Sandie has been battling it since childhood: the hulking, snarling black dog of her nightmares. For years, her precious pet dog Rabbie has kept the monster at bay, but when he is no longer there to protect her, the black dog reappears to stalk Sandie in her sleep ... Illuminating the undeniable power of Mal Peet's pared-back prose, Good Boy is an evocative examination of fear and anxiety that will leave you guessing long after its final page. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 14+

Carnegie Medalist Mal Peet and his wife, Elspeth Graham, team up for a captivating, lushly illustrated tale evoking a Chinese legend.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Tashi lives in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains, below the tea plantations where her mother works. When her mother falls ill, Tashi goes alone to the plantation, hoping to earn money for the doctor. But she is far too small to harvest the tender shoots, and her clumsy efforts anger the cruel Overseer. She is desolate, until -- chack-chack-chack! -- something extraordinary happens. Inspired by a centuries-old legend of tea-picking monkeys, here is a richly told tale full of vivid characters: the heartless Overseer, the enigmatic Royal Tea Taster, and -- far away -- an empress with a penchant for tea.

Monkeys come to the rescue of a struggling family in this traditional tale from a Carnegie Medal winner. Tashi lives in a tiny village below the tea plantations where her mother earns a living. One day her mother falls ill, and Tashi must pick tea to earn the money for a doctor. But she is too small to reach the tender shoots and the cruel Overseer sends her away empty-handed. Tashi needs a miracle. Then, on the mountains high above the plantation where only monkeys live, something extraordinary happens that will change her life for ever...

When a man returns to his childhood home and visits the derelict tree house in which his father once chose to live, he recalls the past unravelling of his family, the unspoken strangeness of their lives, and the impact on his own adult life. Beautiful, sparse and insightful storytelling. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 14+

The fly was hungry, and buzzed over to the park to see what he could find. In the park he quickly spied lots of food, but found getting that food was much less straightforward! Join the fly as he gets into endless trouble on his search for something to eat, in this humorous story by award-winning author Mal Peat and Elspeth Graham. Yellow/Band 3 books offer varied sentence structure and natural language. Text type: A story with a familiar setting. Children can follow the fly's route around the park and recap the different situations he finds himself in on pages 14-15. Ideas for guided reading at the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

A lively rhyming pirate adventure written by Mal Peet, winner of the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Prize, and Elspeth Graham, based on 'The House That Jack Built'. A visual feast with bright, characterful illustrations by talented artist Jez Tuya. A boy and his dog set sail in search of treasure, braving stormy seas . . . mountains snowy and cold . . . the forest where the monkeys swing . . . the swamp where the bullfrogs sing . . . and other challenging obstacles, before finally reaching the end of their quest. But wait! Pirate Frank is A GIRL! And she doesn't want to share. Back home they go, retracing their steps before sailing away to dream of the treasure they've lost. This read-aloud picture book is perfect for all scallywags aged 3-6. Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free 'Stories Aloud' audio recording - just scan the QR code and listen along!

Prince Hal is upset - he wants the moon. So the King and Queen send their servants, Grim and Crumb, out to catch the moon for him, with hilarious consequences. This charming story by award-winning author Mal Peat and Elspeth Graham is illustrated by Xiao Xin. This book is a Band 04/Blue book in the Collins Big Cat reading programme which offers longer, repeated patterns with sequential events and integrated literary and natural language. This is a simple story with a familiar setting and children can recap the main stages of the story on pages 14 and 15, providing lots of speaking and listening opportunities. This book supports learning around knowledge and understanding the world. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader. For more guided reading books in this Collins Big Cat band, try What's Underground? (9780007185863) written by Gill Munton and illustrated by Peter Bull.

Captivating versions of some of the best myths and legends from around the world. TreeTops Myths and Legends are fascinating and action-packed stories that will motivate and inspire readers. These are some of the oldest and most enduring stories in the world, retold by leading contemporary children's authors to bring out all of the action, drama, humour and depth of the original stories in a way that makes them as exciting and meaningful today as ever. The stories are beautifully illustrated in a range of styles to bring each tale to life. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. This pack contains 6 books, one of each of: How Winter Came into the World, Why the Sea is Salty, Helen of Troy, Dragon Tales, The Star Fruit Tree and other stories, Beowulf, Grendel and the Dragon.

Captivating versions of some of the best myths and legends from around the world. TreeTops Myths and Legends are fascinating and action-packed stories that will motivate and inspire readers. These are some of the oldest and most enduring stories in the world, retold by leading contemporary children's authors to bring out all of the action, drama, humour and depth of the original stories in a way that makes them as exciting and meaningful today as ever. The stories are beautifully illustrated in a range of styles to bring each tale to life. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. This pack contains 36 books, six of each of: How Winter Came into the World, Why the Sea is Salty, Helen of Troy, Dragon Tales, The Star Fruit Tree and other stories, Beowulf, Grendel and the Dragon.

Do you ever wonder why we have seasons? How Winter Came into the World shows how the Greeks explain winter. It is about a god called Hades who falls in love with a beautiful goddess called Persephone Captivating versions of some of the best myths and legends from around the world. TreeTops Myths and Legends are fascinating and action-packed stories that will motivate and inspire readers. These are some of the oldest and most enduring stories in the world, retold by leading contemporary children's authors to bring out all of the action, drama, humour and depth of the original stories in a way that makes them as exciting and meaningful today as ever. The stories are beautifully illustrated in a range of styles to bring each tale to life. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book.

A brilliant coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Cold War and events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Clem Ackroyd lives with his parents and grandmother in a claustrophobic home too small to accommodate their larger-than-life characters in the bleak Norlfolk countryside. Clem's life changes irrevocably when he meets Frankie, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, and experiences first love, in all its pain and glory. The story is told in flashback by Clem when he is living and working in New York City as a designer, and moves from the past of his parents and grandmother to his own teenage years. Not only the threat of explosions, but actual ones as well, feature throughout in this latest novel from one of the finest writers working today.

Read & Respond provides teachers with all the resources they need to teach this classic children's story. Notes and activities reflect the way that teachers teach now and include shared texts, guided reading notes, reading activities, speaking and listening activities, writing projects and assessment guidance.

Matt Haig, Derek Landy, Philip Reeve, Joseph Delaney, Susan Cooper, Mal Peet, Berlie Doherty, Robin Jarvis, Eleanor Updale, Jamila Gavin and Sam Llewellyn have come together to bring you eleven spine-tingling stories. Watch your step as you take a ghost walk around the ancient city of York and a long-ago woodland which is reawakening. Be warned of the drowned boy who will stop at nothing to find someone to play with for all time. Look into the mirror, where a lost child lurks, ready to pull you in, and try not to cry out at the monstrous creatures prowling for their next victim. Some stories will make you scream, some will make you shiver - but all will haunt you long after you've put the book down . . .