THE FIRST BEHIND-THE-SCENES HISTORY OF THE BELOVED GIRL DETECTIVE
"Through the history of Nancy Drew, Rehak sheds light on perhaps the most successful writing franchise of all time and also the cultural and historic changes through which it passed. Grab your flashlights, girls. The mystery of Carolyn Keene is about to begin." -- Karen Joy Fowler, author of THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB
* The original proposal for Nancy Drew suggested that her name be Stella Strong, Nell Cody, Helen Hale, or Diana Dare.
"GIRL SLEUTH is meticulously researched, elegantly written, and riveting. Melanie Rehak juxtaposes teen sleuth Nancy Drew's omnipotence with the all-too-real struggles of her creators." --Susan Kandel, author of NOT A GIRL DETECTIVE
* When Nancy Drew was introduced she wore cloche hats and gloves whenever she was out in public. In the 50s she changed to sport dresses and rompers and even -- gasp -- pants.
"Witty, fast-paced, and smart, Girl Sleuth makes the story behind Nancy Drew as much fun to read as the mystery novels themselves. It's superb."
--Jean Strouse, author of "Morgan, American Financier"
* Nancy and her boyfriend Ned Nickerson never once kissed, although in "The Secret of the Old Attic" she does "faint into his strong arms."

Discover limericks, narrative poems, acrostics and haiku with the World's NUMBER ONE Storyteller!

Float off with James and his insect friends and learn how to use poetic language in stories and poems.

These super fun activities will help you to:

· Improve language and vocabulary skills
· Develop the tools you need to write your own stories
· Learn how to write with rhythm and rhyme, and practise performing your very own poems.

Roald Dahl's Creative Writing will spark your creativity, build your confidence and inspire you through the wonderful worlds of Roald Dahl's best loved stories!

Filled with top tips and ideas boxes, each book introduces techniques and methods to help you plan and write a phizz-whizzing story of your own!

One of a series of literature titles for schools, this is Roald Dahl's second volume of autobiography. It offers an account of his youth in Africa during World War II, encounters with the Hun and with deadly snakes, and his escape from a plane crash whilst in the RAF.

The open door felt like an invitation, or a trap. Bastien wasn't sure which, but with no other choice, he stepped inside...and hoped he'd make it out again alive. Bastien Bonlivre is a boy with a big imagination, determined to finish the story his parents started, left to him in a red notebook. On the other side of Paris, bestselling author Olivier Odieux is struggling to complete his latest novel. Along with his villainous brothers, he is masterminding his greatest plot yet...one that will spread fear throughout the city and beyond. What connects these two stories is a dangerous secret, a hidden mystery and an unexpected race across Paris for the truth. Can Bastien and his friends Alice, Theo and Sami be brave enough to stop Olivier stealing the ending they deserve? A classic adventure story about friendship, hope, bravery and the power of imagination.

A new must-have write-in book for kids to put down their ideas, set the scene, choose their characters and craft the best short story in 500 words. With colourful illustrations throughout, it has prompts and ideas from bestselling children's author Christopher Edge for building plot, action, characters, scenes, beginnings and endings to help kids who are looking for a starting point for story-writing competitions, for homework, or for fun. With top tips from the Oxford word experts to further creativity and writing skills, activity pages and lots of space for drafting and editing the narrative, kids can be encouraged to write not only one story but to go on to write many more. In a handy format for slipping into the school bag, carrying around the house or taking on holiday, it is ideal for capturing ideas on the go, or putting in the finishing touches at the end of the day. Perfect for parents and teachers to encourage creativity and writing for fun, for homework or for story writing competitions.

Roald Dahl's personal stories together in one edition

Where did Roald Dahl get all of his wonderful ideas for stories? From his own life, of course Boy includes tales of sweetshops and chocolate, mean old ladies, and the Great Mouse Plot. And then "Going Solo" tells of how, when he grew up, Roald Dahl left England for Africa and later went flying with the Royal Air Force.

A new Christmas classic from a magical pairing: Dame Emma Thompson and Axel Scheffler. The story of Jim: a very lucky, very special, very grubby dog, who lives, improbably, in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Emma Thompson magically weaves the real-life tale of Jim - beloved dog of Sir Henry Cole who created the first Christmas card - with a fantastically warm and heartfelt Christmas romp, brilliantly illustrated by bestselling illustrator, Axel Scheffler. A Christmas book to treasure, and an adventure filled with high emotion, guilt, redemption, unexpected presents and a life-changing brush with royalty.