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Expect science-led reading rather than a continuous story: the book moves among species and examples to examine learning, memory and problem-solving, including possible applications of animal abilities in engineering and materials science.

The quest makes geography part of the action: answers help readers advance, while clues and wrong turns guide their progress. A glossary offers a reference point for geographical words.

This is an action-adventure fantasy about a rescue, animal-inspired powers and friends learning to manage unusual devices. The stakes extend from Charlie’s father to the world, with complications among the group as well as external foes.

A tiny animal’s arrival brings a care puzzle: Joshua nibbles the letter before Mr Benjamin can finish reading its instructions. The opening centres on practical care and the zoo’s response to its new arrival.

A school invention project gives Charlie and Marv a challenge, and Lola may bring fresh ideas. The story centres on trying to make something new when the task proves harder than expected.

A practical introduction to reworking denim, covering thrifted denim and ways to adapt dresses, jackets and jeans.

A light fantasy adventure about two girls helping a fairy recover a stolen charm and put baking back to rights.

A muddled box of socks gives Lionel a matching problem to solve: he makes a game of finding which pair belongs to each animal. The story also includes a small moment of disappointment when he finds no pair for himself.

A science-fiction quest follows Akiko and her companions as they try to rescue a kidnapped prince, facing unusual obstacles on the way.

The mystery pairs seasonal spookiness with a more personal puzzle: how to judge coincidences when you are worried. Mary Anne’s friends are part of the investigation, not just bystanders.

Expect a browseable mix of practical topics rather than one continuous adventure narrative: mystery-solving ideas, travel tips, outdoor life, crafts, art projects and recipes.

A playful family problem drives three increasingly fanciful attempts to help. The story combines comic writing and illustrations with a fairy-tale-style resolution.

This is a comic-sounding adventure built around friendship, changing superpowers and a deliberately unpleasant practical problem. Its appeal may lie in the boys’ imaginative challenge rather than realistic everyday situations.

A friendship-led adventure combines a mythical figure with a sequence of daily challenges and changing superpower choices.

A step-by-step introduction to foundational algebra, moving from integers and variables to equation-solving operations, with explanations and examples.

This is a linked-mystery adventure: Nancy follows a coded pigeon message while investigating a strange nighttime signal. The appeal centres on clues, danger and solving how the cases fit together.

A lively, comic animal adventure, with an eccentric family and a cat whose unusual condition drives the plot. Billy’s collecting hobby and the pet-show challenge add extra strands to the story.

Expect a fantasy chase and a problem-solving journey: the Smurfs are separated from home and need to find a way back before Gargamel catches them.

A step-by-step paper-airplane task gives the computer science idea a concrete setting. This may suit a child who enjoys stories that connect an everyday activity with a new way of thinking.

This is a magical, fairy-tale adventure in which two girls help fairy friends after a theft disrupts familiar stories. Its appeal may lie in seeing storybook worlds become tangled.

Luvli has an idea about who is causing trouble in Monstro City and must try to stop Dr Strangeglove and his Glump-a-tron.

This instalment centres on a final quest goal: finding the last gem before the companions can free Deltora. The Valley’s dark mysteries are presented as a challenge that courage and strength alone may not solve.

This is a fantastical rescue adventure in which a group’s journey becomes difficult and unpredictable. Akiko’s decisions and ability to cope in an unfamiliar place are central to the outline.

This is a high-stakes space-rescue adventure, centred on a crew responding to a crisis that threatens Earth. The outline leaves the outcome of their mission unresolved.

A comic monster adventure turns an insect bite into an unsettling change, with Lud needing to find a way to stop the transformation before it is too late.

This is an invention-led adventure, combining jungle hazards with a mystery about ancient carvings and possible contact from space.

Virena's question—what is it like to be a fish? —sparks Papa's next invention.

This blends cosy bakery activity with a magical search, giving the story both familiar routines and an unusual recipe-led puzzle.

Two eleven-year-old friends try to attract business for their problem-solving venture by taking on a substitute teacher.

A light adventure about two very different characters trying to get home, with mishaps involving machines and a focus on cooperation.

Expect an invention-led adventure in which technical problem-solving is central: Tom uses his ingenuity to seek help after he and Bud are trapped underground.

Expect short problem-solving activities rather than a continuous story: children work through puzzles and may explain their reasoning orally or in writing.

A practical introduction to chess that moves from rules and notation towards tactical problem-solving, with explanations and worked solutions to support practice.

This is a structured maths resource, not a story: it combines explanations and examples with activities, and gives particular attention to working out solutions.

A career-focused introduction to how STEM skills apply to cars, from engineering and design to greener vehicles and emerging technology.

Expect an apprentice-led mystery built around codes, potions and a threat to London’s apothecaries, with supernatural elements and a race to uncover a secret.

This is a light adventure built around a teen taking responsibility for babysitting and finding the evening less straightforward than expected.

A comic quest built around a prince’s encounters with strange dangers, ending in a disagreement about what makes someone a princess.

A science-centred adventure pairs a mystery with factual material about the science used in the story and a hands-on density project.

A light, episodic collection built around SpongeBob and his friends, with comic, sea-themed situations ranging from neighbours and school-like monitoring to valentines, fame and a rocket.

A lively celebration of imaginative play, turning ordinary household things into dangers, allies and landscapes. Its main pleasures are comic exaggeration, energetic rescues, inventive object play and the developing partnership between Traction Man and Scrubbing Brush.

A lively bridge between picture books and more independent reading: three comic adventures combine baking, mystery, ghosts and imaginative gadgets. Its illustrations, energetic language, alliteration and recurring characters make the book especially suited to shared reading or a child building confidence.

A playful haunted-house adventure centres on two rowdy poltergeists, a babysitting arrangement and children trying to repair the disruption. Expect comic supernatural trouble, resident ghosts and a brisk problem-solving storyline rather than a realistic family drama.

A fast-moving horror mystery places two newcomers inside a cheerleading squad beset by danger. Its central appeal is suspense: the sisters must work out what is happening while the threat to the team escalates.

A lively fantasy adventure combines school settings, friendship, humour, magic and imaginative creatures. Felix and Betony must use their wits across conflicts involving Rhino, a djinn and the Japegrins, while the story builds towards a threat affecting two worlds.