Dark Lullaby

Dark Lullaby

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

For fans of Black Mirror and The Handmaid’s Tale, a mother desperately tries to keep her family together in a society where parenting standards are strictly monitored. "With fabulous world-building and a plot so tight you could bounce a quarter off of it, Dark Lullaby is a Handmaid's Tale for the modern world, about the ways our human need for love can serve as both society's salvation, and its undoing."Sarah Langan, author of Good Neighbors The world is suffering an infertility crisis, the last natural birth was over twenty years ago and now the only way to conceive is through a painful fertility treatment. Any children born are strictly monitored, and if you are deemed an unfit parent then your child is extracted. After witnessing so many struggling to conceive – and then keep – their babies, Kit thought she didn’t want children. But then she meets Thomas and they have a...
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The Girl Who Became a Fish

The Girl Who Became a Fish

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

Ita is afraid of lots of things. She's afraid of talking to her classmates at her new school. She's afraid of walking through her new town. But most of all she is afraid of water. When one day she realises the river in her new town turns her into a fish, she is forced to face up to her fears. In doing so, can she bring her family together again? With themes of change, and deftly tackling the topic of fear for younger readers, this is another heart-warming and beautifully-written early reader by Polly Ho-Yen, filled with charming artwork by Sojung Kim-McCarthy.
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The Boy Who Grew a Tree

The Boy Who Grew a Tree

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

A charming illustrated (black & white) early reader, for readers aged 5-7, by the much-loved author of The Boy In The Tower. Nature-loving Timi is unsettled by the arrival of a new sibling and turns to tending a tree growing in his local library. But there is something magical about the tree and it is growing FAST... and the library is going to close. Can Timi save the library and his tree, and maybe bring his community closer together along the way?
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The Night Forest

The Night Forest

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

A mesmerising illustrated young fiction offering from Polly Ho-Yen & Sojung Kim-McCarthy, perfect for early readers.When Ziggy goes to sleep in his new bed at his dad's house, he wakes up in the middle of the dark and scary night forest. When even sleeping at his mum's house doesn't help, he is forced to face his fears... but maybe that scary forest isn't as scary as it sounds?Deals with themes of divorce/separation & night terrors through Polly's poetic and gently magical lens, accompanied by black-and-white artwork by Sojung Kim-McCarthy.
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The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

From award-winning author Polly Ho-Yen, comes a beautifully illustrated story for readers aged 7+. Yara has only glimpsed the last dragon on Earth twice. She's got other things to worry about: her sister is in hospital, her parents are panicking, and her new teacher has labelled her a troublemaker and wants her out. But one evening, in the glow of the lights of the shopping centre in Milton Keynes, Yara finds herself being watched by the last dragon and, before it departs, it leaves her a gift: its only egg. Entrusted with the care of the last dragon egg, Yara discovers it is more powerful than she could ever have imagined. But there are others who want it and they'll stop at nothing to steal it for themselves... A moving story about bravery, self-belief and our responsibility to protect the natural world.
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When the Storm Comes

When the Storm Comes

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

The storm had been brewing for weeks.When I look back and remember those days of dripping rain, the thick grey cloud blanketing the sky, the rolling thunder, I wonder how we didn't see it coming. We didn't realise it was building into something.Back then, we just thought it was stormy weather. We had no idea what lay ahead.We couldn't ever have imagined how it would engulf us.Mali, Jonesey, Fara and Petey are reluctantly gathered in the library. They're not friends and they each have reasons they don't want to be there. As the rain starts, they do not bond as a group. Mali does not engage, Jonesy takes offence, Petey ridicules the others, Fara is silent, and their teacher Ms Devine is distracted. Outside, the bad weather steadily worsens. Soon they are trapped in the school, and pulling together may be the only way out when the storm begins.
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The Day No One Woke Up

The Day No One Woke Up

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

An out-of-this-world middle-grade adventure about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things and authors, such as Ross Welford and Lisa Thompson. Something strange is happening in Ana's city . . . she's the only one awake. Confused and curious, Ana sets off to explore, bumping into the one other person who's been able to rouse themselves – her ex–best friend, Tio. On a mission to discover what's happening, Ana and Tio journey through the city looking for clues, their friendship mending with every step. When a mysterious creature suddenly materialises in front of them, Ana realises they've found the answer they've been looking for. But one question still remains: Why them?Praise for How I Saved the World in a Week:'This tense, haunting zombie thriller perfectly balances terrifying...
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How I Saved the World in a Week

How I Saved the World in a Week

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

A brilliantly imagined new 8+ adventure about resilience, family and hope. From the bestselling and Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted author of BOY IN THE TOWER. Perfect for fans of Ross Welford, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf.Rule number one: Always be prepared . . . Billy's mum isn't like other mums. All she wants is to teach him the Rules of Survival – how to make fire, build shelter and find food. She likes to test Billy on the rules until one day she goes too far, and Billy is sent to live with a dad he barely knows. Then the world changes suddenly and forever, as people begin to be infected with a mysterious virus that turns their skin grey. As chaos breaks out and Billy has to flee the city, he knows that this is what his mum was preparing him for – not just to save his family, but to save the whole world.Praise for Boy in the Tower: 'This matches a dystopian plot...
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Where Monsters Lie

Where Monsters Lie

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

The children of Mivtown have grown up hearing the legend of the monsters of the loch. But it's only a story – a warning to stay away from the water.Then strange things start happening in the village. Effie's rabbit Buster escapes from a locked hutch, her mum disappears without trace and slugs start to infest her home.Along with her best friend Finn, Effie begins to hunt for clues to solve the mysteries of Mivtown. Could this all be connected to the legend? Is it really just a story or is there something lurking in those deep, dark waters?
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Boy in the Tower

Boy in the Tower

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way. Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. His mum doesn't really like looking outside - but it's going outside that she hates. She's happier sleeping all day inside their tower, where it's safe. But one day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants begin to appear. Now their tower isn't safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there's no way out . . .
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Fly Me Home

Fly Me Home

Polly Ho-Yen

Polly Ho-Yen

Feeling lost and alone in a strange new city, Leelu wishes she could fly away back home – her real home where her dad is, thousands of miles away.London is cold and grey and the neighbours are noisy and there's concrete everywhere.But Leelu is not alone; someone is leaving her gifts outside her house – wonders which give her curious magical powers.Powers which might help her find her way home . . .Fly Me Home is an incredibly moving portrait of one family's struggle to adjust to life in a new country. Full of friendship, family and magic, this stunning novel by Polly Ho-Yen, author of Boy in the Tower (shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award) and Where Monsters Lie, is a must-read for 9-12 readers.Praise for Boy in the Tower'An unusual and very impressive debut' The Bookseller'I loved it' BookbagPraise for Where Monsters Lie...
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