Winner of the Stockport Children's Book Award 2013

Penelope Tredwell is the feisty thirteen-year-old orphan heiress of the bestselling magazine, The Penny Dreadful. Her masterly tales of the macabre are gripping Victorian Britain, even if no one knows she's the author. One day, a letter she receives from the governor of the notorious Bedlam madhouse plunges her into an adventure more terrifying than anything she has ever imagined.

Based on real people and events, Rivet Boy blends fact and fiction to tell the story of one boy's role in the building of the iconic Forth Rail Bridge-Scotland's greatest man-made wonder-in 1889. When 12-year-old John Nicol gets a job at the Forth Bridge construction site, he knows it's dangerous. Four boys have already fallen from the bridge into the Forth below. But John has no choice-with his father gone, he must provide an income for his family-even if he is terrified of heights. John finds comfort in the new Carnegie library, his friend Cora and his squirrel companion, Rusty. But when he is sent to work in Cain Murdoch's Rivet Gang, John must find the courage to climb, to face his fears, and to stand up to his evil boss.

Devon, 1941. Bonnie wants to help in the war effort like her brother, Ralph, rather than tend the home vegetable patch. So when the mysterious Mr Fisher is billeted at their family home, Bonnie's mission to uncover his secrets begins. Why is he here? Is he a shirker? Or worse ... a German spy?

At the end of the second century, the lands of ancient China are thrown into turmoil when the Han Dynasty collapses, a tyrant overthrows the weak emperor, and a group of regional warlords forms an army to restore the nation. But bravery and valour are soon stifled by ambition and cunning, and the coalition dissolves before the battle is even won. Now, a new group of heroes must emerge if China is to survive!

This is the story of Biscuit, a very curious dog with an uncanny knack for getting into trouble. When exploring the garden at her new home she would poke her nose into what looked like a rabbit hole, as a curious dog was of course going to do, and be sent on a strange and dangerous journey into the past where she would become trapped in London during the Great Fire of 1666. Yet, with determination and the help of a few new friends, she would fight to find her way home, and in doing so influence the course of history.