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Find out moreOur selection of classics is a perfect marriage of the old and the new. Whichever format you want - Hardback, Paperback or ebook we have selected a range of publishers. So, if you love a good story then look no further and choose the format and publisher that suits you best or why not buy into one of the sets and give as a gift for that special occasion.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths A story about writing, this is also a wonderfully romantic story told by a young narrator trying to capture the unusual behaviour of her family and the life they lead in an unusual ruined castle as well as describing her own emotional turmoil. Cassandra is determined not to be pretentious as she tells the stories of her family and the story of her own desperate entanglement with the man who loves her sister. The result is a book that is delightfully entertaining and humorous. ~ Julia Eccleshare It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a Nutshell: Teen rebellion * Class conflict * Gangs gone wrong A heartrending coming-of-age classic that blazed the trail for young-adult-oriented fiction long before YA was even a twinkle in publishers’ eyes. With his parents dead, Ponyboy Curtis is looked after by his big brothers; Sodapop, who “understands everything, almost”, and Darry, who treats Ponyboy “as if I was six instead of fourteen”. The way Ponyboy sees it, there are two sorts of people. There are greasers who “steal things and drive souped-up old cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while”. And then there are Socs, who live on the rich side of the tracks, “jump greasers…and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next”. Ponyboy knows which side he’s been born into and is desperate to prove himself to his older greaser peers, so much so that he and his friend Johnny get embroiled in a “rumble” that sets a succession of tragic events in motion.Published when the author was only eighteen, and now newly re-published as part of a series that showcases pioneering books for young adults, this is a truly seminal work that transcends the era in which it was written. The themes of class conflict and gang bravado are pertinent, and Ponyboy poignantly encapsulates that bolt-from-the-blue moment when the world is seen through adult eyes for the very first time. While their struggles and losses are deeply harrowing, the novel ends with a spark of hope that Ponyboy and his brothers will make it through, and make a future for themselves. ~ Joanne Owen It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
On the outskirts of a small American town, a bus-load of young children is being held hostage. The hijackers are a cold and ruthless group, opposed to the secret government agency Inner Delta. At the centre of the battle are three teenagers. Miro is the terrorist with no past and no emotions. Kate is the bus driver, caught up in the nightmare, and Ben is the General's son who must act as a go-between. This is a tense drama, with death being the only escape.
In a Nutshell: Psycho-political thriller | Terrorist hijacking | Extremes of patriotism Unreservedly uncompromising, this gripping, thought-provoking novel raises pertinent questions about trust, sacrifice and the extremes people will go as a result of absolute devotion to a cause, and makes for a relentlessly intense reading experience. The novel opens as teenager Ben awaits the first visit of his US General father since he was used as a pawn - by his father - in a terrorist negotiation that left him dreaming of “screaming children”. These screams belong to the preschoolers who were bound for day camp when their bus was hijacked, trapping teenage driver Kate in a battle between violent terrorists (“No one is free from war until our homeland is free”, they state) and a secret government defence agency known as Inner Delta, for which Ben’s father works. One of the hijackers, Miro, is himself only sixteen, but “he was not a child anymore”; “inflicting death did not bother him”. As the ordeal goes on and negotiations get underway, Kate begins to wonder: “what had made him a monster? This world, his works. Who was guilty, then: the monster or the world that created it?” But, whatever the cause, the terrorists’ actions are monstrous. As the deadline for meeting their demands draws closer, “eager to serve” Ben, with his “air of innocence”, is sent to deliver proof that the terrorists’ leader has been captured, and chaos erupts.While the terrorists are prepared to murder to realise their aims, Ben’s father is so consummately committed to defending his nation that he’s prepared to use his own son as a go-between, and herein lies the moral crux of this complex novel: how far will an individual go in the name of their cause? And, in addition, how might any of us act in such extreme circumstances? Kate, too, finds herself “amazed at her ability to lie, to improvise, to plot and scheme.” While the themes are big, bold and masterfully presented, the impeccably precise writing also makes this a perfect – if harrowing - page-turner. ~ Joanne Owen It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult TruthsStone Cold is a Carnegie Medal-winning thriller by Robert Swindells. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. A tense thriller plot is combined with a perceptive and harrowing portrait of life on the streets as a serial killer preys on the young and vulnerable homeless. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first.The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths This winner of the 2003 Michael Printz Award and the Carnegie Medal, told in dual narratives, takes the reader on a memorable voyage of discovery in a foreign city in the midst of war. This edition includes bonus materials and a new Foreword by the author. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first.The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths The moving and very real story of two teenagers and an unplanned pregnancy. It is told from two viewpoints - that of Helen as she writes her thoughts in a series of letters to the unborn baby, the Dear Nobody of the title, and of Chris as he reads the letters and relives events as Helen is in labour. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths Buddy is a moving and totally convincing account of a boy's faltering relationship with his father, with an atmospheric 1980s setting. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In these terrifying days in Belfast, no Protestant girl like Sadie could go out with a Catholic boy like Kevin without resentment or even murderous violence flaring up around them. They were made for each other, they knew that, but what would happen if they went on seeing each other?
Across the Barricades is part of Joan Lingard's ground-breaking Kevin and Sadie series, the sequel to The Twelfth Day of July. Both books are part of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
January 2011 Guest Editor Jenny Downham on a classic of apocalyptic science fiction: "Written as a documentary novel, Z for Zachariah explores the nightmare situation faced by two people who believe they are the last humans left on earth. This was the first novel I read as a teenager that utterly transported me. I had never realised books could do that. It literally took me away from home and put me somewhere else. Absolutely haunting and impossible to put down!"
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths A powerful post-apocalyptic novel in which nuclear war has devastated America. Z FOR ZACHARIAH by Robert C. O'Brien is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths The Wave is based on a nightmarish true episode in a Californian high school, when a teacher wanted to demonstrate the dangers of propoganda and group-think. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths The Twelfth Day of July is first of Joan Lingard's influential Kevin and Sadie books, set in Belfast during the Troubles. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths Masterful linked short stories by Nobel prizewinner John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath. The Red Pony is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
In a nutshell: Iconic | Outspoken | Big Issues | Difficult Truths Set in South Africa in the 1990s, a time when an increasing number of young black South Africans are dealing with the violence, the legacy of disrupted schooling and the continued struggle for survival. The story focuses on one boy's struggle for survival as he leaves the violence of his home and joins a gang of children living on the streets. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.
Part of a magical series loved by readers for generations, Beverley Nichols’s gentle fantasy adventure will entrance and entertain today’s children just as it did their parents and grandparents. Judy and her granny live in an enchanted wood and run a little shop from the boughs of an old willow. Their happiness is threatened by the arrival in the woods of a pair of rivals, as ruthless, cruel and greedy as you’ll find. When these interlopers team up with a witch and her chorus of beastly toads, things for all the creatures in the wood look very bad. But, as in all the best fairy tales, good triumphs over evil. Written in 1945 there’s a subtle emphasis on the importance of kindliness, peace and forgiveness, still an important message to share with children. ~ Andrea Reece
Lynne Reid Banks’s much-loved book has all the ingredients of a perfect children’s story. Nine-year old Omri is given two important gifts for his birthday: a plastic Indian figure from his friend Patrick and a metal cupboard from his brother. The cupboard has no lock but his mother gives him an old key. Omri discovers that the cupboard and the key together work magic and when he locks his Indian figure in the box overnight, by morning he’s come to life. Looking after Little Bull is hard work, and gets harder when Patrick, let in on the secret, uses the cupboard to bring a cowboy figure to life. Magic, a miniature world, children in sole charge, The Indian in the Cupboard is a true classic, and gives children an understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. ~ Andrea Reece To help you get the most out of The Indian in the Cupboard, HarperCollins have a resource pack with ideas for reviewing the book to encourage further understanding and exploration of the issues involved. Download it here.
Stunning and compulsive are two words that best describe the story of Fiver, of Hazel and the rabbit warren full of family and friends. Rejected by most publishers before eventually being snapped up by Rex Collings in 1972, it was an instant hit and has since sold millions of copies the world over. Beautifully written with some of the best characterisation you'll come across in children’s literature, it tells the story of a group of rabbits and their will to survive despite human attempts to do otherwise. Full of adventure, humour, excitement and sadness it will enthral as much now as it did when it was first published.
Watership Down is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival against the odds. First published in 1972, this paperback reissue with a stunning new cover celebrates its 40th anniversary. Stunning and compulsive are two words that best describe the story of Fiver, of Hazel and the rabbit warren full of family and friends. Rejected by most publishers before eventually being snapped up by Rex Collings in 1972, it was an instant hit and has since sold millions of copies the world over. Beautifully written with some of the best characterisation you'll come across in children’s literature, it tells the story of a group of rabbits and their will to survive despite human attempts to do otherwise. Full of adventure, humour, excitement and sadness it will enthral as much now as it did when it was first published.
Watership Down is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival against the odds. It tells the story of a group of rabbits - of Fiver, of Hazel and the rabbit warren full of family and friends - and their will to survive despite human attempts to do otherwise. Beautifully written with some of the best characterisation you'll come across in children’s literature, Full of adventure, humour, excitement and sadness it will enthral as much now as it did when it was first published. Rejected by most publishers before eventually being snapped up by Rex Collings in the '70s, it was an instant hit and has since sold over 5 million copies the world over. _____________ Puffin Fact! Watership Down is set in the Berkshire and Hampshire countryside. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Mary Poppins has been the world’s most famous nanny for the last 80 years and her success remains undimmed. Jane and Michael Banks need a new nanny so they set about writing a job description. In reply, blown in by the East Wind, comes Mary Poppins. From the moment that she slides up the banisters Michael and Jane know that Mary is not any ordinary nanny! Although Mary Poppins is not one to stand any nonsense, as the children soon discover, she is perfectly fair. And she is full of surprises. Soon the children are off on the most wonderful magical adventures – including flying! ~ Julia Eccleshare To help you get the most out of Mary Poppins, HarperCollins have a resource pack with ideas for reviewing the book to encourage further understanding and exploration of the characters and the story. Download it here.
Guardian award-winning novel about courage, friendship and war. Reissued into the Essential Modern Classic list. Lovereading Review to follow...
The extraordinary story of a boy called Wart – ignored by everyone except his tutor, Merlyn – who goes on to become King Arthur. Collins Modern Classics are re-launched with gorgeous new covers bringing these timeless story to a new generation. Lovereading Review to follow..
When it was originally published in 1985 Beverley Naidoo’s classic was a contemporary story; now it’s a piece of history but no less powerful or important. It’s the story of two black children who set off from their remote village to search for their mother and bring her home after their baby sister falls desperately ill. Setting off on foot on the long hot road to Jo’burg, Naledi and Tiro have no idea what’s in store for them as they cross the dangerous landscape of Apartheid. Written simply, to be accessible to those as young as 8, this universal story of children whose spirit won’t let injustice crush them continues to move all who read it. ~ Andrea Reece
Although it was written four decades ago, Harriet the Spy is still a thoroughly modern story. Harriet - bossy, determined, prone to shouting things like ‘I’ll be damned if I’ll got to dancing school!’ - has a great sense of who she is, and is an irresistible character. In her outfit of jeans, sweatshirt plus belt for her tools she spies shamelessly on friends, family and neighbours, then writes up her no-holds-barred notes IN CAPITAL LETTERS in her special notebook. She has probably inspired thousands of readers to become writers themselves, or at least pay closer attention to the world around them, and the book is particularly good for anyone who feels they don’t fit in. A really timeless classic. ~ Andrea Reece
Chosen as a favourite by Philip Pullman: "Superb wit and vigorous invention." As whimsical as The Wizard of Oz, but with the allegorical wisdom of Alice in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth is a book for adults and children to share. Milo is bored with everything until a mysterious tollbooth appears in his room. He hops into his electric car and goes exploring, finding himself in a strange land. Learning that the Princesses Rhyme and Reason need rescuing he sets off with Tock the watchdog to the Mountains of Ignorance to save them, passing through the Doldrums and the city of Dictionopolis along the way, and meeting some very strange characters. On his return, Milo is a changed boy, and everything seems worth trying. Juster turns abstract ideas into unforgettable images, at the very least children will be slow to jump to Conclusions after reading this! ~ Andrea Reece
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2016 A complex and tightly woven spy story lies at the heart of Rudyard Kipling’s classic adventure story set in India at the end of the eighteenth century. Kim, or Kimball O’Hara to know him by his full name, an English orphan living on the city streets, ekes out a living by being a useful messenger for all and a cunning spy. Picked out by a Tibetan Lama, Kim sets out on a great journey to find Enlightenment and finds himself caught up in the Great Game, the struggle between Britain and Russia to control Asia. Kim has to come to terms with where he belongs and make hard choices of loyalty. Rudyard Kipling’s creative language, so much loved in The Just-So Stories and The Jungle Book, makes Kim’s experiences in the India of the time vivid. Perfect for reading aloud. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for October 2016 Kim by Rudyard Kipling The Fox and the Ghost King by Michael Morpurgo Coming to England by Floella Benjamin Owl Bat Bat Owl by Marie Louise Fitzpatrick We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher The War Next Door by Phil Earle
Lewis Carroll’s follow-up to Alice’s Adventures through the Looking Glass includes the introduction of Tweedledum and Tweedledee those most memorable of characters who famously fought over a brand new rattle. It is here, too, that the poem Jabberwocky first appeared and the poem ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’. Philip Ardagh celebrates the joyfulness of the adventures in his foreword to this volume. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
Joan G. Robinson’s based her classic stories, about the very everyday things that might happen to a teddy bear, on her daughter’s bear and the experiences she had, or might have had, with him. The result is some of the most-loved stories about a little girl and her ver special teddy bear. Teddy Robinson has many endearing characteristics. In particular, he is very wise – and sings some very sweet songs! In her delightful foreword, Deborah Sheppard, the original owner of Teddy Robinson and Joan G Robinson’s daughter, writes delightfully about how her mother came to write the stories for her and, in particular, how she was the first reader of every Teddy Robinson story. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
Milly-Molly-Mandy has delighted children for generations partly because her childhood is mostly so very different to that of any child growing up today. Milly-Molly-Mandy lives in a village with her parents, grandparents and her aunt and uncle. Everything she wants is very near to hand and, because there are no cars, she can wander where ever she likes! The addition of a lovely map of the village shows where she goes on her expeditions. But she is also becoming more independent – just like any little girl today. Shirley Hughes reflects on the magic of this everyday stories in her foreword to the edition. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
A surprise holiday at Craggy-Tops for Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Jack and Kiki the parrot should have been perfect! With the sea breaking below them at the bottom of the cliff, Jack’s delight at being surrounded by so many birds and the chance to go exploring, everyone is expecting great happiness. But a trip to the Isle of Gloom turns out to be full of danger. Should Joe’s warnings about the dangerous island have been heeded? And will they return safely? Cressida Cowell’s foreword to this edition - which comes complete with the original illustrations – reflects her own childhood excitement at the stories and the way they influenced her Hiccup the Viking titles. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
Gobbolino is a cat who can do magic but, despite his family’s traditions, he doesn’t want to be a witch’s cat. All Gobbolino yearns for is to be a quiet, fireside, kitchen cat. But how can he find a home? Gobbolino’s search for the perfect home is a series of delightful adventures taking him from an orphanage to a palace, a sailing ship to a travelling Punch and Judy show. Everywhere that the home-seeking Gobbolino goes, he finds love and generosity – the very thing that he is searching for as a contrast to the cruelty of witches. The late, great Joan Aiken supplied a foreword. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
A classic story of the amazing adventures of a toy horse made by the wise old toymaker, Uncle Peder. From the moment it has been made the Little Wooden Horse is special and different. Above all, it doesn’t want to be parted from its kindly maker! But off into the world the Little Horse must go and bravely he does so and with great determination to make money despite some terrible things happening to him on his great adventure before he returns at last to his master. Vivian French’s foreword is a great addition as it gives her reasons for loving this heart warming story. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
One of the most imaginative and best-loved of all children’s books, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is as original today as it was when it was first published in 1865. The stories of the amazing things Alice finds after she falls down the rabbit hole and the incredible people she meets including the Mad Hatter and the March Hare have become touchstones for readers through the ages. Hilary McKay shares her delight in the book in the foreword. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
Mowgli, the little boy brought up in the jungle with the wolves, is one of the best-loved characters of fiction. His friends - and enemies – among the jungle animals include Baloo the sloth bear, Bagheera the panther, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the mongoose are all wonderful characters too and Rudyard Kipling’s imagining of the jungle provides a thoughtful insight into that very special habitat. In his foreword, Ben Fogle captures his enthusiasm for the book as a child and also how it has influenced his later life. One of a range of Macmillan Classics, beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
This is a classic of all classics. Melvin Burgess has written an Introduction that will make the reader realise if they haven’t already that we, the human race, are on the cusp of changing nature and therefore the planet forever. The magical quality in The Call of the Wild lays in the story of Buck the ever-loyal dog to his master, who together lived a comfortable existence until Buck is kidnapped and forced to become a sledge dog in the frozen north. Experiencing violence and brutality, Buck’s natural wolf instincts begin to take over in the wilderness between man and beast. In this terrific pocket size Puffin edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who in The Call of the Wild plus many related activities to do beyond the book.
This enchanting collection, retold by writer and critic Naomi Lewis, contains twelve of Hans Christian Andersen's magnificent stories. It includes Thumbelina, a little girl no more than a thumb-joint high, The Emperor's New Clothes , the tale of a man who cares only for his appearance and The Little Mermaid, who longs to one day marry a human prince.
Freedom to roam in the high Swiss Alps brings great happiness in this story of Heidi and her unusual childhood high up in the Swiss Alps. When Heidi’s parents die, she is sent to live with her grandfather high up in the mountains. Everyone in the village is frightened of grandfather but Heidi soon gets used to his gruff ways and loves his simple way of life tending the goats. Summer and winter, Heidi helps her grandfather and plays outdoors, sometimes with Peter who herds his goats nearby. When interfering adults try to make changes, including taking Heidi away from her beloved home in the mountains, Heidi soon shows the restoring and healing powers of her special childhood. Just click here to view our range of Children’s Classics, then click on the Paperback tab to view all the Puffin Children’s Classics.
A magical adventure right in the heart of the jungle, The Jungle Book tells how a little boy child grows up in the care of some of the mightiest beasts of the jungle. Saved from the jaws of the ferocious Shere Khan by Mother Wolf and Father Wolf who bring him up alongside their wolf cubs, Mowgli is welcomed in the pack by the mighty Akela. Little Mowgli learns the ways of the jungle through his teachers Baloo the Bear and Bagheera the Panther in a series of wonderful adventures that bring the mysteries of animal lore to light. Bestselling author Christopher Paolini has written a passionate introduction and recommends the book to all lovers of great fantasies. Just click here to view our range of Children’s Classics, then click on the Paperback tab to view all the Puffin Children’s Classics.
The magical idea of never growing up lies at the heart of the story of Peter Pan. When Peter Pan flies in at the bed room window of the three Darling children one starry night he leads them off flying over rooftops and, to the cry “Second to the right and straight on till morning”, off to Neverland. Here they meet the Lost Boys, the mermaids, the cheeky Tinkerball and, above all, the deadly captain Hook and his pirates. Adventure follows adventure before the three darling children are returned safely home and back to bed. But they never forget Peter Pan and nor will readers who will also love the magic he leads them to. This edition comes with a superb introduction by Tony Diterlizzi who tells us how he came to love this story and why it remains such a timeless children and adults' classic today. In this terrific pocket size Puffin edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who plus many activities beyond the book.
One of the best known and best loved stories in mythology, how a small boy pulls the sword from the stone thus proving that he is its rightful keeper and so also the future king has enchanted generations of readers. Helped by the wizard Merlin, the boy becomes King Arthur and round him gathers the Knights of the Round Table, his companions in the quest for the Holy Grail. This retelling brings alive the court of Arthur and the individual characteristics – good and bad – of the knights of his court. In his introduction, David Almond describes how he was spellbound by the book as a child and remains spellbound every time he rereads it. Add on material gives a useful who’s who or Camelot’s characters.
A thrilling, science-fiction adventure that takes its readers on a journey of discovery and imagination thousands of feet deep, deep into the centre of the earth. When a priceless coded parchment falls from a book, eccentric Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel set about working out its instruction. Once they’ve read it, they set about their exploration, which is a miraculous combination of science and fantasy. As Diana Wynne Jones says in her introduction, as this is an old book the story is slow to unravel but the imagination is unequalled while Professor Lidenbrock has the distinction of being the original mad professor who has had since had many imitators.
Tom Sawyer seems to be unable to avoid trouble. Wherever he is, he seems to be doing something adults don't approve of. But Tom is smart: he knows better than most how to slide out of sight when the big trouble starts brewing. A classic story of being a boy and getting into scrapes. With a superb introduction by Richard Peck who tells us how he came to love this story and why it remains such a special adventure in his mind. In this terrific pocket size Puffin edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who plus many activities beyond the book.
A book that’s chock full of great conversations between Alice and some extraordinary animals, ranging from the pipe-smoking caterpillar and the Mad Hatter, to the March Hare and the sneezing Duchess. For Chris Riddell, who has written the Introduction to this classic his favourite conversation is the one Alice has with a tearful Mock Turtle. But just as good as the conversations, he says, ‘are the original illustrations drawn by a famous political cartoonist, which bring the world of Wonderland vividly to life’. This terrific pocket size Puffin Classics edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland plus many related activities to do beyond the book. An unabridged audio of this title is also available from Puffin. From Philip Pullman: "Indispensable. The great classic beginning of English children's literature."
This is a much-loved favourite classic - and here are the thoughts of no less than four of our favourite authors, who all selected it ! June 2011 Guest Editor Michael Morpurgo remembers: 'A terrifically exciting tale of a dead man’s map, mutinous pirates, skulduggery and buried treasure that will be thoroughly enjoyed by a child if read aloud to them from the age of 5 upwards. It’s such a gripping adventure that children are sure to pick it up again to read alone when they’re a little older. It’s the story of Jim Hawkins who discovers a map in an old sea chest but little does he know of the danger and excitement which lie ahead when sets sail for Treasure Island in search of treasure. 'This was the first proper book I read for myself. Jim Hawkins was the first character in a book I identified with totally. I was Jim Hawkins. I lived Treasure Island as I read it. And I loved it. Still do. I wish I'd written it.' Tim Bowler, February 2011 Guest Editor: "All right, another sea story, but it's one of the best ever. I first read it at the age of ten and I've read it countless times since. It's a book I would love to have written myself. It's got everything – pirates, treasure, a sea voyage, a desert island, danger, treachery, courage, comradeship, humour, and a cast that includes some of the most memorable characters in fiction: Jim Hawkins, Squire Trelawney, Ben Gunn and Long John Silver. Every time I read this novel, it gets better. There are very few books you can say that about." March 2010 Guest Editor Michael Foreman's special memories of this book: "One of our teachers, Oscar Outlaw, realised that most of the class had no books at home. He started bringing in his own books and reading to us on Friday afternoons if it was too wet for games. First he read The Wind in the Willows. And then, Treasure Island. What a treat! We looked forward to rain." Marcus Sedgwick, July 2010 Guest Editor, says: "I continually list this book in my top five, because it's my belief that most people haven't actually read it, and know it only from bowdlerised abridgements, which is a shame because the real thing is powerful, dark and above all, scary." Treasure Island in a nutshell: Black spot moment. Sea dog dies. Jim finds map. Ship sets sail. Pirates on board. Island is found. Madman in cave. Two rival camps. Battle for map. Dig up chest. Treasure is gone. Gunn has gold. Head back home. Silver runs off. Jim writes book.
This is a wonderful adventure of three boys from very different worlds. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, white and advantaged in America’s south and a slave named Jim. Their adventures together are masterfully imagined and brilliantly portrayed – you can’t fail as a reader to be transported into America’s deep south of the 19th century. As Darren Shan says in his Introduction, ‘It’s the trip of a lifetime. Millions have made it before you, and millions will after you... Enjoy the ride’. In this terrific pocket size Puffin Classics edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn plus many related activities to do beyond the book. PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS AN UNABRIDGED VERSION OF ONE OF THE GREATEST CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE 20TH CENTURY BUT GIVEN THERE ARE SOME RACIAL UNDERTONES IT MAY BE CONSIDERED UNSUITABLE FOR CHILDREN TO READ ALONE BUT INSTEAD BE OPEN TO DISCUSSION WITH AN ADULT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A SIMPLIFIED AND SHORTENED VERSION OF THE STORY THEN CLICK HERE.
Chosen by Jacqueline Wilson. Step into the shoes of Sara, a girl with a lively imagination who although well-mannered is absolutely no angel, as fate determines her fortune. Transformed from princess to pauper join Sara in her battle to assuage her fears and conquer her hardships? It’s a story where triumph finally over adversity and is proof that if a character such as Sara can triumph then anything is possible for the reader. For Adeline Yen Mah, The Little Princess was a book that changed her life and had a profound effect upon her, both through stimulating her imagination but also on a personal level for she encountered similar hardships as she grew up, but in a very different world. In this terrific pocket size Puffin Classics edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who in The Little Princess plus many related activities to do beyond the book.
Laugh and cry with the March family. Meg, the sweet-tempered one, Jo, the smart one, Beth, the shy one and Amy, the sassy one. Despite their lack of money they have a great deal of fun, have sisterly squabbles, have happy times and sad times and join them as they grow up and follow four very different paths and discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do. With an Introduction by bestselling novelist Louise Rennison (well her erstwhile heroine in fact – Georgia Nicolson), who urges you to enter into the spirit of a different time and a different place for teenagers. Growing up is tough now but it was possibly even tougher during the American Civil War. In this terrific pocket size Puffin Classics edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who in Little Women plus many related activities to do beyond the book. An unabridged audio is also available of this title from Puffin. What Jacqueline Wilson says of one of her all-time favourite books: 'I read this wonderful story of four 19th century American sisters over and over again, particularly identifying with Jo, the tomboy sister who is desperate to be a writer.'
A truly timeless adventure of a horse with an unbreakable spirit and a bond that eventually goes almost full circle. Animal lovers will love the story of Black Beauty even though the tears will be almost as frequent as the smiles. An essential read. This is the paperback edition but if you’re looking for a gift purchase then look no further than the Everyman’s Library edition. We also rate very highly a new edition from Oxford Children’s Books.
What a ride. No child can fail to laugh and cry in equal measure as they jump on for the ride of a lifetime with Black Beauty. His unbreakable spirit, strong will and determination to survive in spite of all that’s thrown at him is not to be missed. With an Introduction by bestselling novelist, Meg Rosoff, who discovered the novel at the age of 11 deep in the basement of the family home. She remembers with warmth Black Beauty’s dignified voice shining through on every page. It’s book that will satisfy a child’s hunger for horse books for he or she will want to read it over and over again until as meg says, she could ‘recite whole scenes’. This terrific pocket size Puffin Classics edition there’s lots of additional material at the end of the book including an author profile, a guide to who’s who in Black Beauty plus many related activities to do beyond the book.
The classic fairy tales of The Brothers Grimm are now re-imagined through the deft illustrations of internationally recognized artist Yann Legendre, in Classics Reimagined, Grimm's Fairy Tales. French artist Yann Legendre takes readers on a beautiful journey through the classic stories of the brothers Grimm with his superbly illustrated insight. These stories take on a whole new meaning when accompanied by Legendre's mystical, colorful interpretations; you've never seen illustrations of Cinderella or The Frog King like this before! Light a fire in the fireplace, get cozy with a blanket in your favorite chair, and enjoy this collection of the best known fairy tales out there. The Classics Reimagined series is a library of stunning collector's editions of unabridged classic novels illustrated by contemporary artists from around the world. Each artist offers his or her own unique, visual, interpretation of the most well-loved, widely read, and avidly collected literature from renowned authors.
A heart breaking and heart warming story of a special friendship that grows between Willie Beech, evacuated to the country to avoid the Blitz on London, and Tom Oakley, the reserved old man who takes him in. Willie has been lonely and neglected all his life as his mother lacks the ability to care for him. Under Mister Tom’s patient and kind guidance Willie grows emotionally and physically to become the boy he should have been. But then his mother wants him back home in London. Must Willie loose everything that has made him happy? Be sure to check out other books by this author. Just Henry, A Spoonful of Jam, A little Love Song, Cuckoo In The Nest. Puffin Fact! The beech tree’s slim trunk gave Michelle Magorian the idea for her skinny evacuee’s name – William Beech. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
This is Homer's classic tale of Odysseus' 10-year voyage back home to his wife Penelope in Ithaca after the Trojan war. It tells of his encounters with the Cyclops, the Sirens, Scylla and Charibdis and his eventual arrival home, to be recognized by his dog.
A favourite book chosen by Philip Pullman, along with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: "Indispensable. The great classic beginning of English children's literature". Stepping through the Looking Glass, Alice enters a second wonderful adventure. Here she meets the White Queen and the scarily loud Red Queen, the famous twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the tearful Walrus and the Carpenter.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the classic story of a girl growing up in the deep South. _____________ Puffin Fact! After graduating from the University of Toledo, Mildred D. Taylor spent two years in Ethiopia with the Peace Corps, which she described as ‘the happiest years’ in her adult life. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
The international bestselling fantasy adventure of a lonely boy's quest to save a magical land from evil. Puffin Fact! The first word in each chapter following the Prologue is in alphabetical order. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Time is running out for Mrs Frisby, who must move her family of mice before the farmer destroys their home. But her son is so ill she is convinced he won't survive the move. Help comes in the unexpected form of super-intelligent rats, and little by little Mrs Frisby learns the rats' secret.
A wonderful fable which makes readers reconsider any prejudices they may have about rats! Mrs Frisby needs to move home quickly when the farmer threatens to plough up the field where her home is. But everything goes wrong and she and her sick son Timothy only survive because of the kindness of the rats who have escaped from a research laboratory. Rats are heroes, the humans experimenting on them are villains, in this thrilling and thought provoking story. Puffin Fact! Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH was inspired by research carried out on the mice and rat population over twenty years from the 1940s to the 1960s! Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Caroline Lawrence, July 2012 Guest Editor: "When I was in fourth grade, (Year 4), our teacher Mrs. Eckhardt would give us each a eucalyptus drop (hard candy) and read us this existential sci-fi classic out loud for the last fifteen minutes of the day. This is a story where the fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of a few geeky kids. I remember being enthralled, terrified, amazed and transported. What a teacher! What a book!" Also chosen by November 2011 Guest Editor Steve Cole: "A year before 'Doctor Who' first aired on our screens this lively and satisfying fantasy gave us Mrs Who, the original mysterious alien to travel the universe with a clutch of humans. She's one of three immortal entities (together with Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit) embroiled in a long struggle against the evil Black Thing, a cosmic cloud of darkness. Three human children are recruited to join the battle, traversing the universe via wrinkles in space-time. Compelling and profound, the aliens and strange worlds they encounter still evoke awe and wonder in this reader."
Meg needs to find her scientist father who has mysteriously gone missing. With her little brother Charles and friend Calvin, Meg travels by tesseract, a wrinkle in space-time, on a treacherous journey that leads them into space and to the heart of the terrible struggle between the Dark Thing and the galaxy. Can Meg rescue her father and will they all return home safely? A spell binding science fiction and family adventure. _____________ Puffin Fact! In 2013, a crater discovered on the planet Mercury was named after Madeleine L’Engle. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Louis the cygnet may be unable to utter a sound unlike her siblings and his parents but Louis is determined to overcome this impediment by learning to read and write. If at first you don't succeed then try again and so Louis does in this incredibly moving, uplifting and powerful story from the author of Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web, two books you may well have heard of but this one may well be new to you. Here at Lovereading4kids we urge you to read Louis's tender, humorous and unforgettable animal tale too. _____________ Puffin Fact! Male swans are cobs, female swans are pens and baby swans are cygnets. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
This is the classic story of an otter living in the Devonshire countryside which captures the feel of life in the wild as seen through the otter's own eyes. It is full of joy and wonder, as well as death, sadness and brutality and yet it is an inspirational portrait of a vanished time, seen from Tarka's viewpoint. Often harrowing, the story details Tarka's constant battle with the otter hounds, and in particular their fearsome leader Deadlock. Most of us will have never seen an otter in the wild or be likely to see one and yet once you've read the story of Tarka the Otter you will not only know exactly what they look like, you will also know their mannerisms and crucially having read the novel, you will also realise how man's impact almost drove them to extinction. A message from Michael Morpurgo about Henry Williamson and his writing: 'It is a rare gift indeed for a storyteller to be a poet as much as a storymaker, to tell a tale so deeply engaging that the reader wants to know what will happen and never wants it to end, and yet at the same tells it in such a way as to leave a reader wide-eyed with amazement at the sheer intensity of feeling that can be induced by the word-magic of a poet. Henry Williamson is just such a story-maker poet.'_____________ Puffin Fact! The iconic character Annie first appeared as the eleven-year-old heroine of a comic strip called ‘Little Orphan Annie’. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
This is the enchanting tale of no ordinary mouse, Stuart Little, who is small in size but enormous in spirit. Funny and touching, it is a story that can be read on many levels - aloud to a very small child, or alone by an older child. It covers themes from adventure, courage and reliability, independence, and first love, to acceptance of differences, family crisis, and the importance of education. No child's bookshelf is complete without it. Born to a family of humans Stuart Little lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George and Snowball the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's an adventurous and heroic little mouse. A delightful book but not one to compare to the Stuart Little films which may have been inspired by this delightful mouse but are shallow by comparison. ____________ Puffin Fact! E. B. White received several letters from people also called Stuart Little – one such person claimed angrily that he was going to write a children’s book about a rat named E. B. White! Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Published in the early 1960s and yet as relevant today as it was then, this is a book that will captivate the imagination of a 7 or 8 year old – in fact even the most reluctant reader will be hooked. When Barney falls into a disused quarry he’s confronted by Stig, a caveman but none of Barney’s friends believe the story of Stig. So Barney has the time of his life and the two of them get up to a whole heap of adventures. Just read it – we guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
Chosen as the Puffin Modern Classic 1960 - 1969 Published over 45 years ago and yet as relevant today as it was then. This is a book that will captivate the imagination of a 7 or 8 year old – in fact even the most reluctant reader will be hooked. When Barney falls into a disused quarry he’s confronted by Stig, a caveman but none of Barney’s friends believe the story of Stig. So Barney has the time of his life and the two of them get up to a whole heap of adventures. Just read it – we guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
When Barney falls down the cliff of the chalk pit he lands in what might be a rubbish dump. But the dump turns out to be the home of Stig, a cave-boy who turns what he finds to good use. Stig and Barney have a series of wonderful adventures in Barney’s world from scaring Barney’s enemies to chasing away Granny’s burglars. And then, Barney finds himself back in Stig’s world for a special adventure set way back in the past. Published in 1952 and yet as relevant today as it was then. It will captivate the imagination of 7+ year olds – in fact even the most reluctant reader will be hooked - great one for sharing too. _____________ Puffin Fact! Stig of the Dump is set where Clive grew up in Ash, Kent, and where he spent his childhood building dens. The chalk pit where Clive imagined that Stig livedis now part of a golf course. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Published in the early 1960s and yet as relevant today as it was then, this is a book that will captivate the imagination of a 7 or 8 year old – in fact even the most reluctant reader will be hooked. When Barney falls into a disused quarry he’s confronted by Stig, a caveman but none of Barney’s friends believe the story of Stig. So Barney has the time of his life and the two of them get up to a whole heap of adventures. Just read it – we guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
Smith, though only 12, is an accomplished pickpocket, saved from the gallows by his own stealth and speed. One dark evening he witnesses a murder, a stabbing, and finds a document belonging to the dead man, which he feels must be valuable. The only problem is, Smith can't read.
Smith is a sort of artful dodger character of his time. Set in 18th century London, this is the story of a 12 year old and how, having pickpocketed an elderly man only to see him immediately murdered realises he must put right his wrong and find out who murdered him without being implicated himself. Evocative of time and place with a compelling and often humourous storyline and an array of interesting characters this is a story you'll be drawn into and you won't want to let go. _____________ Puffin Fact! Smith vividly portrays life in London during the eighteenth century, when there was great pickpocketing was rife and the penal system was cruel and inhumane. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
With his bright blue eyes and sparky magical whiskers, no one could mistake Gobbolino for a kitchen cat, but that's exactly what he longs to be. So, while his sister Sootica learns to turn mice into toads, Gobbolino sets off on a grand adventure to find a nice warm fire and a family to care for him.
A charming collection of stories featuring a witch's kitten who is spurned because Gobbolino would rather be a kitchen cat than a witch's one. But for Gobbolino that's not easy to do because the people in the neighbourhood are not convinced she can be trusted. Will Gobbolino eventually find that loving home she so craves? The story is perfect for sharing at bedtime with youngsters or for slightly older children who are just beginning to enjoy independent reading as each relatively short chapter is a standalone story featuring the kittens escapades. Truly a fantastic read for all the family. ____________ Puffin Fact! The iconic character Annie first appeared as the eleven-year-old heroine of a comic strip called ‘Little Orphan Annie’. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Chosen by Jacqueline Wilson. Carnegie winner in 1937. When I re-read this down-to-earth, charming adventure that’s full of humour I felt more than a little sad for although the 1930s was a decade of hardship for most people in England, this family of 7 children had immense freedom and a fun-filled action-packed time despite being very poor; in fact, almost certainly a much more fun and enjoyable time than children of today. It was a time of innocence and trust but nowadays we deny our children freedom and protect our children because sadly that trust in other people and innocence has gone. This is a wonderful evocation of a now vanished world that all children should read and will thoroughly enjoy, not just because of the great adventures but also the heart-warming characters. It has been beautifully published by Puffin with original illustrations. A timeless classic that may be from a different era but it’s a book to cherish. (7-9) To find out more about this book CLICK HERE to visit the Carnegie Greenaway site
A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011. Chosen as the Puffin Modern Classic 1940 - 1949 - reviewed by Jacqueline Wilson. This book also won the Carnegie Medal in 1937. When I re-read this down-to-earth, charming adventure that’s full of humour I felt more than a little sad for although the 1930s was a decade of hardship for most people in England, this family of 7 children had immense freedom and a fun-filled action-packed time despite being very poor; in fact, almost certainly a much more fun and enjoyable time than children of today. It was a time of innocence and trust but nowadays we deny our children freedom and protect our children because sadly that trust in other people and innocence has gone. This is a wonderful evocation of a now vanished world that all children should read and will thoroughly enjoy, not just because of the great adventures but also the heart-warming characters. It has been beautifully published by Puffin with original illustrations. A timeless classic that may be from a different era but it’s a book to cherish. (7-9) To find out more about this book CLICK HERE to visit the Carnegie Greenaway site
Winner of the 1937 CILIP Carnegie Medal The seven Ruggles children grow up in a household with little money but a lot of action! There’s Kate who spoils her expensive and brand new school uniform on a trip to the seaside, the twins Jim and John who’s adventures so impress the other members of the Gang of the Black Hand, Jo who sneaks into a cinema on his own and the baby William who wins first prize in the baby show. Although pitied by the neighbours for their poverty, the Ruggles children wouldn’t have their life any other way! A message from Jacqueline Wilson. When I re-read this down-to-earth, charming adventure that’s full of humour I felt more than a little sad for although the 1930s was a decade of hardship for most people in England, this family of 7 children had immense freedom and a fun-filled action-packed time despite being very poor; in fact, almost certainly a much more fun and enjoyable time than children of today. It was a time of innocence and trust but nowadays we deny our children freedom and protect our children because sadly that trust in other people and innocence has gone. This is a wonderful evocation of a now vanished world that all children should read and will thoroughly enjoy, not just because of the great adventures but also the heart-warming characters. It has been beautifully published by Puffin with original illustrations. A timeless classic that may be from a different era but it’s a book to cherish. (7-9) Puffin Fact! The Family from One End Street beat The Hobbit to win the Carnegie Medal in 1937. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
For months, Ben had been thinking about dogs. He had picked the biggest and the best from the dog-books in the library. So imagine his disappointment when, for his birthday, he received a picture of a dog. Ben's imagination soon got to work, though, and that's when his adventures began.
Award winning Philippa Pearce captures a child’s longing – and need – for a dog perfectly in this brilliant imaginary story. Ben has always wanted a dog. In fact, he wants one so much that he makes an imaginary one real so that together they can enjoy all the things that boys and dogs can share. ____________ Puffin Fact! ‘Chihuahua’ is a Spanish word meaning very, very small. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Magical, this timeless farmyard story tells of the power of friendship. When the runty little piglet is saved from an early death, he grows into a fine and handsome pig. And the farmer wants to kill him. Can Charlotte, the spider who has grown to love him, save his life? Perfect for Reluctant Readers as well as keen readers. To view other titles we think are suitable for reluctant readers please click here.
David Almond, September 2011 Guest Editor, on Charlotte's Web: "It’s the story of a girl, a pig and a spider. It takes place on a barn, a farm, and a country fair. It shows the gorgeousness of life, the imminence of death, the importance of love and friendship. It has one of fiction’s great opening sentences - “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” – and a drama that unfolds with elegance, pace and conviction. It’s beautiful, tough, deeply moving and it’ll be read for ever." Chosen as the Puffin Modern Classic 1950 - 1959 Julia Eccleshare's Comment: Magical, this timeless farmyard story tells of the power of friendship. When the runty little piglet is saved from an early death, he grows into a fine and handsome pig. And the farmer wants to kill him. Can Charlotte, the spider who has grown to love him, save his life? Perfect for Reluctant Readers as well as keen readers. To view other titles we think are suitable for reluctant readers please click here.
How a wise spider saves a young pig from slaughter is the most touching of animal stories. Fern saves Wilbur, the runty little piglet of the litter from her father’s axe and promises to look after him. Fern finds Wilbur a safe home in her uncle’s barn where he meets Charlotte, the remarkably wise spider, who, with the help of some sheep, a goose and goslings and Templeton the rat set about saving the young pig from being fattened for slaughter. And they do! Perfect for Reluctant Readers as well as keen readers. To view other titles we think are suitable for reluctant readers please click here. "It’s beautiful, tough, deeply moving and it’ll be read for ever." David Almond _____________ Puffin Fact! In 2010, forty-two of the original Garth Williams illustrations for Charlotte’s Web were put up for sale at a New York auction, and fetched a combined total of £487,927. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Magical, this timeless farmyard story tells of the power of friendship. When the runty little piglet is saved from an early death, he grows into a fine and handsome pig. And the farmer wants to kill him. Can Charlotte, the spider who has grown to love him, save his life? Perfect for Reluctant Readers as well as keen readers. To view other titles we think are suitable for reluctant readers please click here.
Beautifully written, this novel won every award imaginable in the USA when it was published. It is a tense, dramatic and compulsive survival adventure that rivals Robinson Crusoe. This though also touches heavily on prejudice and how the young white boy, reliant for his survival on an elderly black man following a shipwreck, begins to trust someone who through his upbringing by his mother had instilled on him not to trust. The boy discovers a true friend, overcomes his prejudices of ageism and racism, this is their story and is a truly inspiring read and as relevant to read now as it was when it was first published. _____________ Puffin Fact! The Cay is based on a true story. While researching another book, Theodore read about an incident that happened in 1942. The Germans had torpedoed a Dutch ship, slicing it in half. Those who survived the attack crawled into a lifeboat, looked back and saw an eleven-year-old Dutch boy. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Chosen by Jacqueline Wilson, February 2012 Guest Editor: "This is a very touching utterly convincing book about three wartime evacuees billeted to Wales. It's very much a children's story, with a mystery to be solved, but Nina Bawden is very subtle with her characterisation - even hateful Mr Evans with his cruel bullying is seen as sadly pathetic too. Carrie and her little brother Nick are a delight, but my favourite character is their friend Albert Sandwich. He might sport steel spectacles and have a few spots on his chin, but he's one of the most charming boys in all children's fiction." ............................................................................ I loved Carrie’s War from the moment I read it and have enjoyed it more and more with each rereading. At first, I appreciated Nina Bawden’s descriptions of the place and the people: the way she created the stifling atmosphere of the shop and how it contrasted with the freedom of everything that happened at Druid’s Bottom. I read it as the story of a girl being brave when she was away from home. Later, I came to realise that I and all other readers learned tolerance and understanding just like Carrie does. When Carrie is evacuated to Wales with her brother, Nick, she is removed from everything she knows. In a new home and without her parents to advise her Carrie has to work out for herself how she feels about the places around her and how to respond to the unusual circumstances in which she finds herself. While Nick’s emotions are always open, both as he grieves for his missing parents and in how he throws himself without restraint into the new way of life, both embracing Auntie Lou and challenging the bullying councillor Evans, Carrie is more reserved. Carrie waits and watches: she accepts the new situations and considers them coolly. She takes time to adjust to living apart from her parents and to find that she can make decisions for herself. But it’s only when she and Nick are sent to Druid’s Bottom, the strange spooky house set down in the bottom of the valley, that she can really let herself go, having at last found people she can trust. Carrie’s personal journey of discovery is a rich and marvellous one. It’s at Druid’s Bottom that Carrie meets Mrs Gotobed and discovers that growing old is not as terrible as it seems. Here to she meets Mr Johnny with his strange gobbling speech and learns that differences need not be frightening, while from her fellow evacuee Albert sandwich she learns to value her own intelligence. Above all it’s at Druids bottom that she meets the kindly and wise Hepzibah Green whose all-enveloping love and common sense keep Carrie going in difficult times. Despite these themes of separation and the very real dangers posed by the background of the war, Carrie’s War is an upbeat lyrical story containing moments of emotional truth. It is also universal story about growing up, making choices and learning who you can trust. Above all, it’s a story of enormous warmth and understanding, capturing that all-important transition from childhood to adolescence as Carrie grows in her understanding and finds out what really matters to her. One of the most heart-warming and unforgettable stories of the war tells the story of the evacuation of two children to Wales and about growing up amongst strangers and without family. It’s a wonderful evocation of times past and beautifully written. ~ Julia Eccleshare Perfect for Reluctant Readers as well as keen readers. To view other titles we think are suitable for reluctant readers please click here.
When bombs start falling on London, Carrie and her younger brother Nick are evacuated to Wales. Living with Mr Evans, who has little interest in children, and his kind sister Lou, everything about their new life is strange and different especially when they go to visit their friend Albert who has been evacuated to Druid’s Bottom. The story of Carrie and Nick’s new life is beautifully told in this exceptional story of the evacuee experience. Puffin Fact! Nina Bawden won seven writing awards during her career! Download more Puffin Facts here! ---------------------- Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Chosen by Jacqueline Wilson, February 2012 Guest Editor: "This is a very touching utterly convincing book about three wartime evacuees billeted to Wales. It's very much a children's story, with a mystery to be solved, but Nina Bawden is very subtle with her characterisation - even hateful Mr Evans with his cruel bullying is seen as sadly pathetic too. Carrie and her little brother Nick are a delight, but my favourite character is their friend Albert Sandwich. He might sport steel spectacles and have a few spots on his chin, but he's one of the most charming boys in all children's fiction." Julia Eccleshare's Comment: I loved Carrie’s War from the moment I read it and have enjoyed it more and more with each rereading. At first, I appreciated Nina Bawden’s descriptions of the place and the people: the way she created the stifling atmosphere of the shop and how it contrasted with the freedom of everything that happened at Druid’s Bottom. I read it as the story of a girl being brave when she was away from home. Later, I came to realise that I and all other readers learned tolerance and understanding just like Carrie does. When Carrie is evacuated to Wales with her brother, Nick, she is removed from everything she knows. In a new home and without her parents to advise her Carrie has to work out for herself how she feels about the places around her and how to respond to the unusual circumstances in which she finds herself. While Nick’s emotions are always open, both as he grieves for his missing parents and in how he throws himself without restraint into the new way of life, both embracing Auntie Lou and challenging the bullying councillor Evans, Carrie is more reserved. Carrie waits and watches: she accepts the new situations and considers them coolly. She takes time to adjust to living apart from her parents and to find that she can make decisions for herself. But it’s only when she and Nick are sent to Druid’s Bottom, the strange spooky house set down in the bottom of the valley, that she can really let herself go, having at last found people she can trust. Carrie’s personal journey of discovery is a rich and marvellous one. It’s at Druid’s Bottom that Carrie meets Mrs Gotobed and discovers that growing old is not as terrible as it seems. Here to she meets Mr Johnny with his strange gobbling speech and learns that differences need not be frightening, while from her fellow evacuee Albert sandwich she learns to value her own intelligence. Above all it’s at Druids bottom that she meets the kindly and wise Hepzibah Green whose all-enveloping love and common sense keep Carrie going in difficult times. Despite these themes of separation and the very real dangers posed by the background of the war, Carrie’s War is an upbeat lyrical story containing moments of emotional truth. It is also universal story about growing up, making choices and learning who you can trust. Above all, it’s a story of enormous warmth and understanding, capturing that all-important transition from childhood to adolescence as Carrie grows in her understanding and finds out what really matters to her. One of the most heart-warming and unforgettable stories of the war tells the story of the evacuation of two children to Wales and about growing up amongst strangers and without family. It’s a wonderful evocation of times past and beautifully written.
An enchanting classic that will fire up a child’s imagination as the storyline unfolds of little creatures living under the floorboards and borrowing everything they need from the humans above the boards. The author describes quite brilliantly what it would be like to be as small as a borrower and to go off on frightening and exciting adventures to borrow what they need. I’m ashamed to say I never read it as a child but have now and it’s equally perfect for parent and child to read together as it is for a child to gain a great deal of enjoyment alone.(7-9) Carnegie Winner in 1952. If you enjoyed this then why not check out The Honourable Ratts or Tumtum and Nutmeg.To find out more about this book CLICK HERE to visit the Carnegie Greenaway site
A magical adventure story of an alternative, small-scale life as lived by Pod, Homily and their daughter Arrietty who could be any family - except that they are so tiny that they can live under the floorboards. Protected by a safety-pin gate and with wallpaper made out of ‘borrowed’ scraps of writing paper with the lines of handwriting carefully pasted on to make vertical stripes from ceiling to the floor covering which was pink blotting paper, everything that the family owns from has been borrowed from the ‘human beans’ who live above them. The humans know nothing of the Borrowers existence or why so many things go missing until Arrietty makes friends with a human boy who can see her. How can the Borrowers stay safe? Carnegie Winner in 1952 - To find out more about this book CLICK HERE to visit the Carnegie Greenaway site If you enjoyed this then why not check out The Honourable Ratts or Tumtum and Nutmeg. _____________ Puffin Fact! The Borrowers are all about 15 centimetres tall! Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
It's 1945. World War II has just ended and twelve-year-old Rusty comes back home to Britain after being evacuated to the US. The greyness and bleakness of life in England is a shock, but even worse is adapting to the strict discipline of her family, including a brother she's never met, after the warmth and openness of her adopted American family. Rusty is sent to a horrific boarding school, before finally running away as her search for happiness becomes more and more desperate.
Intensely moving this is the story of a young girl coming to terms with getting to know her family again, including a little brother, having been evacuated to America for the duration of WW2. Sometimes sad but also uplifting as you share the young girls feelings as she struggles and quite often fails to live up to expectations particularly when at times she becomes Rusty the rebel. _____________ Puffin Fact! One of Rusty’s favourite memories is making and eating s’mores aroundthe campfire down at the lake. S'mores are an American tradition, and no one is quite sure who invented them. The first known recipe appeared in 1927 in a Girl Scout handbook called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. Download more Puffin Facts here! ___________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
A timeless tale that despite its 1933 setting resonates so brilliantly with kids reading it today. Not only beautifully written but the characters are handled with great sensitivity and aplomb. _____________ Puffin Fact! The iconic character Annie first appeared as the eleven-year-old heroine of a comic strip called ‘Little Orphan Annie’. Download more Puffin Facts here! _____________ Dear readers, dreamers and adventurers, Ever wanted a friend who could take you to magical realms, talk to animals or help you survive a shipwreck? Well, you'll find them all in the PUFFIN BOOK collection. A PUFFIN BOOK will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime. Whether you love animal tales, war stories or want to know what it was like growing up in a different time and place, the A PUFFIN BOOK collection has a story for you - you just need to decide where you want to go next... We want to know which is your favourite. Tell us or tweet a photo of your old beloved copy - and we might just send you a new A PUFFIN BOOK so you can pass the story on. Love - PUFFIN @puffinbooks #shareapuffinbook
Chosen by April 2012 Guest Editor, Charlie Higson: "I’ve always loved myths and legends. Greek, Roman, Norse (not so interested in the Egyptians, it must be said), as well as those closer to home – our very own King Arthur and Robin Hood. These ancient tales are such archetypal stories, the basis for all western fiction. Roger Lancelyn Green did so much to popularize these stores for my generation. I particularly love the tales of the Greek heroes, where the gods behave like petty-minded humans and the humans behave like gods. I also love the way they pop up in each other’s stories – like Marvel superheroes – so that, for instance, you find Hercules tagging along with Jason and the Argonauts. A big influence on my own adventure stories – it's no coincidence that a character in The Enemy is called Achilleus." Julia Eccleshare's Comment: Great feats of both heroism and cruelty are recorded in these powerful and dramatic stories which have influenced storytelling ever since. In this collection the myths are gathered together into a sequence starting with the making of the universe and ending with the death of Heracles. Included are stories about the mighty Poseidon the god of the sea, Zeus the king of heaven and Hades the lord of the underworld. In addition to a terrific Introduction by contemporary writer Rick Riordan, there is also additional material detailing information on the main characters as well as a glossary of unusual Greek words. Just click here to view our range of Children’s Classics, then click on the Paperback tab to view all the Puffin Children’s Classics.
A welcome reissue of a classic title that is perfect for reading aloud to all those who enjoy magical adventure laced with knockabout humour. Aladdin, hero of the story of the magic lamp, has a son Abu Ali who is born with remarkable abilities. Not only is he delightfully well-mannered and well-behaved but he is also able to speak from birth! When Aladdin summons up the genie to find out why Abu Ali is so gifted he discovers that the boy has a great destiny ahead of him. He is charged with finding the enchanted Land of Green Ginger and releasing the enchanted wizard from the spell that has turned him into a button-nosed tortoise. Magic and mayhem follow as Abu Ali sets out to fulfil his destiny in a wonderfully old-fashioned Arabia.
Their last term at Cricklepit Combined School is full of the usual fun and madness, but then Tyke learns that much more is at stake. Is it possible to keep hapless Danny out of trouble? And what final surprise does Tyke have in store?
A well-deserved winner of the Carnegie Medal in 1978, The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler remains as fresh as ever in this attractive new edition. Twelve year old Tyke, who has a reputation as something of a troublemaker, tells the story about the last days of term before the looming move to secondary school. There’s adventure when Tyke’s friend Danny is accused of stealing a watch and runs away. How Tyke helps to prove who really took the watch and the final last daring escapade make this a gripping page turner. And the surprising twist remains as brilliantly-kept a secret as ever!
The poems that make up this collection were first published in 1913 but it was not until 1946 that it was published, as it is in this new edition, with Edward Ardizzone’s illustrations. Though de la Mare’s poems describe a variety of subjects, there’s a unity to the collection that makes it read almost like a song-cycle. Ardizzone’s drawings enhance that, making Peacock Pie, in the view of children’s literature expert Brian Alderson, ‘one of the most satisfying children’s books of the twentieth century’. Certainly the poems deserve to be lived with whole, and the drawings – in choice of subject and viewpoint, response to character and setting – are simply perfect. There should be a place for this on every child’s bookshelf. ~ Andrea Reece
An attractive volume of Edward Lear’s best-loved and timeless limericks all of which are brilliantly realised in Arthur Robins witty illustrations. The collection opens with: “There was an Old Man with a beard,/ Who said, “It is just as I feared!-/ Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren,/ Have built their nests in my beard!”. It also includes a wonderful array of other equally inventive, witty and barmy verses to tickle the senses and inspire a love of this kind of verse.
Deliciously funny and touching, Sylvia Plath’s three wonderfully fresh and original stories were originally written for her own children but remain as delightful as ever. The title story, in which Max gets the very special suit he has always craved, and also Mrs Cherry’s Kitchen and The Bed Book all have a timeless appeal. The addition of David Roberts’s witty and tender illustrations adds a delightful sparkle.
Shortlisted for The Bookseller's Book of the Year The slippery exploits of Macavity, just one of the much-loved cats from the classic Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, is vividly captured in the cheerful illustrations in this picture-book version.
Set in a beautiful and magical place, this is an award-winning classic story of a friendship that stretches across centuries as Tolly, newly arrived at Green Knowe, his great grandmother’s old wonderfully atmospheric house, makes friends with Alexander, Toby and Linnet, his long distant relatives who lived in the house centuries before. Although from another time, Tolly’s relatives are not ghosts; they and Tolly share a home and, through the stories of long-ago that Tolly’s grandmother tells him, Tolly knows all about their lives while they can visit him in his. Together the children have wonderful adventures in the surrounding countryside. Further adventures set in the same wonderful house but now occupied by other children follow in The River at Greene Knowe.
The late Poet Laureate’s sequel to his iconic The Iron Man is beautifully produced in this new edition which also includes the original illustrations. The Iron Woman comes on a mission blazing with a terrifying anger. She has heard the cries of the creatures on land and in the sea and in the sky whose lives are on the brink of extinction because of man’s wilful destruction of the world in which they live. Now the Iron Woman wants revenge. And who better to help her than the Iron Man himself. A thought-provoking and moving fable.
A welcome reissue of an original and highly imaginative classic. Marianne is stuck in bed for six weeks following an illness. Seemingly with nothing to do, she is sure she’ll be terribly bored. But then she finds a special pencil in an old workbox she is sorting through and begins to draw. Soon Marianne finds that whatever she draws appears in her dreams and, excitingly if slightly frighteningly, the people and places begin to come alive. Soon Marianne has a whole new world and Mark, a special friend to play with.
One of the most dramatic and exciting stories of all time, this classic modern fairy story by the former Poet Laureate takes on the biggest theme of all time: how the world can be saved. Here, it is the strange Iron Man, an enormous creature who arrives unexpectedly and terrorises a community by destroying everything he comes across. But later, when a terrifying monster from out space arrives, the Iron Man fights him to the death and becomes a hero when he saves the planet from total destruction. Told in short chapters it is perfect for reading aloud as well as reading alone.
A welcome return for a collection of all kinds of stories which will make perfect bedtime reading. Originally published in the 1960s, the collection includes traditional favourites such as Thumbelina and The Ugly Duckling and modern classics such as Ted Hughes’s How the Polar Bear Became. In addition there are extracts from books that were popular at the time of its original publications such as Leila Berg’s Little Pete stories and Joyce Lankaster Brisley’s Milly-Molly-Mandy stories. Shirley Hughes original illustrations add to the period charm.
These classic cat poems which sum up all the different kinds of cats there can be are given a delightful new look by bestselling Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler. Scheffler’s cats are cuddly creatures with expressive eyes through which the cats convey the hilarity and nonsense of T S Eliot’s verses.
The world-famous rhymes starring cats such as Macavity the Mystery Cat and Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat are beautifully presented in this edition with illustrations by Axel Scheffler best-known for his pictures of the Gruffalo. Perfect for reading out loud, the poems about the practical cats are both humorous and affectionate, catching the quirky and familiar foibles of all cats. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, brings her gifts as a poet to this enchanting collection of all kinds of fairy stories. Familiar favourites such as The Emperor’s New Clothes and Rumpelstiltskin are vigorously and freshly told while also conveying a strong sense of the past. Carol Ann Dufy’s own stories have all the traditional qualities of fairy stories which makes them magical too. The edition is finely illustrated by Tomislav Tomic.
Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Coppelia – these are just some of the eight classic ballet stories that are beautifully retold in this attractive volume illustrated by Lisa Kopper. All the romance and tragedy which fuels these stories and makes them perfect for performance is heightened in Margaret Greaves’s lyrical retellings.
Witty and wise, Aesop’s fables are perfect short stories with a powerful message for readers of all ages. In this beautifully illustrated edition Beverley Naidoo includes favourites such as The Lion and the Mouse in which a tiny mouse begs to be spared by the mighty lion on the grounds that he will save the lion at a later date. The lion scoffs but, lo and behold, the mouse does save him! In The Donkey, The Jackal and the Lion the lesson is a less kind one – the Jackal betrays the Donkey and soon both are killed by the Lion!
A beautiful edition of ten of the best loved Greek myths, each exquisitely illustrated by Jane Ray, are gathered together is this lovely edition. The story of Pandora and her box which she is told not to open; Pegasus, the wonder flying horse; King Midas and his donkey ears – storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton retells all of these and more making them fresh and easily accessible to a new audience.
Nine of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s best-known stories are retold with great fluency in this beautifully produced edition which is perfectly designed to be read aloud. Favourites, which include The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and Snow White among others, capture the magic and mystery at the heart of the stories which is also reflected in the attractive illustrations.
The Princess and the Pea and The Little Match Girl, two of Hans Christian Andersen’s best-loved tales, are included in this beautifully illustrated edition of his stories. Naomi Lewis’s prose sparkles in the lively retellings which contain all the traditional elements of the stories while also making them totally relevant to today. Emma Chichester Clark’s illustrations similarly capture the old and the new as she brings the stories to life in her stylish, jewel-bright illustrations.
‘My name is Gulliver, and I have a tale to tell that will make your hair stand up and your mouth hang open.’ So starts Mary Webb’s robust and lively retelling of Swift’s classic and it will indeed have children hanging on Gulliver’s every word. Two of his best-known adventures are included: his experience in Lilliput, where he is a giant, and in Brobdingnag, where the people are giants. It’s fantastical stuff, and often very funny. Webb doesn’t duck any of Swift’s scatological humour, and she keeps his satire fresh too – sadly many of his digs at human behaviour are as relevant today as they were in the 1700s. Lauren O’Neill’s illustrations are equally vigorous and this is a thoroughly handsome edition. ~ Andrea Reece
A stunning gift edition of this children's classic, published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. With exquisite artwork by Fran Parreño and a padded hardback cover this is a perfect gift to be read over and over.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean-spirited old man who hates everything - even Christmas! But when three spirits visit him one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is taken on a journey into the past, present and future that will change him forever.
This lean but effective retelling of one of the greatest stories of all time is made even more lively thanks to numerous full colour illustrations. In vignettes and full page illustrations Sebastiaan Van Donnick brings to life the movers and shakers of the ancient world, men, gods and monsters, clearly relishing the chance to portray those scenes in which they are in direct combat. The sea too is a constant presence, as much a part of the story as Odysseus himself. It’s a really pleasing book for young readers and added extras including a colour map showing Odysseus’s journey and an illustrated list of dramatis personae further increase the appeal. ~ Andrea Reece
This is one of the best-loved family stories of all the classics. When Roberta, Peter and Phyillis’s father is arrested their life is turned upside down. The children move to the country and the railway that runs nearby becomes their greatest source of adventure. One day, they come up with a brilliant plan to make use of the friends they’ve made through the train to prove their father’s innocence and bring him back safely. Will it work? A book to treasure and return to again and again and features the complete and unabridged text. If you love a good story, then look no further. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Kidnapped is less widely read than Stevenson’s other children’s classic Treasure Island but is just as thrilling and exciting a story. Indeed, the action doesn’t let up from the young hero David Balfour’s first meeting with his villainous Uncle Ebeneezer to his final triumphant return at the end of the book, after he’s endured kidnap and shipwreck amongst other adventures. This new edition is very handsome indeed, featuring full colour illustrations that are both accurate in their depiction of the landscape, characters and action (the story is set in Scotland 1751) and full of atmosphere. A fine addition to a child’s bookshelf, and a great summer read too. ~ Andrea Reece
Join Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr. Toad in their adventures and antics, from venturing into the dark and dangerous Wild Wood to simply messing about in boats.
The four sisters, each with a striking and strong character, between them represent any girls growing up at any time. Meg, the eldest, is sixteen and very pretty; fifteen year old Jo is a tomboy who loves reading; delicate, thirteen year old Beth plays the piano beautifully while twelve year old Amy, is pretty but a little bit selfish and indulged. How their sisters fill their time with creative activities and good work and how they all fall in love in their different ways with the boy next door is full of period charm as well as being totally topical and applicable for modern readers. ~ Julia Eccleshare This is a lovely gift edition of this much-loved classic, perfect to mark a special occasion. With illustrations throughout, the text is complete and unabridged and includes a biography of the author with links to find out more online.
A message from Julia Eccleshare:
'Each of the carefully selected titles has earned its place on each publisher’s list because it has inspired previous generations to become passionate readers. The stories have already been passed down from one generation to another and been the starting point for many other stories. All these classics selected by Lovereading4kids are the perfect way of reading the old and the new - and loving both. More titles will be added over time so you can come back again and again and indulge yourself and your children in whichever format suits you best at the time.’
The Originals:
The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths.
Collins Modern Classics: A selection of magical and extraordinary stories, aimed at 7-11 year olds, with favourites such as Mary Poppins and The Sword in the Stone.
Macmillan Classics:
The Macmillan Classics are beautifully produced hardback editions of some of the best-loved stories from the past. Each has a introduction by another author who, in their turn, have been influenced by the great writers of these books.
Adventures in Imagination with Puffin Classics:
A Puffin Book will stay with you forever. Maybe you'll read it again and again, or perhaps years from now you'll suddenly remember the moment it made you laugh or cry or simply see things differently. Adventurers big and small, rebels out to change their world, even a mouse with a dream and a spider who can spell - these are the characters who make stories that last a lifetime.
Frances Lincoln The Classics:
The Frances Lincoln Classic range, all in hardback format, are each exquisitely illustrated by notable artists including Jane Ray and Emma Chichester Clark.
Faber Classics:
Faber and Faber are one of the last great independent publishing houses in London. This is a new collection of Faber Classics, beautifully presented and illustrated by some of our best loved, award winning illustrators. Perfect to complete any child's bookshelf.
Usborne Illustrated Originals:
This series of classic books from Usborne Publishing are all fully illustrated padded hardbacks, with a ribbon marker, perfect gifts for any special occasion. Usborne is the biggest and most successful independent children's book publisher in the UK.
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