Born different, the ugly duckling is mocked by his siblings, rejected by other ducks, and even shunned by his own mother. The sad little bird leaves home, starting a journey where he is jeered at and hunted as he struggles to survive on his own--only to discover that the identity he longed for was within him all along.

In this retelling for younger readers, Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to 1930's London. After a disturbance at a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents. He takes her back to his apartment, but they are followed, and later that night Annabella is murdered. Hannay then goes on the run to break the spy ring and to prove his innocence.

A selection of 30 magical and mischievous short stories by Britain's most beloved children's author - perfect for sharing at Halloween!

Witches and pixies abound in this magical selection of thirty short stories, perfect for seasonal reading and sharing. With lots of humour and fantastic characters these classic tales are ideal for younger children being read to and for newly confident readers to read alone. Each story stands alone and is the perfect length for reading at bedtime or in the classroom.

Enid Blyton remains one of Britain's favourite children's authors and her bumper short story collections are perfect for introducing her to the latest generation of readers.

My First Reading Book. This is an illustrated first reading book in a large, fun format - ideal for use in show-and-tell. Janet Brown's fresh and lively storyline is designed to appeal to youngsters, with appropriate vocabulary for those who are learning to read by themselves. Interactive pages and an odd-one-out puzzle at the back of the book encourage literacy and observation. It is an enchanting retelling of a timeless fairy tale, with bright and imaginative paintings by Ken Morton. Gepetto the woodcarver longs to have a son. One day, he makes himself a wooden puppet in the shape of a boy, which he calls Pinocchio. That night, while Gepetto is sleeping, a fairy brings Pinocchio to life. He is still made from wood, but the fairy promises that he can become a boy if he remains honest, brave and unselfish. Will Pinocchio succeed...? This classic story is retold for a new generation. It is illustrated with engaging images throughout, and uses simple vocabulary and familiar language that children can easily follow and enjoy.

Curious and spirited, Sharadha loves living life in her ancestral tharavadu. The grand ol' house, Vishwasam, is right in the heart of her beloved Marayur, in the Chera kingdom. The house is also the centre of activities as Devaki Amma, her grandmother, is a healer for the King no less! Life is good in the sleepy village! But her inquisitiveness takes Sharadha on an unintended adventure. Trying to investigate a secret, she chances upon a mysterious trader and ends up in the bustling city of Mahodayapuram. And it's not just any city but the busy multicultural melting pot of the Cheraman Perumal Empire! As she traverses the metropolis, Sharadha gets pulled into the magical colours, languages, religions, and the vibrancy of the city. She now realizes how complex the Capital is from her small village life-full of intrigue and political scandals. But as a sudden war with the ambitious and powerful Chola Dynasty looms on the horizon, Sharadha pines to get back to her old quiet life in Marayur. Will she ever be able to see her beloved Vishwasam again? Can she use the wisdom taught by her grandmother to save the others and herself? Peek into an account of what life was like during the final years of the Chera Dynasty of the eleventh century Kerala!

If you love a good laugh, then this book is for you. These enjoyable, traditional stories make people roll around laughing. They have some deep wisdom, tantalizing plots, and incredibly good pictures, but best of all, every story is a hoot, and will make you laugh your socks off - if you are wearing any. If you agree that laughter is the best medicine then get stuck into Funny Folk Tales for Children and enjoy a rollicking read.

The manga tie-in to Disney's phenomenally successful sequel, Frozen 2! An Adventure North... Why was Elsa born with magical powers? The answer is calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, she'll set out on a dangerous but remarkable journey to discover her past in order to save their future. Are Elsa's powers enough to see her through their adventure into the unknown?

"Sharp and seductive...a fantasy with teeth." --Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns A girl of two worlds, accepted by none... A half Reaper, half Shinigami soul collector seeks her destiny in this haunting and compulsively readable dark fantasy duology set in 1890s Japan. Death is her destiny. Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can. When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she's never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death...only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task--find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons--and learns how far she'll go to claim her place at Death's side. Don't miss the must-read sequel coming in 2022!

A beautiful retelling of this classic tale for students who are just starting to learn English.

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

Book Band: Brown, ideal for ages 7+ A gripping retelling of the classic Greek myth by bestselling author Jenny Oldfield. Daedalus can see how much his impulsive, restless son Icarus longs to escape their island prison. When his cunning plan to get them across the sea fails, Daedalus comes up with an even more dangerous invention: wings to take them to the skies. This accessible retelling of the renowned Greek myth has appealing black-and-white illustrations by Bee Willey and is perfect for children who are developing as readers. The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com. 'Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed ... Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.' Books for Keeps

Get ready for an exciting fairy adventure with the no. 1 bestselling series for girls. The perfect Christmas gift for children aged 5 and up! Jack Frost has promised not to trouble the Rainbow Fairies again, but he didn't say anything about the Weather Fairies! Now he has stolen the feathers from Doodle, the weather-vane cockerel in charge of the weather. It's up to Rachel and Kirsty to get each of the feathers back! 'These stories are magic; they turn children into readers!' ReadingZone.com Read all seven fairy adventures in the Weather Fairies set! Crystal the Snow Fairy; Abigail the Breeze Fairy; Pearl the Cloud Fairy; Goldie the Sunshine Fairy; Evie the Mist Fairy; Storm the Lightning Fairy; Hayley the Rain Fairy If you like Rainbow Magic, check out Daisy Meadows' other series: Magic Animal Friends and Unicorn Magic!

You thought you knew the story of the "The Three Little Pigs..". You thought wrong.
In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of "The Three Little Pigs."
"In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs.... Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale."
--Children's Literature
"Older kids (and adults) will find very funny."
--School Library Journal

Ganesha is just like any other kid, except he has the head of an elephant and rides around on a magical mouse. And he loves sweets, especially the traditional dessert laddoo. But when Ganesha insists on biting into a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo, his tusk breaks off! Ganesha is terribly upset, but with the help of the wise poet Vyasa, he learns that what seems broken can actually be quite useful after all. The bold, bright colors of India leap off the page in this fresh and funny adaptation of how Ganesha came to write the epic poem of Hindu literature, the MAHABHARATA. With vibrant, graphic illustrations, expressive characters, and off-beat humor, this is a wonderfully inventive twist on a classic tale.

Gary Paulsen's Newbery Honor Book The Winter Room joins the Scholastic Gold line, with bonus content! Two brothers, one family, and an unexpected secret revealed on the cold night of winter... Following the turn of the seasons, eleven-year-old Eldon traces the daily routines of his life on a farm and his relationship with his older brother, Wayne. During the winter, with little work to be done on the farm, Eldon and Wayne spend the quiet hours with their family, listening to their uncle David's stories. But Eldon soon learns that, although he has lived on the same farm, in the same house with his uncle for eleven springs, summers, and winters, he hardly knows him. When Uncle David tells the story of "The Woodcutter," Eldon immediately understands that this story is different from any other. It is a powerful and terrible story that changes everything for the brothers. Newbery Honor Book The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes bonus content!

In this Japanese traditional tale, a tinker buys a kettle from an old man - a magic kettle which can change both itself and his life! This story is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with Dr Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin of UCL Institute of Education (IOE) Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills. Fantastic stories are accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure.

Trapped in a world where magic is powerful and dreams are real, Cole's epic adventure comes to a close in book five of the New York Times bestselling "fanciful, action-packed adventure" series (Publishers Weekly, starred review), from the