Gauteng Senior Primary Show 2026

  A high-energy, laugh-out-loud, fully illustrated adventure story by much-loved actor Stephen Mangan and talented artist Anita Mangan, creators of Top 10 Fiction Bestsellers The Fart That Changed the World and The Great Reindeer Rescue.  A laugh-out-loud, wildly imaginative twist on THE WIZARD OF OZ as a boy gets flushed down a toilet and discovers a magical world in trouble: the queen has completely lost her sense of humour and banned any mirth of any kind. As the boy navigates the world by popping up in various locations via toilets, he encounters a whole host of wacky people and creatures and must find out who has robbed the queen of her funny bone and return it to her, before the inhabitants of the world forget how to laugh and enjoy life, FOREVER. Wildly funny, delightfully imaginative storytelling with a message that any kid can be a hero! Packed with pictures by Stephen Mangan's sister Anita Mangan.   Escape the Rooms, The Fart That Changed the World and The Great Reindeer Rescue have been huge bestsellers: Stephen and Anita are comic dynamite.   Praise for Stephen and Anita's books: Escape the Rooms: "A brilliant, clever, kind of genius book" Graham Norton, Virgin Radio 'Richly imagined and deeply heartfelt' Hadley Freeman, Guardian 'Manages to feel both classic and modern at the same time' Good Housekeeping 'A beautiful and exciting adventure that ignites the imagination' Edith Bowman   The Fart That Changed the World "A sure-fire way for kids to entertain themselves. What’s more, it’s also excellent for reading aloud" LoveReading4Kids "Laugh-out-loud stuff" Ray D’Arcy "A high-energy, brilliantly imaginative and laugh-out-loud tale that is guaranteed to blow away young readers" Lancashire Evening Post   The Unlikely Rise of Harry Sponge “After the runaway success of joint debut novel, Escape the Rooms, and the hilarious The Fart That Changed the World, the dynamic duo return with an all-action, marvellously manic and laugh-out-loud tale with a message that any child can be a hero” Lancashire Evening Post "hilarious ... A right royal romp" First News   ABOUT THE MANGANS Stephen Mangan is an author, script-writer and actor with huge range across TV, radio, film and theatre. From classic comedy such as Green Wing, Episodes and I'm Alan Partridge and acclaimed drama such as The Split, Stephen also presents Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year and regularly appears on stage, most recently as a highly praised Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Stephen also voiced the title role in Postman Pat: The Movie. He has been a member of the judging panels for the Costa Book of the Year prize and The Laugh-Out-Loud Awards (The

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A beautiful and urgent exploration of the experience of child poverty from Tom Percival, creator of the bestselling Big Bright Feelings series, for fans of Boy at the Back of the Class. 'Powerful and moving with the potential to change lives' Hannah Gold'Full of empathy and most importantly, heart' Phil EarleThere's a bunch of kids in there and suddenly they're all looking at me like someone who can actually do something, not just some weirdo with the wrong shoes and a rubbish coat . . . Will has the wrong shoes – he's always known it but doesn't know how to change it. Navigating the difficulties of home and school when you feel you stick out is tough, but finding confidence with the help and empathy of friends can be all you need to see the way.  Praise for The Wrong Shoes: ‘An extraordinary, powerful and moving book that has the potential to change lives.’ Hannah Gold ‘Every chapter is full of experience & empathy & most importantly, heart’ Phil Earle ‘Reading fiction is about walking in the shoes of people whose lives are very different to ours and allowing more readers to see themselves in stories. The Wrong Shoes is the perfect example of both – the right book at the right time’ Tom Palmer ‘A brilliant book – such a perfect marriage of words and illustrations and an important story told with real heart’ Christopher Edge ‘A hopeful, honest, big-hearted read. You’ll be rooting for the main character, Will, from the very first page . . . ’ Clara Vulliamy ‘A beautifully illustrated, deeply moving, empathy-boosting story . . .’ Rashmi Sirdeshpande ‘A superbly courageous and timely book. Will is a protagonist so many children and adults will identify with, really beautiful’ Steven Lenton

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Flint is NOT a fan of freaky things. He likes to be indoors and play on his iPad for fun. But his mom forces him to go outdoors over the weekend. UGH! Flint’s friend Zuko LOVES creepy things. And since Flint must be outdoors, Zuko suggests they go check out the haunted house in the neighbourhood. Imagine Flint’s shock when they find a VAMPIRE GUINEA PIG! One who talks with an Afrikaans accent, has fangs and … can fly! Join Flint in this funny, delightful, and SERIOUSLY BONKERS adventure as he tries to figure out how to deal with his dodgy new pet and why some bad people want to catch him.

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They're in a race to save his dad ... and the world.When his dad disappears, Arun Lal is amazed to discover that he was secretly working on a classified project and has been kidnapped by people intent on stealing it.Along with his geeky best friend Sam and tough-talking Donna, Arun is plunged into a race to rescue his father and find his creation before the thieves can turn it into a destructive global weapon...Full of thrilling high-octane car chases and more, this is the first in an explosive new action-adventure middle grade series. Perfect for readers aged 9+ and fans of Alex Rider, CHERUB and Mission: Impossible.Arun, Donna and Sam are ordinary school kids with an extraordinary secret. They are S.T.E.A.L.T.H., a crack team of agents in charge of the most cutting-edge piece of tech the world doesn't know exists: MANDROID. Always flying under the radar, they solve crimes, prevent disasters and rescue the innocent - and they STILL have to get their homework in on time!

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An Alien Stole My Planet is a laugh-out-loud, wacky adventure through space by Pooja Puri, brilliantly illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan. It is the third book in the A Dinosaur Ate My Sister series.Before you start reading, there are a few things you should know:1. I, Esha Verma, am a genius inventor extraordinaire.2. I like lists.3. I did not mean to open up an inter-galactic portal. Some things just can't be helped.Esha Verma, her snotty apprentice Broccoli and his secretly cunning pet tortoise are on their third adventure – this time it's an inter-galactic mission through outer-space to stop an alien from stealing their planet!When Esha invents the Inviz-Whiz, a device designed to make the user invisible, she does not expect it to open a portal to outer space – and things go from bad to worse when Esha, Broccoli, Archibald and Broccoli's annoying cousin Bean are immediately abducted by Goospa, an alien with an evil plan!With the help of a surly alien called Nix, Esha and the gang must race across the galaxy, navigate a Lava Marsh, fight vicious Ice Bats – and stop Bean getting into too much trouble! – to stop Goospa's plan before it's too late!

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An outrageously funny new children's book from award-winning author Joseph Elliott, star of CBeebies' Swashbuckle and CBBC's Big Fat Like. When Atticus and Autumn's dads leave them with their eccentric great-grandmother Nora for the weekend, they're hoping for a few days scoffing biscuits and playing video games. But when Nora's around, nothing ever goes quite to plan... After a stranger from Nora's past leaves a menacing note pinned to her front door, Atticus and Autumn are swept away on a hair-raising adventure dodging snot-flinging sea monsters, battling thunderous electrosquibs and trying to escape from a very flappy goose! Complete with wild and joyful illustrations from Nici Gregory, this rip-roaring tale is perfect for readers aged 8 and up!

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