Ned’s gotten into an elite new school. But there’s a problem—everyone there can do magic. And Ned can’t. Ned tries to adjust to his new situation, avoid making enemies, and jump-start his magic skills, all with very little luck. Then, just as he’s getting accustomed to having his hair turned into snakes and his books into bricks, Necromancers strike and Ned and his classmates are kidnapped. But without magic, how can he possibly help them escape?

Jack's mum insists he has new school shoes and the only ones they can find are horrid, black lace-ups. They are so stiff, noisy and uncomfortable that Jack suspects they must be monster shoes, especially when they seem to kick his classmates for no reason and make the football go in completely the wrong direction at playtime. Jack desperately works on a plan to get rid of them, until he discovers, quite by accident, a way of taming the monster shoes...

Three dinosaur stories with full colour illustrations. "Earthshaker" - a very large dinosaur comes to stay. "Elly and Aargh" - Elly the ankylosaur makes a fearsome friend! "KIng of the Killers" - can a T Rex outwit two huge and hungry dinosaurs?Combining humour and excitement, these three stories are perfect for reading aloud to younger children, or for more confident readers to enjoy on their own.

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...

"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?

Can a dog really learn to drive? Horace the car-mad hound thinks so; and he can't wait to get behind the wheel of his owner's car. With the help of two stunt hamsters, Tickety and Boo, and the supercilious snake Kimi, he sets out on the road - and drives straight into trouble!Full of thrills, laughs and crashes, PETROL PAWS is the first in the new WHEElers series, and the perfect read for car-crazy kids - or anyone who just likes fun.

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...

Custard Castle has three hundred dusty rooms, and only seven people - not to mention a Thing that guards the treasure room…These four easy, humorous stories for younger children are perfect for reading aloud, or for confident readers to enjoy on their own.Princess Fifi's Frog: when Fifi kisses a frog from the moat, it turns into a very odd prince indeed!The Surprising Storm: Wizard Watchit's spells create some weird and wonderful weather…Dragon Dilemma: The tin...

"Daniel Deronda", George Eliot's last, great novel, was highly acclaimed on its first publication in 1876. It tells the intertwining stories of two young people seeking their paths in life: the beautiful Gwendolen Harleth, and Daniel Deronda, whose parentage is a mystery to him. The work of an authoress at the height of her powers, it is, however, much less widely read nowadays than its predecessor "Middlemarch" - partly due to its extreme length and density.This abridgement shorte...

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.

"Wuthering Heights" is one of the great classics of English literature, yet many readers find it difficult to finish. This edition has shortened the book to two-thirds of its original length, and slightly simplified it, whilst preserving the book's character. It offers readers with good English a more approachable version of this famous novel.

Elizabeth Gaskell's great Victorian novel combines romance with social conflict. When Margaret comes to live in the industrial north of England, she is shocked by the antagonism between mill workers and their masters. Her sympathies lie with the workers, yet she is increasingly drawn to the stern mill-owner John Thornton.This abridgement of Elizabeth Gaskell's humane and thoughtful work is two thirds of the original length, and includes a section on the book's historical context. It...