Laura Catalán – illustratör

Winner of the Wales Book of the Year People's Choice Award! A heartwarming story about family, friendship and finding your inner fire.Between bullies at school and changes at home, Charlie Challinor finds life a bit scary. And when he's made guardian of a furry fox cub called Cadno, things get a whole lot scarier.Because Cadno isn't just any fox: he's a firefox - the only one of his kind - and a sinister hunter from another world is on his trail.Swept up into an unexpected adventure to protect his flammable friend, Charlie's going to need to find the bravery he never thought he had, if he's going to save the last firefox . . .'Comic, adventurous and charming' - Guardian'Magical' - Sunday Express'Funny, sweet and charming - a real delight!' Sam Copeland, author of Charlie Changes Into a Chicken'Utterly gorgeous storytelling, adorable characters and a blazing adventure - The Last Firefox will long burn bright in your heart.' Jenny Pearson, author of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates'Crackles with adventure and love.' Maria Kuzniar, author of The Ship of Shadows.'Lee Newbery gives us an enchanting fantasy adventure as warm as a firefox's tail. Heart and humour abound in this fun, fast-paced story of how a boy finds inner strength by helping a magical creature. A joyous gem!' Lesley Parr, author of The Valley of Lost Secrets'A heart (and tail!) warming adventure about family, friendship and one flamin' cute fox cub' Thomas Taylor, author of Malamander

All legends start somewhere . . .After defeating the evil Grendilock and saving Cadno, the last firefox, Charlie Challinor is looking forward to a well-earned rest. But when a familiar face appears from the realm of Fargone, Charlie's family is once again swept up into adventure.Along with Lippy, Roo and new magical friend Blodyn, Charlie must travel to Fargone to face the dreaded Draig, the shadowy monster that is slowly draining the life from the land - and uncover the lost secret that links Draig's history to Charlie's own . . .The magical sequel to The Last Firefox, one of the most exciting children's debuts of 2022.

"Rachel Chivers Khoo is Ireland's answer to Enid Blyton." Children's Books IrelandMeet the Finders, the magical collectors of lost items...The Borrowers meets The Magic Faraway Tree in this enchanting illustrated adventure that will spark children's imagination. "We Finders have what we call the Golden Rule: Finders Keepers."While hunting for an old time capsule that his grandma once buried in the woods, Max never expects to discover the home of a small magical creature. Nor does he expect that magical creature to have an extensive collection of lost items, all catalogued and labelled. Yet this is how he meets Tuftorious Snook, collector of lost objects, and just one of the many Finders living in Silverthorn Forest.Thrilled by his discovery, Max can't wait to find out more about the Finders. But when he accidentally breaks their most important rule – never steal – he's banished from their home. With Silverthorn Forest in danger, however, Max must somehow find a way to save Tuft and the other Finders before it's too late.- A classic children's adventure, for fans of Enid Blyton, E. Nesbit and Jill Murphy, as well as Andy Shepherd's The Boy Who Grew Dragons and Liz Flanagan's Wildsmith series.- Illustrated in black and white throughout, this magical chapter book is great for building confidence in independent readers, and also makes a perfect cosy bedtime story for the whole family to enjoy.- A truly heartwarming story, with themes of friendship, courage, trust and resilience, as well as the importance of caring for our wild spaces. Readers LOVE the Finders of Silverthorn Forest:"This book is brilliant!! I love it, I give it one hundred stars! I like all the Finders and finding out about the trees." Toppsta reviewer"A totally heart-warming story that I sped through... A magical celebration of nature, family and friendship." Toppsta reviewer"Equal parts The Hobbit and The Magic Faraway Tree, you will be engrossed from page one." Goodreads reviewer"My daughter loved this book! She enjoyed the characters and the story. As soon as she had finished reading it she wanted to create a time capsule, it really caught her imagination!" Toppsta reviewer"I loved the adventure and how the characters worked together to solve clues and find the treasure. The forest felt magical, and I liked the surprises along the way. It made me want to go exploring myself." Toppsta reviewer "Wombles for modern times." Goodreads reviewer"The full-and-partial-page illustrations, including chapter headings and borders, are stunning and really capture the warmth and charm of this adventure perfectly... A treasure of a find." Toppsta reviewerRead more of Max and Tuft's adventures in Finders of Silverthorn Forest: The Faraway Adventure

"Rachel Chivers Khoo is Ireland's answer to Enid Blyton." Children's Books Ireland"Beautifully written and utterly entrancing. This is a gem of a book." Hannah Gold, author of The Last BearMeet the Finders, the enchanting collectors of lost items... The Borrowers meets The Magic Faraway Tree in this beautifully illustrated animal adventure, sequel to Finders of Silverthorn Forest: The Lost Treasures. When Tuft, a young Finder of Silverthorn Forest, wakes early from hibernation, he decides to set out on an adventure to find the legendary Faraway Forest. After an unexpected trip to London via a postbox, Tuft is reunited with his human friend Max, and secretly signs him up for an adventure camp in the New Forest. Tuft is convinced that they'll uncover the homeland of the Finders here, but Max is sceptical. The camp is the last place he wants to be spending his school holiday, especially as he doesn't have any of the right equipment and it won't stop raining. But with a severe storm approaching, things soon turn perilous, and Max must use all of his newfound skills if he's to save Tuft and the new Finders they have befriended.- A classic children's adventure, for fans of Enid Blyton, E. Nesbit and Jill Murphy, as well as Andy Shepherd's The Boy Who Grew Dragons and Liz Flanagan's Wildsmith series.- Illustrated in black and white throughout, this magical chapter book is great for building confidence in independent readers, and also makes a perfect cosy bedtime story for the whole family to enjoy.- With themes of friendship, courage, trust and resilience, as well as the importance of caring for our wild spaces. Readers LOVE the Finders of Silverthorn Forest series:"This book is brilliant!! I love it, I give it one hundred stars!" Toppsta reviewer"Equal parts The Hobbit and The Magic Faraway Tree, you will be engrossed from page one." Goodreads reviewer"Once again I give another Rachel Chivers Khoo title five stars! Each of her books is perfect for reading together, for confident 5-8 readers and those just getting into 9-12." Goodreads reviewer"Wombles for modern times." Goodreads reviewer"This is a wonderfully heart-warming, magical and exciting adventure with just the right amount of danger for younger readers." Goodreads reviewer

'Julie Carpenter’s inspiring story of Houdini shows how, like him, we can open the locks and dance on the high wire. It’s only a matter of practice. And believing in yourself.’ ― Eric Kimmel As a young boy of seven, Harry is desperate to do something incredible - but what? A visit to the circus provides the answer when he sees the daring tightrope walker thrilling the audience. From that moment on, all Harry wants to do is to walk the tightrope. But how? His first try, on the family clothesline, ends in disaster but Harry's not about to give up yet. He starts practising in his every spare moment and in every location he can think of. Will he get to the other side or will he fall? (And will his pet chicken Banjoe be able to keep up?) An inspiring tale about one of history’s most fascinating figures, Harry and the Highwire is essential reading for children, teaching them about the importance of ambition, hard work and, crucially, of believing in yourself, even when things seem impossible. The reverse side of this fun, fully fold-out book includes a biography and illustrated timeline of Houdini's life, along with a focus on three of his most famous tricks (and hints on how he did them).

Book Band: Dark Blue (Ideal for ages 9+)An exciting time-travel adventure by Emma Shevah, ideal for fans of Horrible Histories.The librarian at Ariella and Yosef’s school loves History. She even has a collection of historical objects in the library. When she starts acting strangely, Ariella and Yosef can’t resist investigating. Transported back to Georgian London, how will they get back home? This thrilling story features beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Laura Catalán.The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com.'Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed … Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.' Books for Keeps