Contemporary fairy tales with a twist!

These modern fairy tales for children aged 7–11 deliberately challenge the traditional fairy tale conventions of gender, ethnicity and agency. They complement children’s exploration of the genre, help them to challenge embedded and outdated world views, and support their increasing development as sophisticated readers.

Available from April 2023

Leading children’s authors have provided their own twists on familiar fairy tales to bring them up to date, reimagining characters, plot lines and settings so that girls rescue themselves, stepmothers aren’t always evil and sometimes being the handsome prince isn’t all it seems.

1 New job

Adam was proud and excited. It was his first day at his new summer job. He’d been told to chop down trees for firewood, on the far side of the forest by the loch.

As he walked up the path towards the tree line, he made sure that his axe was securely strapped to his back, his mobile phone was tucked in his pocket and that he had the lunchbox his dad had packed for him.

The forest was dark, oddly cold and silent. It felt different from previous visits when it had been full of sunshine and birdsong.

Adam had grown up hearing fairy tales about the odd things that happened in magical forests. He shivered. Of course, he knew that fairy tales weren’t real, but he was worried about encountering a creature the stories often featured – a hungry wolf.

F The Drum Maker and the Aziza

Band 15/Emerald F Parade of the Pipers

Band 16/Sapphire F Harris and Grace

Band 17/Diamond F Marceline, Defender of the Sea

Band 18/Pearl F Jam and the Giant

978-0-00-854175-0 £7.25

978-0-00-854177-4 £7.25

978-0-00-854169-9 £7.50

978-0-00-854179-8 £7.50

978-0-00-854185-9 £7.75

Develop knowledge and vocabulary with fiction collections to enrich your English curriculum

Classics

Develop children's knowledge of our rich literary heritage with retellings of much-loved classics.

Perform

books £246.50 £197.20

Exciting poetry and play scripts from top writers including Michael Rosen and John Agard.

Tales

Featuring traditional tales and myths from around the world, our wide range of tales provide a magical reading experience.

Develop children's knowledge of our rich literary heritage with retellings of much-loved classics.

Encourage wider reading with non-fiction curriculum collections

Science

Bring a range of science topics to life with exciting books packed with fascinating facts and detailed images.

History

Explore history through the ages with your pupils, from the Ancient Greeks to life in the Victorian age.

Geography

Discover different people and places around the world in these engaging and colourful books.

Sport

Discover different sports and real-life stories about the world's most inspirational sporting figures.