New Releases by Steve Voake

“Gently encourages young readers to explore their natural surroundings and observe some of the more commonly found insects in it.” — School Library Journal (starred review) Right now, all around us, thousands of insects are doing strange and wonderful things: wasps are building nests, ants are collecting food, and dragonflies are readying for the hunt. But it''s not always easy to catch sight of these six-legged creatures; you have to know where to look. Guided by this book, readers will happily become insect detectives and find out just what those bugs are up to. Back matter includes an index.

Ein neues Abenteuer für Maxwell und die Hundegang Erdhörnchen Erdbert ist auf der Suche nach einer spannenden Idee für sein neues Buch. Da trifft es sich ganz gut, dass auch Maxwell und seine Hundegang nichts gegen etwas Abwechslung einzuwenden haben. Sie nehmen Erdbert mit in den Zoo, denn da ist immer was los. Und tatsächlich, nachdem sie auf eine wilde Eichhörnchenhorde, zwei mürrische Löwen und Grunz, den Gorilla, gestoßen sind, wartet ein noch viel größeres Abenteuer auf die Freunde: Einige der Zootiere sind verschwunden und es ist an Erdbert, Maxwell und seiner Hundegang, die Tiere zu retten.

»Freunde geben niemals auf«, sagte Maxwell. »Hat dir das noch niemand beigebracht?« In seinem jungen Leben ist Hundewelpe Maxwell noch niemandem begegnet, der freundlich zu ihm gewesen wäre. Auf der Flucht vor seinem Besitzer Mr. Dabsley entkommt er nur knapp dem Tod, als er zusammen mit seiner Freundin Blümchen in einem reißenden Fluss landet. Mit letzter Kraft schafft es Maxwell ans rettende Ufer. Doch von Blümchen fehlt jede Spur. Maxwell schwört: Er wird seine Freundin wiederfinden! Aber Gefahren lauern überall. Zum Glück findet er in Rex und seiner Hundegang echte Freunde. Gemeinsam nehmen sie die Spur von Blümchen auf und erfahren, was es heißt, über sich selbst hinauszuwachsen.

A new series of funny, warm-hearted animal adventures for fans of Dick King-Smith, Awesome Animals and Disney classics like Lady and the Tramp; illustrated by Jim Field.Funny stories for fans of Dick King-Smith and Disney Classic animal adventures; with art by Jim Field. Maxwell Mutt might be small, but his heart is big and the city is full of adventure. Before long, he teams up with a gang of downtown dogs: Restreppo the retired police-dog, Mr B the homely bulldog and Madison the angry poodle (do not mention his hairdo). When Maxwell hears the call of a friend in need, the dogs brave the big, bright city, where they hear tales of the Collector; the cruellest ever dog-catcher. But dreams, fun and adventure are waiting along the way...

"Everyday adventures with a girl who can talk to animals"--Cover.

This exciting new bind-up features both of Steve Voake''s action-packed fantasy novels in one sleek package! In The Dreamwalker''s Child, fifteen-year-old Sam Palmer awakens from a coma in Aurobon, a world eerily similar to his own. He discovers that his bicycle accident was really an elaborate abduction by a ruler named Odoursin with a deadly agenda. Now he must team up with a fearless girl pilot to outwit the enemy. Otherwise, dark forces will invade his own world using insects the size of fighter jets. In The Web of Fire, Sam and Skipper are called upon once again to help their friends in Aurobon fight Odoursin and what might be the fiercest insect army imaginable. Their mission becomes heart-stoppingly urgent when they discover that Odoursin is plotting to destroy humankind, this time by using the President of the United States as a pawn.

Meet Hooey Higgins — along with his oddball family and friends — in a laugh-out-loud madcap adventure loaded with boy appeal. Hooey Higgins is desperately in love — with the humongous chocolate egg in Mr. Danson’s store window, that is. Too bad he and his best friend, Twig, have nowhere near enough money to buy it. But when a shark is spotted off the coast, Hooey and Twig dream up a plan: capture the shark and charge people to view it. Brilliant! With Hooey’s older brother masterminding the foolproof scheme, they set off with ketchup, a cricket bat, a floral quilt, and a rope in tow. What they find is so amazing it blows the shark plan out of the water! Aided by Emma Dodson’s comical illustrations, Steve Voake introduces a hilarious new character in a fast-paced story kids will sink their teeth into.

Like kayaks? Like hula? Like to hula ON a kayak? Read this book and you ... might!Ever been up to your neck in a croc-infested swamp with enemy soldiers tracking your every move? Me neither! But don''t let that stop you coming to the Outdoor Activity Centre, where Basbo is on red alert for sharky-sharks, Twig is searching for brains, courage and a heart (he''s seen The Wizard of Oz) and Hooey is flying high - without a plane. Come on, there''s no time for biscuits - slap your kayak and let''s GO, GO, GO!

Eden turned the teddy bear over in her hands and Cal saw the way her fingers stroked the worn patch of fur, touching the frayed threads where the glass eye used to be. ''Where did you get this?'' she whispered. Jefferson smiled. ''From in here,'' he told her, tapping a finger against his temple. ''From inside your head.'' After meeting on holiday in Montana, Cal and Eden decide to explore the mountains beyond their campground. But deep in the woods, someone is watching them. Jefferson Boyd, a lone outcast, believes he has discovered a way of turning dreams into reality. But he needs someone to experiment upon. When Cal wakes up in an isolated cabin, he discovers they are not alone. And as the terrifying truth emerges, he realises that their only chance of survival is to finally confront the nightmares that are stalking them through the shadows of the forest . . .

Rescuing a dolphin is easier when you can talk to animals! Daisy returns in a summer adventure, meeting new friends from surfing rabbits to a dancing crab. (Ages 6-9) School’s out for Daisy Dawson, and things couldn’t be any better. Imagine a whole summer at the beach, full of sand, sun, and surfing! And now that she’s making new animal friends - a crab named Pinchy who likes to dance and two fun-loving rabbits named Rabsy and Raberta - her vacation promises to be all the more exciting. But when Daisy hears a call for help from the bottom of the sea, she finds a dolphin in deep trouble, caught in old fishing nets. Will Daisy and her friends be able to save the dolphin before it’s too late?

KIER WEST - UNARMED & DANGEROUS. His father''s been murdered, the police want to arrest him and the bad guys are going to kill him. Kier''s life is in tatters and he''s on the run. But after seeing a girl attack three muggers on a train, he finds himself drawn into a secret organisation of crime fighters. Sent to an isolated Greek monastery, Kier must learn the ancient art of unarmed combat before embarking on a deadly mission: to bring his father''s killers to justice. ''Terrific stuff...classily put together and lip-smackingly gory." The Financial Times.

When one of the lambs on the farm gets lost on the other side of the river, Daisy, who can communicate with animals, and her dog Boom help return him to the flock.

After rescuing a butterfly trapped in a spider''s web, Daisy Dawson discovers that she can now understand everything animals say, which comes in handy when her favorite farm dog, Boom, goes missing. Reprint.

YA. Suspense fiction. They know where you are... In the middle of the Mexican jungle a small scientific team prepare to embark on an exploration of the world''s deepest sinkhole; a naturally-formed underwater shaft that no one has ever reached the bottom of. What they are about to discover could change the world forever. Three thousand miles away, Joe McDonald''s father is arrested for murder. Joe and his friend Giles are desperate to prove his innocence, but when more people are attacked in mysterious circumstances, Joe begins to suspect that a predator is on the loose. Maybe the dark shapes he has seen in the woods and canal aren''t just his imagination. Could the attacks in Joe''s town be linked to his dad''s research at the university? Could Dad''s colleague have brought something back with him from the expedition in Mexico? Suddenly the search for justice becomes a desperate fight for survival.

Daisy Dawson has an amazing gift - she can understand everything that animals say! One day, Daisy and her friends are on a woodland expedition to find and photograph some rather shy otters. But somewhere in the treetops, birds are singing songs about storms. Will Daisy get the picture before the bad weather gets them?

After being hit by a car Sam Palmer finds himself in Aurobon, a land of giant insects where some of the inhabitants are working to keep Earth''s ecology in balance while others are trying to wipe out humankind with a lethal virus spread by mosquitoes. Reprint.

Four years after vanquishing Odoursin and saving humankind from his evil plans, Sam and Skipper return to a devastated Aurobon where they must once again fight for survival against the reemerged Odoursin and his new army of robber flies.

''You have to do it, Berry. You must believe me when I tell you that the safety of the world depends upon you . . .'' A page-turning, high action, road trip adventure novel which travels from England to the New Mexico desert.