Prepare to lick the toenails of adventure! Betty Steady’s faster than an angry goose and stronger than an ogre in yoga pants and she DON’T NEED NO STINKING HELP FROM NO ONE! But can she prevent the Toad Witch from attacking Wobbly Rock?

The funniest young fiction debut of 2024, for readers of Mr Gum and Grimwood!

At twelve years old Betty Steady stands tall and dazzling, and is the Guardian of Wobbly Rock – a faraway kingdom which she protects fearlessly ALL ON HER OWN. But then the Toad Witch literally cuts Betty down to size. Can Betty prevent disaster before the Toad Witch and her evil army launch a terrible attack on Wobbly Rock? And when will she learn that she doesn’t have to do stuff ALL ON HER OWN any more?

Join us for fights and friendships! Lasagne-eating snails and slimy villains! Meet Betty and her crew: Figg the imp, Simon Anderson the stallion in tiger-print cycling shorts, Elle Emen O’Pea the trumpet-playing mouse in a bobble hat, and many, many more! Just jolly join us! HOT CROSS BUNS!

NICKY SMITH-DALE

As a child Nicky always had her head in the clouds. Later she pursued a career as a primary school teacher, greatly enjoying encouraging a new generation of creative minds. Sadly, she firmly believed there was no place for her own bonkers stories in an adult world. Then she realised she didn’t have to write for adults after all! Now Nicky enjoys writing funny children’s books from her home in Winchester, where she lives with her husband and two children.