Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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This haunting stand-alone story is a must have for SPOOK'S fans and a perfect introduction to Joseph Delaney's terrifying series which has sold 3 million copies sold worldwide! 
 
The Spook is away on a dangerous job, and left behind, his seventh apprentice, Will, is compelled to help a boy whose father has been kidnapped by a ruthless and bloodthirsty witch who has the body of a woman and the face of a pig. But Will has never encountered a real witch in the flesh before. And dark-fighting skills are not yet advanced enough to fight an enemy of such power . . . 
 
This story will chill your blood and frighten you to your very bones. Just remember not to read after dark. 
 
From the series that inspired the forthcoming movie Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes and Julianne Moore.

Spook's: Seventh Apprentice

The first book in the exhilarating new fantasy sequence from Joseph Delaney, the multi-million-selling author of The Spook's Apprentice. 
 
Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away . . . 
 
Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die. 
 
But the country is terrorized by the creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing its people, displaying his devasting power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses. And this is exactly what Leif wants . . . 
 
For he knows Hob's crimes well. and at the heart of his ambition burns the desire for vengeance. Leif is going to take on the monster who destroyed his family. Even if it kills him.

Arena 13

The third exhilarating instalment in the Arena 13 series by Joseph Delaney, author of THE SPOOK’S APPRENTICE 
 
After everything Leif has been through in Arena 13, it’s finally time for him to fulfil his destiny and accompany his father’s people beyond the barrier that imprisons all mankind. 
 
Meanwhile, Kwin, the girl he loves, is making waves in the arena as the first woman ever to grace its fighting floor. 
 
In their own ways, each of them is fighting to bring down the superhuman monsters that threaten the last people on earth. They might have picked fights they can’t win. But freedom could be something worth dying for. 
 
Books in the series 
1: ARENA 13 
2: ARENA 13: THE PREY 
3: ARENA 13: THE WARRIOR

Arena 13: The Warrior

'Someone has to stand against the dark. And you're the only one who can.' 
 
For years, the local Spook has been keeping the County safe from evil. Now his time is coming to an end, but who will take over? 
 
Many apprentices have tried . . . Some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Just one boy is left. Thomas Ward. He is the last hope. 
 
But does he stand a chance against Mother Malkin, the most dangerous witch in the County?

Seventh Son

The Spook's Apprentice Film Tie-in

Following the first year of his apprenticeship as an Arena 13 combatant, Leif seeks information from his late father's people. There he learns more about the man, who was the greatest arena fighter ever seen. The man who came so close to destroying the demon Hob, but paid a terrible price for every victory. 
 
Leif returns to the fighting floor with a renewed hunger for revenge. But can he remain focused on his training as his passion for his master's daughter, Kwin, grows? And will his place in his master's greater plan help or hinder him in his personal mission to defeat Hob in a fight to the death? 
 
The second instalment in the legend of ARENA 13. 
 
Books in the series 
1: ARENA 13 
2: ARENA 13: THE PREY

Arena 13: The Prey

E E Richardson

Joel Demetrius is quite looking forward to moving in with his new step-family, but as far as his sister Cassie's concerned, they're nothing but intruders. She doesn't want anything to do with Gerald and his two sons, and to make matters worse their new home is a derelict old house, neglected for decades. Joel thinks it's interesting. Cassie thinks it's a dump. 
 
But his sister isn't the only reason the house doesn't feel like a home. As fascinated as he is by the place, Joel has to admit there's something not quite right about it. Not only does he keep seeing things out of the corner of his eye, but his sleep is plagued by nightmares. He can't seem to stop dreaming about a terrified boy who keeps repeating the same fractured prayer: 
 
IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE, I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO TAKE . . . 
 
As events in the house become harder and harder to explain, it seems that the line between nightmare and reality is getting steadily more blurred. And when the battle between Cassie and her step-brothers draws everyone deeper into the mystery, all four kids are forced to confront the question of just who the intruders really are.

The Intruders

Alex Duval

Jason and his sister have just moved to Malibu - to a town full of rich kids whose lives revolve around money, fashion, cars and parties. Jason gets swept along by the excitement and is flattered to be included - and also very flattered by the apparent interest of the stunning Sienna. But these rich kids hide a dark secret and soon Jason finds that their parties involve a little more than the usual alcohol and music! When their secret is revealed, Jason has to decide if he can accept the status quo. Everyone else seems to be able to... and it might just mean he could get closer to Sienna... 
 
A fabulously glam and sexy take on the classic vampire story - these vamps can live pretty normal lives, no garlic or coffins for them!

Vampire Beach: Bloodlust

It was just a bit of fun, a local legend. The Devil's Footsteps: thirteen stepping stones, and whichever one you stopped on in the rhyme could predict how you would die. A harmless game for kids - and nobody ever died from a game. 
 
But it's not a game to Bryan. He's seen the Dark Man, because the Dark Man took his brother five years ago. He's tried to tell himself that it was his imagination, that the Devil's Footsteps are just stones and the Dark Man didn't take Adam. But Adam's still gone. 
 
And then Bryan meets two other boys who have their own unsolved mysteries. Someone or something is after the children in the town. And it all comes back to the rhyme that every local child knows by heart: Thirteen steps to the Dark Man's door, Won't be turning back no more . . .

The Devil's Footsteps

Jason and his sister have moved to Malibu and now live in a town full of very beautiful, very rich, very cool people - who just happen to be vampires. Jason is pretty obsessed with the sexiest girl in town, Sienna Devereux - and has little time to spend worrying about the rest of the vampires. But as Thanksgiving approaches and Jason's Aunt Megan comes to stay, he realises that there's something weird going on in De Vere Heights. Could Megan be involved somehow? And when his old friend Tyler turns up too, and starts to mess with the wrong people, Jason starts to understand that they're all playing with something much more dangerous than it first seemed . . .

Vampire Beach: Initiation

Susan Davis

Imagine meeting Henry VIII and finding he's madly in love with you! 
 
One lazy summer afternoon Abigail persuades Lauren and Marina to experiment with a homemade ouija board. The girls don't seriously expect the séance to work and are shocked when the glass starts moving, but that's nothing to the shock they get when they realise they have summoned up the spirit of a long-dead randy royal - Henry VIII. The trouble really begins when Henry declares his love for the sultry Marina and starts behaving in a seriously sinister manner. Jealous and possessive, Henry sets about controlling the girls' lives and making a right royal nuisance of himself... 
 
Friendship, first love and men behaving badly - this is a fantastically funny chick-lit read.

The Henry Game

Charlie Higson

The sickness struck everyone over fourteen. First it twisted their minds, next it ravaged their bodies, now they roam the streets - crazed and hungry. A jaw-dropping zombie horror series for teens.

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you . . . 
 
The Enemy (Book 1) 
 
When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. 
 
 Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. 
 
 A gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. 
 
The Dead (Book 2) 
 
Jack and Ed are best friends, but their battle to stay alive tests their friendship to the limit as they go on the run with a mismatched group of other kids. And one adult. Greg, a butcher, who claims he's immune to the disease. 
 
 As a fresh disaster threatens to overwhelm London, they realize they won't all survive... 
 
The Fear (Book 3) 
 
DogNut and the rest of his crew want to find their lost friends, and set off on a deadly mission from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace and beyond, as the sickos lie in wait. But who are their friends and who is the enemy in this changed world?

The Enemy Series, Books 1-3

M. R. James

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Ghost Stories, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
A strange whistle, a dangerous curse, a buried crown and a hotel without a room 13. Don't read these four frightening ghost stories by M.R. James late at night!

Penguin Readers Level 3: Ghost Stories (ELT Graded Reader)

Abridged Edition

Mark Frost

Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents' insistence, he's made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam, and he is recruited by an exclusive and mysterious prep school - the best school no one's ever heard of, with technology the likes of which no one's ever seen. 
 
At the same time, coincidentally - or not so - Will realizes he's being followed by men in dark hats, driving black sedans who pose a terrifying threat to his family. What follows is a series of events and revelations that places Will smack in the middle of a millennia old struggle between titanic forces . . .

The Paladin Prophecy

Book One

The sickness struck everyone over fourteen. 
First it twisted their minds. 
Next it ravaged their bodies. 
Now they roam the streets - 
Crazed and hungry 
 
The others had promised that the countryside would be safer than the city. They were wrong. Now Ella's all-alone except for her silent rescuer, Scarface - and she's not even sure if he's a kid or a grown-up. 
Back in London, Ed's determined to find her. But getting out of town's never been more dangerous- because coming in the other direction is every SICKO in the country. It's like they're being called towards the capital and nothing is going to stop them . . .

The Hunted (The Enemy Book 6)

HE DOESN'T KNOW IT BUT DOGNUT IS ABOUT TO SET OFF A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT WILL AFFECT EVERY KID IN THE CITY. 
 
The sickness struck everyone over the age of fourteen. 
 
Mothers and fathers, older brothers, sisters and best friends. No one escaped its touch. And now children across London are being hunted by ferocious grown-ups . . . they're hungry. They're bloodthirsty. And they aren't giving up. 
 
DogNut and the rest of his crew want to find their lost friends, and set off on a deadly mission from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace and beyond, as the sickos lie in wait. But who are their friends and who is the enemy in this changed world?

The Fear (The Enemy Book 3)

Justin hasn't ever really believed in the occult, even though his Grandpa Blake is an expert in it and has a house full of curious objects and old tattered books on magic. But when Daniel Eilersen, the class know-it-all, starts acting all high-and-mighty, Justin thinks he can scare him by performing a magic ritual from the ancient book he's stolen from his granddad's study. His friend Trevor, who always goes along with what Justin says and his little sister, Joy, complete the group. It's all about the atmosphere of course and Justin plans to give Eilersen a proper scare, but nothing will actually happen . . . 
 
Or will it . . .? 
 
On the old tennis court in the park, late one night, the four of them, unaware of the consequences of their actions, summon Dracherion, a malicious and dangerous spirit bent on revenge for being imprisoned in the ancient book by Grandpa Blake, years ago. Things go wrong and Dracherion breaks out of the circle designed to enclose him. The ritual has bound them to Dracherion and Justin, Joy, Trevor and Daniel know that the spirit will try and possess one of them so it can grow in strength and wreak its vengeance. 
 
A terrifying struggle follows as Dracherion grows stronger and stronger. It's a race against time to try and find a way of banishing the spirit out of this world. But how do they do that when one of them can't be trusted . . .?

The Summoning

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you . . . 
 
The Sacrifice (Book 4) 
 
 Small Sam and his unlikely ally, The Kid, have survived. They're safe with Ed and his friends at the Tower of London, but Sam is desperate to find his sister. 
 
 Their search for Ella means Sam and The Kid must cross the forbidden zone. And what awaits them there is more terrifying than any of the horror they've suffered so far . . . 
 
The Fallen (Book 5) 
 
The Holloway crew are survivors. They've fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive - just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives . . . 
 
The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Suddenly it's not so clear who - or what - they're fighting. 
 
The Hunted (Book 6) 
 
The others had promised that the countryside would be safer than the city. They were wrong. Now Ella's all-alone except for her silent rescuer, Scarface - and she's not even sure if he's a kid or a grown-up. 
 
 Back in London, Ed's determined to find her. But getting out of town's never been more dangerous- because coming in the other direction is every SICKO in the country.

The Enemy Series, Books 4-6

Abbie, Lauren and Ruby are earning some holiday dosh at the Northgate Poetry Festival. It promises to be dull, dull, dull until they meet the ravishing Ron Lord. But then some seriously weird goings-on lead Abbie to suspect that the drop-dead-delicious poet may actually have dropped dead quite some time ago . . . 
 
Posing poets, fit photographers and a ghostly ex-girlfriend stalk the pages of this hilarious new novel from the author of The Henry Game and Delilah and the Dark Stuff.

Mad, Bad And Totally Dangerous

K M Peyton

Mad is devastated when she's forced to move with her mother from London to a bleak, rural wilderness - until she gets a job restoring the local manor house, Good Graces. There, among the ancient tapestries and furniture, she meets the heir, Simon. 
 
But as Mad and Simon grow closer, Mad realises her arrival has awoken the restless spirits of the old house. One ghostly presence seems welcoming, but the other is furious - and they are both frighteningly powerful. Mad's relationship with Simon soon spirals out of control, as they are swept up in a tide of centuries-old emotion and rage.

Unquiet Spirits

Jason lives in hyper-cool Malibu and hangs out with the cool kids. He thinks he's pretty lucky to be considered a friend of the gorgeous but unattainable Sienna. But only Jason and his friend know the secret behind Sienna's IT crowd - that they are partial to the taste of blood . . . 
 
Jason takes his sister to a New Age fair - and they visit a psychic. Jason is given a warning of great danger - and sure enough, he is soon after attacked by a mysterious assailant. When he wakes up in hospital he discovers that he's been shot with a crossbow. Who would use such a weapon - possibly some kind of vampire hunter? Could Sienna be the one who's really in danger?

Vampire Beach: Ritual

Robert Westall

'Ninety-eight keys, none of them labelled. Ninety-eight keys, and they say there are ninety-nine rooms . . . What will you find in the ninety-ninth room, I wonder?' 
 
Maggi is delighted when her father takes a new job, renovating a crumbling stately home in Cheshire. It's a chance to escape from the North-East, from the predatory Doris Streeton, and perhaps from the grief at the heart of Maggi's family. But Maggi gradually comes to realize that their new home holds secrets far more sinister than anything they have left behind . . .

Ghost Abbey

Edgar Allan Poe

Everyman's Children's Classics has more than 50 titles in print. It offers the finest editions currently available of the world's greatest children's books in handsome, full cloth hardcover bindings. 
 
The library brings back into print major illustrators such as Ivan Bilibin, Kate Greenaway, Arthur Rackham, Nicolas Bentley, Walter Crane, Aubrey Beardsley, Edward Ardizzone, W.Heath Robinson and Mervyn Peake.

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) was one of the leading illustrators from the golden age of British book illustration. Fairy-tale and fantasy were his forte and in later life he responded to the dark stimulus of Poe's gothic tales with gleeful appreciation of their macabre and otherworldly qualities, claiming afterwards that he had quite succeeded in frightening himself! For lovers of the thrilling and chilling, young and old, Poe's sensational stories cannot fail to hit the spot. This collection contains the best of his prose works, including of course the well-known masterpieces 'The Fall of the House of Usher' (the ultimate haunted house story), 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' (the very first detective story in fiction). First published in 1935 it has been redesigned, re-typeset and republished in a handsome edition which features all Rackham's original colour and black and white illustrations. A perfect gift  - though not for the faint-hearted!

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

There were three people, standing in the darkest place, watching him. 
 
Simon is outraged that his Mum plans to remarry. He can't bear her new fiancé or the way his mother and sister seem to have forgotten his late father. Overwhelmed by hatred and anger he seeks solace in a nearby abandoned water mill. But another, powerful hatred lingers within its walls. And it is about to be unleashed... 
 
Westall's immense talent is evident from the opening line - Simon's anger and unhappiness are tangible, and the Scarecrows' ill-intentions terrifying.

Scarecrows

When Nick Spencer stumbles upon Bargains, the odd little back street shop seems like the perfect place to buy the present he's been searching for. And when the shopkeeper wants to take some of Nick's artwork instead of money for payment, he's even happier. 
 
But Nick soon realizes that the deal he's made is not quite the bargain he thought it was. His drawing skills have disappeared, and when he returns to the shop he finds himself trapped into a job he didn't sign up for, collecting debts for the mysterious Mr Grey. As his assignments grow steadily more and more traumatic and the shop takes over more and more of his life, the question becomes not when he'll earn his way out . . . but if he'll ever get out at all.

The Soul Trade

The sickness struck everyone over fourteen. 
First it twisted their minds. 
Next it ravaged their bodies. 
Now they roam the streets - 
Crazed and hungry. 
 
Sickos swarm the streets of London. Gathered in the centre of the city, they lie in wait. 
 
The survivors have one final epic battle to overcome. Together they must work out a plan of attack and end the grown-ups reign of terror before it's too late. 
 
The end is coming.

The End (The Enemy Book 7)

The sickness destroyed everyone over the age of fourteen. All across London diseased adults are waiting, hungry predators with rotten flesh and ravaged minds. 
 
Small Sam and his unlikely ally, The Kid, have survived. They're safe with Ed and his friends at the Tower of London, but Sam is desperate to find his sister. 
 
Their search for Ella means Sam and The Kid must cross the forbidden zone. And what awaits them there is more terrifying than any of the horror they've suffered so far . . . 
 
 
** 'Lord of the Flies with zombies' - Rick Riordan, creator of the Percy Jackson series. 
** Charlie Higson is the bestselling author of Young Bond, and creator of The Fast Show. 
** Perfect for bloodthirsty fans of Darren Shan and 28 Days Later.

The Sacrifice (The Enemy Book 4)

Thirteen stories of horror, suspense and the supernatural. 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and 'The Black Cat' are just three of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous tales in this chilling collection.

The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Stories

Henry James

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
The Turn of the Screw, a Level 6 Reader, is B1+ in the CEFR framework. The longer text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing future continuous, reported questions, third conditional, was going to and ellipsis. A small number of illustrations support the text. 
 
A young woman accepts her first job as a governess and goes to Bly, a large country house in England. There she teaches a young brother and sister. But the governess soon starts to see ghosts and tries to protect the children from them.

Penguin Readers Level 6: The Turn of the Screw (ELT Graded Reader)

Helen Grant

Veerle has moved to Ghent to start a new life with her father and his girlfriend, she's isolated and alone. But not as alone as she had thought . . . 
 
Veerle recognises a familiar face in the crowds one day, a face connected to a past that she has been fighting to get over, a past that involved murder. 
 
A spate of deaths hit the city but has Death followed Veerle to Ghent or is this something new?

The Demons of Ghent

Robert Louis Stevenson

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Jekyll and Hyde, a Level 1 Reader, is A1 in the CEFR framework. Short sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the past simple tense and some simple modals, adverbs and gerunds. Illustrations support the text throughout, and many titles at this level are graphic novels. 
 
Dr Jekyll is a good person. He is nice, and he has lots of friends. But Mr Hyde is a bad person. He walks in the streets of London at night and does bad things. Why are the two men friends?

Penguin Readers Level 1: Jekyll and Hyde (ELT Graded Reader)

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