John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in California's Salinas River Valley. Although he worked briefly as a reporter in New York, it was in the Salinas Valley that he spent the Depression years, and his experiences and the people he met became the basis for his books. Of Mice and Men opened the eyes of the public to the desperate lives of the migrant workers. The Grapes of Wrath told the story of the destitute Oklahoma dust bowl farmers who flocked to the Valley in search of work, Cannery Row painted the rough and tumble lives of the cannery workers in nearby Monterey. And East of Eden, his most personal novel, revolved around the lives of two families from the Valley whose story was a tragic metaphor for the suffering humans needlessly cause one another. Steinbeck was the recipient of both the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes for Literature and was named to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. His books were likewise embraced by the public-many reached the top of the bestseller lists; four of them were made into Broadway shows; and six were made into movies. Despite these successes, he often doubted his abilities. The critics were seldom kind to him, making his doubts grow. But at the end of his life he realized that by championing the causes of the underprivileged, he had made a lasting impression on the social consciousness of America. He died in New York in 1968. Keith Ferrell gives us a fascinating account of John Steinbeck, a writer who continually struggled to awaken America's social conscience. Steinbeck's ability to incorporate the dark side of life in rich stories of human strength has captured the souls of millions of readers everywhere.

See how far your imagination will take you! Guide Ms. Adjective and Fluffy the dog through the Land of Creative Writing. There are 18 inventive landscapes buzzing with storytelling potential. Read the story openers then tackle the challenge using the fab fivers and top tips on each page. At the end of the book, you will have created your own unique story based in this fantastical world. And then you can do it all over again for a different outcome!

Born as Eric Blair in India in 1903, George Orwell was a sickly child who was sent away to boarding school at age eight. Later he won a scholarship to Eton, where he was not a good student and earned a reputation as a rebel. Following Eton, he returned to Burma as a police officer, deliberately postponing his dream of becoming a writer. Orwell moved to Paris in 1928. He was concerned with the plight of the poor and was determined to find his own literary voice and themes. In the following years, he traveled and lived among the poor and unemployed. Orwell published several books and novels about his experiences, but success and recognition seemed slow in coming. In England, Orwell became known as an angry political writer and crusader for the left. He stood up for his convictions and fought in the Spanish Civil War, despite ill health. After this disillusioning experience, Orwell became an enemy of any form of totalitarianism. He tried to do his part for England under the Nazi siege through his journalism and broadcast scripts. Orwell completed Animal Farm during the war but was unable to find a publisher until the war was over. After the book s enormous success in 1946, Orwell planned another novel set in the future ina totalitarian society. Writing from his house on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he created the story of Winston Smith, who lived in a world where Big Brother was always watching. This was his masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell died soon after its publication, but not before witnessing its success. In a special epilogue, Ferrell deals with Orwell s impact as a political moralist and the way in which the year 1984 has come to stand as a fearful symbol."

Ernest Hemingway was one of the most controversial and admired writers of his time. This biography covers his life from his childhood in Oak Park, Illinois, to his suicide in 1961. It offers a sympathetic portrait of a brilliant artist and a complex individual-a private man who led a very public life. Hemingway's formal education ended after high school when the ambitious young writer went off to work for The Kansas City Star. Eager to see the war, he volunteered for ambulance corps duty in Italy during World War I. Some of his most exciting and productive years were spent in postwar Paris, living among a group of writers and artists from around the world. In the 1930s Hemingway became as famous for his personality as for his writing, and he spent more of his time hunting and fishing competitively. But when war broke out in his beloved Spain, he went to serve as a correspondent on the loyalist side. In 1940 his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, based on his wartime experiences, was published to critical acclaim and financial success. World War II found Hemingway working as a correspondent once again, and prone to fighting and drinking. Despite this decline, he wrote The Old Man and the Sea, which celebrated the courage of an aged Cuban fisherman, and went on to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Keith Ferrell conveys the scope of Hemingway's achievement as a writer and gives a vivid portrait of one of America's finest authors.

Celebrate William Wordsworth's 250th birthday with this beautiful retelling of his life. Produced to coincide with the 250th birthday of Wordsworth in 2020, this book adapts the lyrical diary of his sister, Dorothy Wordsworth, detailing their life together roaming the beautiful Lake District. Dorothy's works are now considered essential early examples of a women's role in literature, underpinnning her position as a female role model, as they confront issues spanning from social justice, the French revolution and nature. Lush Lake District and London landscapes, and carefully researched costumes bring the era to life, while extracts from longer works such as The Prelude tie into the national curriculum.

A funny and charming NEW young fiction series from Philip Ardagh, bestselling author of The Grunts series and Eddie Dickens adventures, and illustrated by Rob Biddulph, award-winning creator of Draw With Rob. Puuurfect for fans of Alex T. Smith, Pamela Butchart and Laura James. Meet Furry Purry Beancat - one extraordinary cat with nine extraordinary lives! Just like every other cat, Furry Purry Beancat loves a catnap. But unlike other cats, when Beancat wakes she finds herself about to embark on a whole new adventure! Our furry (and purry!) heroine has woken up in a LIBRARY, and there's trouble afoot. There are plans to close it down, but with the help of two grumpy SPIDERS, can BEANCAT do what she does best and SAVE THE DAY? 'Exciting and comic, these are purr-fect first adventures' - LoveReading4Kids LOOK OUT for more Furry Purry adventures: The Pirate Captain's Cat, The Railway Cat and The Witch's Cat!

A powerful poetry collection full of the drama, musicality and lyricism that Jackie Kay is famed for.

Exploring the themes of identity and age, this collection includes poems about the old days and the new days, and the places associated with an older generation, who often live dreamlike, isolated existences - not only geographically, but also in the memory.

Nature and the elements play a big role too: trees, the moon, the sea, fire. Jackie Kay's style is one moment witty, the next melancholic, or gently surreal - and in this brilliant reissued collection, her poems are infused with warmth and colour: in particular, the colour RED.

Perfect for fans of The Gift by Carol Ann Duffy and Rob Ryan, this gorgeous new gift edition is a must-have for any poetry fan.

Explore a cozy bookstore, visit a library, and learn all about books in this one-of-a-kind format by celebrated illustrator Ingela P Arrhenius. Each uniquely shaped page overlaps with the next to create a complete landscape when closed-and an immersive world to explore with each turn of the page when open. Simple text and jubilant illustrations introduce babies and toddlers to a word of books and usher in an early appreciation for reading! Delightfully petite, Bookscape Board Books' chunkiness and unique layers give them a tactile, toylike quality that begs to be picked up-making each book in the series a memorable and irresistible gift.

Published in collaboration with the National Trust, this is a moving and inspiring picture book based on the life of Beatrix Potter. Beatrix loves the countryside, but lives in a big, lonely house in London - if only she had a friend. Then she meets Benjamin Bunny and everything changes! They spend every day together playing chase and follow my leader. But when Benjamin dies, Beatrix is heartbroken. She decides to write about Benjamin's adventures and about her new bunny, Peter, who plays the tambourine and jumps through hoops. If she can publish her stories, she knows children will fall in love with Benjamin and Peter, and her bunnies will live forever. This is the perfect gift for fans of Peter Rabbit, for young environmentalists and for animal lovers everywhere. Rebecca Colby effortlessly entwines the fascinating threads of Beatrix Potter's life: her deep connection with animals, her development as a writer and artist, her determination to be published and her role as a pioneering conservationist. A biography of Beatrix Potter's life is included, and the book is written in consultation with experts from the National Trust. Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free 'Stories Aloud' audio recording - just scan the QR code and listen along!

Bursting with beautiful illustrations to colour, Harry Potter: Gryffindor House Pride: The Official Colouring Book is a must-have colouring book for members of this house and fans of the magical film series.Grab your coloured pencils - it's time for colouring wizardry! Show your house pride with intricate, all-new artwork of characters, iconic objects, and magical places from the Harry Potter films, all themed to house Gryffindor. Featuring important house moments from the Sorting Ceremony, Quidditch matches, Yule Ball, feasts, and so much more, this colouring book is jam-packed with special designs and scenes every brave Gryffindor will love.

This is the story of how Winnie-the-Pooh came to be the nation's favourite teddy bear. Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the best-loved children's characters of all time. But how did he become so popular? In this beautifull book, author Brian Sibley tells the story of Pooh's origins and how he came to be the Bear for All Ages. Illustrated with many rare photographs, drawings and sketches, this book is the complete guide to Winnie-the-Pooh and his creators, A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard. This book really is something quite special. Perfect for fans aged 5 and 55. The nation's favourite teddy bear has been delighting generations of children for 90 years. Milne's classic children's stories - featuring Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin and, of course, Pooh himself - are both heart-warming and funny, teaching lessons of friendship and reflecting the power of a child's imagination like no other story before or since. Pooh ranks alongside other beloved character such as Paddington Bear, and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage. BRIAN SIBLEY is a writer, broadcaster, and life-long Pooh aficionado. His first radio programme was a celebration of Pooh's fiftieth birthday followed, a few years later, by a radio play about A. A. Milne. He compiled The Pooh Book of Quotations and edited The Pooh Sketch Book.

This is an authoritative book from the word experts at Oxford to get budding writers crafting brilliant stories. It will help you think about how to develop an idea into a gripping and powerful story, with examples and tips from the best known authors to show you how it's done. For children aged 11 and over, it covers all the key elements of plot, characterization, building a believable world, thinking about tone and style, weaving description into stories, through to endings and editing your work. Practical tips will get any struggling writer to beat the fear of the blank page and inspirational advice will help young authors to achieve their creative writing goals. It includes information on sharing stories and how to get people reading your work.

A winsome, user-friendly introduction to all things Dickens from former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen, with lively interior illustrations by Sarah Nayler. Dickens brought life to some of our favourite characters: his rogues' gallery includes the Artful Dodger and his avaricious boss, Fagin, the miserly Mr Scrooge, and the spiteful Miss Havisham. During Dickens's lifetime, his novels sold in their thousands, and his touring one-man show was an international hit. Now, 145 years after his death, Dickens's fame has only grown - his books are read all over the world, and have been adapted for both stage and screen. So what is it about Dickens's writing that keeps his readers coming back for more? Join Michael Rosen on a whistle-stop tour of Dickensian London. Featuring a richly detailed summary of Dickens's childhood and career, a witty recap of his best-known novels, and lively black-and-white illustrations from Sarah Nayler, this book is the perfect introduction to the work and world of Charles Dickens.

A LIFE AS EXCITING AS FICTION
Gary Paulsen, three-time Newbery Honor author, is no stranger to adventure. He has flown off the back of a dogsled and down a frozen waterfall to near disaster, and waited for a giant bear to seal his fate with one slap of a claw. He has led a team of sled dogs toward the Alaskan Mountain Range in an Iditarod -- the grueling, 1,180-mile dogsled race -- hallucinating from lack of sleep, but he determined to finish.
Here, in vivid detail, Paulsen recounts several of the remarkable experiences that shaped his life and inspired his award-winning writing.
A "School Library Journal" Best Book
A "Booklist" Editors' Choice

Discover that books can take you places you'd never believe... from Waterstones Prize-shortlisted Robert Starling. Astrid's family has just moved in to the mouse hole in the bookshop on Maple Street, and none of her new classmates believes the incredible adventures she has with her family. But when she invites each of them to the bookshop, they'll see that there is a big, exciting world of possibilities there, just waiting to be discovered. Former teacher Robert Starling shows us the incredible places books can take us. Also by Robert Starling: Fergal is Fuming Fergal in a Fix Fergal and Fern Fergal and the Fib The Little Island (written by Smriti Halls)

"Rubini frames the story as a mystery, asking why, despite Nancy Drew's fame, most people have never heard of Benson and tracking down clues and evidence to uncover more information about the life of this little-known author...VERDICT A solid option for those interested in the 'Nancy Drew' mysteries." -School Library JournalGrowing up in Ladora, Iowa, Mildred "Millie" Benson had ample time to develop her imagination, sense of adventure, and independence. Millie left her small hometown to attend the University of Iowa, where she became the first person to earn a master's degree from the school of journalism. While still a graduate student, Millie began writing for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which published the phenomenally popular Hardy Boys series, among many others. Soon, Edward Stratemeyer tapped Millie for a new series starring amateur sleuth Nancy Drew, a young, independent woman not unlike Millie herself. The syndicate paid its writers a flat fee for their work and published the books under pseudonyms. Under the pen name Carolyn Keene, Millie went on to write twenty-three of the first thirty books of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. In all, Millie wrote more than a hundred novels for young people under her own name and under pseudonyms. Millie was also a journalist for the Toledo (Ohio) Times and The Blade. At the age of sixty-two she obtained her pilot's license and combined her love of aviation with her passion for writing, sharing her travels and adventures with readers. Follow the clues throughout Missing Millie to solve the mysteries of this ghostwriter, journalist, and adventurer.

Learn about the inspiring life of Helen Keller in this early reader biography.

When Helen Keller was a baby, she became sick and lost her ability to see and hear. Although many people doubted her ability to persevere, Helen did not let any obstacle stop her from achieving many things in her amazing life.

This book covers some of the well-known and inspiring milestones of Keller’s life—it’s a great supplement for book reports on this iconic historical figure. It also covers some of the lesser-known fun facts—did you know that Helen Keller was a long-time dog lover?

This biography reader includes a timeline, historical photographs, and information about Braille.

Helen Keller: The World at her Fingertips is a Level Two I Can Read, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

Travel back 400 years to visit rowdy theatres and royal palaces to understand what it was like to live in Shakespeare's Elizabethan England and the influence it had on his ground-breaking work. This book charts Shakespeare's phenomenal talent and peeks behind the curtain at his most famous plays, from tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet to comedies such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew.

Push, pull and slide the tabs as you enjoy Busy Storytime! Pick a book to read, act it out and sail away on an adventure, then share the story with your friends. A perfect introduction to the joy of reading for little ones. Children will love playing with this bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text and wonderful illustrations by Jean Claude, which is part of the popular Busy Book series. A perfect gift to celebrate World Book Day! Discover more of the Busy Book series with titles such as Busy Bookshop, Busy Baking, Busy Friends and Busy Airport.

How we are motivated to imitate wanting what others desire—Girard’s theory primed for the social media age.

René Girard eludes easy categories, bridging the fields of literary criticism, anthropology, sociology, history, religion and theology. Influencing such writers as J. M. Coetzee and Milan Kundera, his insight into contagious violence looks ever more prophetic and relevant seven years after his death. In many ways he is the thinker for our modern world of social media and herd behavior.

In this newly selected collection of writings, Cynthia L. Haven has created an approachable anthology of his work, addressing Girard's thoughts on the nature of desire, human imitation and rivalry, the causes of conflict and violence, the deep structure of religion and cultural subjects like opera and theatre. Girard spoke in language that was engaging, accessible and often controversial.

A long-time friend and colleague, Haven shines a spotlight on his role as a public intellectual and profound theorist, inviting a new generation to his corpus.