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

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

Eoin Colfer

Will has four brothers and it's chaos in his house! If he's not being teased by his big brother Marty, he has to deal with the terrible, three-headed bundle of cuteness that is his three younger brothers. Even worse, his mother has the brilliant idea of packing Will and Marty off to the library during the holidays. She just doesn't understand! Not only is the library no fun, it's also the habitat of the legendary librarian Spud Murphy. If you put a foot wrong, it's rumoured she will use her dreaded gas-powered spud gun and you don't want that - just ask Ugly Frank how he got his nickname! Eventually Will and Marty discover a love of books and that Mrs Murphy isn't so bad after all!

The Legend of Spud Murphy

Jean Ure

When Billy the Skid and his nasty gang of mountain bikers ride into Bodley Street and ride menacingly up and down, Danny and friends are determined to fight back. They know bullies must be stopped - the question is how? After a little thought, Danny comes up with an ingenious plan and enlists the help of the twins, Daisy and Donna. All will be well providing Danny can lure Billy into the spooky graveyard and sprint through like dynamite! 
 
A cheering story for new readers, with a cosy setting, a clear triumph for Danny against the bully and told with lots of humour.

Danny Dynamite

Roald Dahl

Quentin Blake

Every Saturday morning the Gregg family goes off to shoot animals and birds. But the girl who lives next door hates hunting. 
Now it's made her so angry she's PUT THE MAGIC FINGER ON THEM ALL. And very strange things have begun to happen . . .

The Magic Finger

Think of your favourite Roald Dahl moment and surely a song or verse cannot be far away... 
 
SONGS AND VERSE has seven sections bursting with rhymes about monsters, gruesome children, magical creatures, ghastly adults as well as a few unusual surprises. From the strange and scrumptious dishes enjoyed by James's Centipede to George and his marvellous medicine, and from greedy Augustus Gloop to the Giraffe and the Pelly and Me there are many classics here together with some previously unpublished treats. 
With a foreword and opening illustrations by Quentin Blake, and illustrations throughout from other award-winning artists such as Babette Cole, Lauren Child, Chris Riddell, Alel Scheffler and Tony Ross, you will find a touch of magic on every page.

Songs and Verse

Babette Cole

Meet Doctor Dog, he's the Gumboyle family's favourite pet and their very own trusty physician. When Doctor Dog jets off to a medical conference in Brazil the Guimboyles decide they can't survive without him and so he returns to rescue them from all sorts of ailments: itchy nits, tickly tonsils and worms to name but a few. . .

Dr Dog

John Burningham

Every day, John Patrick sets off along the road to school, and although he hurries, strange and improbable happenings repeatedly make him late. To make things worse, his teacher never believes his story.

John Patrick Norman McHennessy

The Boy Who Was Always Late

Mr Twit is a foul and smelly man with bits of cornflake and sardine in his beard. 
Mrs Twit is a horrible old hag with a glass eye. 
Together they make the nastiest couple you could ever hope not to meet. 
Down in their garden, the Twits keep Muggle-Wump the monkey and his family locked in a cage. But not for much longer, because the monkeys are planning to trick the terrible Twits, once and for all . . .

The Twits (Colour Edition)

Arden Jones

The start of a spellbinding, new illustrated series featuring Witchy Boo, a little ghost with a BIG magical secret! Perfect for fans of Isadora Moon and Kitty’s Superhero Adventures. 
 
Even though she’s a ghost, Boo has never liked being scary – not like her brothers Shock and Shriek. 
 
But when a witch’s hat finds its way onto her head, Boo learns that not all ghosts have to be scary. Some ghosts can be . . . witchy! 
 
Follow Witchy Boo on her magical journey, as she learns to accept herself—with the help of some very cute friends. 
 
Perfect for 5-7 year-olds, reading independently or with assistance.

Witchy Boo: Casts Her First Spell

Dick King-Smith

Mike Terry

Laurence Higgins, an enormously fat black cat, has breakfast with Mrs Higgins, lunch with the Normans, tea with old Mr Mason and supper with the Barclay-Lloyds. None of them know why he is so fat on just one meal a day! Lawrence is happy until he finds the walking from house to house tiring and begins to get indigestion. His friends tell him to lose weight if he wants a girl friend so he begins to spend one day in four with all his owners. He gets thinner but the cat he fancies down the road tells him she doesn't like slim boys - she's lost her heart to an enormously fat black cat she used to see up the road! Triumphantly Lawrence returns to his four meals a day, spurred on by the thought of meeting Bella when he's back to his normal size.

Fat Lawrence

Jess Brallier

Jack Keely

Meet Tina and Tuck - two unlikely friends ready for adventure! A fun, full-colour series for 6+ children, ideal for readers moving from picture books to chapter stories.Strange bumps! Spooky Shadows! Odd noises! No wonder Tina and Tuck think that Boone School is haunted! 
But when the two mice spot burglars prowling in the school corridors, they wonder if maybe the school “ghost” might not be so bad after all. And that perhaps the Boone School spook can even help them scare off the crooks . . .? 
 
Praise for the Tuck and Tina series: 
'Heartwarming and hilarious!' Jeff Kinney, bestselling author of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Tuck and Tina and the Haunted School

Meet Tina and Tuck - two unlikely friends ready for adventure! The first in a fun, full-colour series for 6+ children, ideal for readers moving from picture books to chapter stories. 
 
Tina lives at Boone Elementary and LOVES listening in to Ms Pigeon’s lessons and seeing all the kids having fun with their friends. She just wishes she had a real friend of her own.Then Ms Pigeon announces that a new class pet is arriving and Tina wonders if her wish might come true.Tuck is a ball of energy with a knack for causing chaos and the opposite of who Tina expected. She’s sure he’s going to be nothing but TROUBLE!Then Boone Elementary is faced with closure and Tina and Tuck decide to work together to find an ancient treasure that’s rumoured to be hidden somewhere in the school – can these two unlikely allies save the school before it’s too late?! 
 
'Heartwarming and hilarious!' Jeff Kinney, bestselling author of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Tuck and Tina and the Lost Fortune

Last week, something very funny happened to the Gregg family. 
 
 
This beautiful edition of The Magic Finger, part of The Roald Dahl Classic Collection, features official archive material from the Roald Dahl Museum and is perfect for Dahl fans old and new. 
 
So, enter a world where invention and mischief can be found on every page and where magic might be at the very tips of your fingers . . . 
 
The Roald Dahl Classic Collection reinstates the versions of Dahl’s books that were published before the 2022 Puffin editions, aimed at newly independent young readers.

Meet Tina and Tuck - two unlikely friends ready for adventure! A fun, full-colour series for 6+ children, ideal for readers moving from picture books to chapter stories. 
 
Boone School is in trouble! Taps dripping slime, classrooms full of bugs and lots of other disasters mean Principle Bruno might lose his job. 
 
Then Tuck and Tina discover that a masked troublemaker is causing mischief, just so he can take over the school and steal rare dinosaur bones buried beneath the building! 
 
Cue a high-speed chase across land, sea and air. . . but can the two mice track down the culprit and save the day? 
 
Praise for the Tuck and Tina series: 
'Heartwarming and hilarious!' Jeff Kinney, bestselling author of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Tuck and Tina and the Dinosaur Thief

Mini Grey

When Horace bakes a biscuit in the shape of a bear, little does he know that his edible treat is going to turn into Biscuit Bear! For in the middle of the night, when all is quiet, that is exactly what happens, and Biscuit Bear decides that it is time he made some friends of his own. So, with flour, sugar and butter he does just that. In fact, he makes a whole circus of friends and the fun begins . . .

Biscuit Bear

A bouncing, read-aloud rhyme about a very special friend, from the nation's favourite llustrator, Quentin Blake! 
 
Meet Fantastic Daisy Artichoke. She's got three fat cats we like to stroke and a pond in which she likes to soak. . . . She isn't quite like other folk! 
 
"Blake is beyond brilliant . . . I've never met a child who doesn't love Quentin Blake" - Daily Telegraph 
 
Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and the Kate Greenaway Medal. among others.

Fantastic Daisy Artichoke

Humphrey Carpenter

As a rule, magic carpets don't turn up in schools, but this is exactly what happens when Class Three's new teacher flies in through the classroom window and lands on the floor with a bump. 
 
Mr Majeika can behave just like any ordinary teacher if he wants to, but something has to be done about Hamish Bigmore, the class nuisance, and so he uses a little magic to turn him into a frog. And to everyone's delight it looks as if Hamish will have to remain a frog because Mr Majeika can't remember the spell to turn him back again! With Mr Majeika in charge, suddenly life at school become much more exciting - there's even a magic-carpet ride to Buckingham Palace!

Mr Majeika

Richard Curtis

Rebecca Cobb

It's Christmas Eve and there's one very important question on everyone's mind - have YOU been good this year? 
 
For twins Sam and Charlie this is a big worry. Charlie has been especially naughty and everyone is sure that she won't get any presents AT ALL. But when Santa makes a mistake, it's up to naughty Charlie to put things right. Will her last-minute secret act of kindness be enough to redeem her after all? 
 
A brilliantly funny and heartwarming story for Christmas Eve from acclaimed scriptwriter Richard Curtis and award-winning illustrator Rebecca Cobb

The Empty Stocking

Sandi Toksvig

Georgien Overwater

When Jessica loses her first tooth, Granny tells her to watch out for a trainee tooth fairy. That shimmering little creature might look the part in her purple and silver outfit but she's not too sure of her job. As Granny knows, the trainee tooth fairy has been known to whisk away more than just the lost tooth... 
 
Jessica and her granny, stars of UNUSUAL DAY, are back in another entertaining story from popular writer, comedian and broadcaster, Sandi Toksvig.

The Troublesome Tooth Fairy

Kes Gray

The second brilliant book in the Jack Beechwhistle series. 
 
The world's a dangerous place. Luckily, Jack Beechwhistle is around to protect it. He might look like an ordinary boy, but really he's a junior secret agent. He's tackled all sorts of missions - exploding conkers, zombie sweet-shop owners, and man-eating giant slugs - with a bit of help from his best friends and sidekicks, Colin and Harry (as long as it's not past their bedtime). 
 
Then Jack notices something strange and suspicious about the hairdresser in town, Valentino. Every time Valentino cuts someone's hair, he sweeps the hairs up and collects them in a big plastic bag. But what is he using them for? 
 
Everything points to Valentino being an evil enemy agent! And Jack Beechwhistle's on the case . . .

Jack Beechwhistle: Rise Of The Hairy Horror

Ars Armitage arrives on the beach with her surfboard and her faithful dog Breakspear, and paddles out to sea to wait for the Big Wave. But, of course, Mrs Armitage can't be satisfied with just an ordinary surfboard and she is soon adding a hilarious variety of gadgets and contraptions. And when the Big Wave finally arrives, Mrs Armitage certainly surfs with style!

Mrs Armitage And The Big Wave

"On a hill above the valley there was a wood. 
In the wood there was a huge tree. Under the tree there was a hole. 
In the hole lived Mr Fox and Mrs Fox and their four Small Foxes. . . " 
 
Mr Fox is a very clever fox - every evening he creeps down into the valley and helps himself to food from the nearby farms. 
 
Chickens from Farmer Boggis, ducks and geese from Farmer Bunce, and turkeys from Farmer Bean. 
 
But now the farmers have had enough, and together they hatch a plan to get rid of Mr Fox for good! 
 
But what they don't know is Mr Fox has some help, and a fantastic escape plan of his own...

Fantastic Mr Fox

Don't panic, but you're in danger. 
 
At least, you would be, if Jack Beechwhistle wasn't around to protect the world from alien attacks, zombie sweet-shop owners, and exploding conkers - with a bit of help from his trusty sidekicks, Colin and Harry (as long as it's not past Colin and Harry's bedtime). Their missions are daring, dangerous, and deadly. They even have top-secret headquarters (the shed by the rhubarb patch). 
 
But now Jack's about to face his most challenging challenge yet. The Attack of the Giant Slugs. 
 
And they're on their way to Jack's school - right in the middle of maths!

Jack Beechwhistle: Attack of the Giant Slugs

Daisy can't believe it! Mrs Peters is making her sit next to Jack Beechwhistle - the worst boy in the school, and possibly the whole world! 
 
Jack is so mad! Mrs Peters is making him sit next to Daisy Butters - she's such an annoying blabber! 
 
As the school day goes on, Daisy and Jack think of more and more ways to get one up on each other. Then they both have a brilliant idea! 
 
Trouble is, Daisy and Jack might be more alike than they realized . . . 
 
A funny, mischievous and totally troublesome tale for girls and boys, written and published specially for World Book Day 2016.

Daisy and the Trouble With Jack

Steven is sent out for groceries on to the mean street of the city with only a shopping basket for protection. There are several shady characters about who are offering to lighten the load of the basket by helping themselves to his provisions! Stephen's having none of it and with the help of some of the city's less attractive sights he outsmarts all of them and makes it home in time for tea. With the pictures telling as much of the story as the text, children and adults alike will appreciate the humour and observations from this well known children's author.

The Shopping Basket

"The Pelican spread his huge white wings and flew down on to the road beside me. 'Hop in,' he said, opening his enormous beak . . ." 
 
MEET BILLY. A kid with a dream. He wants to turn an old wooden house into an incredible sweetshop full of treats! 
 
AND MEET THE LADDERLESS WINDOW-CLEANING COMPANY: Monkey, Pelican (Pelly) and Giraffe (who needs ladders when you've got a giraffe?!). 
 
They have just landed a big break cleaning all six hundred and seventy-seven windows of the mansion owned by the richest man in all of England! All they need now is a little help from Billy. 
 
Can these unlikely new friends make Billy's wildest dreams come true and take him on an adventure he'll never forget . . .?

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Jon Scieszka

Lane Smith

You may think you know the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf &ndash; but only one person knows the real story. And that person is A. Wolf. His tale starts with a birthday cake for his dear old granny, a bad head cold and a bad reputation. The rest (as they say) is history. 
 
A hilariously inventive retelling of the popular story which Publishers Weekly called the &lsquo;Funniest book of the year&rsquo;.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Nicholas Fisk

Tom and his little sister, Polly discover a huge, colourful parrot in their kitchen called Mister Macaw. He is a loquacious and very bossy bird who has swallowed an English dictionary and is DESPERATE to get back to his tropical rainforest. The threesome must find a way of paying for the parrot's airfare - and come up with the mega-wacky solution of robbing a bank with a . . . banana!

Not A Dickybird

Mr Hoppy really loves his neighbour Mrs Silver, and Mrs Silver really loves her tortoise, Alfie. 
Oh, if only Mr Hoppy could perform some great feat that would make him a hero in her eyes! 
Then one day an amazing idea rushes into his head. 
 With the help of a magical spell, some cabbage leaves and one hundred and forty tortoises, can shy Mr Hoppy win Mrs Silver's heart?

Esio Trot

Catherine Storr

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

The very funny stories of Clever Polly and the stupid wolf, gathered together in one volume, including Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf, Polly and the Wolf Again, Tales of Polly and the Hungry Wolf and More Stories of Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf. 
Drawing occasionally on well-known fairy tales, and skilfully blending fantasy and reality, these stories are bursting with humour, originality and charm. And Polly, not scared at all, outwits the wolf on each and every occasion!

The Complete Adventures of Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf

Louise Yates

Toad lives in a tree in Kitty’s garden – a very special tree with limitless rooms and countless adventures to be had. 
 
Prepare to enter a zany world full of new experiences, witty characters, and hilarious exploits…

Toad and I

biblio.categories.code

biblio.publicationStatus

biblio.brand

biblio.workEditions.format

biblio.ageRange

biblio.series.seriesName

biblio.imprint.description

biblio.type

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

Search Results

The Fall of the West

Hunt the Villain

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (Book 21)

The Mortons

Watch a trailer for The Spook's Blood

A photograph of Ben Barnes in character for Shadow and Bone Netflix series.

Interviews

Shadow and Bone’s Ben Barnes on tear-jerking books and what he’s reading

An image showing a selection of adventure stories for 9-12 year olds on a bright yellow background with orange doodles that include a hashtag, flag, danger sign and speech bubble

Children's reading lists

16 books for 9 to 12-year-olds that love adventures

An image of a selection of books for 9-12s on a blue background with a large splodge and striped print

24 must-read books for 9-12-year-olds

A picture of several different children's books on a pink to blue ombre background; each book has a bright yellow shadow

Showing results for: ‘joseph delaney’

Filters

Category

Age

Publication Date

Format

Series

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter