Top list: Children's books

A girl unravels a centuries-old mystery after moving into a haunted house in this deliciously suspenseful story.

New for 2024, the unmissable, official novelisation of the third Paddington movie!

In his third big screen outing from Studiocanal, the creators of Wonka and the Harry Potter movies, Paddington and the Browns leave Windsor Gardens to embark on an epic adventure to visit Aunt Lucy at The Home for Retired Bears. There, they find a mystery that sends them on a hilarious and thrilling journey along the Amazon, through the jungle and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

This wonderful retelling of the cinematic film has been penned by Anna Wilson, based on the story by Paul King, Mark Burton and Simon Farnaby, and the screenplay written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.

“Combines Alex Rider’s espionage skills with a huge dose of the sarcasm of Artemis Fowl.” —School Library Journal

Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? In the first book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley sure hopes so—and his life may depend on it!

Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: CIA or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.” In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy. Could the CIA really want him?

"'You are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The Headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to continue. He wishes me to teach you how to close your mind to the Dark Lord.'"

Dark times have come to Hogwarts. After the Dementors' attack on his cousin Dudley, Harry Potter knows that Voldemort will stop at nothing to find him. There are many who deny the Dark Lord's return, but Harry is not alone: a secret order gathers at Grimmauld Place to fight against the Dark forces. Harry must allow Professor Snape to teach him how to protect himself from Voldemort's savage assaults on his mind. But they are growing stronger by the day and Harry is running out of time...

The Warrior's Principles Never Change... But What If They Are Flawed? The greatest warriors of the land disappeared without a trace. But were they missing, or merely hiding?

Now one young warrior, eager to prove himself, ventures into the nether to earn his place.

But will he come out on top, or will the nether change him in ways he never could have imagined?

Disclaimer: This is not an official Minecraft book and is not authorized or owned by Mojang

The Quest Continues... Meeting another builder had been one thing, but to learn there was a whole city out there was a bit much for Steve to swallow. As much as he hates to admit it, he’s nervous. Nervous about the idea of leaving the home he’s made for himself, of leaving the village behind, of meeting other builders and perhaps, learning that he’s not the best of the best. For so many years he’s just been Steve, the only builder. Steve, the Hero.

What if he isn’t the only Hero out there? Worse still, what if no one needs him around at all? What if he gets to the new city and discovers he’s not at all special?

But as Alex and Steve make their way across the land, the two discover strange sights. Unsettling sights. It looks like the city isn’t the only new, alarming thing for Steve to uncover - someone else is walking among the wilds, and they’re looking to cause trouble.

It’s up to Steve and Alex to find a way to stop it.

Disclaimer: This is not an official Minecraft book and is not authorized or owned by Mojang

The shy but beautiful Princess Alexa is more into books than ballroom dancing. One day her grandmother gifts her a mysterious book, and a magical adventure starts to unfold in the magical realm of Zinnia, a wonderful land inhabited by fairies, mermaids, unicorns.

Join Alexa and her magical friends on their quest to defeat the mean, magic-stealing princess, Malucia and restore the peace in Zinnia.

Come on an amazing adventure with Barbie and all her friends! Solve mysteries with secret doors, sea monsters and messages in a bottle, catch the baddies as a secret agent, sing in Barbie’s rock band, celebrate Chelsea’s birthday in Dreamtopia and fly to tropical beaches and distant planets in far-away galaxies. Let’s go!

Mattel’s Barbie doll is a fashion icon, world adventurer and every child’s best friend. Since the 1950’s she remains a popular toy in homes worldwide and the star of countless tv shows, movies, and books.

The popular Netflix series Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures follows Barbie, her sisters and her boyfriend Ken, as they hang out in LA and travel the world in the Barbie camper van. For younger fans, Barbie’s little sister, Chelsea, takes centre stage in Barbie Dreamtopia as the sisters meet mermaids and fairies in a magical dreamland.

In recent years, Barbie has taken YouTube by storm as a popular vlogger. She talks fashion, family, her life in Malibu but also sensitively tackles tough issues like racism, mental health and body image.

Barbie’s new mission is to inspire girls to dream big. A recent line of empowering role model dolls includes Indian Paralympian, Manasi Joshi, and American soccer player, Alex Morgan. While Inspiring Women celebrates heroines such as Maya Angelou, Florence Nightingale and astronaut, Sally Ride.

Barbie and associated trademarks are owned by Mattel and used under license from Mattel Europa. © 2021 Mattel

When zombies attack, Alex has to choose between being a human or saving humans as we know them.

Alex is a human turned zombie who has been thrown into a world of chaos after waking up in an attack by zombies, which are under the spell of an evil wizard. The series continues with Alex, a courageous young woman and her new partner Steve, a stubborn young man set upon getting revenge on the wizard for ruining his town.

The two companions part ways, only to be reunited in an unexpected way. Alex wants to retreat to her old village, become human again and begin rebuilding. But Steve insists that the wizard needs to be stopped. Although she might not want to, Alex will have to make a serious decision about her life and the lives of those around her. Meanwhile, Alex has a surprise for Steve - she holds the key for them to become human again.

Will Alex join Steve in his quest for justice? Or will she follow her heart and return home? Only time will tell.

Zombie Army is a refreshing, whimsical story with heart that will have your little one rooting for the heroes. If your child loves Minecraft, this audiobook is for them.

Disclaimer: This book is a work of fanfiction; it is not an official Minecraft book. It is not endorsed, authorized, licensed, sponsored, or supported by Mojang AB, Microsoft Corp. or any other entity owning or controlling rights to the Minecraft name, trademarks or copyrights.

Two spud siblings face off in a series of epic challenges in this first “delightful laugh-on-every-page” (Booklist) installment of a hilariously silly graphic novel chapter book series from the bestselling creator of the Narwhal and Jelly books.

Rot is a mutant potato who wakes up feeling great, maybe even…the greatest in the world! But that only makes Rot’s brother Snot the grumpiest in the world. The only solution? An epic contest to prove who is the greatest once and for all, judged by the only impartial party they can find—their small fry little sister, Tot.

But as the stakes get higher through the muddy potato sack race, sacred hot potato roll, and a hilarious laughing contest, their rivalry spirals out of control. Suddenly Rot’s not feeling so spudtacular anymore. Will this tater trio ever be able to determine who the greatest in the world really is?

Minecraft Legends saw the piglins invade the Overworld. Hundreds of years later, could history be about to repeat itself?

Farnum has always been terrified of adventure, content to run his zoo in the safety of the same town he’s lived in for most of his life. But how will he ever expand his zoo without exploring the Overworld in search of new mobs for it?

Piglin Kritten is advisor to the Great Bungus, piglin brute and ruler of a bastion remnant. At least, they were. Now, they’ll do anything to ensure their survival.

What happens when Farnum and Kritten’s worlds collide and the old legends of a piglin invasion appear to be coming true?

If you want to learn more about Minecraft Legends, check out the official game guide: GUIDE TO MINECRAFT LEGENDS (9780008595012)

Bibi and Tina cannot believe it. The Count has bought the famous Miraculous, a talking circus horse who can do arithmetic. But without the secret signs from his former master, the late Beppo the Clown, he can no longer talk. Then the two girls unexpectedly come across Beppo's mysterious diary.

From award-winning author Marilyn Singer comes a funny Level 1 Ready-to-Read about a poodle whose hair won’t stop growing!

Poodle coming, poodle going.

Poodle’s curly hair is growing.

Poodle’s eyes are hardly showing.

Like the grass, that dog needs mowing!

Come see Poodle’s hair grow and grow and grow in this delightful rhyming book that beginning readers will love reading again and again.

While Tina is studying for an exam with Alex, Bibi becomes friends with Connie. What a surprise that she has just come from Hungary and is supposed to say hello to Bibi from Mikosch! He talked so much about the Martins Farm and Bibi that Connie wanted to spend the rest of the holidays here. But why didn't she give Bibi the letter her wrote for her?

Meet the loveable and rambunctious puppy, Bo Davis, in this first book of the Good Dog series! When Bo loses something important, his search takes him all over the farm.

Springtime has arrived at the Davis Family Farm! Spring showers lead to muddy hijinks for a young pup named Bo. But when Bo loses his dog tag, he gets serious and enlists all of his barnyard pals to help him find it. From horse stalls to chicken coops to grazing fields and beyond, Bo’s adventure takes him all over the farm, introducing a cast of friends and frenemies.

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Good Dog chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Top-secret Children's Spy Agency newest recruit, Asha Joshi is back with a brand new mission. Asha is suspicious when evil teenage trillionaire Shelly Belly proposes to cut down all the trees in Asha’s favourite park to make room for CyberOaks: the new tech trees. Asha’s a top coder and super spy so she should be able to face robot security parrots, navigate a suspicious internship and travel to Shelly's super-confidential base in Scotland to crack the case. Will Asha and her robo-hamster sidekick Tumble be able to protect the park and save the day?

The story is a great way to engage young readers in coding and critical-thinking as it combines STEM with exciting adventures. It is mapped onto key National Curriculum Computing KS1 and KS2 concepts including algorithms, conditionals and debugging.

A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids 2024

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Discover the tiny, fascinating world of nurse logs in this first book in an illuminating picture book series that explores how even the smallest habitats play big roles in nature.

Once there stood a giant fir tree that stretched to the sun. One stormy day, a great gust came. The tree creaked, and cracked, and collapsed! And the tree’s new life as a nurse log began...

When old trees fall to the forest floor, they can take centuries to decompose, becoming home to all sorts of organisms along the way. These nurse logs are unique ecosystems that support hundreds of rare and important plants, creatures, and fungi. They provide nutrients for tree seedlings, hideaways for animals, shelters in the winter, and protection from the elements. With snappy text and lush illustrations, this book invites curious readers to step into a tiny ecosystem that’s truly like no other.

Itty is invited to judge the ice sculpture competition at the Frost Festival in this eleventh Itty Bitty Princess Kitty chapter book.

The Frost Festival only occurs every five years in Lollyland. And not only has Itty been invited, she’s been asked to judge the big ice sculpture competition! Itty and her best friend, Luna Unicorn, enjoy ice skating, sledding, and other snowy activities at the festival until it’s time for Itty to judge. But before the competition can even begin, there’s an argument between two ice sculptors. One is convinced that the other stole his carving tool! Can Itty find the missing ice pick—and find a way to settle the argument?

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on every page, the Itty Bitty Princess Kitty chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Itty must learn to dance before her first royal ball in this second adorable book in the Itty Bitty Princess Kitty chapter book series!

There’s going to be a royal ball at the palace! The ball is when Itty will present herself as princess for the first time. Itty also has to teach all of Lollyland a new dance on the spot. There’s just one problem. Itty has no idea how to dance! Will the princess figure something out, or will she dance her way into disaster?

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on every page, the Itty Bitty Princess Kitty chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

The Ipsen Foundation is proud to offer you this one-of-a-kind manga, the result of an inspiring collaboration between 22 mangakas and 22 extraordinary athletes. In celebration of the 2024 Summer Games, we undertook an ambitious project to highlight the 22 sports disciplines that will showcase the greatness of this competition.

Page by page, each discipline comes to life through the artistic skills and passion of the mangakas, who infuse their creativity and dedication into every pencil stroke. Likewise, the athletes, with their determination and experience, have inspired each scene, movement and expression captured in these drawings.

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the artists and athletes whose collaboration made this project possible.

Their contribution brought to life a manga celebrating diversity, resilience and the beauty of sports, thus reminding us that sporting excellence knows no borders.

Céline Colombier-Maffre

Manager of Publications, Fondation Ipsen

Ireland, 1911

A secret signal flashes in the night …

It's an SOS. Is someone being held prisoner?

Friends Tim, Deirdre and Joe set out to investigate. What starts as a diversion while on holiday in Carlingford quickly spirals into a dangerous adventure. Can they solve the case before it's too late? And who can they trust?