It’s been 140 years since the Wolf swallowed the Sun, so why are all the cats in the dark, fog-shrouded town of Starspill bothering Zac about it now? He just wants to stay warm, listen to stories, and work hard for his brother as an apprentice starsmith. But the cats have other ideas. They want Zac to steal one of the three legendary Embers of the Sun from the town museum for them, and they’ve taken his precious secret map to make sure he’ll agree!
‘Storytelling at its very best!’ Jo Bowers
‘A gem … reminiscent of Joan Aitken in its wit and style.’ New Statesman
‘Mythical, vivid and pacy. It has all the feels of a children’s classic, yet is totally fresh and original.’ Julie Pike
‘It’s years since I’ve loved a fantasy adventure as much as this one. Starspill and Catherine Fisher deserve every prize going.’ Amanda Craig
· 17 adventures, fairy tales and ghost stories from across Wales, retold and reimagined by the author of WELSH FAIRY TALES, MYTHS AND LEGENDS
· Traditional stories are given new life through a contemporary storyteller’s lens – a feisty, inclusive and relatable cast in a mix of traditional and contemporary settings
· Beautiful, decorative, hardback edition – perfect as a gift or keepsake and for reading aloud.
A wealth of Welsh myths, legends and ghost stories are reimagined for contemporary younger readers.
Meet Idris, the teenage giant king on a quest to collect stories. As he travels across Wales in this anthology, readers encounter a vengeful house goblin, a ghost that steals life from the living, dwarves that have moved in beneath someone’s garden, a tea party of Lady ghosts, a furry trickster goblin and many other fascinating and devious fairy folk besides!
‘A vibrant collection of stories, packed with magic, wit and warmth. Fayers weaves ancient folklore and modern storytelling together seamlessly. I was enchanted!’ P.G. Bell
‘A wonderful collection of weird, Welsh tales. Packed with thrills and chills, and deftly brought to life with classic Fayers’ wit. I absolutely loved it!’ Eloise Williams
‘A wonderful collection of fresh, fun retellings, told with heart and humour, sure to spark imaginations and inspire readers to collect and share their own tales.’ Sophie Anderson
‘This collection is storytelling perfection. Funny, heartwarming and wonderfully weird.’ Julie Pike
We’re absolutely thrilled that Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne has been longlisted for the prestigious UKLA awards!
The UKLA Book Awards are the only children’s book awards judged by teachers.
They seek to celebrate children’s books in order to encourage teachers to increase their professional and personal knowledge of recently published high quality children’s books and promote the place of books for young people in all educational settings from nursery to key stage 4.
The books selected for the award are titles that teachers can share with pupils as part of regular classroom experience, eg to: read for pleasure in the teacher’s read aloud programme to the whole class inspire extended response from learners (through discussion, creative interaction or understanding the wider curriculum) be the focus of study (set books, shared and guided reading) enhance all aspects of literacy learning and literary study.
Selection committees and teacher judges are asked to look, first and foremost, for well-written, engaging ‘reads’ and, where appropriate, outstanding illustration and design.
Best friends Luna and Zoey can’t stop talking about boys and kissing, but Noah just wants everything to go back to the way it was. To fit in, Noah pretends that she likes Archie, a boy from school, even though she’s not quite sure. When new girl Jessa joins their group things get even more confusing. Can Noah admit to herself who she really likes, not who she thinks she should? to steal one of the three legendary Embers of the Sun from the town museum for them, and they’vetaken his precious secret map to make sure he’ll agree!
We’re absolutely thrilled to have three of our titles featured in The Bookseller Buyers Guide’s Season Highlights! Find out more about our lead titles for Autumn 2024 below.
In a world where the shadow-like ‘daayan’ stalk the night, the mages of Agraal are the only ones able to defend the realm. So, when Princess Thiya discovers she has the extraordinary powers of a healing mage, she captures the attention of earth mage Isaac. In order to lure Thiya to the frontline to help defeat the daayan, Isaac does the unthinkable, he takes Thiya’s true love Amara hostage.
Together with fire mage Kaayan and her brother Lochan, Thiya must make a perilous journey to rescue Amara. But not everything is as it seems and the powers at work behind Amara’s abduction might come from the darkest heart of them all.
A poignant, moving love story set in a rich and vivid world inspired by Indian folk tales.
It’s been 140 years since the Wolf swallowed the Sun, so why are all the cats in the dark, fog-shrouded town of Starspill bothering Zac about it now? He just wants to stay warm, listen to stories, and work hard for his brother as an apprentice starsmith. But the cats have other ideas. They want Zac to steal one of the three legendary Embers of the Sun from the town museum for them, and they’vetaken his precious secret map to make sure he’ll agree!
Huw always pops in to see his nan on the way home from school – she bakes him cakes and never fusses about his homework. So it’s a great shock when, one day, Nan forgets his name, and calls him Johnny – the long-unmentionable name of her late brother. As Nan slowly slips into the grip of dementia, Huw and his friends go on a quest to learn more about Johnny and what happened to him.
Exploring themes of friendship, family bonds and the history of conscientious objection in WW2, Feather is both modern and historical, as well as being relatable, particularly for children who may have grandparents with a similar dementia struggle to nan.
Aimed at ages 9-14, the original Welsh edition, Pluen, won the Tir na n-Og Award Wales children’s fiction Award in 2017.
We are beyond thrilled to have three of our books shortlisted in The Week Junior Book Awards 2024!
🌟 Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner in the Breakthrough Book Category
🌟 Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog by Terrie Chilvers and Tim Budgen in the Fiction Younger Category
🌟 Cracking Cricket by Robin Bennett in the Hobbies & Interests category
Celebrating the brilliant world of children’s books and the talented people who create them, The Week Junior Book Awards honour the authors, illustrators and publishers who inspire children to read for pleasure. The emphasis is on original ideas, outstanding illustration and smart storytelling, as well as new and diverse talent.
Set in Devon in 1941, Digging for Victory tells the story of twelve-year-old Bonnie Roberts who is desperate to play a valuable part in the war effort. For her, tending the family vegetable patch just doesn’t cut it; she wants to be a hero like her RAF pilot brother, Ralph.
But when the mysterious Mr Fisher is billeted at her farmhouse, and Ralph is reported missing in action, she starts to question what heroism actually involves. And as Bonnie attempts to find out who Mr Fisher really is, she embarks on a life-changing and emotional voyage of discovery.
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Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog
Michael’s dream is to go from being an unknown pup to a Hollywoof sensation and global su-paw-star. But becoming famous is no walkies in the park…
How long will it take Michael’s fellow inhabitants of Snuffles-by-Sea to recognise his amazing talent? And with the help of his trusty sidekick, Stanley Big Dog, what can possibly go wrong?
Heartwarming and humourous, this title for 7-9 features fun ‘paw-written’ entries by Michael himself and brilliant illustrations by Tim Budgen.
The news is finally out! The tale of the tiger sea captain, Skrimsli, written by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Jackie Morris, has been shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize for nature writing, in the Children’s Category. This comes hot off the heels of Skrimsli’s 2024 Wales Book of the Year win.
Illustrated by Jackie Morris, this epic prequel to The Song that Sings Us tells the thrilling story of a tiger sea-captain, a boy called Owl, a desert princess, a horse with a heart of gold and many others as they fight to save their worlds from war, hate and environmental destruction. Born into captivity in a circus, Skrimsli must work out where he belongs in a world ruled by human fear and greed. But he soon finds he has friends in many places, and that fear is not the only story…
Jackie said: There are few characters that are so dear to my heart as Skrimsli, the tiger captain, born in the imagination of one of Wales’ finest writers, and now roaming the wild. It is a real honour that the strength of this
Skrimsli is the second fantasy adventure from author Nicola Davies set in a world where animals and humans can sometimes share their thoughts. It traces the early life of Skrimsli, the tiger sea captain who, along with his friends, Owl and Kal, must escape the clutches of a tyrannical circus owner, then stop a war and save the ancient forest.
Also in the series:
Harlon has been raised to protect her younger siblings and their outlawed power of communicating with animals. But when the sinister Automators attack, they must flee for their lives. In a thrilling adventure they must all journey alone through ice fields, forests and oceans to try to rescue each other and fulfil a mysterious promise.
