Stewart, Martin J. – The Bell Bookshop

Mystery of the Phantom Diver

Emma — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Meet ocean explorer Sandy Fin, silver-scaled diver of the deep, puzzler of puzzles and daring hero of a hilarious middle grade series by Martin Stewart, illustrated in black and white.

Sandy Fin and his best friend Lily are enjoying life by the sea, after saving Portwhistle and its marine life from Albo Start’s aquapark.

Suddenly, odd things start to occur: an escaped convict is on the loose, curious mounds of sand appear on the beach. Strangest of all are reported sightings of the Phantom Diver – a figure of Portwhistle legend, long believed to be a figment of the most inventive imagination!

Suspicious, Sandy and Lily dive, snoop and climb their way through the mystery towards the Phantom Diver’s true identity.

Operation Splash Landing

Emma — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘[A] thrilling story… a must-read for 8+ year olds’ School Reading List

Meet ocean explorer Sandy Fin, silver-scaled diver of the deep, puzzler of puzzles and hero of a new madcap middle grade series from Martin Stewart, illustrated by Santy Gutierrez

Sandy Fin lives in the Museum of Seaside Stories with the famous explorer Emile du Pont and their collection of treasures. Sandy and his best friend Lily are being taught the art of ocean exploration by Emile, aided by his ingenious inventions.

When the museum’s future is in peril, it is up to Sandy and Lily to save it. But then Albo Start arrives! Start plans to turn Portwhistle Bay into a Seaworld-style theme park named Splash Landing, locking up Portwhistle’s cherished marine life in tiny tanks.

Sensing skulduggery, Sandy and Lily set out to stop Start, armed with banana sandwiches, moonlit sneezes and noses for danger.

Bridget Vanderpuff and the baked escape

Emma — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The first in a new madcap, hilarious series about Bridget Vanderpuff, whipsmart inventor and amateur sleuth with a taste for adventure. It’s a recipe for fun with mystery, villainy, cake and sprinkles of silliness, heart and hope.Bridget Baxter is the very last orphan at the Orphanage for Errant Childs, left at the mercy of the awful Miss Acrid and her foul-smelling fish sandwiches. Miss Acrid’s mission is to make Bridget’s life a misery. But Bridget is more than a match for her.When kindly Mr Vanderpuff arrives at the Orphanage in search of a child to care for, Bridget thinks her luck has finally turned. Mr Vanderpuff is the village baker, and his shop is a world of wonders. But they soon discover that Bridget is absolutely terrible at baking. When Miss Acrid returns for the ultimate revenge, Bridget must open the Locked and Secret Door, navigate Miss Acrid’s spiderweb of booby traps and use her unique baking skills to save herself – and Mr Vanderpuff – from certain disaster.Join Bridget as she dons her chef whites and gets the kwassongs at the ready… Baking isn’t such a piece of cake.