Hoopdriver
Billy Hoopdriver is thirteen years old and tired of being invisible. He lives with his father in a grey council house in Liverpool—just the two of them, locked in silence. His dad used to sell bikes, then worked as a delivery driver, but now he’s out of a job and barely speaks. Billy’s only real connection is with his grandfather, Jim Hoopdriver, who now lives in a care home far to the south and once made him promise: “If something happens, come find me.” So, when the time comes, Billy decides he will run away from home: he will travel the 200 miles separating him from the little seaside town of Kewstoke on Azzurra (the mountain bike he has painstakingly assembled piece by piece) with the sole aim of reaching his grandfather’s care home as soon as possible. Jim once claimed he recorded a forgotten album called Shake, that he played with legends, that he mattered. Billy doesn’t know if any of it is true. But as he rides through fields, alleys, tunnels and towns, music becomes his anchor, his invisible map. Every song is a reminder, every mile is a choice he has to make. Yet Billy is never really alone: as he pedals through Liverpool’s suburbs, past Wirral’s woodlands, and into the open farmlands of Shropshire, he encounters people who shift the way he sees the world — and himself.
A story by Book on a Tree
By the same author or illustrator
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 18: Deadly Trap for Mr. Holmes
A trap in Hyde Park, Holmes behind bars, and one last deadly game staged in Moriarty’s shadow. London, December 1919. A mysterious invitation draws Mila to Hyde Park, where what should have been a clarifying meeting turns into an ambush. Billy Gutsby is kidnapped, Mila barely escapes capture, and within hours the unthinkable happens: Sherlock Holmes is arrested after being…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 17: Crime at Christmas
A snowbound Christmas inn, a dead guest under the same roof, and a theatrical revenge plot hidden beneath holly, cocoa and old English charm. Mayfield, England, 1919. Hoping to give Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin an unforgettable English Christmas, Irene takes Mila, Billy Gutsby and the two old friends to the King’s White Horse, a cosy country inn in the…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 16: The Assassin’s Mask
A glamorous seaside holiday, a corpse dressed as a pirate, and a murder plot hidden behind wealth, romance and theatrical deception. Torquay, 1919. Mila arrives on the Devon coast hoping for a few peaceful days by the sea, but her holiday is quickly overshadowed by death. While Harold Grayling and his dazzling fiancée, Lady Cecilia Hagbury-Winch, prepare a lavish masked…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 15: The Top-hat Man Enigma
A dead princess’s final clue, invisible writing on blank pages, and a race across Europe to stop a chemical weapon from falling into the wrong hands London, 1919. Mila is still reeling from Anastasia’s death in Danzig when Sherlock Holmes begins to study the objects her sister died protecting: a hexagonal key and a note bearing the number 734 090.…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 14: Searching for Anastasia
A funeral in London, a missing Romanov princess, and a mission that reunites three legends for one last impossible rescue. London, 1919. At Dr Watson’s funeral, Irene Adler seeks out Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin after nearly fifty years apart. She needs their help to protect her adopted daughter Mila, whose true identity places her at the heart of one…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 13: Double Ending
A vanished corpse, secret tunnels beneath London, and a counterfeit masterpiece that reveals how differently the trio’s future is already unfolding. Now living in New York under a false name, Irene receives a box from her old life: a few treasured objects, and one of her London notebooks. As she begins rereading it, memory pulls her back to an earlier…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 12: The Ship of Goodbyes
A secret refuge on the Welsh coast, a house full of warnings and hidden sounds, and a farewell that changes the future of the trio forever. Hidden away with her real mother at Farewell’s Head, a lonely manor perched above the sea in North Wales, Irene Adler is told she is finally safe. But the house soon fills with strange…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 11: The Port of Deception
A castle that may not really be for sale, coded lights on the Clyde, and a hidden political conspiracy that turns Irene herself into the centre of the mystery. When Irene Adler begins suffering from severe headaches, the new Dr. Marqueson prescribes an unexpected cure: rowing. But what starts as a lively new routine with Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 10: The Lord of Crime
A string of absurd crimes, a nursery rhyme turned into a deadly script, and the first appearance of a mind brilliant enough to challenge Sherlock. Spring 1872. London seems full of bizarre little crimes with no clear logic behind them: a cobbler found with a bow in his hands after shooting a French chef, a drugged sailor chained beside an…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 9: Murder at the Fox Hunt
A vanished stranger, a corpse hidden in a village well, and a country-house mystery rooted in a deadly lie from the Crimean War. London, February 1872. Irene Adler travels with her father to the Devon countryside, hoping a few quiet days away might lift Leopold’s dark winter mood. Instead, what begins as a country retreat soon turns into a new…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 8: The Sphinx of Hyde Park
A scholar found dead in a sarcophagus, a chain of secrets reaching back to Egypt, and a revenge plot buried for years beneath academic glory. Just days before Christmas 1871, London is gripped by the shocking death of Gideon Hawthorne, director of the British Museum, found suffocated inside an Egyptian sarcophagus. What at first looks like a sensational “curse of…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 7: The Mystery of the King Cobra
A vanished butler, a robbery at the London docks, and a mystery that reaches from Victorian London to the shadows of colonial India. Back in London with her father and still trying to rebuild her life after the tragedy in Paris, Irene Adler hopes for a quieter future. Instead, a sudden shock unsettles the fragile calm of her new home:…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 6: The Shadows of the Seine
A missing cousin, a gang war on the Seine, and a case that drags the trio into the most dangerous corners of Paris. Back in Paris for a brief return to ordinary life, Irene Adler is overjoyed to be reunited with Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin. But their happy reunion is short-lived. When Arsène’s idealistic cousin Fabien d’Andrésy vanishes after…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 5: The Ice Castle
A false naturalist, a white castle in the Alps, and a mystery built on disguises, spies and shifting identities. Still shaken by the discovery of her true origins, Irene Adler travels to Davos, in the Swiss Alps, to meet her real mother, Alexandra Sophie von Klemnitz. But before she can find any real peace, Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin are…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 4: The Cathedral of Fear
A mysterious warning, a torn map, and a secret society hidden beneath Paris. When Irene Adler is forced to leave London for the Norman countryside, she expects only boredom and silence. Instead, a mysterious woman approaches her with a cryptic warning about her mother and entrusts her with a hidden packet containing part of an ancient map. Reunited with Arsène…
-
Murder on the Occident Express. Puzzle Mysteries Collection
A rookie inspector, a luxury train, and a murder in the snowy Alps — but the real culprit may already be on another train. Fresh out of the Academy, Inspector Lucius Asgren is sent to a remote Alpine village for his first assignment — and immediately finds himself facing a murder aboard the legendary Occident Express. As the case is…
-
Ten Little Tenants. Puzzle Mysteries Collection
The city is slipping into darkness. Blackouts spread. Tremors shake the streets. And in the middle of this growing unease, a murder is committed in Ash Building, a grim apartment block standing alone on the edge of town. The case is assigned to Lucius Asgren, the most brilliant detective on the force — a legend known for solving the impossible.…
-
This Book Contains a Crime. Puzzle Mysteries Collection
When a strange fantasy novel appears in the secret reading club of four friends, something doesn’t add up. The author died just days after publication — and the initials of the book’s chapters seem to spell out a desperate message: someone was trying to warn the world about a murder. To uncover the truth, the boys must decode hidden clues…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 3: The Mystery of the Scarlet Rose
A coded advertisement, a vanished scientist, and a shadowy enemy who always seems one move ahead. When Irene travels to London to spend the winter holidays with her friends Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin, she expects strolls through Covent Garden and quiet days in the Shackleton Coffee House. Instead, the trio finds themselves entangled in one of their most dangerous…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. Book 2: Last Act at the Opera House
A vanished diva, a theatre full of secrets, and three young detectives who refuse to believe in coincidences. When Irene Adler travels to London to hear the great soprano Ophelia Merridew, she expects nothing more than a dazzling performance. But the glamorous world of the Royal Opera hides rivalries, fears and ambitions — and when a man is murdered and…
-
Sherlock, Lupin and Me. The Black Queen’s Trio
It all starts with a seaside town, a mysterious woman in black, and three extraordinary children who will one day become legends. When twelve-year-old Irene Adler arrives in the walled port town of Saint-Malo, she expects a quiet summer. Instead, she meets two boys who will change her life forever: sharp-minded Sherlock Holmes and daring Arsène Lupin. What begins as…
-
Count Dawn. The Book of Snow
Choose your future, before your future chooses you. In 2069, the future is already written — and it is controlled by APEX, the corporation that rules humanity through the VIVI: living silicon creatures capable of hijacking technology, emotions, and memory itself. The world survives inside sealed Oases. Clo, a boy who can glimpse fragments of what is yet to come,…
-
Ulysses Moore. The Door to Time
The legendary 10 million-seller series, translated into more than 30 languages, now with a brand-new graphic look. Book 1: The Door to Time In the remote village of Kilmore Cove, on a cliff by the sea, the mysterious Villa Argo — once owned by Ulysses Moore — hides one of the legendary Doors of Time: portals carved in sycamore wood that open…
-
Ulysses Moore. The Shop of the Long Lost Maps
The legendary 10 million-seller series, translated into more than 30 languages, now with a brand-new graphic look. Book 2: The Shop of the Long Lost Maps Ancient Egypt, Land of Punt. Jason, Julia and Rick step through the Door of Time into the House of Life, a vast library of papyri and scrolls. They seek a mysterious map hidden by Ulysses Moore…
-
Ulysses Moore. The House of Mirrors
The legendary 10 million-seller series, translated into more than 30 languages, now with a brand-new graphic look. Book 3: The House of Mirrors Kilmore Cove is shrouded in mystery: a statue of a king who never lived, railway tracks that vanish into nothing, and a name missing from every map. Following Ulysses Moore’s trail, Jason, Julia and Rick face new enigmas: the…
-
Ulysses Moore. The Island of Masks
The legendary 10 million-seller series, translated into more than 30 languages, now with a brand-new graphic look. Book 4: The Island of Masks Eighteenth-century Venice: faces hidden behind masks, secrets lurking in the dark alleys. Peter Dedalus, the goldsmith inventor of Kilmore Cove, seems to have taken refuge here, bound by a broken promise. Only the enigmatic Black Gondolier knows his hiding…
-
Ulysses Moore. The Stone Guardians
The legendary 10 million-seller series, translated into more than 30 languages, now with a brand-new graphic look. Book 5: The Stone Guardians For Jason, Julia and Rick, the truth seems at once just a step away and yet light years distant. And now it slips even further, racing along the tracks of Kilmore Cove’s abandoned station, as the Train of Eternal Youth…
-
Ulysses Moore. The First Key
The legendary 10 million-seller series, translated into more than 30 languages, now with a brand-new graphic look. Book 6: The First Key Lost in a labyrinthine medieval citadel, Jason, Julia and Rick are closer than ever to uncovering the mystery of the First Key. Yet other riddles remain. What has become of Black Vulcano? How many Doors of Time exist? And above…
-
The Book Rebels
What happens when reading becomes illegal? Four kids, what seems like a boring summer, and a town where stories must be smuggled. Peter’s parents are in an unusually good mood — they’ve just booked a holiday in Plainton. It’s not too far away, it’s enjoyable but not unforgettable, and yes, there’s a beach… but it’s not particularly beautiful. Peter doesn’t understand.…
-
Burn This Book. The kids who saved Dr Zhivago
Would you risk your life for a book? Three teenagers. three historical eras. One secret that could change history forever. Is it worth risking your life for a book? Boris Pasternak would say yes, that ideas are not born to be hidden or suffocated. And so would his publisher, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, who managed to publish Dr Zhivago, while avoiding censorship.…
-
And Then It Was Time
A celebration of moments that shape who we are and who we’re becoming. A tender invitation to embrace change, cherish growth, and look ahead with wonder. “And then it was the time to grow up, to make great plans, to not be afraid, to learn new things, to make new friends, to make big promises”: this is the text of…
-
Ghost Agency – Vol.4: Even Ghosts Quiver
Ghosts are disappearing – and not in the usual “ooooh, I’m moving on” kind of way. One minute they’re moaning in basements or rattling chains in attics… and the next, poof – gone. When Will Moogley receives a mysterious call and finds only a puddle of strange bluish slime where a ghost should be, he knows something’s not right. All…
-
Ghost Agency – Vol.3: The Skyscraper Ghost
Something spooky is going on at the Empire State Building. Tourists are fainting, elevators are levitating on their own, and a terrifying ghost has taken up (illegal) residence in the city’s most iconic skyscraper. The problem? He doesn’t have a contract. And worse—he refuses to leave. Will Moogley, young head of the world’s worst-run ghost temp agency, is called in…
-
Ghost Agency – Vol.2: A Fearfully Frightening Family!
Jerrold was supposed to enjoy his peaceful retirement – haunting a quiet, creaky old house in Brooklyn. But his afterlife is turned upside down when a rowdy, clueless human family moves in, completely ignoring the fact that the place is already occupied. They blare music, hang curtains, and worst of all… they’re not even a little bit scared of him.…
-
Ghost Agency – Vol.1: Good Job, Will Moogley!
Will Moogley, the young and reluctant heir to the failing Ghost Agency, is struggling to keep the ghost-placement business afloat. His agency provides ghosts for hauntings, but with few clients and little money, things look bleak. An unexpected opportunity arises when a luxury hotel chain, Scary Inn, announces plans to renovate an old castle into a haunted hotel for wealthy…
-
The Crimson City Heist
A federal sheriff and a fierce, unpredictable girl who claims to be his half-sister arrive in Crimson City – a dusty, forgotten outpost where nothing ever happens, and nobody ever comes from the south. Their presence disrupts the fragile balance of the town and upends the quiet life of Roy Wilson, the orphan boy adopted by the stationmaster. The strangers…
-
Maydala Express
An unforgettable journey towards the last, unknown destination Finally, ten years old and red-haired, lives in Grey City’s immense railway station and works for a company that controls all the trains around the world, obeying wicked Mr Mortimer’s orders. Every day she dreams of escaping… One day she finds a piece of crumpled paper in her pocket, with strange lettering…
-
Detecticat Series
Detecticat is a famous private detective, called to solve all kinds of foul deeds. He has an office, an assistant, Miss Bug, and a passion for complex pastimes, which inevitably go pear-shaped. His first idea regarding the culprit is always wrong, then a doubt arises, his whiskers tremble, he says his typical phrase ‒ “There’s something fishy going on here,”…
-
Maud West, Lady Detective vol.1 – A Matryoshka of Mysteries
She’s a mistress of disguise with the acumen of Miss Marple, the resourcefulness of Enola Holmes and a helper who always gets into trouble. It’s Maud West, the first real lady detective who ever lived. London, October 1920. Maud West and her young assistant Max Finch have just solved an intricate investigation and are preparing to celebrate with a nice…
-
Maud West, Lady Detective vol.3 – A Labyrinth of Mirrors
She’s a mistress of disguise with the acumen of Miss Marple, the resourcefulness of Enola Holmes and a helper who always gets into trouble. It’s Maud West, the first real lady detective who ever lived. Somewhere in England, 1920. What are Maggie and Max Finch doing in a cottage in the middle of the forest? And why are they keeping…
-
Maud West, Lady Detective vol.2 – A Cathedral of Cobwebs
She’s a mistress of disguise with the acumen of Miss Marple, the resourcefulness of Enola Holmes and a helper who always gets into trouble. It’s Maud West, the first real lady detective who ever lived. Boasting his new cap, Finch invites Maggie to the cinema. But romantic gestures are not her thing… better to dive into Maud West’s new assignment.…
-
The Mysteries of Mercurio 1 – Giorgione: The Tempest
An old man who lives in the top of a tower in the heart of Florence challenges three friends to a dangerous mission: to discover and solve the hidden mysteries of the art world! In a dimly lit room in the Palatine Gallery, the blackbird Mercurio hands Nina, Jamal and Lorenzo a scroll with a dark mystery. When lightning rips…
-
To Catch a Magic Frog
To catch a magic frog, you need someone to tell you how. You must hurry. You need a good pair of shoes, and a purple hat. (Everyone knows magic frogs like purple hats). To catch a magic frog, it’s a good idea to ask a friend for help… A touching and unconventional picture book, written by one of the most…
