First Day at School

It’s Poppy’s first day at her new school, and she feels completely alone. If only she had a friend to sit next to, someone to play with at break instead of standing by herself. Making friends isn’t easy for Poppy, and she’s sure everyone else already has a best friend — except her.

Then along comes Spike.

“So, Spike has found you,” said the shopkeeper.

He flicked open the box and bowed like a magician performing a magic trick.

“But you’ve woken him — and he won’t like that.”

The shopkeeper was right. Spike does not like waking up — unless there’s food involved. And once he’s awake, the tricks this tiny pocket dragon plays cause absolute chaos in the classroom at Knotty Street School.

Suddenly, lessons have never been so much fun.

By the end of her first day, Poppy has overcome her shyness and made two new friends — her mischievous pocket dragon and Ali, a boy who might just be as cheeky as Spike himself.

Poppy’s Pocket Dragon: First Day at School is the first book in the Knotty Street School series. It’s a warm, funny story about friendship, confidence, and learning to be brave enough to speak up. 

The Knotty Street School: Poppy’s Pocket Dragon chapter book series is full of humour, heart, and gentle magic. Follow Poppy and her classmates as they navigate school life with the help (and occasional chaos) of her dragon companion. From first-day nerves to power struggles in the playground, each story explores real childhood experiences through fun, fast-paced adventures.

With short chapters, relatable characters, and plenty of laughs, the series is ideal for children who are moving on from early readers and ready for longer stories.

Current titles include:

• First Day at School

• Captain Jack Takes Control

• Zoe and the Painted Tomb

Step into Knotty Street School… Just watch out for sparks, scales, and a dragon who doesn’t always follow the rules. 

Captain Jack Takes Control

Can you keep a secret?

Poppy Evans has just started at Knotty Street School, and she’s desperate to fit in. New school, new classmates — and absolutely no one can find out what she’s hiding in her pocket.

Because Poppy has a dragon.

Spike may be small enough to hide, but he’s loud, greedy, sparkly… and impossible to control. When gummy bears and fizzy flying saucers cause chaos in the classroom, and a quiet boy called Jack shows he’s braver than anyone expected, school life takes a magical turn.

From bubble-powered space missions to ancient myths coming alive, Poppy and her new friends are swept into extraordinary adventures — all the while trying to keep Spike secret from teachers and classmates.

When danger strikes, and someone needs to take charge, one unlikely hero steps forward.

Perfect for readers aged 7–9, Poppy’s Pocket Dragon: Captain Jack Takes Control is a funny, fast-paced chapter book about friendship, courage, and discovering the leader inside you — even if you’d rather stay unnoticed.

Adventure, humour, dragons, space, and myths — all in one pocket-sized story. 

Zoe and the Painted Tomb

Have you heard the rumour? Poppy has a secret, and his name is Spike!

Things are different at Knotty Street since Poppy joined the school. You see, Poppy has a secret—Spike, a tiny pocket dragon with a colourful personality. Wherever Spike is, what the kids call weird stuff happens! Because Spike believes lessons should be fun and take place everywhere — not just in the classroom.

In Zoe and the Painted Tomb, Poppy’s Knotty Street Gang goes on a school trip to the Egyptian Gallery at the British Museum. However, Spike has other ideas and magically transports them to Ancient Egypt, where they attend the Festival of the New Moon and get hands-on experience at decorating Nebamun’s tomb.

Their adventure is much more than a history lesson. At the festival, they learn how traditions are passed down through the generations, and in Nebamun’s tomb, mixing paints, drawing and colouring, they learn to work together as a team.

But as time passes, Poppy asks what’s happened to Spike? Why has he taken them thousands of years into the past — and then vanished?

And when they realise that Ali and Jack have disappeared, the adventure becomes far more serious.

Can the gang find their missing friends in the desert night before they fall prey to wild animals?

Perfect for readers aged 7–11 who love magical adventures, time travel, friendship stories and historical settings.