Rowan knows he is strange. But dangerous? He didn't mean to scare his sister. In his right mind, he wouldn't hurt a fly. But there's a place he can go where they say they can fix his mind... As the second World War begins, Rowan is diagnosed as schizophrenic and sent away to a hospital where the latest treatments are available. But the treatments a...

Mary Anning is probably the world's best-known fossil-hunter. As a little girl, she found a fossilised sea monster, the most important prehistoric discovery of its time. Best-selling author Laurence Anholt turns Mary's fascinating life into a beautiful story, ideal for reading aloud.

A multi-award-winning actor, writer, comedian and presenter known for his warmth, humour and inspired impressions, Rob Brydon has quickly become one of our very favourite entertainers. But there was a time when it looked like all we'd hear of Rob was his gifted voice. Small Man in a Book is Rob Brydon's funny, heartfelt, honest, sometimes sad, but...

Imagine a drug that made your brain function to its full potential. A drug that allowed you to pick up a foreign language in a single day. A drug that helped you process information so fast you could see patterns in the stock market. Just as his life is fading into mediocrity, Eddie Spinola comes across such a pill: MDT-48 - a sort of Viagra for th...

Step into the magical world of Cecelia Ahern in this heartwarming bestseller. If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be? Lou Suffern wishes he could be in two places at once. His constant battle with the clock is a sensitive issue with his wife and family. Gabe wishes he was somewhere warm. When Lou invites Gabe, a homeless ma...

Jack, standing among the war graves, sees a face he recognizes. Suddenly, it's 1914 again and he's a young lad back in the trenches. Visions of killing and misery come to him with horrible clarity. But then Jack remembers too the incredible moment when the guns fell silent for a short time, and fighting gave way to football on the frozen ground of...

How do you begin to tell your story when you can't speak? Ethan lives on the canal. He likes it there. He can go to the pond and catch newts and minnows. He can learn everything he needs to know from books and from his mum. No one there laughs at him because he doesn't talk. Ethan can't remember exactly when he stopped talking or why. It is only wh...

Blade thought he had escaped from his past. Out of sight, out of mind. On his own. But now everything's changed. He's not on his own any more - he's back in the worst kind of trouble. People are still after him. People who will do whatever it takes to get him. They know where he is now. And they're closing in...

This text is part of a series building into an extensive library of knowledge for tomorrow's young scientists. Lively and accessible, each of the 10 volumes focuses on a major area of scientific knowledge and draws the reader into the dynamic world of the modern scientist. Covering up-to-date discoveries, events and ideas, the expert authors aim to...

The first Horrible Science book to tackle the issues of global warming, and climate change: What are the sickening secrets of gruesome greenhouse gases? Which is the deadliest toxic waste? Will the Earth make it to the year 2100?

Dragons have invaded Crumbling Castle, and all of King Arthur's knights are either on holiday or visiting their grannies. It's a disaster! Luckily, there's a spare suit of armour and a very small boy called Ralph who's willing to fill it. Together with Fortnight the Friday knight and Fossfiddle the wizard, Ralph sets out to defeat the fearsome fire...

"A bear on Paddington Station?" said Mrs Brown in amazement. "Don't be silly - there can't be." The original story of Paddington, the classic bear from Darkest Peru, read by Stephen Fry. The Browns first meet Paddington on a railway station - Paddington station, in fact. He has travelled all the way from Darkest Peru with only a jar of marmalade, a...

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises...

The riveting story of Margaret Pole, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, one of the few surviving members of the Plantagenet dynasty after the Wars of the Roses. Plantagenet, once carried proudly by Margaret like a crown upon her head, is now, at the end of the 15th century, the most dangerous name in England...

In a tiny shack in the largest township in South Africa, Nombeko Mayeki is born. Put to work at five years old and orphaned at 10, she quickly learns that the world expects nothing more from her than to die young, be it from drugs, alcohol, or just plain despair. But Nombeko has grander plans. She learns to read and write, and at just 15, using her...

Dirty Bertie - the boy with nose-pickingly disgusting habits - is back for another helping of comic chaos! Join Bertie as he takes Angela Nicely on a dinosaur hunt, bites off more than he can chew at a chocolate factory, and gets into an alarming situation pet-sitting next door's cat! Then he finds himself on the run from a zombified Eugene, discov...

When Owen Underwood's family move to Barrow, it's because there's nowhere safer in the Valleys - and safety is very important. Especially when the threat of tornadoes, and giant bears, is constant. But in Barrow, safety is taken to extremes. Children have to wear bright yellow at all times and are never allowed outside except to go to school. How c...

Topher is planning a trip to London - but will it be safe, with all the terrorist threats? It worries him, and so do the extended absences of his beloved cat, Ka. And sure enough, in the middle of a big bomb alert, Topher is called away - to a Saxon village threatened by Norsemen.

'But we don't know the first thing about looking after babies.' Phoebe's mum and dad are foster parents, and they're having a tough time. Her dad's moved out for bit, and her little foster brothers are playing up. So when Phoebe and her brother Adam find a baby abandoned in their den, they decide to try and look after her themselves ... ***EXTRA C...

In prison, accused of an intergalactic crime - the murder of President Vorlunar - things are not looking good for Stanley Bound. But when he escapes, matters get even worse! He discovers that his assumed crime has given him not only notoriety, but value. How can a boy who lives above a pub in south-east London cope with bounty hunters with beards o...

When Uncle Ben's Dublin business fails, Gloria and Raymond realise that something is wrong. So when the children overhear their granny saying that the Black Dog has settled on Ben's back and he won't be OK until it's gone, they decide they're going to get rid of it and they set out on a midnight quest to hunt it down and chase it away. But loads of...