From spooky tales and thrilling whodunnits to magical adventures with Greek gods, we've picked out the best Puffin books for for Christmas children aged 9 and above.
Prepare to enter the world of the Unfairies ! Where battles are epic, mighty and mega...though on a slightly miniature scale (just don't tell them that...). Some stories will tell you fairies are sweet, kind, magical creatures. Well, those stories are WRONG. It’s time everyone knew the TRUTH! Fairies are sneaky, cunning and about as magical as slugs. Join our impulsive, hilarious and somewhat surprising hero Pip on a breakneck adventure among the warring unfairy tribes of The Garden. Expect sinister plots, epic acorn-based warfare, a dubious ancient prophecy, thrilling centipede chases...and a hero who doesn’t give two hoots about anything.
When Benjamiah discovers a strange fragment of witchstone, he find himself transported to the labyrinthine streets of Wreathenwold - a world of spectacular adventure and impossible magic. Along with his friends Elizabella Cotton, Mea and Silas the mapmaker, Benjamiah embarks on a dangerous quest involving a strange collection of fairytales - The Book of Barely Believable Stories. The gang must undertake a series of magical trials to save the missing children of Wreathenwold, before Midsommer ends and they are lost forever...
Life is no fun for Alex Evans. Ever since her dad's death, her overprotective mother has smothered her with unbreakable rules and unspoken fears. When the frustration inside Alex finally gets too big to bear, it rushes to the surface. And flames spill from her mouth. Because Alex is a dragon. One of the many who live among us, unless something awakens their true nature. Led by the mighty Oliphos to the legendary island of Skralla, Alex must now train alongside fierce, frightening dragon children, if she is to unlock the power of her birthright. But other dragons are rising too. Drak Midna, the greatest dragon of all, is preparing a war against the human world, and Alex has to be good enough for this fight, or we all will burn...
When Ava and Luke discover a mysterious box of papers in their attic they are instantly curious about secrets it might hold. As they read through letters, diary entries, newspaper cuttings and listen to secret recordings, they realize that a decades-old, still unsolved, murder mystery is unfolding right in front of them...Ava and Luke decide to try and crack the case themselves. But as they work through the clues, it soon becomes clear that the mystery isn't something left in the past: the killer is still be out there - and might be closer than they think...YOU know the facts. YOU have all the clues. Can YOU solve the mystery before they do?
Twenty-five years into the future, no humans are allowed in the Wildlands – a vast area in Britain where wolves, lynx and bison roam free. The only exception is a high-speed train line between London and Glasgow that crosses right through the heart of the project. Thirteen-year-old Astrid and her little sister, Indie, are onboard when their train slows to a brief, unexpected stop … and they find themselves accidentally left behind. Stranded in this place of astonishing natural wonders and terrible dangers, they have only a rucksack, a phone without signal – and each other. As every wrong turn takes them deeper into the Wildlands, do they have the ingenuity and determination to survive?
International bestselling author Jeff Kinney serves up heaps of laughs in the 20th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
The Kid Who Fell Through Time by Greg James & Chris Smith (2025)
History has always seemed pretty boring to Angus. Who cares about things that happened thousands of years ago? Totally pointless! That’s what Angus thinks until the day he accidentally falls into a shopping trolley and ends up travelling through time with Marge, the lady who runs the cheese counter at the local supermarket, and who is also FROM THE FUTURE. And so begins the most epic adventure of his life – exploring a market in Roman Britain, hanging out with Shakespeare, making new friends in Ancient Egypt. Oh, and trying to escape the Evil Emperor Kragg from the 99th Century who is determined to destroy the planet. Can Angus and his new friends make it out of the past unscathed and, more importantly, is camel cheese really as bad as you imagine? Only time will tell!
Alright BOOM, Big Manny is back with more amazing experiments that you can try at home! This time we're gonna be learning all about physics tings – from sound waves to circuits. We'll meet the awesome forces – from mad magnetism to fantastic friction. And we'll create mind-blowing experiments – from bending water to building an electroscope! (If you want to know what an electroscope is, you're gonna have to read the book fam!) Let's start experimenting and find out why science is lit, innit.
Get ready to peek behind the scenes in this hilarious and not-so-secret diary from legendary Lioness Ella Toone. The Lionesses are heading into a big football tournament – and when I say big, I mean BIG. I’m so excited, but I’m nervous too. So my manager suggested I write all my feelings down in a diary. Now, I know a diary is meant to be top-secret, but I want to share this with YOU! So I’m going to write down EXACTLY what goes down behind the scenes - the highs, the lows and the funny bits in-between - from the training sessions, to the funny pranks us Lionesses play on each other, to the pre-match meals and the post-match celebrations. And I’ll squeeze in a load of flashbacks too...I have far too many amazing memories to keep to myself!
Sword of Fire by Federico Ivanier, translated by Claire Storey(2025)
When ordinary, lonely Martina Valiente discovers a mysterious golden box in a forgotten room at her grandmother’s house, she is drawn into the fantastical world of Novrogod – where magic thrives and the balance between Wizardry and Darkness must be carefully maintained. But now, Novrogod is threatened by Voraz, a wizard of Darkness, and Martina learns that she is ‘The Sent One’ - a guardian of Novrogod that is destined to return to the land when it needs them the most. Along with her stepbrother Matias, Martina sets out to collect the magical items that will aid them in restoring peace and balance to Novrogod. But can she defeat Voraz once before dark magic consumes this new world?
Just when Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again! Amber’s hanging out with the Ultra Mean Girl Gang at school and is completely ignoring the Queens of Eight Green. Mum’s gone back to work and expects Lottie to ‘help around the house more’, Bella keeps biting everyone and Pot Noodle will not stop sniffing every dog’s bum. DISASTER! Now Lottie has to come up with a foolproof plan to get Amber back before her friendship group is destroyed forever. What could go wrong? Join Lottie as she battles the mean girls, takes on school injections (apparently they can go through your arm!) and even more extremely embarrassing moments.
Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this irresistible illustrated edition of The Wizard of Oz to celebrate its 125th anniversary. Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion whom she meets on the way, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.
It was clear from an early age that Dexter Procter was different. He started speaking at four seconds old. By the age of three, he had 87 A-levels, from Afrikaans to Zoology. And by ten, he was working as a paediatrician at Lilydale General Hospital. Despite a loving but annoying family and a couple of good friends (Rupi and Otto), Dexter’s always struggled to fit in. Add to this a mortal enemy (Dr Drake) and a major problem at his old school (all the teachers struck down with awful diarrhoea) – will Dexter be able to save his job, save the school and find his place in the world? (Spoiler alert: yes!) A laugh-out-loud new fiction series about the world's youngest doctor.
The start of a thrilling new World War Two mystery series from the number-one-bestselling and multi-award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike. 1940. The world is at war, and a secret arm of the British government called the Ministry of Unladylike Activity is training up spies. Enter May Wong: courageous, stubborn, and desperate to help end the war so that she can go home to Hong Kong (and leave her annoying school, Deepdean, behind forever). May knows that she would make the perfect spy. After all, grown-ups always underestimate children like her. When May and her friend Eric are turned away by the Ministry, they take matters into their own hands. Masquerading as evacuees, they travel to Elysium Hall, home to the wealthy Verey family - including snobby, dramatic Nuala. They suspect that one of the Vereys is passing information to Germany. If they can prove it, the Ministry will have to take them on. But there are more secrets at Elysium Hall than May or Eric could ever have imagined. And then, someone is murdered...
