Exciting books to read in 2016

The New Year and new school term is all about fresh starts and, of course, deciding what to read next. Whether you’re after action and adventure, stories of friendships or books to make you laugh, these are the big debuts and highlights from Puffin for your reading list this year. Happy reading!

 New books by your favourite authors…

Romans on the Rampage: Jail Break! by Jeremy Strong

Perilus and his family are in trouble again! This is a laugh out loud book that brings Romans to life for young readers. It is a good pick to support kids learning about Romans at school.

Out now

 

 

 

 

The Diary of Dennis the Menace, The Great Escape! by Steven Butler 

The naughtiest boy in fiction returns for another prankster-packed story. In this story Dennis has been packed off to an elite boarding school. Help! Desperate to get back to Bash Street he plots his great escape.

Out in February

 

 

 

Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have returned to Deepdean for a new school term and meet the new head girl and her group of prefects, who are not good eggs! The fourth book in the Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series is another thrilling read.

Out in March

 

 

 

Mabel Jones and the Forbidden City by Will Mabbitt

Mabel fans will be thrilled to hear their favourite heroine is back for a second adventure. Follow her exciting quest as she swashbuckles her way through the jungle to save her little sister from the wicked Witch Queen.

Don’t miss! Look out for the latest Danger book out this year and the exciting new Rick Riordan out in May.
 

 
 

 

Unmissable books to read for the first time or again…

The Butterfly Club by Jacqueline Wilson

New in paperback, is this terrific tale about teeny-tiny Tina, a triplet who is much smaller than her two sisters. A story about learning to be independent. Out now

 

 
 

 
 

 

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Whoopsy splunkers! Read it before you see it. Our delumptious giant is coming to the big screen in July 2016, so now’s the time to read or re-read this gloriumptious story. Out now

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney

Out in paperback this month is the ninth Wimpy Kid book. Join Greg for a laugh out-loud story of a family road trip, that of course is packed with disasters, a lost key, a crazed seagull and even a runaway pig. Out in January

 

 

 

 

 

Fortune Cookie by Cathy Cassidy

Grab your tissues, Sweet Honey is the sixth and final book in Cathy Cassidy’s Chocolate Box Girls series. Out in February

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Half boy. Half God. All Hero. The first in the Percy Jackson book series is one to read for the first time – or for demigod fans to read again.

Out now

 

 

 
 

 

Debut fiction – new authors to discover in 2016

Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden

The first book in a new series about an orphan boy who discovers he is part of a secret army that protects the world from a race of shadowy monsters.

Out in April

 

The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems. The story follows  Ivy Sparrow’s magical adventures in Lundinor, a city beneath London where ordinary objects have extraordinary powers.

Out in June

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

‘Annabelle has lived in Wolf Hollow all her life: a quiet place, still scarred by two world wars. But when cruel, manipulative Betty arrives in town, Annabelle’s calm world is shattered…’ This powerful story is set to be a future children’s classic.

Out in July  

Dandelion Clocks author blog tour

The debut novel by Rebecca Westcott, Dandelion Clocks, is published by Puffin on Thursday 6th March. To celebrate, Rebecca will be embarking on a week long blog tour, visiting seven blogs in seven days, starting today.

In Dandelion Clocks, Liv takes us on a journey through her life from “Thirteen Weeks Before” to “Six Months After”. We discover Liv’s passion for photography, her brother’s obsession with sticking to the rules, the stupidity of Moronic Louise at school, and how the family copes as Mum’s terminal illness takes hold . . . Guided by Mum’s own childhood diaries, Liv finds a new way to live.

This book is real, funny, utterly touching and absolutely heartwarming. Despite the sadness at the heart of the story, every reader will laugh and keep on turning the pages, charmed by Liv and her mum.

Join Rebecca (@westcottwriter) over the next seven days as she talks about her journey to publication; reveals her own teenage diaries and talks about the extraordinary lengths her grandmother went to to hide her diaries.

An interview with debut author Rebecca Westcott

Ahead of the publication of her debut novel, Dandelion Clocks, we chat to author, teacher and mum-of-three Rebecca Westcott.

How long did it take you to write Dandelion Clocks and Violet Ink?
I tend to write a first draft quite quickly – it takes me about six to eight weeks, writing after work in the evenings and at weekends. Being a teacher is great because I get lots of writing time during the holidays, which helps! Once the first draft is written I’ll take my time on the edit, really developing the voice of the main character and making sure that there are no inconsistencies in the plot.

Does anyone read your books while you are in the process of writing them?
I’m really lucky to have an incredibly supportive family, who read everything that I write (and have an opinion on everything I write too!). My 11 year old daughter was the first person to read both books. In fact, it was a conversation that I had with her in our garden one day last spring that gave me the idea for Dandelion Clocks. She also helped me to write some of Izzy’s poems in Violet Ink. Once I’m happy with what I’ve written, I’ll ask people to have a read and give me their thoughts. My husband, mum, sister and lovely friends are great at doing this!

Which authors have inspired you?
One of my favourite authors is Robert Cormier. He writes about topics that are quite grown-up in a way that younger readers can access, without being patronising. I often find his books chilling – they always leave me with a list of questions and wanting more. When I was a child I loved Judy Blume. I would read her books and feel as if I completely knew the characters, even though their lives were so different to mine. Now, I enjoy reading books by authors like Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff and John Green. They aren’t afraid of tackling ‘big’ issues. After all, life happens to everyone – not just to adults.

What is your favourite way to spend a day off from teaching and writing?
I love spending time with my family. We are all big fans of camping and what I enjoy most is sitting in the sunshine watching my husband cook us an amazing campfire meal while our three children race around on their bikes (I’m not completely lazy though – I do the washing-up!). In the winter, if I’m not writing then I’m probably reading, while my husband cooks us a meal and the children create chaos with nerf guns. (You can probably tell that I really, really hate cooking.) Actually, I’m not that fond of housework either, so at the weekends we play a card game after supper – the loser has to do the washing up.

I want to be a writer. What are your top tips for getting published?
Write for fun! When I wrote Dandelion Clocks I was so excited by the idea that I wanted to write it down just to find out if I could create a story from beginning to end. I didn’t write to get published – I write because it makes me feel happy.

Sometimes, write as quickly as you possibly can. Don’t worry about whether it’s perfect – just enjoy the excitement of writing your words down. And then leave it. One of my favourite things about writing is returning to read something I wrote a while ago. It’s a great way of figuring out what works in your writing.

Write for lots of different reasons. Being a writer doesn’t mean that you are writing a book. It means that you communicate and record information using written words. So write a diary, write letters, write emails, send texts. Make lists, write a poem that you’ll only ever show one person, leave notes for your family on the fridge in magnetic letters. Write using as many exciting, interesting words as you can and then write using only twenty words. Play about – it’s your words and there aren’t any rules.

Don’t give up. If someone gives you feedback on your writing (it could be your friends, family or a teacher) then listen to what they have to say. Try out their ideas and decide if it improves your writing. If it does, then great – you’ve developed your skills. If it doesn’t, then you haven’t lost anything.

You can find out more about Rebecca and her novels at www.rebeccawestcottwriter.com or follow her on Twitter @westcottwriter

See, read and listen to The Diary of Dennis the Menace

It's been an exciting and busy week for Dennis the Menace, author Steven Butler and The Beano! Not only does The Diary of Dennis the Menace officially publish today, but Steven himself appeared in the Beano comic yesterday! Here's a peak at what happens when Steven takes a trip to the Beanotown library . . .

PLUS – being a star of the West End, we thought Steven would be the perfect choice to record the audio book for us – and it is hilarious! You can have a sneeky listen to it by clicking on the SoundCloud sample below.

Moshi Monsters: The Movie

The monsterific Moshi Monsters movie is released in UK cinemas today! Join Katsuma, Poppet and the other Moshi Monsters (along with a very eager Mr Snoodle) in an action-packed, song-filled race against time to stop evil Dr Strangeglove and his incompetent Glump sidekick Fishlips from pulverizing the recently discovered Great Moshling Egg.

We have published the book of the story (it's called The Great Moshling Egg) so you can relive the excitement again and again! You can read the first chapter here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the pawesome trailer for the movie – out today in UK cinemas!

 

Meeting Mr Moshi

Moshi Monster fans turned out in force to meet Michael Acton Smith AKA ‘Mr Moshi’ last Saturday (9th November) at Harrods in London.  Mr Moshi was in the Toy Kingdom to sign copies of the pawesome new Moshipedia – and with each purchase of the book lucky fans also received a Moshi-tastic goodie bag that included 100 Rox (Moshi currency).

 

 

Fans were queuing from the moment the store opened with Katsuma keeping the crowds entertained whilst they patiently waited.  First in line was Lucy Neath from Milton Keynes who, whilst having a YouTube channel ‘themoshimonsterkitty’ with an incredible 8,000 followers, had never had the chance to meet Mr Moshi before!

Moshipedia – the A-Z of everything Moshi – is out now!

ZOO-WEE-MAMA it’s Wimpy Kid Wednesday!

ZOO-WEE MAMA! THE
WAIT IS OVER! At last 'Hard Luck', the eighth book in the Wimpy Kid series, by
Jeff Kinney is here.

‘Hard Luck’ sees Greg
Heffley on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him,
and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task.

To change his fortunes, Greg
decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a
roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg's life destined to be just
another hard-luck story? Find out in ‘Hard Luck’ now. Make sure you read it
first!

You’ll find all the latest ‘Hard Luck’ news, including
Jeff Kinney’s UK tour dates this December, video messages from Jeff AND a
Fortune Reader Game on the Wimpy Kid Club website.  Head over today and
laugh-out-loud online with other Wimpy Kid fans.

Meanwhile, can you guess what's going on in these hilarious pictures from the book?

First ever first chapter! STARS

  The lights go down, there is a moment's silence and then the auditorium erupts. Before you can take your first bow the stage is strewn with roses and in the wings you can see a man with a Hollywood smile waiting to whisk you off to LA. What can I say, it's Friday and the mind is wandering. 

If you've even had a similar dream then Stars if for you. My stomach was in knots as I read about dance classes, friendship and auditions at the Arcadia School of Performing Arts. It's written by a father and daughter duo, so without further ado, watch Laura tell you all about it. 

We think she has the makings of a star too. But don't take our word for it, no no no. Download the first few chapters and decide for yourself Download Stars extract