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Children's reading lists

12 magical books for Harry Potter fans

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9 of the best Irish children’s books and authors

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Doctor Who: Decades Collection 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s

Brought to you by Puffin. 
 
A brand new audio bundle of three Doctor Who stories to celebrate the 60th anniversary. 
 
1990s - Wannabes by Dave Rudden 
 
It's Dublin in 1994, and the Doctor and Donna have arraived at the tiny nightclub known as Headlong. 
 
Headlong is famous for precisely one thing - holding the karaoke night where four young women came together to make the biggest girl band of the 90s: the Honeybloods. 
 
Donna has convinced the Doctor to visit their first ever concert (she reckons she could have been one of them if the timelines were different) - and he has begrudgingly agreed. 
 
Naturally the band is kidnapped by a deadly pack of siren-like creatures who adapt to and feed off human adulation, usually harvested by taking the form of cultural icons. 
 
With Dublin and the world to save, Donna may get her chance to perform on the world's biggest stage . . . 
 
2000s - The Monster in the Cupboard by Kalynn Bayron 
 
When the Doctor and Rose stumble across thirteen-year-old Lily, they both agree she needs their help. 
 
Lily thinks there are monsters in the closet, hiding under the bed. And that they've taken her mother and brother - who went missing months ago. 
 
When asked about the monster, Lily can only say it's made of immense light and power. Rose and the Doctor must find out who and what the creature is, and where it's taken Lily's family. 
 
It is a search that will take them right back to the childhood of Lily's grandmother, and another disappearance all those years ago . . . 
 
2010s - The Angel of Redemption by Nikita Gill 
 
A poem of tragedy and beauty . . . 
 
The Weeping Angels are an ancient race of terrible power. 
 
With the ability to propel their victims backwards in time, their true form is a mystery - they turn to stone on sight. So they wander the universe, cursed never to see one another. 
 
But they see everything else: the whole course of time and space - even the journey of their deadliest enemy, the Doctor. 
 
In this extraordinary, epic poem, the Weeping Angels sing the story of the years they've battled the Doctor, and everything in between, as - like a Greek Chorus - they tell the world with their tragic tale. 
 
BBC, DOCTOR WHO and TARDIS (word marks and devices) are trade marks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996. DOCTOR WHO logo © BBC 1973. Licensed by BBC Studios. (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Dave Rudden (Author) Dave Rudden is a former actor, teacher and time-displaced Viking currently living in Dublin. He is the author of the award-winning Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, and enjoys cats, adventure and being cruel to fictional children. Kalynn Bayron (Author) Kalynn Bayron is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the YA fantasy novels Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart. Her latest works include the YA fantasy This Wicked Fate and the middle grade paranormal adventure The Vanquishers. She is a CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominee, a two-time CYBILS Award nominee, and the recipient of the 2022 Randall Keenan Award for Black LGBTQ fiction. She is a classically trained vocalist and musical theatre enthusiast. When she's not writing you can find her watching scary movies and spending time with her family. Nikita Gill (Author) Nikita Gill is a British-Indian writer and artist living in the south of England. With a huge online following, her words have captivated hearts and minds all over the world. Nikita is an ambassador for National Poetry Day and is a regular speaker at literary events. 
 
Instagram: @nikita_gill 
Tumblr: meanwhilepoetry.tumblr.com 
Facebook: @nikitagillwrites 
Twitter: @nktgill

Festive Stories from the World of Doctor Who

The Wintertime Paradox

Twelve incredible Doctor Who stories for the long winter nights featuring an exclusive extra story in the Time Lord Victorious arc! 
 
Christmas can mean anything . . . 
 
For Missy, it's solving murders in 1909. 
 
For a little girl in Dublin, it's Plasmavores knocking at the door. 
 
For Davros, it's a summons from the Doctor, who needs the mad inventor's help. 
 
The perfect collection for the bleakest - and sometimes brightest - time of the year, these are the tales for when you're halfway out of the dark . . . 
 
The perfect collection for the bleakest - and sometimes brightest - time of the year, these are the tales for when you're halfway out of the dark . . . 
 
 Written by popular children's author, and lifelong Doctor Who fan, Dave Rudden, author of Twelve Angels Weeping. 
 
 'The perfect balance between tenderness and humour and terror and imagination - like the show at its very, very best' - Guardian 
 
'The comforting yet thrilling vibe of a Doctor Who Christmas special TIMES TWELVE' - Deirdre Sullivan 
 
 'A fascinating tale' - Screenrant

The perfect balance between tenderness and humour and terror and imagination - like the show at its very, very best

A remarkable feat of inventiveness and variety that deserves the widest possible audience.

Dave Rudden is a former actor, teacher and time-displaced Viking currently living in Dublin. He is the author of the award-winning Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, and enjoys cats, adventure and being cruel to fictional children.

Christmas can mean anything . . . 
 
For Missy, it's solving murders in 1909. 
 
For a little girl in Dublin, it's Plasmavores knocking at the door. 
 
For Davros, it's a summons from the Doctor, who needs the mad inventor's help. 
 
The perfect collection for the bleakest - and sometimes brightest - time of the year, these are the tales for when you're halfway out of the dark . . . 
 
 Written by popular children's author, and lifelong Doctor Who fan, Dave Rudden, author of Twelve Angels Weeping.

Twelve stories of the villains from Doctor Who

Doctor Who: Twelve Angels Weeping

Twelve extraordinary Doctor Who stories, each featuring a monstrous villain from the Doctor Who world. 
 
On every planet that has existed or will exist, there is a winter . . . 
 
Many of the peoples of Old Earth celebrated a winter festival. A time to huddle together against the cold; a time to celebrate being half-way out of the dark. 
 
But shadows are everywhere, and there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, lurking in the cold between the stars. 
 
Here are twelve stories - one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas - to remind you that to come out of the darkness we need to go into it in the first place. 
 
We are not alone. We are not safe. And, whatever you do: don't blink. 
 
Written by popular children's author, and lifelong Doctor Who fan, Dave Rudden.

The Endless King (Knights of the Borrowed Dark Book 3)

The final book in the award-winning Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, perfect for fans of Skulduggery Pleasant. 
 
'You have no idea what real war is . . . but I'm afraid you're going to find out.' 
 
There's nothing like an apocalypse to kick off the school year. 
 
Denizen Hardwick has travelled to Daybreak, the ancestral home of the Order of the Borrowed Dark, to continue his training as a knight. But lessons have barely begun before an unexpected arrival appears with news that throws the fortress into uproar. 
 
The Endless King has fallen, his dark realm rising in a brutal civil war. When the conflict strikes closer to home, Denizen and his friends face their greatest challenge yet. For if Daybreak falls, so does the world . . . 
 
'Action-packed, atmospheric and powerfully imagined' - Sunday Times

Action-packed, atmospheric and powerfully imagined

Rudden is an author to watch. Knights of the Borrowed Dark is a pacy, entertaining read, but it has heart too.

The stuff of nightmares in the best possible way

'You have no idea what real war is . . . but you're going to find out.' 
 
There's nothing like an apocalypse to kick off the school year. 
 
Denizen Hardwick has travelled to Daybreak, the ancestral home of the Order of the Borrowed Dark, to continue his training as a knight. But lessons have barely begun before an unexpected arrival appears with news that throws the fortress into uproar. 
 
The Endless King has fallen, his dark realm rising in a brutal civil war. When the conflict strikes closer to home, Denizen and his friends face their greatest challenge yet. For if Daybreak falls, so does the world . . . 
 
The spellbinding conclusion to the award-winning Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy.

The Forever Court (Knights of the Borrowed Dark Book 2)

The second book in the brilliant Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, perfect for fans of Skulduggery Pleasant. 
 
Life is returning to normal for Denizen Hardwick. Well, the new normal, where he has to battle monsters in quiet Dublin bookshops and constantly struggle to contain the new powers he has been given by Mercy, the daughter of the Endless King. But Denizen may need those powers sooner than he thinks - not only are the Tenebrous stirring again but the Order of the Borrowed Dark face a new threat from much closer to home...

Life is returning to normal for Denizen Hardwick. Well, the new normal, where he has to battle monsters in quiet Dublin bookshops and constantly struggle to contain the new powers he has been given by Mercy, the daughter of the Endless King. But Denizen may need those powers sooner than he thinks - not only are the Tenebrous stirring again but the Order of the Borrowed Dark face a new threat from much closer to home...

Knights of the Borrowed Dark (Knights of the Borrowed Dark Book 1)

The first book in a new series about an orphan boy who discovers he is part of a secret army that protects the world from a race of shadowy monsters. 
 
Grey placed his finger in the middle of the shadow. 
'What's this?' he asked. 
Denizen frowned. 'It's a shadow.' 
'No, it isn't,' Grey said. 'It's a door.' 
 
Denizen Hardwick doesn't believe in magic - until he's ambushed by a monster created from shadows and sees it destroyed by a word made of sunlight. 
 
That kind of thing can really change your perspective. 
 
Now Denizen is about to discover that there's a world beyond the one he knows. A world of living darkness where an unseen enemy awaits. 
 
Fortunately for humanity, between us and the shadows stand the Knights of the Borrowed Dark. 
 
Unfortunately for Denizen, he's one of them . . .

Grey placed his finger in the middle of the shadow. 
'What's this?' he asked. 
Denizen frowned. 'It's a shadow.' 
'No, it isn't,' Grey said. 'It's a door.' 
 
Denizen Hardwick doesn't believe in magic - until he's ambushed by a monster created from shadows and sees it destroyed by a word made of sunlight. 
 
That kind of thing can really change your perspective. 
 
Now Denizen is about to discover that there's a world beyond the one he knows. A world of living darkness where an unseen enemy awaits. 
 
Fortunately for humanity, between us and the shadows stand the Knights of the Borrowed Dark. 
 
Unfortunately for Denizen, he's one of them . . .

Doctor Who

Dave Rudden

a 1990s story

It's Dublin in 1994, and the Doctor and Donna have arraived at the tiny nightclub known as Headlong. 
 
Headlong is famous for precisely one thing - holding the karaoke night where four young women came together to make the biggest girl band of the 90s: the Honeybloods. 
 
Donna has convinced the Doctor to visit their first ever concert (she reckons she could have been one of them if the timelines were different) - and he has begrudgingly agreed. 
 
Naturally the band is kidnapped by a deadly pack of siren-like creatures who adapt to and feed off human adulation, usually harvested by taking the form of cultural icons. 
 
With Dublin and the world to save, Donna may get her chance to perform on the world's biggest stage . . .

Dave Rudden

Books by Dave Rudden

Series by Dave Rudden

Doctor Who45 Books

Knights of the Borrowed Dark3 Books

Articles featuring Dave Rudden

12 magical books for Harry Potter fans

9 of the best Irish children’s books and authors

‘At his best, Terry was a teacher’: Why we love Terry Pratchett

How to start writing fan fiction

A beginner’s guide to Terry Pratchett’s books

Puffin authors share their most hilarious Christmas disasters

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