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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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

Colin Dann

'Pinkie! Kittens! Run!' Sammy was the first ot hear the heavy thud of footsteps. He recognised the threat at once and called a warning. For a long time, life in the London park has been easy and peaceful for Sammy, Pinkie and their three kittens. But all that is about to change - there is a purge on the growing number of stray cats and dogs in the city. Sammy and Pinkie now face the urgent question of survival . . .

Copycat

John Burningham

A classic story celebrating the power of babies... and avocados! 
 
The Hargraves family want their new baby to grow up big and strong. But the puny mite will hardly eat a thing... until Mrs Hargraves finds an avocado in the fruit bowl and the baby gobbles it up. Soon, the baby gets incredible strength, and the strangest things start to happen! 
 
This classic story from the bestselling author and illustrator John Burningham has been delighting families for over 40 years. 
 
“Amusing for adults, impressive for toddlers, good for greengrocers” The Observer 
 
“John Burningham is one of the most outstanding author-illustrators of children’s books today . . .” Twentieth-Century Children’s Writers 
 
John Burningham is the much-loved creator of Mr Gumpy's Outing and Would You Rather.

Avocado Baby

Anthony Browne

Ian McEwan

Peter Fortune is a daydreamer. He's a quiet ten year old who can't help himself from dropping out of reality and into the amazing world of his vivid imagination. His daydreams are fantastic and fascinating - only in the bizarre and disturbing world of dreams can he swap bodies with the family cat and his baby cousin, Kenneth, or wipe out his entire family with vanishing cream.

The Daydreamer

Colin Thompson

Colin Thompson's books are mystical and complex, they will appeal to children and adults alike and demand to be returned to as there is always a new image to see . . . something more to catch the eye. Peter and his family live among the Quinces in the cookery section of a mystical library, and at night, when the library comes to life, Peter ventures out of his home to find a missing volume: How To Live Forever

How To Live Forever

Georgie has got a new bed, but it's not like other beds. For each night, Georgie says the magic word and it whisks him away on a fantastic adventure. He loves his bed, but one day he and his family go on holiday, and when they come back, Granny has a big surprise for Georgie . . .

The Magic Bed

Kes Gray

Nick Sharratt

Garry Parsons

When three actual burglaries happen in Daisy's town, Daisy is beside herself with excitement. Two houses and the fish and chip shop have been broken into (and lots of cods and haddocks have been stolen). Anyone could be next! 
 
Daisy wants to help. Together with Gabby and Dylan, she forms her own detective agency. Armed with a notebook, a magnifying glass, a camera and a box of icing sugar, she sets out on the burglars' trail. 
 
Trouble is, detective work is hard when you're not allowed to go further than the end of the road . . .

Daisy and the Trouble with Burglars

Benedict Blathwayt

Click-clack, clicketty-clack, whoo . . . eee! Disaster! The fast rain to Pebblecombe has broken down. Everyone on the train wants to get to the fair and enjoy a great day out but now they're all stuck on the tracks. It is up to the Little Red Train and Duffy Driver to save the day. Do the little Red Train speeds up and is determined to get her passengers to the fair on time. As Duffy remarks at the end of the journey, 'You're the Little Red Express now!' 
 
Follow the train on its speedy journey and marvel at the wealth of detail in every picture.

Little Red Train: Faster, Faster

Quentin Blake

Watch Quentin Blake's Clown, a major new TV animation narrated by Helena Bonham-Carter, this Christmas on Channel 4. 
 
The perfect gift for sharing with friends and family all year long. 
 
When a box of toys is thrown away, a determined clown sets out to find a new loving home for himself and his friends. 
 
Told entirely through pictures, this award-winning and heart-warming adventure starring one of Sir Quentin Blake's own favourite characters is filled with hope, joy and friendship. 
 
Sir Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the 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. 
 
Praise for Clown: 
"I was gripped all the way through to the happy ending" Daily Telegraph 
"Quentin Blake, a master of graphic eloquence..." Guardian 
"An astonishing tour de force" Margaret Clark in Books for Keeps

Clown

On a day trip to the seaside Mum and Dad settle down in their deckchairs to snooze the day away while for Shirley it is a chance to set sail for uncharted seas, adventure and buried treasure. But not before her Mum has warned her off the dangers of tar, stray dogs and cold water. . . . With the alternative pictures giving both sides of the story, children and adults alike will appreciate the humour and observations from this well known children's author.

Come Away From The Water, Shirley

Bali Rai

The local youth club are putting an under-elevens squad together - and Dal, Chris, Abs and Jason are determined to be picked.They know they're the best players in their school - but what if that isn't good enough and they don't make the team? Dal knows he'd be gutted if his mates made it and he didn't . . . 
 
Then once the team is picked, they have to do the business on the pitch - go out and win! And their coach has a couple of surprise new players to help the team . . .

Soccer Squad: Starting Eleven

Pat Hutchins

What starts as an ordinary school outing turns into a madcap adventure for Class 3 when forgetful Miss Beaver accidentally switches her holdall with that of some bank robbers! The whole class is soon involved in a cops and robbers chase across country but emerge victorious when they capture the baddies!

Follow That Bus

Dal, Chris, Abs and Jason have made the squad for the local youth club under-lls football team. And after their first match (not as successful as they'd have liked), they are determined to prove that they've got what it takes to be winners. 
 
The Rushton Reds have lost their first two matches. Missed chances, missed goals - even missed penalties! Their coaches say they need to play more as a team - and they have an idea for a great team-building day. But will it help the Reds hit the back of the net?

Soccer Squad: Missing!

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

A tale of imagination and friendship, from the nation's favourite illustrator, Quentin Blake! 
 
When two bold adventurers climb over the wall to explore the overgrown garden next door, the discover a ship made of bushes, with tall, thin trees for masts. They also meet marvellous Mrs Tredegar, who turns them into a fully trained crew, and with their imaginations at the ready, they embark on a series of glorious voyages. 
 
"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.

The Green Ship

It's time to get out of the bath but Shirley's not listening. She's floated away to a secret watery land beyond the plughole - to where knights ride white horses, and kings and queens float in moats around their castles. . .

Time To Get Out Of The Bath, Shirley

Maurice Sendak

Sendak's hero Mickey falls through the dark into the Night Kitchen where three fat bakers are making the morning cake. So begins an intoxicating dream fantasy, described by the artist himself as 'a fantasy ten feet deep in reality'.

In The Night Kitchen

Another BRILLIANT laugh-out-loud Daisy adventure, from the bestselling author of the Oi Frog series, Kes Gray. 
 
Here comes trouble! 
 
Daisy has a lot to learn when it comes to saving and making money. 
 
When her best friend Gabby gets the most awesome, immense, water-squirting micro-scooter Daisy’s ever seen, she MUST have one too! 
 
The trouble is, is they cost a LOT of money. So Daisy and Gabby hatch a money-making plan. Surely nothing will go wrong?

Daisy and the Trouble with Piggy Banks

The Paperbag Prince is an old man living in a railway carriage on a rubbish dump. But he knows that even rubbish can sometimes contain treasure, and that if he stays long enough, gentle nature will heal the countryside and make the green come again. 
 
'Thompson's finely drawn, intricately bordered pages are as crammed with detail and small treasures as the dump itself.' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 
 
'The pictures are astonishing' - THE TIMES 
 
'This is a book to be read in ten minutes and lost in for hours' - TES

The Paperbag Prince

Read-along with the story in this book and CD edition! 
 
One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without his supper. 
 
That night a forest begins to grow in Max's room and an ocean rushes by with a boat to take Max to the place where the wild things are. Max tames the wild things and crowns himself as their king, and then the wild rumpus begins. 
 
But when Max has sent the monsters to bed, and everything is quiet, he starts to feel lonely and realises it is time to sail home to the place where someone loves him best of all.

Where The Wild Things Are

Book and CD

NOXIOUS NOISES AND STINKY SMELLS . . . 
 
Amaze your mates with top trivia such as: 
 
Why do we puke and sweat? 
 
Which tribe uses farting as a greeting? 
 
How likely are you to be injured by a toilet seat?

That's So Gross!: Human Body

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