Monthly Archives: June 2013

After discovering an aged map with a big bold X marking a special spot, Josh is eager to unravel the mystery of Blackbeard's treasure. The X lies on an island neighbouring St Lucia, in the Caribbean, where his dad has organised a holiday to show Josh his homeland. Josh jumps at the chance to sneak off to Skull Island, eager to get his hands on the gold!

Will Josh's map be a booby trap? Or will X mark the spot and hit gold?

Jess hasn't had an ordinary childhood. She's human, at least, but she her family are a little unusual...

Being raised by fairies, gnomes and a unicorn, Jess is a malekin; a human child who can perform magic. She's been coping pretty well until now, but that was before she had to go to school!

But keeping her powers secret may be the least of her troubles, especially with the meanest maths teacher in school...

A true story of war, courage and kindness.

Geordie is an 18 year old boy fighting for England on one of the most unforgiving battlefields of World War I.

In the heat of fire and destruction, he notices a German pack donkey in labour. Risking his life in a temporary truce, Geordie saves the new born foal and raises him to be a favourite among the troops.

Defying the odds of survival, this story tells the tale of two unlikely friends depending on each other to get through the Great War.

We caught up with Tommy Donbavand, author of upcoming Gems titles The Terrible Tale of Melody Doom and Once Upon a Time, to find out what inspired him to write for reluctant readers and what we can expect from his upcoming titles...

What inspired you to write for reluctant readers?
My older son, who suffers from dyspraxia, found reading hard as he was growing up. We read together as much as we could at home, but things were different at school; there's was nothing in reading schemes about Biff, Kipper, Chip and magic keys that excited him enough to pick up a new book. I realised that reluctant and struggling pupils needed exciting stories if they were going to be encouraged to turn the page and so I began to pitch ideas to publishers who specialised in that area.

What are the major themes of your work?
Friendship, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting evil (particularly evil dressed in titanium-plated robotic battle armour!)

Can you give us

Shareen is the star of the school's football team. She's also the only girl on it!

Despite her strong friendship with the boys, a popular girl, Georgia, labels her 'out' and uncool. When Shareen's football boots go missing, she has a prime suspect in mind.

Angry about the stolen shoes, Shareen stumbles upon Georgia being teased by some older pupils. Will she step in and stop the bullies? How can she use her football skills to help?

Challenging expectations and finding friends in unlikely places, Pink Football Boots scores all the right goals for girls who are more than the ordinary.