Book Club Day UK: Stories you love, people to meet, a day for book clubs.*
What is Book Club Day UK?
Book Club Day UK is a time to share the joy of being part of a book club, to encourage new clubs to form and to help support existing book clubs with their next meeting so that even more people will discover how book clubs build stronger, more connected communities.
Bloomsbury is a leading independent publishing house. The children’s division publishes books for children and young adults in print, eBook and audio. It publishes across preschool, picture books, fiction and non-fiction. Its award-winning, diverse list includes authors and illustrators such as Atinuke, Benjamin Zephaniah, Beth Suzanna, Catherine Doyle, Chibundu Onuzo, Jessie Burton, Jim Kay, Jonnie Peacock, Jordan Stephens, Kalynn Bayron, Kate Pankhurst, Katherine Rundell, Katya Balen, Kingsley Nebechi, Lex Croucher, Levi Pinfold, Meg Rosoff, Sam Sedgman, Sarah Crossan and Tom Percival. Bloomsbury is home to the bestselling Bunny Adventures preschool brand, and to the most famous children’s book brand in the world: Harry Potter.
The Poisoned King, Book 2 in the Impossible Creatures series by Katherine Rundell
Return to the magic of the Archipelago … The Poisoned King is the dazzling new book in Katherine Rundell’s epic and bestselling Impossible Creatures series. ‘There was Tolkien, there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell’ – Michael Morpurgo
When Christopher Forrester is unexpectedly woken by a miniature dragon chewing on his face, his heart leaps for joy. For months he’s dreamed of returning to the Archipelago – the secret islands where all the creatures of myth still live. But he did not know it would involve a rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, or a plan to enter a dragon’s lair. Nor did he imagine it would involve a girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket and a ravenous hunger for justice …
The unmissable follow-up to Impossible Creatures, WINNER of the Waterstones Book of the Year, British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year, Foyles Children’s Book of the Year and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award.
Pablo and Splash: Roman Holiday, Book 3 in the series by Sheena Dempsey
Time-travelling penguins Pablo and Splash must fight gladiators in Ancient Rome in this hilarious full-colour graphic novel, in a British Book Award-shortlisted series. Fans of Bunny vs Monkey or InvestiGATORS will love it.
‘You’ll laugh your flippers off!’ – John Patrick Green, creator of InvestiGATORS
When their penguin pal Benji won’t believe they’ve travelled through time, Pablo and Splash have a point to prove. The two travel to Ancient Rome, hoping to bring back a centurion helmet as proof of their adventures. But when Pablo and Splash meet an emperor with a passion for collecting exotic birds, only some quick thinking – and emergency time travel – can save them from the fate that awaits them in the Colosseum!
‘Gripping and enjoyable … should be recommended whatever the age of the reader. A really fun, enjoyable read. 10/10’ Irish Times on Pablo and Splash
The Forbidden Atlas, Book 2 in the series by Sam Sedgman
The exhilarating sequel to The Clockwork Conspiracy. Isaac Turner is back for another action-packed mystery adventure.
‘An ingenious mystery’ – A.F. Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, on THE CLOCKWORK CONSPIRACY
Isaac and Hattie have been invited to a high-profile event at the French National Archives in Paris to finally celebrate their achievement in saving time. But as Isaac prepares to make his speech, the lights go out and a single shot is fired.
The police think it was an assassination attempt on the infamous businessman Balthazar Blaise, but Isaac and Hattie realise that something very different is going on when they discover a boy taking something from the archives before vanishing without a trace.
As they investigate, Isaac and Hattie are pulled into an underground world, searching secret and forgotten places for a stolen letter, a missing sister and a map that will unearth a long-buried secret…
Sammy Feels Shy: A Big Bright Feelings Book by Tom Percival
An uplifting book about tackling shyness, from the bestselling creator of the Big Bright Feelings series.
Sammy LOVES having fun. But at school there are so many people… and he doesn’t always know what to say. When a whole load of things go wrong and Sammy feels like EVERYONE is staring, he starts to go pink, and then pinker… until he’s bright pink ALL OVER! Can Sammy learn how to tackle his feelings – and go back to his usual colour?
This reassuring and funny book is the perfect springboard for talking to children about shyness and feeling self-conscious.
Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings series is the ideal starting point for discussions about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence and managing feelings. Every child’s bookshelf should contain his books.
Also available in the Big Bright Feelings series: Ruby’s Worry, Perfectly Norman, Ravi’s Roar, Meesha Makes Friends, Tilda Tries Again, Milo’s Monster, Finn’s Little Fibs and Bea’s Bad Day. Collect them all!
The Fate of Finnegan Quick, Book 2 in the series by Larry Hayes
After a horrifying vision of the future, Finnegan Quick must fix his fate before it finally catches up to him.
A pulse-pounding horror story for readers aged nine and up.
Finnegan Quick has horrible nightmares. By day, they come TRUE. But after dreaming his parents out of reality, his nightmares are his only hope of one day finding them.
To discover the truth of their disappearance, Finn investigates the paranormal with his best friends, Squid and Cass. Their only lead is an urban legend about a girl whose body remained perfect, even after death. Rumour is, she was a banshee, whose unearthly scream would drive anyone who heard it to madness.
That night, Finn discovers why. In his dreams, he finds the banshee. He hears her scream and with it, sees a vision.
Squid. His best friend. Dead.
Finn is left with no choice: unravel the mystery of the banshee’s curse, or risk losing the only family he has left…
Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo
‘Joyful and truly original’ – Katherine Rundell, author of Impossible Creatures
WARNING: DO NOT JUMP ON THIS BOOK!
Have you ever jumped on a book? Perhaps not. Most people would think it was a rather unusual thing to do.
Ten-year-old Mayowa has always thought that her Grandpa Edward, who dyes his beard emerald green and jumps on books in private, is rather unusual. Until one day she jumps on a book for herself, and uncovers a huge family secret…
Mayowa is a logosalter. By jumping on a book, she can harness the emotions inside it and channel them directly into other people. And when the opportunity to use her power to save the lives of countless refugees presents itself, Mayowa wants to jump in with both feet.
But Mayowa and her grandpa aren’t the only logosalters in existence. And not everybody wants to use this power for good…
Ghostlines by Katya Balen
A powerful story about friendship, community and discovering what it means to carry home in your heart, from Yoto Carnegie Medal-winner Katya Balen.
‘Wild and brilliantly crafted’ – Sarah Crossan, author of One and Where the Heart Should Be
Tilda lives on the island of Ayrie. To her, the isolation, the tight-knit community and the natural beauty make it a perfect home. So when newcomer Albie arrives, she wants to show the island off. Albie just wants her to leave him alone.
Determined to win him over, Tilda decides to take Albie to a dangerous and off-limits haunted island in her sea kayak. But it’s a different kind of ghost that’s been haunting Tilda…
Disaster Diaries: The Worst Show Ever, Book 2 in the series by Joanna Nadin and Rikin Parekh
Daffodil Patterson is a small girl with BIG plans – it’s really not her fault that they always seem to go wrong! A brilliantly funny new series for young readers, from the author and illustrator of The Worst Class in the World.
Daffodil is eight years old. She’s the youngest in her family but is full of BOBBY DAZZLERS, which means brilliant ideas.
Daff’s latest Bobby Dazzler involves entering the Chipping Grimley Village Talent Show and winning £25 and getting her picture in the local paper so she can become WORLD FAMOUS. But first she needs to practise the trombone so she can win the competition. And before that she needs to get a trombone… And to start off with, she’ll need to raise £25 to buy a trombone from the charity shop…
Luckily, her trusty (and only slightly misbehaving) greyhound Colin is by her side for support, as is reliable best friend and fellow genius-ideas-generator Nirmal. What could possibly go wrong?
Holes by Louis Sachar
The iconic, multi-million bestselling novel. An unmissable modern classic.
‘Joyous … Everyone should be reading it, including adults’ – Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train Your Dragon
Stanley Yelnats’ family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn’t green and doesn’t have a lake), it’s not exactly a surprise.
Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole each, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it builds character, but this is a lie. It’s up to Stanley to dig up the truth.
A masterpiece of storytelling that combines sly humour with irresistible, page-turning writing.
Contains exclusive new material from the author, plus a foreword from prize-winning author Phil Earle and reading group notes.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about the titles featured above and discover other upcoming releases from Bloomsbury Children’s Books, head over to the Bloomsbury website or follow them BloomsburyChildrens on Instagram.
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