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Expect a collection of California curiosities: haunted locations, unexplained happenings, unusual figures and creatures, rock formations said to move, and desert drawings visible from the air.

A historical story of friendship under pressure, following Leah and Jeff as the Civil War puts them on opposing sides and faith becomes part of their separate experiences.

Meet several armoured dinosaurs and learn about their habitats, ways of life and extinction. The book highlights armour, plates, spikes and clubs, alongside examples such as Gastonia’s bony eyelids.

A school mystery grows into a suspense story with gothic and fantastic touches. Blanka’s investigation draws on the convent’s history, while the Wolves’ hostility and uncertainty about whom to trust keep tension close to school life.

A group of exiled teenagers face a survival choice in an undead-infested setting, while secrets among them complicate their search for safety and other survivors.

Three supernatural romances place characters amid secret-society rules, danger and divided loyalties. The stories centre on Gillian, Rashel and Hannah, with each facing a different threat or uncertainty.

Tina sees the Ohio River as peaceful and worries about railway safety; Charles values the railway’s power and speed. Their family’s views on slavery and a possible move to Kansas bring the period’s conflicts into family life.

The book presents Leonardo through biographical details, including his large horse project and fondness for practical jokes, as well as inventions he dreamed up. It also invites readers into a lost notebook and the Milan Messenger.

Nora investigates a family mystery while trying to work out whether she can rely on Patch.

Crawford’s routine moves through washing, reading, brushing his teeth and using the bathroom before he settles in bed. The story also connects staying in bed with waking happy.

This is a project-led introduction to ancient Greek and Roman life: making and doing are central, with historical facts alongside activities in crafts, food, maths, science and geography.

Claire’s arrival in Paris brings new sights, people and language, alongside the pleasure of exploring with Camille. Her curiosity about why she was sent there drives the mystery.

A hands-on science project collection, spanning topics from plants and heat to cells and DNA. Its examples include constructing a solar oven and investigating how eggshells respond to stacked phone books.

A historical story of Isabel’s fight for freedom, set against the American Revolution and the danger of spying on the people who enslave her.

A fantasy adventure combines monster battles and a perilous rescue with Cameron’s struggle against anxiety. Friendship, danger and the consequences of loss drive the journey.

This is a naval adventure following Will from ship’s boy to midshipman, with sea battles, pirates, capture and escape, and a final adventure involving Nelson.

This is a supernatural coming-of-age story about Adam’s difficult family life and his collision with a hidden world between life and death.

A browsable introduction to predators past and present, pairing lifelike paper-collage portraits with compact facts, human-scale silhouettes and comparisons between creatures.

This is a concise history of the air war over Europe, following American bombing operations and the aircraft involved. It includes raids, fighter escorts and the debate over daylight precision bombing.

This is a story of grief, adjustment and friendship, set against risky bike stunts and activism. Grey and his friends use online attention to challenge prejudice and police pressure, while their choices raise questions about the costs of becoming more visible.

Huck and Jim travel down the Mississippi, encountering scams, feuding families and difficult moral choices. Huck’s comic, vernacular narration turns their adventure into a story about conscience, slavery and the gap between respectable behaviour and cruelty.

This is a richly situated fairy-tale retelling centred on Charlotte’s determined efforts to keep the mill. It combines family relationships, village lore and a supernatural mystery.

A mother and daughter share a close, tender world as the mother’s illness affects their connection with everyday life. The bubble is both a protective space and an image of separation; the book holds love and impending loss together.

A Christian Christmas story told through a small star’s experience, with the Nativity and the newborn Jesus at its centre.

Expect a brisk puzzle adventure: children explore a new library, follow book-based clues and compete to find an escape route. The illustrations make the setting and visual puzzles part of the reading experience.

Expect a fantastical underworld of masked demons and hungry ghosts, with bargains involving personal treasures. Kasu’s effort to help Arun brings danger and deceit into a story that also features a cat companion.

A single collection combines familiar fairy tales with nursery rhymes. Scheffler illustrates the book; the selection includes animal tales and “Puss in Boots”.

The book introduces AI, including how it works, possible uses, potential dangers and biases. It is intended to give children and grown-ups a starting point for making sense of the technology.

A lively science topic with real-animal inspiration at its centre: the book profiles designs such as a colour-changing robot and a machine that sticks to surfaces, then looks towards future possibilities.

A fairy adventure brings sewing and other creative activities together with a stolen-thimble problem for Rachel and Kirsty to tackle.

The tale connects dwelling on what is unavailable with missing the good things already around you.

Expect a contemporary-school setting alongside shifters, fairies, witches and fairy-tale rules. Bryar’s resistance to her assigned role and the unwanted marriage plan sits alongside dreams, romance and a threat to lives and magic.

An animal tale centres on Giraffe getting stuck while reaching for honey. Its beginner-reader approach makes practising familiar words part of the reading experience.

Poems and paintings show a child observing his father’s prayers and reflecting on their relationship. Prayer is presented as a recurring part of family life, and the collection centres on Christian faith.

A broad introduction to South Korea brings together its past and present, landscapes and cultural life. Alongside chapters on history, politics and the peninsula’s division, readers will find material on music, cuisine and traditions, plus a kimchi stew recipe and a craft.

Expect a broad introduction to North Korea, spanning history and government as well as culture and everyday life, with a recipe and board-game craft among the extras.

A shy girl’s confidence is tested by wedding preparations, modelling, and a public challenge. Her friend supports her as she gains poise and helps bring about a Dream Wedding for her mother.

A career guide introducing the variety of jobs in television and the training that may be desirable or required for them.

Little Else’s circus acts are a hit, but Ma Calico withholds payment. With the horses tired of pulling Ma and the performers urging Little Else to act, she goes looking for bushranger Harry Blast.

Billy the Magic Mouse accompanies young readers through a practical soccer-training workbook, with tips and chapters on techniques and tactics for organised or informal play.

A summer at an elite riding academy becomes a search for answers about a girl who disappeared on a trail ride. Brynlei’s investigation draws opposition, and she faces a choice involving a secret and a life.

A themed survey of Roman life and technology, with timelines, sidebars and practical projects. Topics range from baths and mosaics to Pompeii, gladiator bouts and siege machines.

A rainy walk turns into a close-up encounter with migrating toads and people helping them cross a road towards ponds. The book joins a family story with information about migration and human-made roads.

A finger-following trail takes vehicles through a city, with a train crossing a bridge and going underground, and a car moving up and down a street. Rhymes, contrasts, tactile pathways and bold illustrations shape the journey.

A teenager’s search for a girl who may not be real leads into a story of visions, possible spirit-world encounters and uncertainty about belonging.

A warm, illustration-rich story about rebuilding a neglected hotel through practical work, creative problem-solving and cooperation. Its main tension comes from whether Anna and her team can meet an inspector’s challenge.

This is an outdoor adventure about a child investigating her grandmother’s disappearance, helping eagles in difficulty and discovering a stronger sense of belonging in the mountain community.