Speaking about the kind of filmmaking now known as Classic Hollywood, the most popular and influential cinema ever invented, Vincente Minnelli once gave away its secret: "I feel that a picture that stays with you is made up of a hundred or more hidden things. They're things that the audience is not conscious of, but that accumulate." How would we go about finding those things? What method would enable us to retrieve them, and by doing so, to understand better how Hollywood films got made? The ABCs of Classic Hollywood attempts to answer those questions by looking closely at four movies from the 1930-1945 period when the American Studio System reached the peak of its economic and cultural power: Grand Hotel, The Philadelphia Story, The Maltese Falcon, and Meet Me in St. Louis. To avoid the predictable generalizations that have plagued film studies, Ray works with the movies' details, treated as initially mysterious, but promising, clues: e.g., Grand Hotel's coffin and room assignments; The Philadelphia Story's diving board and license plate PA55; The Maltese Falcon's clocks and missing bed; Meet Me in St. Louis's violinist and ribboned cat. By producing at least 26 entries for each of these films (one for every letter of the alphabet), Ray demonstrates that a movie's details contain the record of the work and ideas that produced them, the endless negotiation between commercial efficiency and seductive enchantment. In our unconscious memories, we recognize something in the movies, something tantalizing and just out of reach. This book unlocks those memories, making them conscious and explicit, so that they will help us understand the most powerful and important storytelling system ever designed.

Minions 2: The Rise of Gru released in UK cinemas in July 2022. Expect mischief with your favourite dastardly villains and encounter some brand new baddies, too. Bob, Kevin, Stuart and the rest of the Minions are ready for an evil adventure. The Minions 2: The Rise of Gru Annual 2023 is the perfect companion for any fan of the Minions movies. This official book features stories, posters, activities and character fact files plus exciting content from the brand new movie, this book is overflowing with fun and mischief. The classic annual format offers hours of entertainment and makes the perfect stocking filler.

Get ready to be amazed with Thomas as Sodor welcomes the World Technology Fair!

Thomas can't wait to see all the marvellous inventions at the fair! With a flying car, giant robot people and the fastest train in the world, the fair amazes all the people and engines of Sodor. But Thomas is worried he and the other steam engines will not be needed anymore. When thieves arrive at the fair, can Thomas show everyone just how useful a steam engine can be?

A beautifully-illustrated picture book with another action-packed adventure for Thomas and some new friends!

Thomas has been teaching children lessons about life and friendship for 75 years. He ranks alongside other beloved characters such as Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage.

Revel in the magic of Oz in this collection of the final three books in L. Frank Baum's classic American fairy tale series.
The three concluding titles of the iconic Oz series, now in one collection
In "The Magic of Oz," the mischievous Kiki Aru has discovered a magical word that can transform him and anyone else into whatever he wants. Worse yet, Kiki has been recruited by the villainous Nome King in his latest attempt to get revenge on Princess Ozma and all her friends. Can Dorothy and the Wizard stop the evildoers before they conquer Oz? Or will Kiki's incredible powers finally give the Nome King the revenge he has craved for so long?
In "Glinda of Oz," " "Dorothy and Ozma journey to a remote part of Oz to stop a war between the Flatheads and the Skeezers. But the Flatheads and Skeezers have a different idea. Soon Ozma and Dorothy are trapped in an amazing crystal-domed city on an enchanted island. The watertight city submerges itself, and only the Wizard and Glinda can save them--but will they make it in time?
In "The Royal Book of Oz," the Scarecrow goes to search for his family roots. He returns to the cornfield where Dorothy first found him and discovers that he is the Long Lost Emperor of the Silver Island. Will he decide to stay there? Or will he return to Oz?

Jurassic World: Dominion will be released in UK cinemas on 10 June 2022. Packed with puzzles, colouring and games plus more than 250 stickers for hours of dinosaur fun. Crack codes and complete activities with your favourite dinosaurs, featuring characters and scenes from the new movie.

Find a galaxy full of LEGO® Star Wars™ ideas to build - from activities and art, games and challenges, to practical makes and your very own inventions!

LEGO® Star Wars™ Ideas Book features imaginative play and building ideas using your own LEGO brick collection, from LEGO projects that take just a few minutes, to builds to keep you occupied for hours. Set up a game of LEGO Star Wars skittles, create a pencil pot shaped like your favourite Sith or Jedi, build a fleet of tiny TIEs, design Darth Vader's family tree, and customise a podracer. Challenge a friend to take on a rathtar, mix up your minifigures, stage your favourite movie battle scene with LEGO Star Wars bricks - and much, much more!

LEGO® Star Wars™ Ideas Book is packed with a family friendly range of activities to inspire every LEGO Star Wars fan. What will you build?

© 2018 The LEGO Group.© & TM 2018 LUCASFILM LTD.

Tolkien's Lord of the Rings epic tale has long captivated readers with its parallels to biblical truth. And now, a new addition to the thirsty(?) line, Walking with Frodo looks at the biblical themes found in the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy. The 18 devotions pair vices and virtues (deception vs. honesty, light vs. darkness, good vs. evil) displayed by characters in The Lord of the Rings and bring to light what the Bible has to say. A must-have for longtime and new series fans.

Get ready to hack your life, LEGO style! This book is bursting with more than 50 smart ideas to streamline your life and accessorise your space. You'll find stationery hacks help you organise your desk, cool ideas to make the most of your tech, and gadgets to blitz your boring chores. From a speaker that amplifies your phone, a weekly planner made of LEGO bricks, and a catapult that flings paper into the wastepaper basket, these ideas will make your LEGO bricks work for you. Discover ways to personalise your living space, from photo frames to brick-built houseplants, plus smart ways to display your favourite LEGO builds and minifigures. These creative ideas will inspire you to use your LEGO bricks in awesome new ways. With amazing images, easy to follow step-by-step instructions and handy tips for further building, this book will take your building to the next level. (c)2021 The LEGO Group.

Follow Ash on his quest through Alola from the very beginning! Join the iconic Trainer and his beloved Pikachu as they meet dozens of fascinating new Pokemon and Pokemon Trainers. You'll get the inside scoop on Alola's coolest characters, most challenging gyms and much more. A brilliant full-colour guide to the Pokemon of Alola with: character profiles regional info background facts pull-out poster

The third book in the Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar series by Clara Vulliamy, the author-illustrator of Dotty Detective.

Marshmallow Pie, a big, fluffy cat with an even bigger personality, is off to Hollywood to star in a movie!

Pie is loving his trip – the glamourous people, the luxurious hotel, not to mention the tasty snacks! But most of all, he is dazzled by his new friend Madison: a charming, famous young girl not much older than his owner, Amelia. Madison is desperate to spend time with Pie and show him around town. So why doesn’t Amelia seem so sure about her?

Amidst his glitzy new adventure, Pie must keep his paws on the ground – and learn a valuable lesson about what a true friend looks like.

Told in the hilarious voice of Marshmallow Pie himself, his antics are illustrated throughout in black and white.

Learn all about Thomas the Tank Engine, Kana the first electric train on Sodor, Sir Topham Hatt, and many other steam engines, diesels, vehicles and characters from Sodor. This colourful guide is packed with fun facts about a host of popular characters from the much-loved brand, including the new-look characters from the latest Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go (TM) TV series. It also features scenes and storylines from the exciting new animations. With stunning full-colour images and essential information about favourite characters, Meet the Engines: An Encyclopedia of the Thomas & Friends Characters is a must-have for all young Thomas fans. (c)2020 Gullane (Thomas) Limited.

Find the droids you know and love and discover new favourites along the way. This Star Wars guide with a twist showcases a world of droids in close-up detail. Arranged from smallest to biggest, more than 50 droids of the galaxy are revealed with stunning photography and gorgeous artwork. The evocative descriptions will delight children and let them discover amazing droid facts, such as what tools R2-D2 uses and why GNK droids make a "gonk gonk" noise! Each page features fun droid facts and detailed close-up photographs for children to pore over, including firm favourites such as C-3PO and BB-8 as well as more unusual ones such as Professor Huyang, police droids, tiny probe droids, and new The Rise of Skywalker droid D-O. Star Wars Extraordinary Droids is a perfect gift for children who can't get enough of a galaxy far, far away. The book covers droids small (quiet, little mouse droids) and big (vulture droid starfighters), kind (memoir-writing PZ-4CO) and scary (droidekas), and will be a treasured favourite book to keep. (c) & TM 2020 LUCASFILM LTD.

Did you know that car-mad Richard Hammond worked in radio before that all-important audition for Top Gear? And there is more to him than just cars... he has presented science shows, a challenge game show and nature documentaries. Find out all about the man nicknamed The Hamster by his co-presenters: what inspires him, who his celebrity mates are, just how many cars he owns, what his favourite food is, and much more. A fantastic resource for biography based project work!

Count down to Christmas with your favourite Disney and Pixar characters - with a festive story and craft for each day leading up to Christmas Day. The perfect gift book for Christmas, A Very Disney Christmas features 25 festive stories and crafts to capture the Christmas spirit in the lead up to the big day. Beautifully illustrated, this book is set to become a favourite family tradition year after year. Included are stories from Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Frozen, Toy Story, Finding Nemo and more. Plus, there are 25 festive crafts to bring the family together - design Christmas cards, write a letter to Father Christmas, make an Olaf table decoration, discover games to play on Christmas Day and much more!

The blockbuster DC Icons series that began with Leigh Bardugo's Wonder Woman, Marie Lu's Batman, and Sarah J. Maas's Catwoman continues with the story of the world's first super hero - SUPERMAN - from award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author MATT DE LA PEÑA.

Clark Kent has always been faster, stronger, better than everyone around him. He knows drawing attention to himself could be dangerous but lately it's difficult to stay in the shadows. A dark secret is lurking in Smallville and he's not the only one hiding something.

With his best friend, Lana Lang, at his side, Clark is determined to discover what evil lies below the surface of their small town. But there are secrets in Clark's past that threaten to destroy the future Man of Steel.

Before he can save the world, he must save Smallville.

The official companion title for Dreamworks' Spirit Untamed movie Team up with Pru, Abigail and Lucky - the PALS - as they go on their biggest adventure yet. Headstrong Lucky Prescott, who is forced to move from her big-city home to a small frontier town, where she's a complete fish out of water. But her life is changed forever when she makes new friends and forms an inseparable bond with a wild mustang named Spirit. When Spirit's herd is captured by rustlers, the girls and their horses must undertake the adventure of a lifetime to save them. The perfect book for fans of horses and ponies.

Part road-trip drama, part comedy and part romance, This is Not the End packs a huge pop-culture punch with a twist - perfect for fans of Adam Silvera! 'Road-trip drama meets comedy and romance' BIG ISSUE NORTH Ever since the sudden deaths of his parents, seventeen-year-old Hugh has developed a serious preoccupation with endings - and things get a little complicated when he meets Olivia Moon, a high-school outcast who can't die. But if he wants to learn more about her impossible power, he'll have to drive Olivia to New York and help retrieve a stolen crate of her most treasured possessions. As his feelings for Olivia grow, Hugh embarks on a road trip he'll never forget. Can she help him to accept that unsatisfying, messy endings are just a part of life? An unforgettable contemporary YA debut with a unique twist Follows two teens trying to figure out their own stories Perfect for fans of TikTok hits such as Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End

100% Official LEGO Guide to Stop-Motion Animation Lights . . . camera . . . action! Bring your LEGO (R) minifigures to life with this beginner-friendly guide to stop-motion animation. Ten 'Mini Movies' walk you through using your phone, tablet, or computer to make short, funny clips with step-by-step instructions. Set the stage with any of the six included background settings and thirty-six LEGO elements including a pizza, banana, baseball cap, six minifigure heads, and more! Plus, learn the tricks of the trade as you dive into more advanced skills, such as lighting, sound effects, and camera angles. With these tips and tricks, every movie you make is guaranteed to be a successful smash hit. Including: Stop-motion animation is easy with accessible (and free) apps available for tablets and phones Projects are an easy introduction to animation. Mini movies can be made in as little as an hour Stop-motion animation scales up to older or more advanced kid moviemakers Great for ages 8+ Includes a 80 page book What You Get 78 page book of ideas and inspiration. 36 Official LEGO minifigures and props. Foldout paper backgrounds. Punch-out animation frames. What You Can Make Learn how to make mini stop-motion animation movies. Get started by making the 10 movies included in the book: 1. Bricks in the Wild. 2. Time-Lapse Build. 3. Walk Cycle. 4. Minifigure vs. Banana. 5. Dance It Out! 6. The Magic Closet. 7. My Life in Bricks. 8. It's a Bird! It's a Plane! 9. Epic Chase Scene. 10. Boomerang Banana. Make, experiment and play with KLUTZ . What is Klutz? Klutz is a premium brand of book-based activity kits, designed to inspire creativity in every child. Our unique combination of crystal-clear instructions, custom tools and materials, and hearty helpings of humor is 100% guaranteed to kick-start creativity. Super-clear instructions Open-ended Creativity Rewarding Reading Skills to Build On Everything You Need

The FAB opening theme from the classic 60s cult children's programme is arranged here for piano solo. 5....4....3....2....1.....THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

Awaken your inner Force with 29 intergalactic breakfast recipes. Fuel up with Hans Soloatmeal, battle hunger with Admiral Ackbars, and so much more! These easy-to-make, mouthwatering recipes feature characters and scenes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens as well as from the upcoming film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And photographs featuring Star Wars figurines re-creating epic moments from the films provide an extra helping of humour. Recipes include: C-3POat Pancakes Parfait de Resistance Maz Kanata Frittata Luggabeast of a Quiche Reysin Bread Breakfast Poe'Boy Kanjiklub Sandwiches Breakfast Tako-danas (c) and TM Lucasfilm Ltd. Used Under Authorization