New Releases by Anne Fine

A change in classroom seating arrangements challenges old habits and leads to a new friendship in this funny new school story from award-winning author Anne Fine.

A family mix-up means Louie has to tag along with his engineer father and his team as they head for a routine job in the farthest flung and most neglected province of the Federation. A massive earthquake, with ensuing tsunami, devastates the entire isolated coastal region, laying bare the other-worldly manner in which the silent and strange Endlanders deal with life, death and the hinterlands of memory and loss. Their curious and unsettling ways raise ghosts for Louie, who has recently lost his own brother. This modern fable - part ghost-story, part coming-of-age novel and part astute social and family observation - explores the ways in which grief can affect not only individuals, but communities at large.

Quentin Blake - Anne Fine - Michael Morpurgo - Jacqueline Wilson - Michael Rosen - Anthony Browne - Julia Donaldson - Malorie Blackman - Chris Riddell - Lauren ChildThe exceptional talents behind some of the nation''s best-loved books - from The Gruffalo to The BFG, We''re Going on a Bear Hunt to the Charlie and Lola series - the Children''s Laureates are the perfect ambassadors for children''s literature. This beautiful gift anthology marks twenty wonderful years of the Laureateship, with stories, poems and pictures by all ten former honourees. Among others, Quentin Blake tells the stories behind his pictures of weird and wonderful beasts, Michael Morpurgo draws on childhood memories for a moving wartime tale and Michael Rosen plays with language and shapes in his witty, read-aloud poems. Each contribution is designed to inspire children to create their own work, and is accompanied by a note from the authors - rare insights from the finest talent in the world of children''s books. Above all else, Flights of Fancy celebrates the Laureateship''s most important achievement: encouraging children to let their imaginations soar.

A classic children''s book from best-loved Bill''s New Frock author, former Children''s Laureate Anne Fine. Perfect for readers aged between 7 and 9 and fans of The Midnight Gang and Pamela Butchart''s Wigglesbottom Primary series. It''s Ivan''s first day at his new school, and Boris is told to look after him, and translate for him, because Ivan can only speak Russian. After all, St Edmund''s is a civilized school. Only problem is, Ivan isn''t civilized. So when Ivan starts greeting people as ''lowly shivering worms'', and asking for words in English like ''crush'' and ''mutilate'', Boris realises that he''s going to have his work cut out for him. And that''s just the start of the day . . . Anne Fine''s fun school stories have been delighting children for more than 20 years, winning her awards such as the Smarties Book Award and Carnegie Medal along the way.

A boy with an abusive father grows up and fears that he has the same potential for violence as his father has.

A funny and thought-provoking Little Gem from national treasure Anne Fine, with sensitive and charming artwork by up-and-coming illustration star Vicki Gausden. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all. Hugo wants a gerbil, but his dad says it''s cruel to keep an animal in a cage. Hugo doesn''t agree, and so Dad challenges him to spend a day cooped up in his room. The countdown has barely begun when Hugo starts to go stir-crazy. Warm, witty and wise to the impatience of childhood, this is Anne Fine on great form, encouraging young readers to develop imagination and empathy. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.

Sam has a "Blue Monday" off school, but it doesn''t go as she would have hoped. She is taken to work with her mother and ends up reading a book on boarding schools.

One of the all-time classics of children''s literature, a feel-good book full of enthusiasm and exuberance, and a perfect family read "There is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it." When Pollyanna Whittier''s father dies she is sent to live with her Aunt Polly in Vermont. A clash of personalities ensues as Pollyanna''s sunny disposition sits ill with her aunt''s need for quiet, her passion for shutting windows, and her obsession with quietly shut doors. The key to Pollyanna''s happiness is The Glad Game—originally invented to deal with disappointing missionary boxes—and is applied to all parts of life. No matter how dark the situation, it is always possible to find something to be glad about. Any attempts to discipline the child fail helplessly in the face of The Glad Game. A bread and milk supper in the kitchen is greeted with rapture; a puritan attic bedroom with sparse furnishing is valued for its rapturous views. As Pollyanna becomes acquainted with other inhabitants of the town, the cantankerous residents fall victim to her charms. However, the arrival of a motor car in town heralds a tragic change which not even Pollyanna looks likely to be able to overcome. This timeless classic has spawned many spin-off novels and films.

When Uncle Ron comes to visit, he just won''t seem to leave Ian, Mum and Dad don''t quite know what do with him - if he''s not eating them out of house and home, he''s chattering away to the spirits of the dead. But not interesting spirits. All they ever seem to talk about is the colour of doors and what''s stuck behind the fridge. So Ian hatches a plan to get rid of Uncle Ron once and for all.

A travesty. A violation. An ecstasy. A disappointment. An instant. A lie. A theft. A rite of passage. Whatever you call it, there''s only one first time. A.S. King, Melvin Burgess, Keith Gray, Patrick Ness, Anne Fine, Sophie McKenzie, Bali Rai, Jenny Valentine, Mary Hooper, and Andrew Smith. Some of today''s leading international YA authors contributed to this hard-hitting collection of original short stories: some funny, some moving, some haunting, but all revolving around the same subject—virginity.

Tuffy decides to run away from home when he feels that his owners don''t love him any more.

A scary skull shape on her bedroom wall makes Chirtmas Eve more like Halloween for poor Pip.

Daniel is raised as an invalid in isolation by his mother until the day she is removed to an asylum and Daniel is taken to live with the doctor''s family. Soon Daniel begins to uncover secrets about his mother''s dark family history, and a sinister doll seems to be at the centre of the mystery. First person recount. Suggested level: intermediate, secondary.

Bliss! A lovely, quiet, nothing-to-do and nothing-on-the-calendar Sunday...Well, that''s until bossy Aunt Susan - an unstoppable force - is on the phone insisting that Harry and his family come down to help her a local event she''s promised to organise: the Great Toadpool Show. It means swinging from a trapeze. Or walking on stilts. Or riding a unicycle...And that''s not counting the fortune-telling tent, the tombola, or the choir singalong. Aunt Susan has no idea of the mayhem she''s about to unleash.

The King is at his wit''s end; twelve daughters and every morning their shoes are torn to ribbons! Nobody can tell him why, so he promises that whoever uncovers their secret will inherit his kingdom. The reward is huge - but the price of failure is their head. Who will risk it all for a dance with the princesses? This story is a magic bean. It may not look much like a bean, but I can promise you that it is. For if you plant it in a young mind, it will grow into a love of story and reading. These beans are favourite fairytales and legends that will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain. Each story has been brilliantly crafted by one of the best-loved writers for children. This story was published by David Fickling Books as part of the Magic Beans anthology. The complete anthology is available in hardback and in ebook format.

Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can''t understand what all the fuss is about. Who on earth will be the next victim to arrive through the cat-flap? Can soft-hearted Ellie manage to get her beloved pet to change his wild, wild ways before he ends up in even deeper trouble? The hilarious antics of Tuffy and his family are told by the killer cat himself.

As best friends should, Jamie and Angus share everything. Join them as they have fun at their birthday party, think up some new ways to cry, and deal with a naughty pet gerbil.

Lovers, colleagues, family - Tilly has always been brilliant at pushing people in and out of her life exactly as it suits her. Then along comes Geoffrey, gentle, compassionate, generous to a fault, with his miserable little children and his manipulative ex-wife. Tilly''s own expertise in the arts of deception and avoidance should be enough to make sure she''s always one step ahead of Geoffrey''s disastrous, crumbling family. But time and again she finds herself staying, brought down by their cowardly backsliding and their barefaced lies. How has she managed to stay so long in a relationship she knows perfectly well has to be doomed? More importantly, how can Tilly plan her permanent escape?

Built for Guided Reading at Key Stage 2

Harry is in trouble. He''s burned down the family kitchen so now has to spend a week of his summer hols with his uncle Tristram - who''s heading off to stay with a new girlfriend - Morning Glory - on a tiny British island. Harry doesn''t expect it to be a lot of fun - with just a wacky competition at the end of the week to look forward to. He certainly didn''t expect to discover all the beards. Or the angel on the mountain. Or the helicopters circling overhead all week. And he definitely didn''t think it would be so wet . . .

In a hot, faraway land, two baby boys are born under the same silver moon: Haroun, the son of the sultan, and Akil, the son of the gardener. As children they play together until one day Haroun has to learn princely ways. But when he suffers pains that no doctor can cure, can Akil help him find a magic key to good health?

Lulu¡s intolerable. From the outset she wormed her way into the affections of her stepmother and, with spite as her principal hobby, spent every childhood moment trying to undermine poor Geraldine, her dumpy and hardworking stepsister. Now she''s an adult: sexy, long-legged - and ruthless. Jobs, lovers, fashionable clothes: Lulu picks any and all at whim and drops them with equal ease, all the while confident that Geraldine and her faithfully supportive husband, Robert, will bail her out of every passing problem. But not even watchful Robert has realised quite how much Geraldine''s exemplary patience has rested on one simple but long-lasting assumption about her own family. Could everything be about to change...?

So go on, ask me. �Dear, dear Tuffy. Why was your Christmas so horrible?� Well. I couldn�t climb the tree. I couldn�t touch the dangly decorations. And Ellie made me part of her sing-along Christmas performance. Horrible, horrible, horrible! But I showed them. I was Tuffy the Acting Cat, superstar. How was I supposed to know things would get so . . . messy?

''Okay, okay. So slap my teensy little paws. I messed up - big time.'' Tuffy can''t wait for Ellie and the family to go away on holiday. He and the gang plan to ignore the grumpy new cat-sitter, and run wild all night. But could that furry bundle, suddenly flying through the air, put a stop to all the fun?

''Okay, okay. So stick my head in a holly bush . . .'' Tuffy, the Killer Cat, knows what he likes. And he isn''t loving the ''art'' that Ellie''s mum brings home from her new class! So what''s a cat to do . . . Mischief and mayhem rule in Anne Fine''s brilliant new story, with hilarious illustrations by Steve Cox throughout. Perfect for developing readers aged 5�7.

Ian’s best friend, Stolly, is up on cloud nine. He’s in the hospital, unconscious, and hooked up to machines. The question Ian is trying to answer is: How did Stolly end up there? In a way, Stolly’s always been on cloud nine, living life by his own rules and making those rules up as he goes along. His parents’ careers have them constantly rushing around, so Ian’s family has all but adopted Stolly. That’s why it’s up to Ian to figure out what happened to his best friend. But once the pieces start coming together, the answer doesn’t seem to make any sense.

In school, Yuri is taught that the revolution liberated his country. He learns how the new leaders are always working for the greater good. But the truth is that life for his family and those around him is a brutal, poverty-stricken struggle. The government does nothing except punish those who protest. And one day, to his shock and horror, Yuri himself is branded an “enemy of the state” simply for dropping a few careless words. In an author’s note, Anne Fine describes The Road of Bones as an adventure-escape story set in “a sort-of Russia, in a sort-of 1930s, under a Stalin-type leader.” This chilling political thriller follows the frantic footsteps of a teenager on the run, a criminal who hasn’t committed a crime, a young man on a path to discovering the truth about how far he will go in order to survive.

It was my birthday. How was I supposed to know it wouldn''t be the only party around town on that dark and dreary Halloween night? So things ended up in a bit of a mess. (Well, more than a mess, really. A complete disaster.) But it was not my fault so don''t blame me... Another laugh-out-loud Killer Cat adventure, by the award-winning and celebrated Anne Fine. Perfect for readers of 5+.

Best friends Jamie and his toy Highland bull Angus tackle a lively playmate, become muddled by a pretend game, and discover that playing is not fun unless they are doing it together.