Keras

A magical story of a boy and a unicorn, whose bond is unbreakable but who must keep their secret, or face a terrible danger . . .

Simon Rae is a poet and broadcaster. For many years he wrote topical poems for the Guardian newspaper and was also presenter of the popular Radio 4 programme, Poetry Please! He then branched out, writing the definitive biography of the great Victorian cricketer, W.G.Grace, followed by a number of plays, before turning to fiction. He published his first novel, Unplayable, in 2009. Keras is his first title from David Fickling Books.

All his life, Jack Henley has felt at home in the woods - more at home than when he's actually at home with his parents. He loves watching the badgers play-fighting in the summer evenings, and pretending to be outlaws or cannibals with his two best friends. When Jack discovers that the woods hide an incredible secret - a beautiful, extraordinary, unicorn - he cannot believe his eyes. 
 
He and the owner of the woods, the eccentric Mr Finistaire, embark on a journey to save the unicorn from extinction. But as they continue in secrecy, Jack begins to wonder whether Mr Finistaire is quite what he seems.. Will the bond between Keras and Jack be enough to withstand the danger that awaits them both?

The 20th Century in Poetry

The history of the 20th century through the poets' eyes, starting with Thomas Hardy and John Masefield and finishing with Carol Ann Duffy and Jeffrey Harrison

British poets Hulse and Rae take a fresh and encompassing approach to the symbiosis between history and poetry in this prodigious harvest of more than four hundred twentieth-century poems...An entire universe of poetry lives here, making this a perfect library book, especially for smaller collections.

Michael Hulse teaches poetry at Warwick University and regularly does reading tours in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India.  He is based in Warwick. Simon Rae is a playwright , novelist and broadcaster (he presented Radio 4's 'Poetry Please' for several years). He lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Both Michael Hulse and Simon Rae are published poets and winners of the National Poetry Competition.

This ground-breaking anthology presents in chronological order over 400 poems written in the twentieth century. The authors, both published poets themselves, give an overview of each period of history, while notes to the poems place each one in its historical context and trace the century's poetic development. Concise biographies for each poet complete the anthology. 
 
By organizing the poems in chronological order, readers will see poets in a new light. Here A.E. Houseman, for example, rubs shoulders with T.S. Eliot, showing that traditional forms can hold their own against the modernist orthodoxy. Here are poets rescued from oblivion, such as the suffragette who wrote a compelling poem about her mistreatment in Holloway Prison in 1912 or the medical offer who went into Belsen with the British troops producing an eye-witness poem of lasting power. All the major events of the twentieth century are reflected in the choice of poems within these pages. 
 
This richly rewarding collection makes invaluable reading for poetry lovers all over the world.

Simon Rae

A box is left on Marcus’s doorstep in the rain. Fussy Aunt Hester has told Marcus not to open the front door under any circumstances. But she’s out – and just this once can’t hurt . . . can it? 
 
Except the parcel isn’t embroidery supplies for Aunt Hester. Or fishing tackle for Uncle Frank. Whatever is in there, it’s alive. And it’s ANGRY. 
 
 The thing in the box sends Marcus’s life spinning horrifyingly out of control ­– controlling his mind and testing his will so that every moment is deadly. Can Marcus overcome the pull of the Gorgon’s gaze, and use her power for good? Because he received that box for a reason ­– but he must find out what it is, before the terrible, beautiful Medusa turns everyone he holds dear to stone . . . and then comes for him. 
 
 Laced with myth, this modern story positively writhes with horror and suspense. A terrifying, unputdownable read for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.

Simon Rae

Books by Simon Rae

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