A Fairy for Penny

What would you do if you discovered that fairies live in your garden? Wouldn’t you want to keep them with you forever? Every night, Penny loses herself in the fairy tales her mother reads to her at bedtime. Little does she know that a tiny fairy, named Gloob, listens to the stories too, perched unnoticed on her windowsill. Gloob lives in the hidden city of Silgree at the bottom of Penny’s garden. But what happens when he stays on one night to keep the little girl company? Does Penny befriend him, or does she capture him and expose him to the world? Pam Bertram’s A Fairy for Penny is a magical tale of friendship and innocence that will melt your heart. 

Angels and Demons – The Scroll of Seven Seals

The cousins – Ella, Emma, Olly, Catherine and Tom are excited to be together again for Christmas. Soon after arriving at the old farmhouse in North Cornwall they discover the truth: they are from a family of Angels! Now, they must begin a journey to a faraway island to learn more about their past and discover their future.

Admitted to the School of Enlightenment for Young Angels, the cousins make new friends, learn to fly and explore the secrets of their school. However, their fun is disturbed by Ella’s dreams about an ancient scroll which has the power to destroy the human world. Can the cousins discover the truth about the scroll in time to save humanity?

So begins a story of incredible bravery and amazing adventure.

By Jove!!!

Jove the wizard has unwittingly released a demon from the underworld. Aided by the Cosmic Dancer, the spirit that keeps the world in balance, he must return it from whence it came. Attacked by the Electric Warrior, foxed by the Flowers of Evil, this is not going to be easy.

Why is there a giant Glass Onion in the village pond and where did it come from?

Will the witches help, and can the Rainbow Demon finally be defeated?

All this, not to mention a dragon…

I said not to mention the dragon!!!

By Jove, this is going to be fun.

Dragons Out!

Learn about software testing in a fun way, by reading stories about dragons and knights. The book is a great read for children on their own, with their parents, or as an additional reading in schools. It is also for anyone who wants to know what software testing is, they will enjoy this book tremendously.

The book talks about adventures of two children, Laura and Tom, who tumble into dragons annoying villages and castles. They learn about different dragons and how to defeat them with the help of knights. The children grow into exceptional dragon experts.

Stories are explained in information technology and software testing terms and concepts, e.g. a dragon represents a software defect, and knights represent testers and developers. Reading parallels is an easy-to-understand way of learning.

In this book, Kari Kakkonen combines his passion into fantasy and software testing in a new and fascinating way, creating an enjoyable experience for the readers.

The book is suitable for ages of 9-99, although it is written for children.

“I love the idea of bringing testing and dragons together. Explaining testing ideas in this way is great for new testers to give them a broad idea of the depth of testing. The stories can sit on their own for children as well, and may encourage them to think about how they could test some of the apps they use.”

Janet Gregory, DragonFire Inc, co-author of three books on agile testing.

Drip & Drop

Drip and Drop are water gargoyles, and they are brothers. Like all brothers, they argue with each other, but no matter what, they look after each other. Although in Drop’s case, he finds he has to look after Drip more than often, since Drip can, well, be a bit of a drip at times. The two brothers live in an island that has an oak tree growing on it, which holds a secret – though why am I telling you this, I don’t know, as Drip and Drop prefer to be in a nest in a tree. As I tell you the story of Drip and Drop, you will learn about their lives and meet their friends, Plip and Plop, not to forget dear Daisy Deer, and you will decide on whether Daisy Deer’s little baby, Dusty, is a boy or a girl. So, are you ready to know more about the water gargoyles as well as meet Mr Robin and Mrs Owl? Because if you are, not only will you know what they look like, you will also know where to find them. And you just might end up meeting Drip and Drop.

Drip And Drop Go On Holiday

In the second book of the water gargoyles series, Drip and Drop have decided that they needed a holiday by the seaside, where their cousins Splish and Splash live. Drip and Drop are water gargoyles, as well as brothers, and like most brothers, they tend to look after each other. But in Drip’s case, Drop finds that he has to look after more because Drip can be a bit of a drip at times.

Drip and Drop have decided to go on holiday as they want to visit their cousins, Splish and Splash, as they haven’t seen them for a while now. Along the way, Drip and Drop meet different gargoyles, such as the hedge gargoyle and the giant sea gargoyle, with its big booming voice, and not forgetting dear Sandy the sand gargoyle, who is rude too. They also meet Mrs Damselfly and her husband, Mr Dragonfly, along the way, as well as visit a pub with Chris and David, who own the Hastings that Drip and Drop travel on part of the way. Whilst on holiday, Drip and Drop explore the seabed, coming across a Hurricane and a Spitfire that have coral growing over them as well as hearing about the haunted forest from Mrs Owl, and learning the names of the three ghosts that live there and of course, of Uncle Dippy Wippy. Children of all ages will enjoy this book, especially when reading it with their parents, or grandparents, as I’m sure it will fill you with delight and laughter, as I tell you more about Drip and Drop the water gargoyles.

Escape to Dorland

Have you ever doubted yourself? You are not alone…

Daisy and Margot return in a new adventure that will test their confidence and strength.

When tragedy befalls the fairy kingdom, Daisy is wracked with guilt as she tries to help her fairy friends. Margot, meanwhile, finds herself in a position she never could have imagined, with a responsibility she is unsure she can handle. With the help of the young girl and those around her, she must conquer her insecurities to protect her kind.

Events unfold, bringing an even greater challenge, which the pair must tackle to avoid a dreaded consequence.

Will they have the time and ability to be triumphant?

Faerie Tale

When the forest fairies notice the changes in the forest, the Oracle declares that they must recover the four fairy treasures from the elemental fairies;

“The darkness that has grown for many years,
the terror that every fairy fears.
But with the fairies’ growing plight,
hope is returned by a single light.
One chance we have to correct this wrong,
this hope will need to grow strong.
Because if the four races cannot unite,
the one will fail in the final fight.
You will need the earth’s wisdom to have its say,
You will fail without a flame to guide your way,
You need the air’s knowledge that is kept
You will fail without the water’s emotional depth.
These four elements are needed for all fairies’ creation,
to twist them is the darkness’s motivation.
To stop it collect the Tuatha De Danann’s four treasures,
even though the darkness will try to stop these measures.”

The Oracle sees that Elizabeth is the only fairy with a chance. The Dark Fairy tries to thwart their friendship and collection of the treasures, even invading their dreams with pixie magic.

Meeting friends along the journey and gaining wisdom from the elemental races, Elizabeth learns the true meaning of being a fairy. Can Elizabeth and her friends collect the treasures, unite the races and defeat the dark fairy to save the forest?

Floxy the Mermaid

This is the tale of a kind little mermaid called Floxy who is very upset that her fourth birthday party has been cancelled because of the ‘coral virus’.

One day, to cheer herself up, she swims out to the rusty old anchor and discovers a poor turtle trapped underneath a rock.

The story unfolds, and just like a birthday present, it is all wrapped up, this time in a soft seaweed blanket of kindness, selflessness and love.

Is There a Monster?

Mummy! Daddy! I can’t sleep! There’s a monster in my bed! Words that strike fear into a parent’s heart.

Now you can have a defence against these dreaded beasts, and promote a good night’s sleep all round.

Is There a Monster? tackles the problem head on, while taking the subconscious down a road that conquers its worries and promotes positive dreams. All wrapped up in rhyme.

Jack, the Pirate with a Secret

This is a fun, action-packed story with a twist at the end to allow for discussion between reader and listener. This could be used as a focus for discussion in PSHE lessons or as a one-to-one chat between the child and parent/carer.

Jack, the main character, is a very likeable and charming pirate. He appears to be extremely courageous. Throughout the story, he is portrayed as a very brave character who steers and leads his ship, The Mucky Duck, through a storm to a place of safety. Clearly, his crew look up to him for inspiration and guidance at a time when they are very afraid, but Jack performs his duties without hesitation. The story frequently reminds the reader/audience that although Jack appears to be brave, he has a secret! The story ends with the crew and The Mucky Duck reaching an idyllic cove where everyone is safe and happy!

A land filled with:

‘Treasure and gold and jewels,

palm trees and coconuts!’

All that Jack wants to do is to go to sleep in his cosy bunk in his cosy little cabin and dream of his adventures all over again!

Jake and the Magic Handle

Jake was bored. He’d had a dull day at school and was walking home. His dog, Jack, had just squeezed through a gap in the hedge and was barking for Jake to join him. Jake didn’t want to but Jack just wouldn’t stop barking. So Jake grumpily crawled through the hedge determined to grab Jack and go home for his tea. He went to grab Jack and as he did so saw something on the ground that changed his life. Find out what Jake and Jack found – it might change your life too!