In Ark heerst een streng regime. De inwoners krijgen alleen eten en drinken op vertoon van bonnen en er mag alleen gesproken worden in Lijst: een taal die bestaat uit 500 voorgeschreven woorden. Als leerling-woordsmid is Letta mede-beheerder van de Lijst. Als ze te horen krijgt dat haar meester is overleden tijdens een expeditie, moet zij zijn plaats innemen. Maar is hij wel dood? Letta besluit de waarheid te achterhalen en ontdekt een gruwelijk geheim…

In the post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. If somewhere were to speak outside that approved lexicon, they'd face banishment. The only exceptions to this rule are the Wordsmith and his apprentice, Letta. Together, they are the keepers and archivists of all language. But when Letta's master dies, she is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith and finds the situation more complicated than she knew. While fulfilling her charge to collect a...

The Times Book of the Week in September 2025How many words do you need to survive?Letta loves her job as the Wordsmith’s apprentice, giving out words to people that need them. It doesn’t strike her as odd that the people of Ark are only allowed to use a few hundred words, and words like “love”, “hope” and “freedom” are banned.When her master disappears, Letta begins to understand that all is not well, and that the leaders of Ark want to des...

After global warming came the Melting. Then came Ark. The new dictator of Ark wants to silence speech for ever. But Letta is the wordsmith, tasked with keeping words alive. Out in the woods, she and the rebels secretly teach children language, music and art. Now there are rumours that babies are going missing. When Letta makes a horrifying discovery, she has to find a way to save the children of Ark – even if it is at the cost of her own life.

An epic tale of volcanoes, dragons and wild storms, with themes drawn from Irish legend. Written by the current Irish Children's Laureate, this is a celebration of the magic of bees and the power we can all draw from the natural world.Nestled on a peaceful island, Orla and her grandmother live tending their beloved bees. But bubbling below is a monster waiting to surface – a dormant volcano – and when it wakes Orla and the rest of the island must flee in search of safety. Orla adve...

**'HUGELY hilarious' - Paddy Donnelly****A laugh-out loud book about a very unlikely friendship, by the Irish Children's Laureate**Sophie can't wait for her birthday party. But when one of her invitations is accidentally picked up by a GIANT, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle. What if he turns up and eats all the guests?But Harry the Hairy Giant is determined to come to her party, no matter how many letters Sophie write...

**The funniest new picture book of the year, from the Irish Children's Laureate***Shortlisted for the 2026 Peters Children's Book of the Year Award***'The perfect night-time read' - Daily Mail****'Hilarious and delightful' - Paddy Donnelly****'Funny and ingenious' - Bookseller**It's a dark and stormy night, and Sophie knows that there is a MONSTER hiding under her bed. So, like any se...

Learn how to write stories with Patricia Forde and some of the best middle-grade children's authors.In this fun and practical illustrated guide, young writers can learn from some of Ireland's most beloved authors, including Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl) Catherine Doyle (Twin Crowns), Pádraig Kenny (Stitch) and Derek Landy (Skullduggery Pleasant), and discover how to:Find inspiration to start your storyCraft and develop twisty plotsCre...

A tale-of-truest friendship bookA fill-my-heart with love bookA read-again-and-again bookAn epic tale of love, loss, reunion and adventure on the high seas told through the friendship of a girl and her dog, Fidget.Written by debut picture-book author Trish Forde and illustrated by rising star Rachael Saunders, this is a book that combines humour and heart with a faultless read-aloud rhythm

"Para partirse de risa", Eoin Coffler. "Hará que los lectores se partan de risa", The New York Times. Si te gustó "Sin noticias de Gurb", te encantará este libro. Pataplof, alienígena del planeta Plonk, está en la Tierra en una misión secreta. Su familia terrícola es agradable, salvo Manchón (el hermano de cuatro patas) y el Bebé (que empapa por varios sitios). Pero las cosas empiezan a torcerse para Daniel (es decir, para Pataplof) cuando muerde a su maestra para comprobar si los humanos ...

Bumpfizzle thinks he’s an alien on a secret mission to Earth, but he might actually just be a boy who’s jealous of his new baby sibling. His hilarious diary tells all about his funny misunderstandings, messy adventures and the strange humans he has to live with!"So hilarious! Patricia Forde is definitely the high queen of Irish comedy." — Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis FowlBumpfizzle is an alien sent to Earth on a mysterious missio...

After the global warming came the Great Thaw. Following that came the Ark, whose new governor wants to prohibit speech for ever. Mair is a Word Crafter, and her work is to keep words alive. In the shadows of the trees, she and the other crafters teach the children about language, music and art.