Two quirky and hilarious stories from the bestselling Diana Wynne Jones. Two groups of children learn that while you can choose your friends, dealing with your family can make you wish you could choose a different one... THE FOUR GRANNIES. Two children are left alone for a couple of days, while their parents go away on a business trip. They have four very different grandmas -- a mean one, a snobby one, an anxious one, and a delicate one. Erg (the boy) tries to make all the grannies leave him alone, but manages to turn them into one 'Super-Granny'... AUNTIE BEA'S DAY OUT. Annoying Auntie Bea always does things HER way. And when she decides to take the three children (Nancy, Debbie and Simon) to the seaside, despite what the signs say, she is determined that they will sit on the small, fenced off and isolated island. It turns out to be a magical island though, and whisks her & the children (and dog) around to different places trying to... Views: 45
Dylan is the only boy living in the tiny Welsh town of Manod. His parents run the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel garage - and when he's not trying to persuade his sisters to play football, Dylan is in charge of the petrol log. And that means he gets to keep track of everyone coming in and out of Manod - what car they drive, what they're called, even their favourite flavour of crisps. But when a mysterious convoy of lorries trundles up the misty mountainside towards an old, disused mine, even Dylan is confounded. Who are these people - and what have they got to hide? A story inspired by a press cutting describing how, during WWII, the treasured contents of London's National Gallery were stored in Welsh slate mines. Once a month, a morale-boosting masterpiece would be unveiled in the village and then returned to London for viewing. This is a funny and touching exploration of how Art - its beauty and its value - touches the life of one little boy and his big family in a very small town. Views: 45
7 books in 1. These spell-binding and spooky stories all star Phredde, a fractious but fun-loving phaery; Bruce, a mosquito-eating frog; and Pru, an everyday-normal school girl - except that she lives in a fairy castle, keeps pet piranhas, has a werewolf for a brother and a vampire for a teacher. The stories are A Phaery Named Phredde and Other Stories to Eat with a Banana; Phredde and a Frog Named Bruce and Other Stories to eat with a Watermelon; Phredde and the Temple of Gloom: A Story to Eat with a Mandarin; Phredde and the Leopardskin Librarian: A Story to Eat with a Dinosaur Apple; Phredde and the Vampire Footy Team; Phredde and the Ghostly Underpants: A Story to Eat with a Mango; and Phredde and the Zombie Librarian and Other Stories to Eat with a Blood Plum. Views: 45
From magical winged Pegasus to legendary horses which help their owners in impossible quests, this brilliant selection of folk tales about horses will thrill and entertain. Stories from countries as diverse as Russia and Gambia and traditions as different as the Navajo people and the ancient Greeks make this a really inclusive anthology, perfect for any horse lover. Views: 45
Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant brings the peaceful sounds, sights, and characters of the coast vividly to life in the fifth book of the Lighthouse Family series, in which the family explores the shore with an octopus friend.Every once in a while, a full moon shines over the lighthouse and causes the tide to recede. For Cloe the octopus, this turns out to be a wonderful opportunity to explore the world that exists outside of his ocean home. As he embarks on his expedition, he encounters the lighthouse family by the beach and they explore the treasures of the uncovered ocean floor together. Views: 45
Life with only the sea can be lonely. Just ask Pandora and Seabold. They've lived most of their lives with the sea--Pandora in a lighthouse and Seabold on a boat--and they're each quite used to being alone. Or they were. But one day, the sea did something extraordinary: It brought Pandora and Seabold together! And even better, the sea gave them the ingredients for an adventure that neither of them had considered before-an adventure called "family." Views: 45
A unique, exciting psychological thriller that will tug at your heartstrings, and keep you guessing until the very last page! Can she find her sister before it's too late? A missing girl...a secret to be uncovered. Edie and her identical twin Laura have always been best friends. So when Laura surprises Edie at the Mediterranean holiday resort where she's working, Edie can't wait for the partying to start! But then, Laura vanishes without a trace... At the same time, in a country on the other side of the sea, Fatima and her twin daughters set out on a harrowing journey that only the strongest – and luckiest – survive. Edie and Fatima's lives are worlds apart, but now, their paths are set to collide, with devastating consequences. When Fatima hovers on the brink of survival, Edie must risk her own life to save her, and finally discover the truth about her missing sister. Views: 45
Small kid. Big Stage.Does EllRay have a talent to put on show for the entire school?When EllRay and his friends hear about the school talent show, they're not impressed. They're too old for that stuff. But their teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, isn't so quick to let her students off the hook. Five students absolutely must try-out, and EllRay somehow ends up being one of them. Now he has to figure out something he's talented at....like, maybe magic?But now the pressure's on. It's up to EllRay to take the stage and show his classmates and the whole school that he's not only talented but magic. Views: 45
It's the summer holidays--time for camping, fishing or just lazing, until girls move in next door. That means war, but the girls know how to fight back. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the winner of the Newbery Medal. Views: 45
The Angel and The RingIn this first book of The Guardian Angel series the story's narrator, Pelagius the angel, introduces us to life in 1364 A.D. and to Brin, a teenage gypsy who is despised by his people because his mother died of the plague and his father was a follower of God. Views: 45
When we spend so much of our time immersed in books, who's to say where reading ends and living begins? The two are impossibly and gloriously wedded, as Hill shows in Jacob's Room Is Full of Books. Considering everything from Edith Wharton's novels through to Alan Bennett's diaries, Virginia Woolf and the writings of twelfth century monk Aelred of Rievaulx, Susan Hill charts a year of her life through the books she has read, reread or returned to the shelf. From beneath a shady tree in a hot French summer, or the warmth of a kitchen during an English winter, Hill reflects on what her reading throws up, from writing and writers to politics and religion, as well as the joy of dandies or the pleasure of watching a line of geese cross a meadow. Full of wry observations and warm humour, as well as strong opinions freely aired, this is a rare and wonderful insight into the rich world of reading from one of the nation's most accomplished authors. Views: 45
Val was working as a land girl when the Americans arrived at the nearby airfield in 1944. Mike, a young American airman, came into her life soon after, and so too did Peter Woodhouse, a dog badly treated on a neighbouring farm and taken in by her aunt.Little persuasion was needed for Mike to take Peter Woodhouse to the airbase and over time he became the mascot of the American squad, flying with them whenever their Mosquitoes took to the skies. When their plane is shot down over Holland both Mike, and Peter Woodhouse are feared lost.But unknown to their loved ones at home, Mike, and Peter Woodhouse survived the crash. Taken in by the Dutch resistance and with the help of Ubi, a German officer, the pair to remain in hiding till the end of the war when they are reunited with Val. We then follow Val, Mike, and Peter Woodhouse as they rebuild a life in England. And Ubi as he returns to Germany at the end of the war and tries to build a new life for himself. His dream... Views: 45
