World War One ends, a pandemic sweeps the land - and women get to vote!Stella has always looked forward to changing the world. It's what she was brought up to do, by a suffragette mother who knew all about fighting and rebellion. But it's November 1918. The great flu pandemic sweeping the world has robbed Stella of her mother and her home, and she's alone in a strange country, with an aunt she's never met.But change is coming - the war is over, and women are about to vote for the first time. History is being made, but how can she help make it? As election day approaches, a day that will transform Ireland forever, Stella realises that she can indeed change the world. Not alone, and not all at once. But just as stars come one by one to brighten the night sky, so history is made person by person, girl by girl.

Award-winning author Jen Wallace returns with another hilarious dinosaur adventure - with positive representation of neurodivergent characters and fun black-and-white illustrations in every chapter.Daria has a top-secret problem: she’s been hiding real, live dinosaurs in her bedroom!Her new pets are excellent for scientific research but they are multiplying too fast! Her room is full of dino poo and the dino-situation is totally out of control. Things get even worse when the dinosaurs escape. Worried about a nosey professor capturing their prehistoric pets for his own research, Daria and her best friends, Oleg and Rory, must track down the dinos before anyone discovers their roar-some secret...

After global warming came the Melting. Then came Ark.The new dictator of Ark wants to silence speech for ever. But Letta is the wordsmith, tasked with keeping words alive. Out in the woods, she and the rebels secretly teach children language, music and art.Now there are rumours that babies are going missing. When Letta makes a horrifying discovery, she has to find a way to save the children of Ark – even if it is at the cost of her own life.Praise for Mother Tongue:"[Her] books always take my breath away." — Mary, Fallen Star Stories“For Letta is one of the best heroines… Steadfast, strong and unwaveringly resilient, she is the driving force behind why this series is becoming so revered.” — Scott Evans, The Reader Teacher“Mother Tongue, and predecessor The Wordsmith, are both brilliantly devised stories.” — Caroline Fielding, The Teen Librarian“Totally enthralling … a world where the horror of climate change has been realised but despite the despair, the hope of humanity lives on.” — Victoria Dilly, The Book Activist“This vivid world and courageous heroine will enthral readers and is ideal for book clubs.” — Zoe James-Williams, Drawing On Books“Letta is a fantastic protagonist … contemplative, doubting of herself but firm in her resolve. Her strength comes from a rounded mix of qualities.” — Louise Nettleton, Book Murmuration  Praise for The Wordsmith:‘The fantasy book of the year’ — Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl‘Important’ — The Guardian‘Stands out for its imaginative approach and its beautiful and careful use of language’ — The Literary Review‘This gripping story has the dark atmosphere of books such as the Hunger Games series’ — Inis magazine‘Full of jeopardy and nail-biting tension and asks fundamental questions about the nature of humanity and the future of our planet’ — BookTrust UK‘Pair with Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go’ — Booklist‘Fantasy lovers will lap it up!’ — Sarah Webb, Irish Independent‘A tremendous pageturner; I hope this won’t be the last we hear of Letta, a brave and spirited heroine’ — School Library Association

Milo is thrilled to be starting at the country’s fanciest, shiniest, most prestigious school. But it soon becomes clear that something sinister is going on. The headmaster, Dr Pummelcrush, is bent on brainwashing the students and turning them into mindless, unthinking human robots.When Milo stumbles across a bright and colourful secret garden and meets its joyous gardener, he and his friends begin to open their minds to a whole new way of thinking: philosophy.Can the Philosophy Resistance Squad use their new questioning skills to resist Pummelcrush’s evil project and save their classmates from being zombified?

The perfect Irish gift for the littlest one in your life.Learn to count with iconic symbols of Ireland: shamrocks, harps, hurleys, Irish dancers (and no snakes!)Colourful and fun, with gorgeous illustrations from Aoife Dooley, Ireland's favourite young artist and comedian (author of How to be Massive), this makes a perfect Irish gift for the littlest one in your life.

A timely tale of one refugee boy’s flight to find a place to call home – based on the experiences of real refugee families. Now with a fresh new cover and an original author introduction.Ghalib doesn’t want to leave his home, but it has become too dangerous for his family to stay, and they have no choice but to flee. Together they begin a terrible journey through dark and dangerous places. They come under fire; they are exploited by illegal border-crossers; they endure the wretched uncertainty of life in a refugee camp. And still they must face the perils of a voyage in a boat that is far from seaworthy.Based on the experiences of real refugee families, A Dangerous Crossing is a story of bravery and solidarity in the face of despair.

Shady snakes, thuggish pigs, a cat in a fur coat and a mystery to be solved. The Free Range Detective Agency is on the case!Seamus the private investigator is no chicken. He's a turkey. And after the disastrous case of the Rampaging Rhinoceros, his feathers are a little ruffled.This turkey always knew he shouldn’t trust a cat in a fur coat, but when Ms Ermine comes slinking in with a clawful of cash, he just can’t say no. Soon he’s up to his beak in a case involving a sinister snake, pigs with piercings and a meerkat called Elvis.'I laughed so much I laid an egg. GENIUS.' Dustin the TurkeyA playful and brilliantly funny take on detective noir fiction with an all-animal cast of characters.

The year is 1921. Ireland has been at war for two years. Communities are torn apart by bitter hatred – and now a hard border splits the island.In Belfast, Helen’s Hope hostel is a progessive space where young women live and work together – a haven of tolerance and diversity in a fractured city. But some people hate Helen’s Hope and its values.Another pitch-perfect historical novel from the prize-winning author of Star by Star.‘Funny, moving and full of wisdom, Hope Against Hope shows Sheena Wilkinson is a writer at the top of her game.’ — Jan Carson, author of The Fire Starters, winner of the EU Prize for Literature 2019

Introduce young readers to the lives of twenty Irish feminists who rocked the system and reshaped history in this collection of illustrated essays.Discover the stories of twenty trailblazing women – past and present – who defied expectations, broke boundaries and transformed Irish society. From Queen Medb to Eileen Gray, from Constance Markievicz to Sonia O’Sullivan, learn about the lives of stateswomen, artists, writers, activists, athletes and rebels of every kind, and celebrate their courage, creativity, and the enduring power of their legacy.Written by multi–award-winning author Siobhán Parkinson – Ireland’s first Laureate na nÓg (Children’s Literature Laureate) – with a foreword by political activist and First Lady of Ireland, Sabina Higgins.“This book will inspire all its readers to play their part in creating a world that is fair, harmonious and equal.” — Sabina Higgins