Bøker av Katya Balen

When the mudlarking gang find a mysterious cutlass on the banks of the Thames, they immediately know that something fishy is afoot. When the cutlass vanishes, and Mrs Drummonds disappears too, it's down to Clem and the gang to find them. The mystery leads them to a band of ghost pirates, who will stop at nothing to find their long-lost treasure. With the help from their friends in the Undercity, the gang must set sail on the seven seas, solve riddles and save the day! This is the third instalment in the critically acclaimed series from award-winning author Katya Balen.

A sea-soaked story of friendship, community and discovering what it means to carry home in your heart, from Carnegie Medal-winning author Katya Balen.On the Island of Ayrie, everybody knows everyone. They know each other's stories as they know every road, every hill and the coming of the tide. In the summer, there are bonfires to celebrate the migration of the puffins. Everything is familiar, nothing much changes, and for Tilda, nothing ever should - it is beautiful, it is perfect and it is home.When newcomer Albie arrives at the island, Tilda wants to show Ayrie off - Albie wants her to leave him alone. She learns quickly that it'll take more than a tour and some seal viewings to win him around. Then, she remembers stories of the old island just an hour's boat ride away from the shore. The old island is a death trap. The journey there is treacherous. Trips across to it are strictly forbidden. And there's a rumour it's haunted by the ghosts of those left there to die. But with all else having failed, the old island is the only way for Tilda to make Albie see what she sees in Ayrie. Besides, it's a different kind of ghost that worries Tilda. The ghost that's been following her, now, since her brother left the island ...

The importance and meaning of home is explored in this thought-provoking new novella from Carnegie Medal winning author Katya Balen.

From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal, comes a heartbreaking and heart-warming story about sisterhood, found family and accepting love in the most unusual and unknown places.Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her.They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began. So when a fox appears late one night at the house, Fen and Rey see it as a sign - it's here to lead them to their truth, find their real family and fill the missing piece they have felt since they were born.But the wildlands are exactly that: wild. They are wicked and cruel and brutal and this journey will be harder and more life changing than either Fen or Rey ever imagined ...

The mudlarkers of the Thames and Tide Club are about to face Squidmageddon in a funny and fast-paced adventure for young treasure hunters. When the director of the mudlarking museum goes on holiday for a week, he leaves three members of the Thames and Tide Club - Clem, Zara and Ash - in charge. They're determined that nothing will go wrong on their watch, but they haven't planned on an invasion of squid who will stop at nothing to take over the world . Join the club and dig for treasure in the wildest adventure you could imagine!

Noah has felt misunderstood and abandoned since his dad moved away, but can they find a way to build a new relationship? Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen returns with a stunning tale about a fractured bond between father and son - and the injured bird that helps to heal it.

From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal, comes a heartbreaking and heart-warming story about sisterhood, found family and accepting love in the most unusual and unknown places.Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her.They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began. So when a fox appears late one night at the house, Fen and Rey see it as a sign - it's here to lead them to their truth, find their real family and fill the missing piece they have felt since they were born.But the wildlands are exactly that: wild. They are wicked and cruel and brutal and this journey will be harder and more life changing than either Fen or Rey ever imagined ...

From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal, comes a heartbreaking and heart-warming story about sisterhood, found family and accepting love in the most unusual and unknown places.Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her.They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began. So when a fox appears late one night at the house, Fen and Rey see it as a sign - it's here to lead them to their truth, find their real family and fill the missing piece they have felt since they were born.But the wildlands are exactly that: wild. They are wicked and cruel and brutal and this journey will be harder and more life changing than either Fen or Rey ever imagined ...

An exciting new adventure series for young readers from Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen, author of October, October and The Light in EverythingClem and her friends Ash and Zara are members of the Thames and Tide Club! Every weekend they go mudlarking by the river, searching for treasures that have washed up on the shore. Clem has found old things, new things and a whole heap of rubbish. But one day, she finds something really special. Something magical that belongs in the river and must be returned to its rightful owner . or else.Before they know it, the Thames and Tide Club are on the weirdest, wildest, underwater-iest adventure they could possibly have imagined on a mission to save Underwater London!

The blackbirds' song uplifts and restores in this captivating novella from one of the most exciting voices in children's fiction.After a devastating car crash, Annie is unable to play her flute and retreats from the music she's always loved.She exists in a world of angry silence - furious with her mum and furious she can't seem to play her beloved flute any more.Then she meets Noah, who shows her the blackbirds' nest hidden in the scrubland near their flats. As their friendship grows, the blackbirds' glorious song reignites Annie's passion for music. But when tragedy strikes again, will her fragile progress be put at risk?

Book Band: Dark Blue (Ideal for ages 9+)An inspiring fantasy story from Katya Balen, author of The Space We're In and October, October.Maggie wants her dad to take her birdwatching like he promised but he's too busy and she ends up at the zoo with her auntie and her annoying cousins. There, she sees a strange bird and takes one of its beautiful silver feathers home.Little does she know, that this is the start of a magical adventure in the moonlight. This magical story features black-and-white illustrations by Pham Quang Phuc.The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com.'Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed . Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.' Books for Keeps

From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022We are her world and her universe and her space and her stars and her sky and her galaxy and her cosmos too.Frank is ten. He likes cottage pie and football and cracking codes. Max is five. He eats only Quavers and some colours are too bright for him and if he has to wear a new T-shirt he melts down down down.Sometimes Frank wishes Mum could still do huge paintings of stars and asteroids like she used to, but since Max was born she just doesn't have time.When tragedy hits Frank and Max's lives like a comet, can Frank piece together a universe in which he and Max aren't light years apart?This jaw-dropping, heartbreaking and hopeful novel from debut author Katya Balen will remind you we are all made of stardust. For fans of thought-provoking, moving middle grade from Wonder to Skellig.