Find out how the pope got confused with a potato, about the footballer who ate the ref's notebook and why it is a terrible idea to have your name and date of birth tattooed on your neck, in this splendid romp through the most impressive mistakes, blunders, misunderstandings, faux pas, howlers and universal truths that are not true at all, from the magnificently witty pen of Mr Philip Ardagh. 'Who else but Philip Ardagh could bring you such an enjoyable compendium of buffoonery? "Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery" is essential, laugh-out-loud reading' - "The Independent".

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!

THOMAS SNOOP is in training to become a SPY. Entrusted with a TOP SECRET mission by the mysterious Lord Severn, right-hand man to the Tudor king, Thomas must travel to the magnificent Goldenhilt Hall - in the guise of a servant - in order to uncover traitors plotting against the crown. It will take all Thomas's wits and cunning to uncover the traitors lurking at Goldenhilt Hall - and he must do so without being discovered himself... Filled with amazing facts and historical trivia, you won't be able to put this SECRET DIARY down!

If you enjoyed Bunnies on a Bus then you're going to LOVE this, because - hold onto your tails! - the bunnies are BACK! And this time they're in ... a BOAT! It's time for another wild bunny-tastic adventure! And this time, the bunnies have commandeered a BOAT! All across Sunnytown Beach, the Bunnies are dashing and a-splashing on a speedboat frenzy. They whoosh past the sail-boats, and zoooom across the sand, then it's up on to the jetty where silly billy Bunnies get all covered in spaghetti! But, oh no, where are the bunnies off to now? To the airport, across the tarmac ... it's bunnies on the PLANE. Here we go again...

Fact meets fiction in this thrilling story of 18th century smuggling and intrigue! Kitty Cask is a smuggler's daughter. In the Cornish coastal village of Minnock, Kitty and her family make their living as "free traders" - secretly bringing contraband goods into the country while evading the corrupt Redcoats who work for the King. Kitty isn't supposed to be involved in any of her father's schemes... but she's very good at creeping out at night, and before too long she is caught in the thick of the action - salvaging shipwrecks, staging prison-breaks, and staying one step ahead of the tyrannical excisemen! With an exciting story and brilliant illustrations, and filled with amazing facts and historical trivia, you won't be able to put this SECRET DIARY down! Read the other books in the series: The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, Medieval Knight in Training The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny, Victorian House Maid (and Accidental Detective) The Secret Diary of Thomas Snoop, Tudor Boy Spy

The first in the hilarious series from Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning author Philip Ardagh and illustrator of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler. Mr and Mrs Grunt, who are neither clean nor clever, live with their adopted in fact, abducted son, Sunny, in a donkey-drawn caravan somewhere or other at some time that is a bit like now but not exactly now. Sunny is an odd-looking boy, what with his left ear being higher than his right ear and that kind of sticky-up hair which NEVER goes flat, even if you massage glue into it and then jump on it. Together the unusual family find themselves in frankly improbable but very funny adventures involving bendy railings, double-barrelled shotguns, full-fat yoghurt and, always, a beard of bees.

The purrrrfect new story for young readers this Halloween! From Philip Ardagh, bestselling author of The Grunts series, and illustrated by Rob Biddulph, award-winning creator of Draw With Rob, comes a charming new series for fans of Alex T. Smith, Pamela Butchart and Mr Dog! 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 often finds herself about to embark on a whole new adventure! Watch out! There's a WITCH in the village - or is there? With talk of potions, toads and spells flying around, will Beancat be able to sniff out the truth, before it's too late? '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 Library Cat!

The Sunnytown bunnies are back for a third picture book adventure, and it might just be their best one yet! It’s Christmas Eve and Santa’s elves have fallen suspiciously unwell (just WHO gave them all those candy canes?), so it looks like Santa needs some help. Luckily, our gang of vehicle-loving bunnies are here to the rescue. Cue chaos at every turn – hopping in and out of chimneys, getting stuck in snow, stuffed in stockings, and having the time of their lives on Santa’s sleigh. It’s a crazy Christmas, but it’s SO MUCH FUN.

Eddie thinks his new fish, Frank, is boring, but he quickly realizes that Frank is anything BUT boring! Using the world's largest known database of writing for and by children, our experts have defined 300 ambitious words to help children succeed at school. We've combined these with finelly levelled books that help you develop support comprehension and fluency, while inspiring and engaging your young readers.

The fourth book in the hilarious series from Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning author Philip Ardagh and illustrator of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler. Over the years, the Grunts have made more than a few enemies. But fortunately they're all safely behind bars. Or are they? There's been a prison break-out, and three of them are after REVENGE. It's time for the Grunts to go on the run... This last book brings back some familiar faces from the series and solves a couple of mysteries too...

The third in the hilarious series from Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning author Philip Ardagh and illustrator of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler. Oh no! The Grunts are on the loose. And this time they're in a VERY sticky situation. When Mrs Grunt's mother, the gloomy Ma Lunge, enters a Preserves, Jams and Jellies competition, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty. Add a nose-biting squirrel, escaped bees, rogue fireworks and crashing biplanes (AGAIN!), and you'll see why poor Sunny and Mimi have a lot on their plate. And that's BEFORE the Grunts end up in jail.

Imagine a land where all the animals are free . . . To the creatures of the woodland, the land of Animalia sounds like a dream - a tropical island where all the animals live in harmony. They are over-shadowed by a much more evil community; the polluted Megatropolis, whose dirty skyscrapers block the horizon. And then one day, Wirral the Squirrel's woodland is destroyed by developers and he is thrown into the nightmare world of Megatropolis. But Wirral believes in Animalia and he joins with Froggo, a world-class amphibian balloonist, and Wilhamina, a girl squirrel, to lead the enslaved animals of the city to a new life. So begins an exciting adventure through the mean streets of Megatropolis, over the sea and through the sky. Developed out of an exceptional fusion of creative talents, this story explodes onto every page. The plot is fast, furious and funny; the illustrations are full of rich depth and colour; and the characters live on long after you have turned the final page. It will delight children of all ages and is sure to become an enduring classic. 'Young audiences will delight in the clever wordplay and smartly-drawn comic characters.' Independent

Jane Pinny has moved to the very grand Lytton House to be a Maid Of All Work. And being a Maid Of All Work means that she has to do... well, ALL the work, obviously! Cleaning, dusting, scrubbing, washing - there's SO much to do in a Victorian country house. But when a priceless jade necklace belonging to the lady of the house disappears, Jane turns accidental detective (with the help of her best friend, a pigeon called Plump...) - can she solve the mystery of the missing jewels before it's too late?

Meet Furry Purry Beancat - one EXTRAORDINARY cat with nine EXTRAORDINARY lives!

Just like every other cat, Furry Purry Beancat loves a catnap. But unlike every other cat, when Furry Purry Beancat wakes up she finds herself in a whole new place and about to embark on an adventure!

In this first adventure, Furry Purry Beancat is sailing the high seas as a pirate captain's cat, helping her captain and his shipmates defeat a rival pirate crew in an epic battle at sea! Can Furry Purry Beancat save the day?

A funny and charming young fiction series from bestselling author Philip Ardagh and award-winning illustrator Rob Biddulph, puuurfect for feline fans everywhere!

The second in the hilarious series from Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning author Philip Ardagh and illustrator of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler. Mr Grunt's a man with a mission. He has to get a Person of Great Importance (or POGI) to someone called Mrs Bayliss by the twenty-fifth. Alive and well. And he can't tell anyone more than that, not even his lovely wife, Mrs Grunt, because there will be people trying to snatch the POGI and so the POGI must be transported in secret. It's an exciting adventure, but what interests Mr Grunt most are the silver coins he's been promised at the end of it. The Grunts' stolen son, Sunny, has a few questions. Who is the big-earringed cyclist? Why does the POGI have to wear a barrel all the time? Is Rodders Lasenby a lovely person or simply the rudest man on the planet? And how long will it be before they find themselves All At Sea?

'...Out glides a limo, as sleek as a plane, With big gleaming hubcaps as bright as champagne' The first in a comic 'What's in the?' picture book series, children will delight in this silly tale of a dog prince in his truck with a very special delivery . . . With each page turn a new vehicle pops out of the last. This book has all the ingredients to charm and enthrall first readers and parents alike.

A counting story that goes wrong when one hungry little T-Rex can't help himself from gobbling up the other dinosaurs! Let's count dinosaurs! Rex the T-Rex is 1. Add Patty the Diplodocus, that's 2. And here's comes Brian the Anklyosaurus to make 3. But wait, where's Brian gone? Rex? Rex! You didn't EAT him, did you? Oh NAUGHTY Rex! The truth is, you just CAN'T count on dinosaurs. In this counting book with a difference, Philip Ardagh and Elissa Elwick bring prehistoric chaos and trouble-making dinosaurs to every page for a truly fun, interactive way to learn how to count to 10.

Project X Hero Academy is a fully decodable and finely levelled reading series set in a school for superheroes, designed to captivate and motivate all young readers and turn them into reading superheroes. The Exagger-tron is in Turquoise Book Band, Oxford Level 7, and supports Letters and Sounds Phase 6. In this story, the Head tells Axel that he has a special task for him in Corridor B12 a corridor that is usually forbidden to pupils What exciting mission awaits him? Each book can be used for independent reading, but also contains inside cover notes that include help on developing vocabulary and prompt questions that can be used for guided reading and one-to-one sessions. Full guided reading notes are provided in the corresponding handbook. There are also a range of follow-up activities to support reading for pleasure.

John Drawbridge has moved to Widemoat Castle to learn to become a knight. And there is a LOT to learn. . . How to charge with a lance on horseback without falling off. Why the spiral staircases always go up in a clockwise direction. How to defend the castle against invading parties. Why the plates served at banquets are made of stale bread (and why you shouldn't eat them...). And much, MUCH more. So it's no wonder that John decides to keep a diary (even if it is only an imaginary one...) of his time at the castle. Things REALLY liven up when the castle is attacked by an invading Welsh party - but can John foil their plot before it's too late...?

Project X Hero Academy is a fully decodable and finely levelled reading series set in a school for superheroes, designed to captivate and motivate all young readers and turn them into reading superheroes. Silver Shadow is in Purple Book Band, Oxford Level 8, and supports Letters and Sounds Phase 6. In this story, Slink, the school cat, goes missing from Hero Academy, and Ben has to race against the clock to find him before the tracker in his collar stops working. Will Ben manage to rescue Slink in time? Each book can be used for independent reading, but also contains inside cover notes that include help on developing vocabulary and prompt questions that can be used for guided reading and one-to-one sessions. Full guided reading notes are provided in the corresponding handbook. There are also a range of follow-up activities to support reading for pleasure.

"The Archaeologist's Handbook" takes a look at the role of archaeologists from the discovery of an artefact or archaeological site to the identification, dating, preservation, restoration and understanding of what has been found. This book looks at everything from the most basic archaaeological techniques to the latest technological advances used to assist the modern archaeologist. The book has a glossary of terms in the back and a section on the stories behind the most famous discoveries.

Watch out! Move out of the way! Hold onto your tails! There are ... BUNNIES ON THE BUS! And they aren't stopping for ANYONE! The bunnies have taken over the bus and they're on a wild ride across the streets of Sunnytown! They whizz past the bus stop, swerve around corners and zoom over crossings on a non-stop roller coaster adventure! There are bunnies on the roof! Bunnies in the aisle! DO sit down, bunnies, or you'll end up in a pile! Eventually, they come to a stop ... at the train station. And what's that they've spotted? A TRAIN! Uh-oh, here we go again... A hilarious romp of a book, with a fantastic read-aloud rhyming text and spectacular illustrations.

Project X Hero Academy is a fully decodable and finely levelled reading series set in a school for superheroes, designed to captivate and motivate all young readers and turn them into reading superheroes. Attack of the Chomping Nibblers is in Turquoise Book Band, Oxford Level 7, and supports Letters and Sounds Phase 6. In this story, Nisha and Axel investigate reports of biting plants in Lexis City Central Park. Who would grow an army of 'Chomping Nibblers' and why? Each book can be used for independent reading, but also contains inside cover notes that include help on developing vocabulary and prompt questions that can be used for guided reading and one-to-one sessions. Full guided reading notes are provided in the corresponding handbook. There are also a range of follow-up activities to support reading for pleasure.