Patricia Gardiner is another of Montgomery's sweet-natured and agreeable heroines. She grows up in the beautiful house of Silver Bush, surrounded by a large family, whose true mother-figure is their Irish cook, Judy. She loves and clings to the house as the best and most constant source of happiness in her life. As she matures she becomes more accepting of the inevitability of change, despite her experiences of illness and loss. Montgomery said that there was more of herself in Pat than any of her other heroines, and this novel strongly echoes her own lovingly remembered childhood on Prince Edward Island, with Silver Bush standing in for her cousins' house, Park Corner.

George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin is a children's fantasy novel. It was published in 1872 by Strahan & Co. The sequel to this book is The Princess and Curdie, in which Princess Irene and Curdie are a year or two older, and must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene's father, the king. Irene's grandmother also reappears and gives Curdie a strange gift and a monster called Lina to help his quest. Anne Thaxter Eaton writes in ''A Critical History of Children's Literature'' that ''The Princess and the Goblin'' and its sequel quietly suggest in every incident ideas of courage and honor. Jeffrey Holdaway writing in New Zealand Art Monthly said that both books start out as normal fairytales but slowly become stranger, and that they contain layers of symbolism similar to that of Lewis Carroll's work.

"Matthew Cuthbert, who's that?" she ejaculated. "Where is the boy?" Matthew had been to the train station to fetch the child they were to adopt, a boy. Marilla had insisted on a boy.

"There wasn't any boy," said Matthew wretchedly. "There was only "her.""

He nodded at the girl. He didn't know her name. He was embarrassed to realize that he had never even asked her name.

"No boy But there "must" have been a boy," insisted Marilla. "We sent word to Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy."

"Well, she didn't. She brought "her." I asked the station-master. And I had to bring her home. She couldn't be left there, no matter where the mistake had come in."

"Well, this is a pretty piece of business " ejaculated Marilla.

During this dialogue the child had remained silent, her eyes roving from one to the other, all the animation fading out of her face. Suddenly she seemed to grasp the full meaning of what had been said. Dropping her precious carpet-bag she sprang forward a step and clasped her hands.

"You don't want me " she cried. "You don't want me because I'm not a boy I might have expected it. Nobody ever did want me. I might have known it was all too beautiful to last. I might have known nobody really did want me. Oh, what shall I do? I'm going to burst into tears "

And burst into tears the little girl did. . . .

If you came down to harsh facts -- which, it must be confessed, Anne of Avonlea seldom did until she had to -- it did not seem likely that there was much promising material for celebrities in Avonlea school; but you could never tell what might happen if a teacher used her influence for good. Anne had certain rose-tinted ideals of what a teacher might accomplish if she only went the right way about it; and she was in the midst of a delightful scene, forty years hence, with a famous personage . . . just exactly what he was to be famous for was left in convenient haziness, but Anne thought it would be rather nice to have him a college president or a Canadian premier . . . bowing low over her wrinkled hand and assuring her that it was she who had first kindled his ambition, and that all his success in life was due to the lessons she had instilled so long ago in Avonlea school.

A full-colour short story taken from the world of the Magic Faraway Tree. Perfect for new readers. Discover the magic!

Beth, Joe, Frannie and Rick thought they had had quite enough of adventures, but soon go up the Faraway Tree again and find themselves in the Land of Dreams. The dastardly Sandman makes them fall asleep and Silky has to find a way to get them home in one piece! Along the way, they encounter muffins that turn into kittens, a bus that turns into a plane and a boat, and lots more...

The stories about the Magic Faraway Tree have been entertaining children for more than 80 years. Now these colour short stories offer a great way for young new readers to discover the adventures of Silky, Moon-Face, the Saucepan Man and all of their friends in the Enchanted Wood.

Little Women, the charming story of the brave and resilient March sisters, has been adored by generations of readers who have identified with the struggles of kind and pretty Meg; gentle, delicate Beth; precocious, artistic Amy; and of course wild, tomboyish Jo, determined to forge her own path and become a writer. Follow the girls as they come of age during the American Civil War and fall in love with the story all over again in this retelling by award-winning writer Laura Wood.

A beautifully illustrated cover edition of Rumer Godden's classic story about friendship and family, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower. When little Nona is sent from her sunny home in India to live with her relatives in chilly England, she is miserable. Then a box arrives for her in the post and inside, wrapped up in tissue paper, are two little Japanese dolls. A slip of paper says their names are Miss Happiness and Miss Flower. Nona thinks that they must feel lonely too, so far away from home. Then Nona has an idea - she will build her dolls the perfect house! It will be just like a Japanese home in every way. It will even have a tiny Japanese garden. And as she begins to make Miss Happiness and Miss Flower happy, Nona finds that she is happier too.

When he had been at school for about three weeks, the boys called him Six-fingered Jack; but his real name was Willie, for his father and mother gave it him -- not William, but Willie, after a brother of his father, who died young, and had always been called Willie. His name in full was Willie Macmichael. It was generally pronounced Macmickle, which was, by a learned anthropologist, for certain reasons about to appear in this history, supposed to have been the original form of the name. . . . One evening in winter, when he had been putting coals on his grannie's fire, she told him to take a chair beside her, as she wanted a little talk with him. He obeyed her gladly.

"Well, Willie," she said, "what would you like to be?">P? Willie answered without a moment's hesitation --

Meet Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timothy. Together they are THE FAMOUS FIVE - Enid Blyton's most popular adventure series. All 21 titles also available as audiobooks! 'There was something else out on the sea by the rocks - something dark that seemed to lurch out of the waves . . . What could it be?' Julian, Dick and Anne are spending the holidays with their tomboy cousin George and her dog, Timothy. One day, George takes them to explore nearby Kirrin Island, with its rocky little coast and old ruined castle on the top. Over on the island, they make a thrilling discovery, which leads them deep into the dungeons of Kirrin Castle on a dangerous adventure. Who - and what - will they find there? Fantastic new cover art by Laura Ellen Anderson will draw young readers into this accessible timeless classic.

The third book in the magical Faraway Tree series by one of the world's most popular children's authors, Enid Blyton.

The mischievous Connie comes to enjoy a few days with Joe, Beth and Frannie while her mother is sick. Connie refuses to believe in the Faraway Tree or the magical folk who live in it, even when the Angry Pixie throws ink at her! Join the children and their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree.

Will it be the Land of Secrets, the Land of Enchantments, or the Land of Know-Alls? Discover the magic!

First published in 1946, this edition contains the original text. Inside illustrations are by Jan McCafferty, and the cover by Mark Beech (2014).

"Work, work all the night"
"While the stars are shining bright;"
"Work, work all the day --"
"I've got no time to play!"

Everyone is curious! Farmer Brown's boy cannot figure it out. Then Peter Rabbit and Jerry Muskrat set their minds to the problem and try to wrestle it to the ground. What is happening in the peaceful meadow where the stream flowed so quietly before -- and what does Paddy Beaver have to do with it?

Thornton W. Burgess, famous for his tales of "the lesser folk in fur and feathers," first entertained young readers in the 1910s . . . and his books have kept doing so, decade after decade, down to the present day.

Anne of Green Gables is a literary classic written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is the story of a young orphan girl who was sent to a middle-aged brother and sister who are farmers and intended to adopt a boy to help them run the farm. The novel tells the story of how she gets on with them and in the community. This story has sold over 50 million copies since publication and Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote several other novels, telling Anne Shirley's life story. Six are all available here in a single volume, and in age order. Enjoy this classic tale of the orphan girl making her way through life.

On the night before Christmas, all over the house, not a sound could be heard. Not even a mouse! With fun and vibrant illustrations by Ned Taylor, this timeless, magical storybook is the perfect way for parent and child to prepare for Christmas together.

Dancing is Byron Carelse's life. It's his energy, his passion, his happy place ... his spark. When the rhythm takes hold of his body, he forgets about all the troubles waiting for him at home. His best friend Tasha says he shouldn't allow other people to steal his spark. But she doesn't have a clue about the things going on in Byron's home. And perhaps it's better that way. What will she think of him? One day, somebody spots Byron's talent. Along with a group of other township kids, he gets the opportunity to take part in a show at a big arts festival. But what are you supposed to do when life tries to steal your dream from you?

Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a flair for the outrageous that seems to lead to one adventure after another!

Savvy George and gentle giant Lennie are drifters, hustling for a living in a string of dead-end jobs. George looks out for Lennie as they move from town to town, running from trouble and dreaming big. A place of their own, a piece of land, a bit of money. But trouble follows Lennie like a shadow, and George has his work cut out to keep him safe.John Steinbeck's classic novel in a super-readable format with dyslexia-friendly features that more readers can access and enjoy.

Puffin Clothbound Classics are stunning collectable hardback editions of some of the best-loved classics in the world - including this charming edition of The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

'Every fairy-tale needs a good old-fashioned villain!

From the strange case of 'The Red-Headed League' to the extraordinary tale of 'The Engineer's Thumb', Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson grapple with treachery, murder, and ingenious crimes of all kinds. But no case is too challenging for the immortal detective's unique power of deduction.

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Daddy Long-Legs.
A trustee of the John Grier orphanage has offered to send Judy Abbott to college. The only requirements are that she must write to him every month and that she can never know who he is. Judy's life at college is a whirlwind of friends, classes, parties and a growing friendship with the handsome Jervis Pendleton. With so much happening in her life, Judy can scarcely stop writing to 'Daddy-Long-Legs', or wondering who her mysterious benefactor is . . .

Life with his regiment in Scotland is dull until he visits his uncle's friends in the Highlands, where he meets Fergus McIvor and his sister Flora. Attracted by the wild freedom and romance of the Scottish clans, Edward finds himself in a difficult and dangerous position. His new friends are Jacobites, planning to overthrow King George and restore the Stuart monarchy. The Jacobites rise in rebellion. When Prince Charles leads an invasion of England, Edward's loyalties are hopelessly divided. Whose side will he take? And what fate awaits them all?