Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Out of his smoke-filled rooms in Baker Street stalks a figure to cause the criminal classes to quake in their boots and rush from their dens of inequity ...The twelve mysteries gathered in this first collection of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson's adventures reveal the brilliant consulting detective at the height of his powers. Problems involving a man with a twisted lip, a fabulous blue carbuncle and five orange pips tax Sherlock Holmes' intellect alongside some of his most famous cases, including A Scandal in Bohemia and The Red-Headed League.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

One Thursday lunchtime, the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has already had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very strange and startling place.

The Hobbit

J R R Tolkein

"The Hobbit" is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar.

Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of Five Armies are just some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children's fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, "The Hobbit" met with instant critical acclaim when published

The Boy in the striped pyjamas

John Boyne

The story of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. We hope you never have to cross such a fence.

Black hearts in Battersea

Joan Aiken

"Simon paid off the driver and turned to follow Mrs Twite. But she seemed to have locked the door behind her and, as he rattled the latch unavailingly and then rapped the locker, something dark and suffocating was forced down over his head and a pair of hands gripped his throat."

Simon, coming to London to study painting with his old friend Dr Field, finds he has vanished without trace. Determined to discover what lies behind his disappearance, Simon is trapped in a fiendish plot. Why has his landlord got guns in his cellar and how does one deal with his irrepressible daughter, Dido . . .?

The black book of secrets

F E Higgins

When Ludlow Fitch suffers an unspeakable betrayal he runs from the rotten, stinking city. On the night he enters Pagus Parvus a second newcomer arrives at the remote village. Joe Zabbidou, a mysterious pawnbroker who buys people’s deepest, darkest secrets, is searching for new customers – and for an apprentice. Shadowy Ludlow seems perfect for the job. Bus as he begins his new life recording the villagers’ fiendish confessions, Ludlow’s murky past threatens to come to light….

Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer

‘Stay back, Human. You don’t know what you’re dealing with’

Twelve year old Artemis Fowl is a brilliant criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories. These fairies are armed and they’re dangerous. Artemis thinks he’s got them just where he wants then, but then they stop playing by the rules.

Heroes of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries

Rick Riordan

Runaway Demigods Luke and Thalia face untold dangers on their way to camp Half-Blood

Percy Jackson and Annabeth must rescue stolen goods from a fire-breathing giant who doesn’t take kindly to intruders.

And Leo, Piper and Jason have to dodge a band of party-loving maenads and stave off an explosion – in one hour or less….

Crown of Acorns

Catherine Fisher

Who can survive their past, in a place where it curves and comes up behind you?

The Circle is the oldest magic. Three lives echo in a ring of stone….

A leper king finds a sacred spring that will heal him. There he builds the great city of Aquae Sulis. In 1740 Zac works for the brilliant and crazy Jonathan Forrest, who wants only to design a perfect circle of houses. Today, a girl with no name and a terrible secret starts a new life in the beautiful street called the King’s Circus. But who is watching her every move?

Blackout

Robert Swindells

It’s September 1939, and Britain has just entered the Second World War. But in the small town of Golfodd there are no bombs, no soldiers and no machine guns. For Tom, Mary, Gary and Dil the whole thing is a disappointment. They wanted excitement. But they aren’t looking for trouble, so when they start shadowing the mysterious new woman in town, they don’t expect it to lead to the bottom of the old, rotten mines of Golfodd. Then things get dark and dangerous….

Secrets of the Fearless

Elizabeth Laird

Falsely accused of murder, twelve-year old John Barr and his father run for their lives through the dark and winding streets of Edinburgh. At the harbour they are forced to join the navy and posted on different warships. On board the mighty HMS Fearless, a chance discovery thrusts John into a shadowy world of secrets and spies. His adventure has only just begun….

Feather boy

Nicky Singer

Robert is the class victim, the guy who’s never picked for the team. So no-one is more surprised than Robert himself when a strange old lady sends him on a quest to solve the mystery of derelict Chance House. Legend has it that a boy once fell to his death from an upper window. But what has this past to do with Robert’s future? To get to the truth, Robert must learn what it really means to fly.

The secret diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾

Sue Townsend

Meet Adrian Mole, a hapless teenager providing an unadashed, pimples-and-all glimpse into adolescent life. Telling us candidly about his parents’ marital troubles, The Dog, and his life as a tortured poet and ‘misunderstood intellectual’.

The fourth horseman

Kate Thompson

When Laurie is arrested for setting fire to her father’s research lab she’s unsure what to say in her defence. Should she say that she’s an animal rights activist? Or should she tell the whole story, about the mysterious horsemen that she saw in the woods, and the terrifying truth which lay behind their appearance? In the eyes of the police she is a criminal. But Laurie knows that she’s a hero.

The Crowfield Curse

Pat Walsh

Will knows a secret. Somewhere in the forest, behind the abbey where he lives, is a grave. And beneath the snow lies something he thought could never die. But Will is not alone in knowing the truth about the Crowfield curse. Hidden in the dusk, someone else is watching…

Lionboy and the Chase

Zizou Corder

Charlie Ashanti is on the run from an amazing floating circus with six homesick, beautiful lions. Charlie has promised to help the lions find their way home, but he has his own problems. His mum and dad have been kidnapped and Charlie is being hunted down by villains. New friends offer help. But can Charlie and the lions trust them?

Dark Fire

Chris D’Lacey

With the Earth on the brink of recolonisation by dragons, David Rain is sent on an important mission: to seek out and destroy a trace of dark fire, the deadliest force in the universe. But with success could come a terrible price, the sacrifice of a beloved clay dragon. How much does the life of one small dragon count, when the alternative is the birth of a darkling…?

The 13 curses

Michelle Harrison

Trapped in the fairy realm, Red must beg an audience with the fairy court. There she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned – but only if she can find the charm’s of Tanya’s bracelet, scattered in the human world. Returning to Elvesden manor, Red is assisted by Tanya and Fabian, and a desperate hunt begins. Soon they make a shocking discovery. The charms are now cursed with the twisted qualities of the thirteen treasures they represent…. And the longer they are missing, the worse the consequences will be.

The Howling Tower

Michael Coleman

A terrifying fate awaits Benjamin Wildfire when he escapes from his cruel bear owner. He is hoping to find the fabled Hide-Park, where it is said that humans roam free. But will he and his friend Mops be able to survive, especially once they are captured and imprisoned in the sinister Howling Tower?

Framed

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Dylan Hughes is more interested in the Ninja Turtles than in the Renaissance artists they are named after. But then Dad leaves home and, overnight, nine-year-old Dylan must become man of the household and boss of the failing family business. A masterpiece worth a mint might be just what they all need….

Wishful Thinking

Ali Sparkes

It’s just a regular trip for Kevin, and he comes back with just the regular sorts of things. Some local fudge, a scented candle for his mum…and his own personal god. It’s Abandinus, a little known Celtic deity who has suddenly found a new purpose in his eternal life – sorting out Kevin’s. With a god on your side, everything’s going to get a lot easier, isn’t it? After all, a god can get stuff done. The trouble is, it’s not always the kind of stuff Kevin has in mind….

The Poison Garden

Sarah Singleton

Thomas has inherited a magical box from his dead grandmother, which provides entry into a mysterious garden where her ghost warns him she was poisoned. For once she belonged to an arcane guild, whose members each cultivated a garden and mastered the arts of poison, perfume and medicine. The remaining guild members jostle for power as, one by one, they are murdered. Can Thomas solve the mystery before he in turn is threatened?

War Horse

Michael Morpurgo

In the deadly chaos of the First World War, one horse witnesses the reality of battle from both sides of the trenches. Bombarded by artillery, with bullets knocking riders from his back, Joey tells a powerful story of the truest friendships surviving in terrible times