The Plague of 1665 was the last great epidemic of plague to strike London, and the only one of which numerous written accounts survive. This book contains an overview of the plague's history and pathology, and examines the contemporary accounts, with an abridged version of the most famous book about the epidemic, Daniel Defoe's "A Journal of the Plague Year." Another ten works, by diarists, doctors and others, are summarised, with extensive extracts illustrating the reactions and attitudes...

What's a car-mad dog to do?When Horace the dog learnt to drive, all the dogs in town copied him. He's their hero - but now the dogs are banned from driving, and the cats have challenged them to a race! Since Horace has no car, he decides to build his own. A lawnmower and a few bricks should do it...With a little help from his friends the stunt hamsters, Tickety and Boo, and the snooty snake Kimi, Horace gets his car on the road. But will it be fast enough to beat the cats?

"Every time he howls - something dies!"Doofus is a sad, black, abandoned puppy adopted from the dogs' home. But it soon becomes obvious to his new owner Holly and her animal-mad friend Clive that Doofus is no ordinary dog. Not only do his howls seem to cause dreadful things to happen - but then terrifying creatures from the past start to invade their village. How can Clive and Holly hold them back? And can Doofus really be a fearsome dog of ancient legend?

It's fast, it's sleek, it's beautiful - it's the Golden Arrow car, first prize in a competition that Horace the driving dog is determined to win. All he has to do is design a car that uses alternative energy. Easy! What should he try? Wind, water or nuclear power? How about a flying car?But all the other dogs want the prize as well, to say nothing of the stunt hamsters Tickety and Boo. Soon everyone is trying to build their own, very unusual cars, and causing mayhem along the way. ...

Four stories about Custard Castle, which has three hundred dusty rooms and only seven people.The Thing in the Dungeon: something is howling and yowling in the depths of the castle, and it's up to Jack the servant-boy to find it...The Dragon under the Stairs: Custard Castle is freezing! So why won't the dragon light the fires?The Messy Princess: Bella the maid is fed up with tidying Princess Fifi's things, so she turns the tables on her.The Marvellous Moat: t...

Joe's grumpy Granpa has a very expensive computer with the latest computer mouse - a Megamouse. When Joe accidentally brings Megamouse to life, he's delighted - not least because it helps him to win all his computer games!But then Megamouse decides to explore the world outside with Granpa's pet rat Cleo. Soon they are both in terrible danger. Only Joe can save them...This is a new, revised edition of the original book which was acclaimed by reviewers:"Very funny" (Th...

Horace the dog is in despair. Christmas is cancelled – and it's all his fault! He decides to make it up to his family by pretending to be Santa. But where is he going to get a Santa costume, and presents – to say nothing of a sleigh?A Christmas Special about Horace the driving dog and his friends the stunt hamsters, who also appear in the full-length free books Petrol Paws and Race Night.

A starship crew meet a most unusual alien - who has a knack of getting them all into trouble! Read about their adventures in these four short, easy chapter books: Alien Ahoy, The Moon Monster, The Spooky Spaceship and The Runaway Space School.

Donal's school trip to the zoo turns into an unexpected journey across space. Accompanied only by a lofty camel and a stowaway lemming, he finds himself trapped on a alien spaceship which is hurtling towards a distant planet.The little green Meerie who greet him look friendly enough. But when they send him on a quest to find their missing space fleet, it means a dangerous journey across the desert where far more terrifying aliens live...An exciting and humorous science fict...

Sam just loves sweet things - unknown to his mother, a dentist who thinks his favourite food is celery. When Sam wins a thousand giant rainbow lollipops, he's delighted.But hiding his prize is only the first of his problems. The lollipops are all prune and mango flavour - and he quickly discovers that he can't stand them!Children aged eight and over will enjoy reading about Sam's increasingly desperate and funny attempts to get rid of his lollipop mountain.

Three short chapter books in one volume tell the story of Neptune, the pirate's parrot, who sails the high seas with Captain Snatchit and his crew. Then the pirate ship, the Seaslug, sinks and he flies away to find a new home.In "The Pirate's Parrot", Neptune discovers a green island. It's a parrots' paradise until Captain Snatchit lands there too. When the pirates start chopping down trees, the parrots decide to get rid of them. But how? Neptune holds the key...In "Captain...

Humdrum the little hippo lives with his family - but why do none of them want to listen to his wonderful story? Maybe the giant crocodile will like it... This easy chapter book for younger readers is also perfect to read aloud.