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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Malorie Blackman

Maxine is a little girl full of big ideas. She loves solving problems, and can usually be found with her twin brothers in tow causing all kinds of mischief. Whether it is solving the mystery of the tooth fairy, building the biggest snowball ever or just causing trouble, they always have the best time together. This selection of fantastically funny short stories is perfect for spring boarding younger readers into the world of reading via an endearing heroine who has a lot of fun.

From scaring Mum at Halloween to building the biggest snowball the world's ever seen - Maxine always has a super plan and needs the help of her twin brothers, Anthony and Edward. Together the super siblings make all sorts of mischief . . . Can they fix it before Mum finds out? 
 
These seven funny short stories are perfect for building confidence in new readers, whether reading alone or reading aloud.

Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures

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)

Jeremy Strong

&lsquo;It&rsquo;s that alligator . . . Dad should never have brought it into the house. Crunchbag has escaped and he&rsquo;s eaten Granny!&rsquo; 
 
Some dads bring home rabbits. Or dogs. Or parrots. Not Nicholas&rsquo;s dad. The latest member of their family is Crunchbag &ndash; the ALLIGATOR! Soon he&rsquo;s running riot in the bathroom and on the roof and even in the park! But he wouldn&rsquo;t eat poor defenceless Granny . . . would he?

My Dad's Got an Alligator!

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

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

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

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!

Mitchell Symons

Did you know THAT: 
 
The first ready-to-eat breakfast cereal was Shredded Wheat in 1893 (it beat Kellogg's Corn Flakes by just five years) 
 
Scarlett Johansson, Ashton Kutcher and Simon Cowell all have twin brothers. 
 
Everton were the first British football club to introduce a stripe down the side of their shorts. 
 
The word DUDE was coined by Oscar Wilde and his friends. It is a combination of the words 'duds' and 'attitude'. 
 
Well you do now! Filled with fantastic facts and figures to amaze and intrigue . . . once you start reading you'll be hooked for hours!

How to Avoid a Wombat's Bum

Eoin Colfer

Will is desperate to win the Giant Jelly Baby competition and be named 'the best boy in the world'. But his big brother Marty always beats him to it. Then one day Will's wish comes true &ndash; he's the best boy in the world at last! Marty is not happy, and decides that something must be done . . . 
 
Funny, quirky fiction with brilliant black-and-white illustrations by Tony Ross throughout. Boys and girls aged 7+ will love this!

The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

Pat Thomson

There's something for everyone in this collection of funny short stories. It's packed full of talking pigs, UFOs, gorillas, witches, mischievous house elves, flying postmen and lots more! Find out how Bozo the gorilla helps Jimmy deal with his lazy big brother, what Dinah Price does when she finds the three bears tucked up in her bed and what fate Agnethia Toadfax, trainee witch, has in store for Mr Smike the rude librarian . . .

You Can't Bring That in Here!

Nicholas and his family are hatching eggs for his school's Easter Fair. But the eggs keep going missing and their new rabbits, Saucepan and Nibblewibble, are causing havoc in the garden. Perhaps Cilla, their nosy new neighbour, is even more trouble than she seems?

My Brother's Hot Cross Bottom

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

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 just moved to a new neighbourhood, and their mum wants them to make friends. She decides to throw a party and send Lily and Daisy out to deliver the invitations. They meet some odd characters along the way... Will the party be a big success or will Daisy's magic mean things are even more chaotic than normal?

Witch Baby and Me

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

&lsquo;That&rsquo;s the one!&rsquo; she cried. &lsquo;That&rsquo;s the bottom I&rsquo;m after. Darling, you have the most gorgeous bottom!&rsquo; 
 
Nicholas&rsquo;s dad has a plan to make some fast cash. Nappies! Some disposable-nappy people are looking for a beautiful botty for their new advert &ndash; and all Nicholas&rsquo;s baby brother has to do is pass the audition. What could possibly go wrong?

My Brother's Famous Bottom

A nonsense story about Og and Ut, the gombrizils, who make friends with Tumblerum Wollycobble, the slobbadunk. They cure his indigestion and he helps them hatch their egg and bring up their daughter, Okay. Now part of the family, Tumblerum watches Okay grow up and saves her life when a tree falls on her during a storm. Eventually Okay marries and Tumblerum hatches her eggs. They all live happily under the mishmash trees.

Under the Mishmash Trees

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

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

FANTASTI-BUBBLY-CRUMBO! 
 
When the Lovehart family receive a MEGA-MASSIVE delivery, there's only one thing it can be. An elephant of course! 
 
A gentle giant named Fudge has come to live with them - he can be a friend for their pet orang-utan, Batpants. But then Fudge mysteriously vanishes . . . he's been elephant-napped, for a ransom of TWO MILLION pounds! 
 
Who can save twinkle-toes Fudge? Never fear - Batpants is on the trail! 
 
Hoo hooo hooooo ha ha ha ha ha!

Batpants and the Vanishing Elephant

Robert Bartelt

Harry isn't very pleased when he inherits a parrot from Great-Uncle George, but Maddison is no ordinary parrot. Not only can he talk, but you can have conversations with him and he and Harry quickly become great friends - but then Maddison is stolen ... Will he and Harry ever be reunited?

Harry's Mad

&lsquo;Do you think I should ask him out, Nicholas, or is that a bit forward?&rsquo; 
 
&lsquo;GRANNY!&rsquo; We all stared at her. Dad had to sit down. 
 
Nicholas&rsquo;s granny has fallen in love &ndash; with the elderly Hell&rsquo;s Angel next door! Yurrrgghhh. Nicholas&rsquo;s dad isn&rsquo;t happy about it &ndash; but Granny won&rsquo;t let him get in the way. She has a few tricks up her sleeve . . . and Granny on a motorbike could be a very dangerous thing . . .

My Granny's Great Escape

You'll never GUESS what Mr Butternut said at school today: 
 
'This is your first day with me and I can see that there is something amazing about you . . . all of you are hiding a BIG SECRET.' 
 
And do you know what it is? We are all SUPERHEROES. I nearly fell off my chair! 
 
Then we had to choose our superhero names. I'm Casper the Cartoon Kid, my best friend's Big Feet Pete and moaning Noella Niblet - she's the Incredible Sulk! 
 
Now we can fight injustice AND Gory and Tory the Vampire Twins. They've stolen something that belongs to us and we want it back - WHAM-BAM-JELLY AND-JAM!

Cartoon Kid

BATPANTS the orang-utan is completely, wildly HAIRY. She loves swinging through trees, and apple crumble and roast chicken. But most of all she loves her family, the Loveharts, and all their madcap adventures. 
 
Mrs Lovehart is a stuntwoman and so the whole family is off to watch her in action in her latest film. But someone on set has an eeeevil plan and things could turn nasty - will it be Batpants to the rescue?

Batpants!

'I liked playing trains with my dad when I was seven or eight. But I'm eleven now. Where's the excitement . . . Where's my life?!' 
 
Tim's family is the Most Boring Family In The World and he's fed up. He wants fun! Thrills! Adventure! And school's just as boring too. But one day a phantom message about Tim appears and everything changes. Who is the day-glo scribbler &ndash; and what's so special about chickens anyway?

Chicken School

Will's brother Marty is always playing practical jokes. But when he tells the bloodcurdling story of the cutthroat pirate Captain Crow, Will is terrified. Is it another one of Marty's tricks, or could Captain Crow's ghost really be out to get him? 
 
Spooky, funny fiction &ndash; brilliant for boys and girls aged 7&ndash;9. Now available in paperback! 
 
Fabulous, witty illustrations by Tony Ross throughout.

The Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth

Steven Butler

Chris Fisher

One night, Neville Brisket wakes up from a strange dream - a dream that there is a horrible, stumpy finger stuck up his nose. Then he finds his room in a mess, and his dog in the laundry basket. 
 
Neville's investigations end sposhily, when he is whooshed down the toilet to the land of Under! In a case of mistaken troll-dentity, he finds himself part of a disgusting new family. Will anybody help Neville get back to Over, or will he be stuck eating rat patties and left sock stew forever? 
 
This hilariously delivered tale will delight and disgust parents and children alike.

The Wrong Pong

Rachel Morrisroe

Jenny Taylor

The first book in a hilarious series for 7+ readers from bestselling author Rachel Morrisroe, packed with laughs, heart and superhero pets! 
 
Nine-year-old Harry has always wanted a dog and when he sees Dottie at the local animal shelter he knows she's the perfect puppy for him. What he doesn't realise is that Dottie is a dog with a difference . . . she can talk and fly! 
 
And Harry's not the only one interested in Dottie, and soon they are both scooped up in their very first mission with the SuperPets, a secret league of very special pets who keep the world safe from harm. 
 
But the other SuperPets have been kidnapped by Sparkletta Crystal, can "Super Sausage" (aka Dottie) and Harry stop the evil supervillain in her tracks before it's too late? 
 
Full of friendship, fun and silly superhero antics, this is the perfect new series for fans of The Naughtiest Unicorn, Wigglesbottom Primary and The Secret Life of Pets!

Supersausage to the rescue!

Gretel Killeen

When Eppie falls into a pot hole, gets squashed to the size of a strawberry and becomes completely entangled in her brother Zeke's yo-yo, Zeke only has a day to get her back to normal. What follows is a hilarious high tale of escape, theft, bullies, brats, goody-goodies, garbage trucks, magic lamps, scabs, snot, bribery, bravery, a blind mum, a fat nurse and a boy on a bicycle covered in something very unsavoury - and that's only the beginning! This slapstick adventure, bursting with anarchic energy has enormous child-appeal for even the most reluctant reader.

My Sister's A Yo-Yo

Janet Ahlberg

Jam-packed with brilliant jokes to tell your mum, your dad, your baby brother, your best friend or your worst enemy, your dog, your teacher - in fact anyone else you can think of! Jokes that will have everyone chuckling, such as: 
 
Q: What goes ha ha bonk? A: A man laughing his head off! Or 
 
Q: What did the policeman say to his tummy? A: You're under a vest.' And 
 
Q: What came after the Stone Age and the Bronze Age? A: The Sausage! 
 
These and more besides make a perfect joke book for all the family to enjoy!

The Ha Ha Bonk Book

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