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Dyslexia-friendly children's fiction from Barrington Stoke #6

by Sophie Green

Take a look at these new and upcoming visually accessible stories for children from Barrington Stoke and help them discover a love of reading.

Barrington Stoke is a small, independent and award-winning children’s publisher who for over 20 years have been pioneering super-readable, dyslexia-friendly fiction to help every child become a reader.

Find more dyslexia-friendly books →

The beach puppy, by Holly Webb

Ruby's dad has arrived home with a wonderful surprise - Coco the sausage-dog puppy! And when the family go on holiday to the seaside, of course Coco will be coming too. The beach is such an exciting place for a dog, and Ruby and Coco can't wait to spend the day splashing in the waves and playing in the sand. But disaster strikes when Coco disappears. Suddenly she's lost and all alone on the huge, busy beach. Will she ever find her way back to Ruby?

Madam Squeaker, by Pip Jones

Crumbs on the counter, morsels on the floor. There should be plenty of food for all the creatures in Hollyhock House to eat. But the Ruling Rats are running rampage every night, taking the best of everything for themselves. Minetta the mouse has decided enough is enough - it's time the rats learned to share. But Minetta is so small and her voice is but a squeak - how will she ever make them listen?

Arctic star, by Tom Palmer

Winter 1943. Teenagers Francis, Joseph and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic convoy sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have to navigate treacherous waters, sailing through a narrow channel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases on the Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying enemy attacks from both air and sea, as well as life-threatening cold, gales and pack ice, will all three boys make it home again?

The small things, by Lisa Thompson

Anna's anxious when she's picked to befriend the new girl in her class. For a start, Ellie is ill and can't come to school herself. So Anna has to communicate with her through a new kind of robot. But Anna is also worried that her life's too small and boring to be of interest to her new friend. Compared to the other girls, she doesn't have anything exciting to talk about and so when Ellie asks her a question, a little white lie pops out. Then another and another. When Ellie finds out the truth, can their friendship survive?

The great (food) bank heist, by Onjali Q. Raúf

On Thursdays, Nelson, Asha and Mum head out to the bank. But not just any old bank - the food bank. With its shining tins and packets of food stacked from floor to ceiling, Nelson thinks it's the best kind of bank there is. But there's a thief in town, and the shelves of the food bank are getting emptier each day, leaving people hungrier than ever. For the sake of his family and everyone else's, Nelson needs to make them stop. But can he and his friends really be the ones to catch the bank robber?

The beast of Harwood Forest, by Dan Smith

When Pete, Nancy and Krish arrive at Heathland Camp for a school trip, they're in for an adventure - just not the kind they were expecting. Nearby sits the abandoned Harwood Institute. The crumbling buildings reek of secrets and, at night, strange screams come from the surrounding forest. Nobody knows what experiments took place at the institute during the war, so Pete and his friends make it their mission to find out. But the forest is hiding a sinister secret, and the trio could be in real danger. Are some mysteries best left undisturbed?

Featherlight, by Peter Bunzl

When the lighthouse no longer shines, what else has the power to guide you to shore? Deryn's father is the lighthouse keeper on Featherstone Island, keeping the lantern lit to protect passing boats from the treacherous rocky coastline. But when an emergency arises and her parents have to travel to the mainland for help, Deryn is left alone to keep watch over the lighthouse, and she finds herself in a terrible situation when the lamp runs out of oil during a wild storm. With a fishing boat in peril on the sea, and time running out to rescue those on board, Deryn seeks help from an unusual source. Will she be able to keep the lantern lit through the dark, dangerous night?

The puffin portal, by Vashti Hardy

Grace's family are wardens of the incredible Griffin Map, using its teleport technology to fight crime across Moreland. Right now it's all systems go at Griffin HQ, where Grace, her mum and her brother have their hands full answering a huge number of calls for help. They could really do with another warden on the team - but Mum believes their important work should be kept inside the family. Meanwhile, Grace is investigating a series of puzzling petty thefts. The clues lead her to a ramshackle castle on a lonely island, where the mystery only deepens. Will Grace be able to track down the thief?

Granny's little monsters, by Karen McCombie

Zac and Essie have been helping their Granny Mo in her search for the perfect pet. She's tried everything from cats to axolotls and just can't find the right one. But when the trio go mudlarking in the river bank they find a creature unlike anything else. Granny Mo might have set out looking for a pet but now she's got a monster on her hands, and it's about to get up to some mischief.

Blossom, by Laura Dockrill

Blossom has grown up surrounded by the beautiful plants and flowers from her family's market stall. The stall was started by her grandparents, Tutu and Pops, and passed on to Blossom's parents after their death. It's a magical place where customers come to find flowers for all occasions: from celebrating love to offering comfort in times of sorrow. But now the stall is at risk, with tension rising as Blossom's parents argue about the future. Can Blossom call on the lessons she learned from Tutu and find a way to cope with the dramatic changes that are happening around her. Can she save the flower stall?

Tripwrecked! Tempest terror, by Ross Montgomery

Frank and his drama club are off on a dream school trip to perform The Tempest at a festival. But it turns into a nightmare when their ferry is hit by a terrible storm! Half of the actors wash up on a sandy shore and they can't believe their eyes. Is this a desert island? Why is there strange music coming from the forest? Where are the rest of the cast? To Frank, it all sounds strangely like the plot of The Tempest and he hasn't got a clue how they're going to get out of this mess. One thing's for sure ... they've been tripwrecked!

Tragedy at sea: the sinking of the Titanic, by David Long

April 1912: the Titanic, the so called 'Ship of Dreams', sets sail with over 2000 men, women, and children on board. It was a historic moment and should have been one of the safest, most luxurious journeys to America. But when the ship hit an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean its maiden voyage became a nightmare and the Titanic quickly sank taking her crew and passengers with her. In this gripping and fact-filled retelling David Long brings to life the history of the 'unsinkable' Titanic, its creation and its doomed maiden voyage.