AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR Lucy's mum is always busy, going to this meeting and that, leaving Lucy alone in their old house with one strict rule: NO MAGIC. Lucy doesn't mean to conjure the giant green slug. She only wanted a friendly kitten to keep her company. Now, with the help of a talking spellbook and a grumpy cat called Thomas, she must race to get rid of the slug before it eats the prized cabbage garden of the witch next door - and before her mum gets home. A lively, entertaining story for young readers. AGES: 6 to 9 AUTHOR: Phoebe McArthur lives in a run-down, yet cosy cottage in the middle of nowhere. She's not at all lonely thanks to her four cats, three chooks, two guinea pigs and her extensive library. If she's not tipping cats off her lap as she writes stories, she's cooking all sorts of yummy food, such as scones with extra cream and homemade blackberry jam, or doing art at the table near the window, which has the best view of her garden. Lucy Newton, Little Witch is her first book.