Books by Karen McCombie

Karen McCombie explores identity, friendship and fresh starts in this touching tale perfectly pitched for struggling teen readers.

Book Band: Dark Blue, ideal for ages 9+A heart-warming story about friendship and finding your place in the world set in an urban city, ideal for children practising their reading at home or in school.Twelve-year-old JoJo is going through a difficult time: his dad has lost his job, his best friends have completely forgotten he exists, and he's even developed an annoying nervous tick. So when he and his dad move into a new flat, the last thing he needs is a scary new neighbour! This contemporary mystery features black-and-white illustrations. 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

With his space-pod destroyed, the Star Boy is adapting to life on Earth with help from his friends. Kiki's long list of don'ts is a reminder of how hard passing for a human is, but more troubling for the Star Boy is the strange pings and pangs he's experiencing and the hard-to-hide electrical surges that threaten to reveal his alien self...

Orphan Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless on the streets of London when she is spotted by her older brother Joe.Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can come back with him to Fagin's lair.At first Ettie is able to help out with mending and other domestic jobs, but when one of the other boys falls ill, Fagin demands that Ettie go out pickpocketing with Joe and everything goes horribly wrong Fagin's infamous gang comes to life once more in this exciting Oliver Twist-inspired adventure from bestselling author Karen McCombie.

Granny's hunt for the perfect pet brings some unexpected results in this goofy adventure of family, mudlarking and mayhem from bestselling author Karen McCombie.

When sixteen-year-old Dolly Shepherd is offered the chance to take to the sky in a hot-air balloon, there's no way she's going to turn it down. Even though the pilot actually plans for her to jump out of the balloon and plummet back to earth using just a flimsy parachute.For Dolly, it's the start of a sensational career. But the life of an aeronaut is as dangerous as it is daring, and there will be many narrow escapes along the way ...Pioneering aviatrix Dolly Shepherd comes alive in this thrilling reimagining of her death-defying exploits from bestselling author Karen McCombie.

When the Star Boy's space-pod crashes to Earth it gives him the perfect opportunity to study humans close up while he awaits rescue. Two in particular catch his attention - a boy named Wes and a girl named Kiki. But as his curiosity grows so does his courage until the Star Boy follows Wes and Kiki into school ... and into their lives.

A wonderfully warm and wise story about new families and new relationships. When's Meg's mum meets Danny and is swept off her feet, Meg suddenly finds herself living with a house full of boys - on a barge! Will she ever smile her sunshine smile again? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+

Then, on her journey, she comes face-to-face with an unwelcome ghost from the past... The brilliant sequel to Little Bird Flies, this is an exciting story of settling in the New World while still being haunted by everything you've left behind.

Can Bridie escape her quiet island home and allow her wild dreams to take flight?

When Hannah finds the diary of the mysterious Sami Star, she hopes she's also found the friend she always needed. But little does Hannah know Sami needs her too... A heart-warming story of finding friendship in the most unlikely of places.

13-årige Ally mener godt nok, at hendes søskende er temmelig tossede, men da hun finder ud af, at hendes 15-årige storesøster bliver mobbet, hiver hun fat i sine venner for at finde ud af, hvad de kan gøre for at hjælpe søsteren med at slippe for de dumme duller.

Whilst her mum studies penguins in the Antarctic, eleven-year-old Dani is being packed off to a strict girls' boarding school. But Dani and her mum arrive at St Grizelda's to discover there's been a drastic change of teaching style. Gone are the rules and in their place is chaos, craziness and, er, a goat. Can St Grizzle's win Dani over?

When he starts at a new school, Frank is worried about making friends. Can Stanley Stone help him?Oxford Reading Tree All Stars stories are imaginative yet age-appropriate, perfect for stretching able infants. All Stars is endorsed by Potential Plus, a leading charity which supports children with high learning potential.

Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level When Flora dreams of happiness, she doesn't expect to be thrown on to the back of a great, black bull! But as Flora and the bull travel from glen to glen, is the silent beast all that he seems?

Angels Like Me is the third title in the enchanting and magical friendship series from bestselling author Karen McCombie that began with Angels Next Door.Riley's best friends, the Angelo sisters, are special. Sparkly, strange and full of secrets . . Life at home is tricky for Riley Roberts. She misses her mum and wants to learn more about her. But Dad is as secretive as ever.She hopes the sisters can work their magic and help her find out the truth. But Riley is about to discover something more magical than she could have imagined - something that could bring her closer to her mum and answer her questions at last.About the author:Bestselling author Karen McCombie trained as a magazine journalist in her native Scotland before moving to London. After several years working on teen favourites Just 17 and Sugar, she turned to fiction, with her first series, Ally's World, becoming an instant success. In total she's had more than 70 books published and translated around the world, and more than a million books sold. Karen lives in North London with her very Scottish husband Tom, her sunshiney daughter Milly, a demented cat called Dizzy and Biscuit, the button-obsessed hamster. Angels Like Me is the third title in her Angels Next Door series.www.karenmccombie.comAlso available: Angels Next Door (book 1)Angels In Training (book 2)Angels Like Me (book 3)

The second book in the gorgeous new magical friendship series, Angels Next Door, by bestselling author Karen McCombieRiley's life has changed a lot since she discovered the Angelos sister's secret. You see her new neighbours are a little bit . . . magical. They know things that no-one else does and that's why she thinks they can help her find out about mum.But just as she's about to get some answers, mysterious events start happening at school. As things get stranger and stranger, Riley begins to suspect that they're the only ones who can work out what or who is behind them.Who are these new girls and what's with all the glitter? 'A wonderful, funny, heart-warming and comforting tale . . . will be a success with female readers aged 9 and upwards' The School LibrarianAbout the author:Bestselling author Karen McCombie trained as a magazine journalist in her native Scotland before moving to London. After several years working on teen favourites Just 17 and Sugar, she turned to fiction, with her first series, Ally's World, becoming an instant success. In total she's had more than 70 books published and translated around the world, and more than a million books sold.Karen lives in North London with her very Scottish husband Tom, her sunshiney daughter Milly, a demented cat called Dizzy and Biscuit, the button-obsessed hamster.Also available: Angels Next Door, Angels in Training and don't miss Angels Like Me

Angels Next Door is a gorgeous new magical friendship series for 8+ readers by bestselling author, Karen McCombie.Riley's best friend has gone away forever and Lauren 'Queen of Everything' Mayhew is making school a nightmare. It looks like Riley's on her own, until the three Angelos Sisters move in next door.Her new neighbours are . . . different. Colourful and sparkly, they stand out. It's not just their names or how they dress - there's something magical about them. And since they arrived there have been loads of strange coincidences.Who are these new girls and what's with all the glitter?'A wonderful, funny, heart-warming and comforting tale . . . will be a success with female readers aged 9 and upwards' The School LibrarianAbout the author:Bestselling author Karen McCombie trained as a magazine journalist in her native Scotland before moving to London. After several years working on teen favourites Just 17 and Sugar, she turned to fiction, with her first series, Ally's World, becoming an instant success. In total she's had more than 70 books published and translated around the world, and more than a million books sold.Karen lives in North London with her very Scottish husband Tom, her sunshiney daughter Milly, a demented cat called Dizzy and Biscuit, the button-obsessed hamster.www.karenmccombie.com

Ally er en ganske almindelig 13-årig pige. Det påstår hun i hvert fald selv, og hentyder til sin meget mærkelige familie, blandt andet bestående af en søskendeflok, hvor den ældste søster lider af rengøringsvanvid, den anden søster til gengæld er et rodehoved med en svaghed for genbrugstøj og en lillebror, der er helt besat af dyr og gør sit ypperste for at omdanne familiens hjem til en zoo. Med sådan en familie kan det dog godt være sin sag at være helt normal - mener Ally.Allys liv er en absolut pigeserie. De handler alle om Ally (7. klasse, vist) og hendes venner og noget mærkelig familie. Hendes mor er bortrejst og har ikke været hjemme i 4 år, men hun sender nogle gange et par svævende postkort om, hvor hun er. Den yngste storesøster, Birka, er meget flippet og har en lidenskab for glimtende, lysende og flippede ting (se hendes værelse, eller hende selv). Lillebror Tor er dyreelsker og har faktisk forvandlet det lille hus til et dyrehjem/ -hospital. Faren er cykelsmed og meget stille. Ældste storesøster er Linn, som altid er meget stilren og perfekt i sit udseende, og så har hun en ven - og kun ven - ved navn Alfie, som er Allys drømmerprins. Og Ally?... hun er i modsætning til resten af familien ret normal. Interesserer sig for venner, shopping, råhygge og (selvfølgelig!) drenge.Bøgerne handler om almindelige problemer, som klassens nye pige, venner og kærester, men tilsat krydderi af vennerne og den særprægede familie

Ally er teenager og kæmper derfor naturligvis med de store spørgsmål. For eksempel har hun en ven, Billy, og da han bliver forelsket, bliver Ally forvirret - er hun misundelig eller jaloux? Og kan man overhovedet være ven med en dreng uden at være kæreste med ham?

Ally har tre søskende. Den ældste, Allys perfektionistiske storesøster, har fundet sig en kæreste: en gut, der er forsanger i et band, der spiller på små steder rundt omkring i London. Men der skal mere end en guitar til for at vinde Allys tillid, og hverken Ally eller Birka er overbeviste om, at denne musikfyr har reelle hensigter.Karen Grace McCombie (f. 1963) er en skotsk forfatter, der er kendt for sine børne- og ungdomsbøger. Hun er blandt andet forfatter til serien af børnebøger, "Allys Liv", der indtil videre er udkommet i seksten bind. McCombie er opvokset i Aberdeen og har studeret grafisk design og kommunikation, før hun pakkede sine sager og flyttede til London, hvor hun arbejde for en række magasiner, før hun fik udgivet sin første bog.

Den 13-årige Ally bor sammen med sine tre mere eller mindre tossede søskende og deres lidt halvdistræte far. Pludselig begynder Allys far at interessere sig mere, end hvad godt er, for sit udseende, og de fire søskende bliver mistænkelige og bekymrede for, om han har glemt deres mor.Karen Grace McCombie (f. 1963) er en skotsk forfatter, der er kendt for sine børne- og ungdomsbøger. Hun er blandt andet forfatter til børnebogsserien "Allys Liv", der indtil videre er udkommet i seksten bind. McCombie er opvokset i Aberdeen og har studeret grafisk design og kommunikation, før hun pakkede sine sager og flyttede til London, hvor hun arbejde for en række magasiner, før hun fik udgivet sin første bog.

Ally er ganske almindelig. Synes hun selv. En ganske almindelig teenager, altså. Hun bor sammen med sin tre godt tossede søskende og deres far, og hun går i skole og er sammen med sine venner. Men Allys bedste veninde, Sandie, har forandret sig og er blevet så klæbende, at Ally ikke kan lade være med at undre sig, om der er noget i vejen med hende?