A high-energy, laugh-out-loud, fully illustrated adventure story by much-loved actor Stephen Mangan and talented artist Anita Mangan.  Grumpy old King Chisel has a problem. He needs an heir to his kingdom - fast! So he challenges the best kids from across the country to compete in the Crown Duels, with the ultimate winner becoming king or queen. Step forward: GLORIA SQUAT-FURTHER: champion athlete HUXLEY BEELINE: mathematical genius JONNY MOULD: artistic ace GOSSAMER FOUNTAIN: empathy expert HARRY SPONGE: ordinary boy. Not to be underestimated... The ridiculous prime minister, Farting Bernie, is in charge and the contest swiftly descend into chaos. Who will rise to the top and survive wild sabotaging, saggy royal pants, the most disgusting meal ever invented, and a pair of frisky goats? The wildly funny, brilliantly silly adventure from the bestselling author and illustrator of Escape the Rooms and The Fart That Changed the World. Wildly funny, delightfully imaginative storytelling with a message that any kid can be a hero! Packed with pictures by Stephen Mangan's sister Anita Mangan.   Escape the Rooms and The Fart That Changed the World have been huge bestsellers: Stephen and Anita are comic dynamite.   Praise for Stephen and Anita's books: Escape the Rooms: "A brilliant, clever, kind of genius book" Graham Norton, Virgin Radio 'Richly imagined and deeply heartfelt' Hadley Freeman, Guardian 'Manages to feel both classic and modern at the same time' Good Housekeeping 'A beautiful and exciting adventure that ignites the imagination' Edith Bowman   The Fart That Changed the World "A sure-fire way for kids to entertain themselves. What’s more, it’s also excellent for reading aloud" LoveReading4Kids "Laugh-out-loud stuff" Ray D’Arcy "A high-energy, brilliantly imaginative and laugh-out-loud tale that is guaranteed to blow away young readers" Lancashire Evening Post   The Unlikely Rise of Harry Sponge “After the runaway success of joint debut novel, Escape the Rooms, and the hilarious The Fart That Changed the World, the dynamic duo return with an all-action, marvellously manic and laugh-out-loud tale with a message that any child can be a hero” Lancashire Evening Post "hilarious ... A right royal romp" First News   ABOUT THE MANGANS Stephen Mangan is an author, script-writer and actor with huge range across TV, radio, film and theatre. From classic comedy such as Green Wing, Episodes and I'm Alan Partridge and acclaimed drama such as The Split, Stephen also presents Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year and regularly appears on stage, most recently as a highly praised Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Stephen also voiced the title role in Postman Pat: The Movie. He has been a member of the judging panels for the Costa Book of the Year prize and The Laugh-Out-Loud Awards (The Lollies). His children's books are the bestselling Escape the Rooms and The Fart that Changed the World. Stephen on writing for children (interview on ITV's Lorraine): “Every page has to grip them, make them laugh, be interesting because they can drop it. There are screens everywhere that they can pick up. That’s part of the reason why I started writing books because I had such fun as a kid reading books. I always had my head in a book. I wanted to write books that were unputdownable for children, that were full of adventure and crazy big characters and made them laugh.” Anita Mangan is a celebrated graphic designer and illustrator who has designed over 60 books including for Leon Restaurants, Gizzi Erskine and Fearne Cotton. She illustrated the best-selling Be a Unicorn series. Her first children's book was the bestselling Escape the Rooms.  

What makes the Ultimate Scot? Is it the ability to identify a tartan pattern from 50 yards? Maybe it’s being able to recite the two forgotten verses of ‘Auld Lang Syne’? Or perhaps it’s knowing your single malt from a double malt? The Ultimate Guide to Being Scottish examines in hilarious detail the history, politics and traditions that make Scots great. Exploring the best of Scottish culture, this book focuses on the celebrations that Scots have made their own, from Hogmanay to the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Mixing fact and practical hints (like the ideal recipe for boiled sheep’s head) with witty banter, The Ultimate Guide to Being Scottish is perfect for injecting Scotland’s unique and beloved brand of merriment into the year.

Discover all the foul facts about the history of royalty with history's most horrible headlines: Cruel Kings and Mean Queens edition. The master of making history fun, Terry Deary, turns his attention to the nobility. From which king died after falling off the toilet and why people thought King John was a werewolf to why Queen Anne's feet were covered in garlic. It's all in Horrible Histories: Cruel Kings and Mean Queens: fully illustrated throughout and packed with hair-raising stories - with all the horribly hilarious bits included with a fresh take on the classic Horrible Histories style, perfect for fans old and new the perfect series for anyone looking for a fun and informative read Horrible Histories has been entertaining children and families for generations with books, TV, stage show, magazines, games and 2019's brilliantly funny Horrible Histories: the Movie - Rotten Romans. Get your history right here and collect the whole horrible lot. Read all about it!