Books with author Ruth Symes

Bella Donna s a young witch living in magical Coven Road but she still has to go to school in the real world. Bella is good at most of her lessons, but not all of them and she s really not very good at gym! But she knows her cat, Pegatha, would find it easy . . . When Bella finds a very simple spell for swapping bodies with Pegatha, she has a brilliant idea. But even simple spells can go wrong!

A witch, a cat and a lot of magic!Half the time Bella Donna is a regular girl at a regular school with her regular friends - animal-mad Sam, and pink fan Angela. The rest of the time she's a young witch learning to cast spells and living with her adoptive mum Lilith, and Lilith's niece Verity. Bella is working very hard at learning her spells, as she's desperate to win the Spell Casting Contest. But a new teacher at school, Miss Rowan, is making her nervous. Witchlike things are happening in the classroom, and Bella knows it isn't her . . . Beautifully illustrated throughout by winner of the Egmont Best New Talent award, Marion Lindsay.

A witch, a cat and a lot of magic! Some girls dream of being a princess, but Bella Donna has always longed to be a witch. The only thing she wants more is to find a family to take her out of the children's home where she lives. But no one seems quite right until she meets Lilith. With Lilith's help, will Bella Donna be able to make both of her secret wishes come true? Beautifully illustrated throughout by winner of the Egmont Best New Talent award, Marion Lindsay.

So what if she's not a delicate little butterfly? Harriet the Hedgehog LOVES to dance! A springtime tale of friendship and self-acceptance illustrated by acclaimed artist Caroline Jayne Church.Harriet the Hedgehog gleefully joins in the butterflies' dance--until she notices they've all stopped to stare. "Butterflies only dance with butterflies," they declare. Tears in her eyes, Harriet runs, trips, and tumbles down a hill. "Where've you been?" her friend Ivor asks when she finally arrives on his doorstep. "Dancing with butterflies. They look like flowers," Harriet sighs. Ivor exclaims, "You look like a flower, too!" Harriet sees her reflection in a puddle: All the flowers from her hillside fall have stuck to her bristles! And that makes her so happy, she starts to dance!

Even little monsters get worried about their first day at school. It's a big step to take. Fred and Ted are two little monsters who aren't at all sure they want to go . . . but once they do, they soon find out it's fun. After a day filled with mud splashing and slime painting, some howling and growling practice, and a good stomp and stamp, not to mention big helpings of worms for lunch—they can't wait for Tuesday!