Fiction, short stories, poetry, non-fiction and picture books for year 5
Download fileTwo schoolboys discover a spaceship when out on a school-trip. The boys learn to fly the spaceship and talk in Latin, because this is the only language Aquila understands. But... Read more
This is a completely original version of the "Arabian Nights Stories" by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean. In order to delay her inevitable execution, Queen Shaharazad tells her murdering husband, King... Read more
When Alex is given a silly, sappy picture book called Birthday Bunny, he picks up a pencil and turns it into something he'd actually like to read: Battle Bunny. An... Read more
In fifth-century Denmark, a murderous monster stalks the night, and only the great prince of the Geats has the strength and courage to defeat him. Beowulf's terrifying quest to destroy... Read more
A collection of short stories from a stellar line-up of Irish authors and illustrators, edited by bestselling author Sarah Webb. 12 wintry tales of wonder, from the funny to the... Read more
When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way. Ade loves living at the top... Read more
A young couple wakes up to find a strange boy asleep on their porch. At first they don't expect him to stay, but stay he does, and as the couple's... Read more
A thriller set in ancient Egypt between 1351-1354 BC. Tutmose and Ibrim's father, the animal dealer, is commanded by the new pharaoh Akhenaten, to bring him animals - lots of... Read more
What was it really like to live in a castle during the Middle Ages? This book gives the answer. Sent to his uncle's castle for a year to learn ten-year-old... Read more
Inspired by Charles Dickens' own words, Mick and Brita bring this extraordinary genius to life, revealing Dickens' childhood working in a London boot polish factory and charting his meteoric rise... Read more
It's the Second World War and, with London becoming an increasingly dangerous place to live, the Lockwood children are whisked away to the Heron Hall, to stay with their Uncle... Read more
Despite his Mum's insistence, Sam doesn't want to be friends with Davey, he thinks Davey's a first class, grade A, top of the dung heap moron. But one day Davey... Read more
Award-winning, beautifully illustrated introduction to William Shakespeare for children; celebrating his life, his most famous plays and the time in which he lived. Vividly brings to life Shakespeare's school days... Read more
When Coraline moves to a new house she is fascinated by the fact that their house is in fact only half a house. Divided into flats years before, the other... Read more
The dead are rising! Up out of the mouldering pages of history comes the chat show that digs the dirt on some of history's most famous, infamous and downright incredible... Read more
From Aurora Borealis, Sun - You're a Star and A Matter of Holes, to Lady Winter's Rap, the Earthworm Sonnet and You - a Universe Yourself, this is brilliant poetry... Read more
Bored with her little brother Pog's childish games, Dindy decides that she's finally grown-up enough for a real adventure. While her mother is sleeping and the servants are busy, she... Read more
A classic essential with a new foreword by Michael Morpurgo The wolf has lost nearly everything on his journey to the zoo, including an eye and his beloved pack. The... Read more
Jill finds herself in a story-world of magicians and dragons and floating castles, apples of immortality and the most gruesome giant of all time. She meets Old Feller Storyteller, with... Read more
pagesWhen a father who dreams of flying goes off to war and does not return, his son decides to make the dream come true. Grahame Baker-Smith’s moving story, with stunning... Read more
There are many boys in the world, all slightly different from one another, and most of them are referred to by names. These are often John or Jack or Desmond,... Read more
In an England covered by water, Zoe lives alone in the island of Norwich, lost by her parents in the rush to escape. Desperate to survive the marauding gangs, she... Read more
It begins as all good superheroes stories do with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. When Ulysees, the squirrel is sucked up the vacuum cleaner he is born again... Read more
A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam - anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description... Read more
Max Pendragon is probably the worst squire in King Arthur's kingdom - he'd much rather train to be a wizard instead. So when he accidentally invents a spell that turns... Read more
A spell-binding collection of short stories from Britain's best-loved children's author, Michael Morpurgo. Explore friendship, love, revenge, life and death in the pages of From Hereabout Hill Included in this... Read more
George's Secret Key To The Universe by Lucy Hawking, Stephen Hawking takes you through the vastness of space and, in the midst of an exciting adventure, helps you discover the... Read more
When de July sun hot like fire, Den I have jus' one desire, To run down to de shop an' buy a Kisko pop. The World Is Sweet and Hot... Read more
This unique children's book presents 'delicious' recipes from witches around the world. Every dish has one thing in common: the main ingredients are CHILDREN! In the classic, gruesome style typical... Read more
How to Train Your Dragon: the story begins in the first volume of Hiccup's How to Train Your Dragon memoirs...Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an awesome sword-fighter, a dragon-whisperer and... Read more
Mankind must put a stop to the dreadful destruction by the Iron Man and set a trap for him, but he cannot be kept down. Then, when a terrible monster... Read more
Meet Itch - an accidental, accident-prone hero. Science is his weapon. Elements are his gadgets. All-action adventure perfect for fans of Alex Rider and Young Bond.Itchingham Lofte - known as Itch... Read more
From the incomparable Russell Hoban comes a moving, unflinching tale of a boy who finds bravery during illness, beautifully re-imagined as a graphic-novel by award-winning illustrator Alexis Deacon. Asleep in... Read more
Wanting to prove to his brothers and sister that magic really exists, Leon volunteers to be in Abdul Kazam's magic show and gets transported to a mysterious world. Filled with... Read more
We weren't supposed to be going to the pictures that night. We weren't even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been... Read more
Inside the little house in the Big Woods live the Ingalls family: Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura and baby Carrie. Outside the little house are the wild animals: the bears and... Read more
Slowly Jack learns the pleasures of writing poetry as Miss Stretchberry encourages him to tell his own story through verse. What emerges is a moving and memorable story about a... Read more
This is a powerful and haunting classic about a girl haunted by her own dreams. Ill and bored with having to stay in bed, Marianne picks up a pencil and... Read more
And then, this afternoon,' Uncle Fred said to me, 'you and I'll go after the fox.' Tom, a town boy, is horrified when his parents tell him he has to... Read more
The monster Grendel has awoken and the townspeople are terrified. Even the King has abandoned his great Hall. Hero after hero comes to slay the monster, but no one can... Read more
This is a new edition of the well-loved classic story. Even before she came to Belton, Minty Cane had known that she was a witch, or something very like it...Minty... Read more
The gods have created a world - they've built mountains, a sea and a sky - and now their days are filled with long naps in the clouds (and tea... Read more
Bess Throckmorton meets an old man at a family reunion who tells her that Sir Walter Raleigh is one of her ancestors. Curious to see where he was imprisoned, she... Read more
My Place traces the history of one small part of Australia and the people who have lived there, from the Dreaming until the present day. As time folds rhythmically backwards,... Read more
The photographer Steve Bloom is off on another expedition, this time to see the animals living at the freezing poles: polar bears, penguins, whales and seals. The book follows Steves... Read more
Griffin has a secret in his heart that nobody else knows - until he meets Layla.Griffin Silk is from an uncommon sort of family, parents When he meets Layla, a... Read more
Natasha's story is set against the background of the Russian Revolution as she and her family flee persecution. Her story is linked with the present as her heirs search for... Read more
'The cat himself knows and will never confess...'. This edition of T S Eliot's original book of Practical Cats wascommissioned to celebrate Old Possum's 75th anniversary with lively new illustrations from Rebecca Ashdown.... Read more
Peacock Pie contains the finest of Walter de la Mare's poems for children, accompanied by exquisite original illustrations from Edward Ardizzone. Classic poetry collection includes The Listeners 244 pages Read more
Johnnie was only the runt of the litter, a little peppermint pig. He'd cost Mother a shilling, but somehow his great naughtiness and cleverness kept Poll and Theo cheerful, even... Read more
Following on from the fabulous Dust 'n' Bones and Fangs 'n' Fire, comes Pirates 'n' Pistols - ten swashbuckling pirate tales. Come face-to-face with some of the most villainous and... Read more
A princess cannot get warm, no matter what is done for her. A stranger with cold eyes brings her the earth's blanket, the forest's blanket, the ocean's blanket and more,... Read more
This is a rich and dazzling collection of mythological tales drawn from Hindu epics. Each story is told in colour yet simple language, and prefaced with some personal anecdote from... Read more
Roger McGough has drawn together a stunning collection of poems inspired by the five senses. Gems from the very best classic and contemporary poets such as Carol Ann Duffy, Ian... Read more
In this wonderful collection of very short stories from award-winning author, Kevin Crossley-Holland, none of the stories is more than two pages long, and some are much shorter. There are... Read more
This is an inspirational illustrated novel for younger readers from one of Australia's foremost children's writers and recipient of the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Award. .One morning in the woods of... Read more
A classic story set in World War Two, this tells how three children, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are helped by the young orphan Jan to escape from the horrors of... Read more
Freya is an ordinary girl living in modern Britain, but with a twist: people still worship the Viking gods. One evening, stuck with her dad on his night shift at... Read more
Small Stuart embarks on an awfully big adventure in this quirky puzzle-solving novel. Uprooted from London by his kindly but distracted parents, Stuart finds himself with nothing to do in... Read more
A wonderful collection of new poems and old favourites, some funny and some serious, by a talented children's poet. Covering almost two decades of Chrissie Gittins's best work, this collection... Read more
In the maze-like dungeons of Castle Grotteskew, the frightfully insane Professor Erasmus conducts his bizarre experiments on living things. His very first creation has long been forgotten - a small,... Read more
Usborne's newspaper history books present facts about various periods in history through the use of a fictional tabloid newspaper. Fictionalised newspaper Also available Egyptian Echo, Greek Gazette, Roman Record, Viking... Read more
Unforgettable tale of an orphan in Victorian London, based on the boy whose plight inspired Dr Barnardo to found his famous children's homes. When his mother dies, Jim Jarvis is... Read more
A collection of 20 stories from India's rich folklore heritage. From wicked magicians to wise old priests, charming princes and beautiful princesses, to greedy tigers and wily jackals, these magical... Read more
A collection of favourite tales gathered from the many different islands of the Caribbean, one of the world's richest sources of traditional storytelling. From the very first Kingfisher to Anansi... Read more
Here, magnificently illustrated, are thirteen of Hans Christian Andersen's finest stories. Combining dark moments of genius with lighter moments of fantasy, the tales include The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina,... Read more
Zoologist Nicola Davies has a talent for writing books that are informative and engaging. In this book she writes about the ways in which animals communicate. Humorously illustrated by Neal... Read more
Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for all eventualities. His favourite book is Don't Be Scared, Be Prepared, and he has memorised every page of it. He could even survive a... Read more
Tomas wants to be like his father - strong, brave and fearless. Pappi is a mountain guide, often away from home. He has taught Tomas to love the mountains, but... Read more
Rudger is Amanda’s best friend. He doesn’t exist, but nobody’s perfect. Only Amanda can see her imaginary friend - until the sinister, predatory Mr Bunting arrives at Amanda's door one... Read more
In this timeless fable, New York Times bestselling author, twice winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal and US National Ambassador for Children's Literature Kate DiCamillo evokes the largest of themes... Read more
Alistair and Eleanor Brocket pride themselves on being perfectly normal. They have normal jobs, a normal house, and turn their noses up at anything remotely strange of out of the... Read more
A wonderful adventure as two children flee from the tyranny of their wicked guardian and bravely set out on the road to London. Miss Slighcarp is as chilling as her... Read more
Gustas is nearly killed in the hurricane, trying to save his banana tree; Nenna and her brother Man-Man patrol the coconut plantation in the dead of night, ready to catch... Read more
Outside! What's it like?' Masklin looked blank. 'Well,' he said. 'It's sort of big-' To the thousands of the tiny nomes who live under the floorboards of a large department... Read more
This is a moving story of a summer of friendship with darker undertones of the plight of refugees. Two refugee brothers from Mongolia are determined to fit in with their... Read more
“Once, the only sounds to be heard were the buzzing of bees in the grass, the murmuring of moles in the earth, and the song of birds in the sky.... Read more
Four different voices tell their own versions of the same walk in the park. The radically different perspectives give a fascinating depth to this simple story which explores many of... Read more
The story of black footballer and soldier Walter Tull, presented as though it were an autobiography written by Walter himself. It has an appealing and accessible layout that makes use... Read more
Former presenter of 'The Really Wild Show', Nicola Davies writes with authority, humour and integrity about the natural world. This beautifully designed book makes good use of layout to present... Read more
At the edge of a cliff lies the wreck of a small sailboat. How did it get there? "Waves carried it up in a storm," says an old sailor. But... Read more
Dad, mum and two brothers spend a day at the zoo, looking at the animals in the cages - or is it the animals that are looking at them? Free... Read more