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.

Hooey Higgins and friends are back for another hilarious madcap adventure — this time, their dubious inventive skills are put to the test. Have you ever found yourself in a slightly risky situation and thought, What I really need is a pair of super-protective trousers to keep me safe from crocodiles, flying toffee apples, and log-flume malfunctions? Head for Shrimpton-on-Sea, where Hooey, Will, and Twig are working on an ingenious contraption sure to make the world a safer place: the all-new Tremendous Trousers, aka TremTrows! All you do is slip on a pair of yellow sweatpants, stuff them full of bubble wrap, add some soda bottles topped with balloons, and inflate them with gas from a bunch of mints dropped into the soda. What could possibly go wrong? It’s a brilliant invention guaranteed to win the class prize — tickets to the carnival! Shweet!

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.

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 . . .

Spending the whole summer at the beach, a girl who can communicate with animals and her new friends--a dancing crab and two baby rabbits--join forces to help a dolphin in distress.

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.

Welcome to Shrimpton-on-Sea where you can make friends with Hooey, Twig, Will and Dingbat the dog. Their story starts with the giant chocolate egg, and then there''s catching the shark in the flowery duvet cover before Twig dresses up as a sea-urchin and gets chased through the knicker shop by Basbo the bully.

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.

Daisy wants to swim in the local pond and take pictures of the otters for a school project, but when rain clouds move in, she worries that she may not get her pictures in time.

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.

Alone and on the run from Social Services, fourteen year old Berry has nowhere to go until she meets and old man who entrusts her with a mysterious item that he claims has unbelievable powers. Her life is about to change forever. A terrorist group and the FBI want the item and will stop at nothing to get it. And soon, Berry and fellow outcast, Ell, find themselves in a desperate race across the Atlantic to America. From dodging bullets and escaping capture to being hunted through cities and over deserts, Berry must stay alive long enough to find the item''s rightful owner - whoever, or whatever, they may be. ''It''s been a long time since anything as much fun as Steve Voake''s ''The Starlight Conspiracy'' came along.'' (The Times)