Author: Mrs Odie

Jack Skellington, the beloved Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, has grown tired of his home’s annual scaring routines and longs for something new.

So when he and his loyal dog, Zero, discover a series of doors in the Hinterlands leading to other holiday towns, he can’t help but explore – and quickly becomes enamoured with Christmas Town, a place filled with jolly laughs, merry elves, and plenty of presents. Jack shares all of his findings with the rest of Halloween Town, and together, they devise a plan to run Christmas themselves.

But not all tricks can be turned into holiday treats, and Jack’s dream to organise the best Christmas ever may just turn into a nightmare. Alongside friends like the rag doll Sally, can Jack find his true purpose as a holiday king?

Jack Skellington is the undisputed Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. But it wasn’t always that way… discover the story behind Jack’s title in this manga miniseries.

Years ago, Jack and Oogie Boogie were close friends. Both eager to prove themselves, they poured all their passion into their fantastical projects to earn their rightful place as the scariest duo in town. But there could only be one Pumpkin King! What could have happened to turn two best friends into such bitter rivals?

When Edgar the Pumpkin King declares his retirement, a contest to decide his successor takes place between friends-turned-rivals Jack and Oogie Boogie. Fans of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas will love seeing favourite characters such as Jack Skellington, Oogie Boogie, Sally and Lock, Shock, and Barrel in this original story set before the events of the film.

This perfectly creepy manga miniseries collects together issues 1-5 of Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Battle for Pumpkin King into one graphic novel!

Comic Strip Biology makes learning about the science behind animals, plants and the human body fun!

Each spread in this series features a short, funny comic strip that explains a process or aspect of science. Around the strip, diagrams and panels give further information on the topic. They are a fantastic way to engage children aged 8 plus with science.

The illustrator, Jess Bradey, is winner of the 2021 Blue Peter Award for Best Non-Fiction for A Day in the Life of a Poo, Gnu and You and also writes and draws for The Phoneix comic.

What makes a bridge wobble when it’s not meant to? Billions of dollars mysteriously vanish into thin air? A building rock when its resonant frequency matches a gym class leaping to Snap’s 1990 hit I’ve Got The Power? The answer is maths. Or, to be precise, what happens when maths goes wrong in the real world.

As Matt Parker shows us, our modern lives are built on maths: computer programmes, finance, engineering. And most of the time this maths works quietly behind the scenes, until … it doesn’t. Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near-misses and mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman empire and a hapless Olympic shooting team, Matt Parker shows us the bizarre ways maths trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world.

Mathematics doesn’t have good ‘people skills’, but we would all be better off, he argues, if we saw it as a practical ally. This book shows how, by making maths our friend, we can learn from its pitfalls. It also contains puzzles, challenges, geometric socks, jokes about binary code and three deliberate mistakes. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.

What would you do if you woke up one day to find that your best friend has become your worst enemy?

That’s exactly what happens to 11-year-old Ryan in this brand-new comedy adventure from bestselling author, comedian, and presenter Danny Wallace, perfect for readers age 8+ and fans of Stephen Mangan, Andy Griffiths, Jenny Pearson, Helen Rutter, David Walliams and David Baddiel.

Separated only by a garden fence, Ryan and Tom have been best friends since they were two years old. But while Ryan is looking forward to starting secondary school together, Tom doesn’t seem to want anything to do him with anymore. Suddenly, he’d rather hang out with mean Minnie and horrible Simon!

Ryan sets out to repair their friendship . . . but everything he tries backfires spectacularly. So Ryan decides that there’s only one thing for it – he must exact terrible revenge on his ex-best friend. Cue: Operation Evil Genius.

The brand new, read-in-one-sitting, packed-with-twists mystery from bestselling Lisa Thompson.

Todd and Laurie’s dad is either on top of the world, taking them on fun adventures, or down in the depths and sleeping all the time.

In the middle of the night, he bundles them into the car and drives to them to the Paradise Hotel. He paints a picture of a luxurious mansion surrounded by acres of land – a golf course, a swanky swimming pool, a grand ballroom, firework displays. The reality is a rundown dump – and the disappointment means Dad takes to his bed.

Todd and Laurie discover the unsolved mystery of a famous novelist vanishing from her room on the top floor of the hotel. Rumour has it that she hid a priceless manuscript somewhere in the building, and set some fiendish clues that would reveal its whereabouts. Can the kids crack the case and find the prize?

Annie’s family is made of love.

When her moms open up their bookshop in the morning, there is always a mysterious pile of books on the counter. By evening, every book has found its ideal reader. But one day there is a book that doesn’t get bought. It has to lie there all on its own. Who can its reader be, and why don’t they come?

Days pass, and the book with no owner gets lonelier and lonelier. The bookshop is unhappy, and the moms are worried that the shop isn’t making enough money.

Then someone starts borrowing the book. Eventually, we realise it’s Annie’s sibling Charlotte ― and it is a book about being non-binary. Mum explains what ‘non-binary’ means to Annie. Charlotte asks to be called Charlie and says that their pronouns are they/them.

The bookshop cheers up. Customers start buying books again.

This family is made of love.

Comic Strip Biology makes learning about the science behind animals, plants and the human body fun!

Each spread in this series features a short, funny comic strip that explains a process or aspect of science. Around the strip, diagrams and panels give further information on the topic. They are a fantastic way to engage children aged 8 plus with science.

The illustrator, Jess Bradey, is winner of the 2021 Blue Peter Award for Best Non-Fiction for A Day in the Life of a Poo, Gnu and You and also writes and draws for The Phoneix comic.

Comic Strip Physics makes learning about the science behind forces, energy and simple machines fun!

Each spread in this series features a short, funny comic strip that explains a process or aspect of science. Around the strip, diagrams and panels give further information on the topic. They are a fantastic way to engage children aged 8 plus with science.

The illustrator, Jess Bradey, is winner of the 2021 Blue Peter Award for Best Non-Fiction for A Day in the Life of a Poo, Gnu and You and also writes and draws for The Phoneix Comic.

From football legend, Gary Lineker, comes a collection of truly uplifting, empowering and extraordinary football stories that have inspired him throughout his career.

Have you heard about the most controversial goal in world cup history?

Or about the women’s team who showed the world that football truly is for everyone?

And I bet you didn’t know about the team that won a match without scoring a single goal?

Written with author and TV writer Ivor Baddiel, in this fun and fact-packed book, Gary Lineker shares 50 of his favourite football moments that highlight the many awe-inspiring, heart-warming and eye-opening moments that have changed the game – and sometimes the world – forever.

From pioneering players, trailblazing managers, and incredible tales both on and off the pitch, this book contains everything you ever wanted to know about the beautiful game. And with Gamechanger Awards presented by Gary to incredible teams and players throughout, this is the ultimate gift for young footie fans everywhere.