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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Andre Maurois

'Two Surface-dwellers. Two! He’s a Fattypuff and you’re a Thinifer. There’s no doubt about it!’ 
 
This is the tale of two brothers. Edmund is a little on the plump side and Terry is a bit of a rake. When they discover the countries under the Earth they are divided and sent to the warring kingdoms of the Fattypuffs and the Thinifers. The Fattypuffs eat hourly with light snacks in between. The Thinifers like nothing more than discipline and work six days a week. Whether you are a jolly Fattypuff or a driven Thinifer you’ll be rooting for the brothers to bring peace to the countries under the Earth. 
 
Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can take the quiz to find out if you’re a Fattypuff or a Thinifer! 
 
Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Fattypuffs and Thinifers

Michael Broad

In this fourth book in the series, Jake battles with a vampire visiting his school (fangs and bats and zombies), a demon hairdresser (arrrrrggggh!) and stays in a haunted castle (things that go CLANG in the night!).

Jake Cake: The Visiting Vampire

Roald Dahl

Quentin Blake

James Henry Trotter lives with two ghastly hags. Aunt Sponge is enormously fat with a face that looks boiled and Aunt Spiker is bony and screeching. He's very lonely until one day something peculiar happens. At the end of the garden a peach starts to grow and GROW AND GROW. Inside that peach are seven very unusual insects - all waiting to take James on a magical adventure. But where will they go in their GIANT PEACH and what will happen to the horrible aunts if they stand in their way? There's only one way to find out . .

James and the Giant Peach (Colour Edition)

"Bigger and bigger grew the peach, bigger and bigger and BIGGER." 
 
 
James Henry Trotter is about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. 
 
James lives his awful Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, two of the meanest people you can imagine. 
 
 
Life isn't much fun at all, until something peculiar happens at the bottom of his garden . . . 
 
 
A peach at the very top of a tree begins to grow . . . and grow . . . and GROW! Inside are seven very unusual insects - all waiting to take James on a magical journey.

James and the Giant Peach

Emily Smith

Tim Archbold

When Harry's mum tells him they are going to get an au pair, he isn't quite sure what it means. When he finds out it's a girl to help look after him and baby brother, Fred, he feels a bit suspicious. It might just be a good excuse for the school bully to tease him. However, he soon warms to Astrid when she turns up and especially when she gives him an idea that stops the bully from ever bothering him again. All the same, Harry can't help wondering why Astrid's never heard of tin openers or Coke, and how come her suitcase can move around by itself...

Astrid, The Au-Pair From Outer Space

Dick King-Smith

Laura is amazed when her baby brother George starts talking to her when he's only four weeks old, particularly as he sounds like a grown-up! It's a big secret to keep from their parents and the rest of the family and leads to all sorts of comic confusion until George's first birthday - when he makes a speech to his startled family.

George Speaks

Tove Jansson

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.

Rediscover the A Puffin Book series and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this magical edition of Finn Family Moomintroll complete with a charming new cover design. 
 
Cheerful Moomintroll lives in the magical Moominvalley with his mother, Moominmamma, his father, Moominpappa and all of their friends. One spring he wakes up to find a big hat - a magical Hobgoblin hat, no less, that mysteriously transforms anyone or anything that falls into it. . . 
 
They seem to grow in wisdom and delight every time I read them - Philip Pullman

Finn Family Moomintroll

Chris Riddell

Paul Stewart

Corby Flood and her family are about to set sail on the rather ramshackle cruise ship, the S.S. Euphonia. Her boisterous brothers might not have noticed that anything is wrong, but Corby is highly observant and has a lot of time for note-taking and eavesdropping. Onboard, amongst all the odd passengers and eccentric crew, there is a strange group of men in bowler-hats who call themselves The Brotherhood of Clowns. There's also a melancholy wailing sound coming from the hold. It's strictly out of bounds but Corby can't help investigating. What could be inside the crate she discovers down in the hold? As the ship arrives at its destination, Corby must enlist the help of some very well moustachioed locals to uncover the contents of the crate and the dark secrets of the menacing Clowns...

Corby Flood

Henrietta Branford

The much-loved tale of how a brother and sister seek to escape the clutches of an evil witch and her enchanted house. But the witch is hungry and she's not willing to let them go that easily . . . 
 
This story is a magic bean. It may not look much like a bean, but I can promise you that it is. For if you plant it in a young mind, it will grow into a love of story and reading. These beans are favourite fairytales and legends that will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain. Each story has been brilliantly crafted by one of the best-loved writers for children. 
 
This story was published by David Fickling Books as part of the Magic Beans anthology. The complete anthology is available in hardback and in ebook format.

Hansel and Gretel: A Magic Beans Story

Debi Gliori

Lily is 9. Her sister Daisy is 1. And she's no ordinary baby. Somehow, when she was born, something went rather wrong... and now Daisy is a Witch Baby. Nobody knows this but Lily - she's the only one who can see when Daisy makes the fridge float in the air, or turns people into slugs, or summons up her very stinky dog Waywoof... 
 
The sisters have now settled into their new home and so it's time for Lily to start at her new school. Can she survive being the new girl? Will Daisy be a help or a hindrance...?

Witch Baby and Me At School

Jeremy Strong

Pyjamas are just pyjamas. Right? 
Not when they're COSMIC PYJAMAS! 
 
Something STRANGE has happened to Rosie and her brothers! Rosie's new pyjamas have led them to a dangerous discovery . . . 
 
Doctor Starkly-Bonkers has invented the DOOMBUSTER and history is all muddled up ­- and now the machine has been STOLEN! Can Rosie and the boys beat the Pharaohs and dinosaurs and will rice pudding REALLY stop the Vikings?

Doctor Bonkers!

Robert Swindells

Ivan lives in a land where the winter is dark and fearful. Starjik, King of Winter, steals Ivan's little brother and Ivan braves the bitter cold to find him.

The Ice Palace

Adèle Geras

When six brothers are turned into swans by an evil queen, their fate falls into the hands of their younger sister. Can she save them - and herself - before it's too late? 
 
This story is a magic bean. It may not look much like a bean, but I can promise you that it is. For if you plant it in a young mind, it will grow into a love of story and reading. These beans are favourite fairytales and legends that will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain. Each story has been brilliantly crafted by one of the best-loved writers for children. 
 
This story was published by David Fickling Books as part of the Magic Beans anthology. The complete anthology is available in hardback and in ebook format.

The Six Swan Brothers: A Magic Beans Story

Penguin presents the audio CD edition of Finn Family Moomintroll and Other Stories by Tove Jansson, read by Hugh Dennis. 
 
Return to the magical world of Moominvalley with two classic stories. 
 
Finn Family Moomintroll 
Poor little chap! He had been turned into a very strange animal indeed... 
It all begins when Moomintroll wakes up to find a big hat - a magical Hobgoblin hat, no less, that mysteriously transforms anything that falls into it . . . 
 
Tales from Moominvalley 
If you found a tiny golden dragon with green paws, what would you do with it? 
How do the Moomins spend their first Christmas out of hibernation? 
Would you know how to save someone from turning invisible? 
And what exactly are the mysterious Hattifatteners?

Finn Family Moomintroll and Other Stories

Tony Mitton

Duncan MacKinnon is an ordinary fisherman who lives in a croft by the sea. Everything is going swimmingly well for him, until one day a mysterious stranger knocks at his door . . . 
 
This story is a magic bean. It may not look much like a bean, but I can promise you that it is. For if you plant it in a young mind, it will grow into a love of story and reading. These beans are favourite fairytales and legends that will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain. Each story has been brilliantly crafted by one of the best-loved writers for children. 
 
This story was published by David Fickling Books as part of the Magic Beans anthology. The complete anthology is available in hardback and in ebook format.

The Seal Hunter: A Magic Beans Story

Humphrey Carpenter

Fun and magic combine as usual in this new Mr Majeika story. The pupils in Class 3 at St Barty's School are not impressed when their headteacher imposes strict rules of behaviour for Halloween. Mr Majeika uses a little magic to make the evening memorable but nasty Hamish Bigmore tells the local press and gets the wizard-teacher the sack. School without magic seems rather boring and Mr Majeika doesn't last long in the other jobs he tries. His long-time enemy, Wilhelmina Warlock is clearly behindall the trouble; she and the dreaded Hamish must be defeated before life can return to normal.

Mr Majeika and the Lost Spell Book

When old Mr Jenks retires, St Barty's School advertises for a new caretaker. Unfortunately there's only one applicant - Hamish Bigmore's Uncle Wilf who is just as rude and bad-tempered as Hamish. When Mr Majeika is hurt in an accident it becomes clear that Uncle Wilf is working for the wickedest of witches, Wilhelmina Warlock! It's up to Mr Majeika to work his magic and put things right again.

Mr Majeika and the School Caretaker

Ghillian Potts

"You're a frog, Ryan James, you're a frog. Slimy and jumpy, bug-eyed and lumpy . . ." 
 
Abigail is thrilled when she discovers that she's a witch - at last she can get her own back on her bullying classmate, Ryan. 
 
With help from her pet rat, Gnasher, Abigain turns Ryan into a frog, but that's when disaster strikes - she can't change him back! And suddenly Abigail discovers that she's not the ONLY witch in the classroom . . .

A Witch In The Classroom!

Sigurd, the Viking from the tenth century, is still stuck in the twentieth century. He lives with his friends the Ellis family in a seaside hotel and constantly causes chaos. When Tim and Zoe Ellis take him to school with them a series of seriously funny disasters results.

Viking at School

Nicola Davies

Chipo and his little sister Gentle live on Papa Fudu's dumpsite in Rubbish Town, searching for valuable things amongst the rubbish to try to stay alive. Life isn't easy - luckily, Chipo has spirit, courage and lots of imagination! And now, he has a plan... 
 
But when Chipo and Gentle are caught with something precious that Papa Fudu wants for himself, they have to think quick, move fast. Suddenly they're on the run... 
 
Along with their friend Dede and their loyal dog, Mouse, Chipo and Gentle set off on a dangerous and exciting journey to find a safe place to call home - meeting a cast of extraordinary characters along the way.

Rubbish Town Hero

Linda Chapman

Lauren's little brother, Max, has been having bad dreams about ghosts.  Their friends at school all think that a treehouse in the woods nearby is haunted and won't go near. Lauren and Twilight, her secret unicorn, decide to investigate.  Lauren is sure there's no such thing as ghosts - they're the stuff of fairy stories, aren't they? Just like elves and fairies and... unicorns?  The spooky noises from the wood make Lauren and Twilight very nervous but they face their fears together and eventually they reveal the 'ghosts' to be selfish boys from school who tricked everyone into leaving the treehouse for them alone to use as a den.  Lauren and Twilight turn the tables on the boys with a magical surprise of their own...

My Secret Unicorn: Starlight Surprise

Giles Andreae

When Luke's brother Arthur is given an ancient and magnificent sword for his birthday, Luke is crushed. He is the one who dreams of being a knight - it's not fair! But as promised by Merlin, Luke soon gets the chance to prove himself as a true and courageous knight. When the evil Morgana poisons Arthur and her brother Mandrake turns into a dragon and steals him away to a secret lair, Luke and sister Gwinnie chase after them on the magnificent flying horse Avalon. Together they manage to save Arthur and defeat the evil Morgana and Mandrake. Afterwards, back at Camelot, Luke is made a knight for his bravery - the bravest knight of all!

Luke Lancelot and the Golden Shield

When Giant Jim comes to town, people are terrified they'll be eaten, or squashed. But Jim is a good giant - unfortunately he just can't do things right!

Giant Jim And The Hurricane

Class 3 are sure that something is very wrong when Mr Majeika leaves school without saying goodbye. When they find a message from him saying he's been arrested by the Silly Crime Squad, they are determined to rescue him. To do this they must outwit Hamish Bigmore and Mr Majeika's old enemy, Wilhelmina Worlock. They succeed and Wilhelmina is punished with a 'spell' on earth as a Supply Teacher!

Mr Majeika Vanishes

Lily is 9. Her sister Daisy is 1. And she's no ordinary baby. Somehow, when she was born, something went rather wrong... and now Daisy is a Witch Baby. Nobody knows this but Lily - she's the only one who can see when Daisy makes the fridge float in the air, or turns people into slugs, or summons up her very stinky dog Waywoof...

Witch Baby and Me After Dark

'Sometimes, ' whispered Jody. 'I think school dinners would be alright if it wasn't for her.' 
 
Mrs Chipchase, the nasty dinner lady, makes lunch hour at St Barty's really unpleasant. That is, for everyone but her 'favourite friend', Hamish Bigmore. Up to his usual tricks, Hamish is allowed to eat chocolate instead of ghastly school dinners! 
 
Mr Majeika decides it's time to sort out the menu...

Mr Majeika and the Dinner Lady

‘We are now about to visit the most marvellous places and see the most wonderful things!’ 
 
This beautiful edition of James and the Giant Peach, 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.

This is the first book in a four-book series. Each book has three unbelievable adventures written in Jake's own notebooks and embellished with his gloriously funny comments and illustrations throughout. Here Jake meets a werewolf, a monster and a real-life mummy. 
 
Deliciously funny, the stories are a satisfying blend of comforting real life mixed with magical mayhem. Just right for boys and girls of 7+, and for all fans of Horrid Henry!

Jake Cake: The Werewolf Teacher

Pat Hutchins

Poor old Grandma! 
 
It had rained every day since she came to stay with Mother, Father, Morgan, the baby and Tailcat. But just as everyone was getting really fed up of being stuck indoors, the most amazing thing happened! 
 
Suddenly the house started to shudder and rock - and then just floated off down the street and off to sea. 
 
Before long, the family find themselves on the wackiest adventure ever! Hungry cannibals, blood-thirsty pirates, a kidnapping and buried treasure are just some of the hair-raisers in store. Will the family ever see dry land again or will evil One-Eyed Jake cut them into a million tiny pieces?

The House That Sailed Away

Berlie Doherty

At first, Tam isn't at all keen on his baby sister, Blue. All she seems to do is cry. But with a little inventive persuasion from Great-grandpa Tam changes his mind and even goes as far as to admit he might quite like her. But then one terrible night, Blue is stolen and an ugly fairy changeling is left in her place. With his Mum and Dad wrapped up in grief, and his Great-grandpa far too old for adventures, it falls to Tam to venture to the land of Faery, return the changeling and win back Blue. But it is a hazardous journey, and Tam must keep his wits about him as he crosses the Sapphire lake, does battle with the castle nightmares and finally confronts the King and Queen of the fairies.

The Starburster

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