Sophie Kirtley

A thrilling new adventure story inspired by Irish folklore from Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home. Perfect for fans of Sophie Anderson's The House with Chicken Legs, Amy Wilson's A Girl Called Owl and Aisha Bushby's A Pocketful of Stars. Pip lives with Mum in their isolated cottage on the wetlands. Pip struggles to feel like he fits in at school. But at home, amongst nature, he truly feels he can be himself. Just like every winter, Pip is waiting for the swanfall – when the flock of majestic Arctic swans return from Siberia on their annual migration. He knows every swan by their unique markings, and he loves to help Mum record the flock as they soar, shining through the sky, to their home. But this December, Pip’s favourite three swans haven’t appeared. Instead, Pip notices strange footprints in the snow, whispers on the wind and the sense that someone is watching him. Something mysterious is afoot, and the adventure to discover the truth leads Pip to follow clues to an ancient curse that he had always believed was simply a fairytale …

The unusual creak of a floorboard, a flash of light in the dark and the eerie breeze from a closed window … We've all heard tales of phantoms and spooks haunting old buildings, but how many of them can be linked back to real people, real lives and real history? From the ghostly phantoms who walk the grounds at the Tower of London to a haunted maze at Hampton Court Palace, these spine-tingling tales of ghosts, ghouls and unexplained occurrences will bring history to life in the eeriest way possible. Made in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces, this stunning and spooky collection features eleven gripping stories from bestselling, award-winning and rising-star authors including: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Alexia Casale, Joseph Coelho, Larry Hayes, Jim Helmore, Catherine Johnson, Sophie Kirtley, E. L. Norry, Imogen Russell Williams, Jasmine Richards and Sam Sedgman. Along with stunning, atmospheric illustration from Pam Smy, this unique collection is sure to keep readers of every age up long past their bedtimes ...

‘Let’s go on an adventure!’ Granda says to Emily. Stepping out from their special wee place at the bottom of the garden, Granda and Emily find themselves on bustly city streets, at a roaring waterfall and in a crumbling castle. As they visit all Granda’s favourite places, they become Emily’s favourites too. Let Emily and Granda show you the magic of their Northern Ireland!

Sometimes, secrets don’t stay buried forever. Sometimes, they need to be set free…Twelve-year-old Edie and her younger brother Pip are spending half term at Fortune Farm, high in the Irish mountains, with their grandmother Lolly. They haven’t visited Fortune Farm for YEARS and Edie has been dreading it for MONTHS. They spent all their holidays there when Dad was alive. And Edie doesn't like thinking about Dad – even the happy memories haunt her too much. When Edie uncovers a clue that could lead her to long-lost Viking treasure, it's just the adventure she needs to take her mind off Dad. But the adventure soon takes an unnerving and dangerous turn, and Edie discovers that Fortune Farm has more secrets, mysteries and ghosts than she had ever dared to dream. A spine-tingling adventure about the power of memories and the restless spirits that whisper on the wind… An emotional and spine-tingling adventure perfect for fans of The House with Chicken Legs, A Girl Called Owl and A Pocketful of Stars.***‘Ghostly and atmospheric and would have you glued to the pages until its satisfying end,' Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

'Dazzling storytelling' - Hilary McKayBorn with a serious heart condition, Dara has been waiting for his Big Operation forever, and this summer it’s finally going to happen. The moment his heart is fixed he’ll row out to the island in the bay all by himself just like he’s always dreamed. But when his op is postponed, Dara snaps. When will he get to live his real life? Maybe the adventures he dreams of are just silly fantasies. And then he finds a girl hiding in the boat shed. She wears animal skins. She has a real live pet wolf. She is, simply, impossible. Could Mothgirl really be from the Stone Age? And what is she seeking on Lathrin Island? As Dara and Mothgirl set out on a wild, windswept sea journey Dara begins to realise that when you stop worrying about what’s impossible, you can do anything. A brave, life-affirming middle-grade timeslip adventure about finding your family and finding yourself, from the author of The Wild Way Home.

'So good I read it twice' - Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War'This thrilling time-slip adventure oozes magic and heart' - Bookseller EDITOR'S CHOICEWhen Charlie’s longed-for brother is born with a serious heart condition, Charlie’s world is turned upside down. Upset and afraid, Charlie flees the hospital and makes for the ancient forest on the edge of town. There Charlie finds a boy floating face-down in the stream, injured, but alive. But when Charlie sets off back to the hospital to fetch help, it seems the forest has changed. It’s become a place as strange and wild as the boy dressed in deerskins. For Charlie has unwittingly fled into the Stone Age, with no way to help the boy or return to the present day. Or is there? What follows is a wild, big-hearted adventure as Charlie and the Stone Age boy set out together to find what they have lost – their courage, their hope, their family and their way home. Fans of Piers Torday and Stig of the Dump will love this wild, wise and heartfelt debut adventure.