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.

Timeless and humorous illustrated stories about childhood by the former Children''s Laureate. When Jamie sets eyes on Angus he knows they will be the best of friends. On Christmas morning, they''re finally united and soon the toy Highland bull is Jamie''s constant companion. Jamie and Angus. Angus and Jamie.

A classic children''s story from one of our best-loved authors, former Children''s Laureate Anne Fine. Lancelot''s lovely teacher, Miss Mirabelle, is in big trouble. She''s told a giant whopper and unless she can come up with a brilliant plan, she''s going to look very, very silly. Can Lancelot help this damsel in distress? Little does he know that Ivan will leave a lasting influence, and that he himself will never enjoy listening to nursery rhymes ever again ... 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 classic children''s story from one of our best-loved authors, former Children''s Laureate Anne Fine. The Modern Classics edition features new illustrations and bonus material. Bill Simpson wakes up to find he''s a girl, and worse, his mother makes him wear a frilly pink dress to school. How on earth is he going to survive a whole day like this? Everything just seems to be different for girls ... Perfect for readers aged 7 years and up and fans of The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams. 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.

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, this dark and gripping novel tells the tragic story of a smart, sweet child poisoned by circumstance as he struggles to escape the horrors of his childhood. Edward is four years old when he is locked away with his mother by her abusive, alcoholic partner, Harris. By the time an elderly neighbor spots his pale face peering through a crack in the boarded-up window and raises the alarm, he is seven. Rescue comes, but lasting damage has been done. Sent to live with a kind foster family, and then adopted, Edward struggles to adapt to normal life. Even as a smart and curious teenager it’s still clear to his new family and schoolmates there’s something odd about him. Then in a science museum, Edward sees an image that shocks him to the core and robs him of his hard won sense of safety. Can anyone’s past truly be left behind? And could it be that, deep down, another Harris is waiting to break out?

Indipendente e sornione, egoista e combina guai, acuto osservatore del mondo, il nostro Gatto Killer sostiene «che i gatti non hanno proprietari, ma devoti amici adoranti, pronti a offrire loro buon cibo, una casa calda e accogliente... ma poche moine per carità, “non siamo un cuscino...”». Tuffy non ha tempo da perdere con l’amore, che considera roba da mammolette! Da quando però l’affascinante Coco, la prima gatta ad avergli fatto battere il cuore ritorna nel quartiere, il nostro gatto killer farebbe di tutto per conquistarla. Peccato che abbia appena scommesso con Tigro che non si sarebbe mai più innamorato... Questa volta sono l’amore e la gelosia a cacciare nei guai il gatto killer, in un’avventura ad alto tasso di dispetti, sputi e... batticuore!

Virgindade: tem gente que se apega a ela, e tem gente que não vê a hora de perdê-la. A primeira experiência sexual é única e tão variada quanto se pode imaginar. Nestes oito contos, tudo gira em torno da primeira vez. Com ajuda da ficção, Melvin Burgess, Anne Fine, Mary Hooper, Sophie McKenzie, Patrick Ness, Bali Rai, Jenny Valentine e Keith Gray – oito dos mais célebres autores juvenis da atualidade – contam histórias de adolescentes que estão encarando este momento inesquecível. Tem ansiedade? Tem. Falta de jeito? Também. Timidez, vergonha, medo? Claro que sim. Prazer, alívio, decepção: como não? Sem papo furado, sem lições de moral, sem pretensões: A primeira vez é um livro para curtir, sem culpa, a aventura que é perder a virgindade.

Back cover: "Vicente Martín llega a una nueva escuela. Sus compañeros son muy amables. La señorita Encarnita no se ha aprendido su nombre pero le asigna como compañero de proyecto a Javi Pastor, un misterio de niño: puede hacer una maqueta irrompible pero no puede escribir decentemente."

1914: war has broken out across Europe and beyond. Nothing will ever be the same again for those caught up in the conflict. This collection of short stories explores how the First World War changed and shaped the lives of women forever. A courageous nurse risks her life on the Front Line; a young woman uncovers a spy in wartime London; and a grief-stricken sister comes to understand the heroism and sacrifice of the forgotten Indian soldiers. Through these and other tales, War Girls presents a moving portrait of loss and grief, and of hope overcoming terrible odds. Cover art by Garry Walton

Tuffy n’est vraiment pas un chat fréquentable : il a mauvais caractère, adore martyriser les oiseaux et rentre très souvent avec une victime animale entre les dents, ce qui ne manque jamais de faire fondre en larmes sa jeune maîtresse Ellie. Si bien que quand il revient avec le lapin des voisins, mort, entre les pattes, il est immédiatement accusé... mais n’a pas les mots pour donner sa version des faits ! Voici son journal, qui nous dévoile tout de la psychologie de ce chat assassin.

Will ha due sorelle: la piccola Muffy, un innocente gnometto in tutina gialla, ed Estelle, una strega urlante, pungente come una sparachiodi, che si veste come la fiu00adglia di Dracula e ha trasformato la casa in un campo di battaglia...

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

Once best friends, always best friends. That''s the way it is with Jamie and his toy Highland bull, Angus. In this collection of six stories the pair tackle a lively playmate, get muddled by a pretend game, and discover that playing isn''t fun unless they are doing it together.

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.

Everyone loves the wickedly dry sense of humour of The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine. Okay, Okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity''s sake, I''m a cat. 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 as told by the killer cat himself. ''Anne Fine knows how to make readers laugh'' Guardian Anne Fine has written numerous highly acclaimed and prize-winning books for children and adults. The Tulip Touch won the Whitbread Children''s Book of the Year Award; Goggle-Eyes won the Guardian Children''s Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal; Flour Babies won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children''s Book of the Year; and Bill''s New Frock won a Smarties Prize. Anne Fine was named Children''s Laureate in 2001 and was awarded an OBE in 2003.

''I hate Frozen Billy - his painted, staring wooden eyes, the way his eyelids click when Uncle Len pulls a string, his long thin legs and his bright red wooden mouth . . . '' Clarrie and Will live with their Uncle Len - a brilliant ventriloquist in the nearby music hall. But though Len loves his act almost as much as he loves his beer, Top Billing is out of his grasp until Will thinks up a way to double the drama with a new act and some extraordinary new patter that he and Frozen Billy can share on stage. It''s a grand idea, hatched in hope and excitement. But, to Clarrie''s horror, soon it begins to turn terribly sour . . . Anne Fine''s novel combines her trademark humour, engaging characters and flawless prose to produce a spooky adventure set in the late-Victorian world of the music hall.

A classic children''s story from one of our best-loved authors, former Children''s Laureate Anne Fine. Chester Howard can see Joe''s project ''How to Write Neatly'' can only be a disaster. Joe makes a terrible mess of his work, jumbling letters and numbers up together. But a project called ''How to Write Really Badly'' - now there''s something Joe can do better than anyone else. And Chester is about to find there''s a lot more to Joe than he expected . . . 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.

''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?

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.

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 7+.

''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.

je lance à la mère d''Ellie mon regard le plus noir. Car, non contente de me prendre en photo sous mon plus mauvais profil, elle décide maintenant d''utiliser mon portrait, oui vous avez bien entendu ! mon portrait, à sa propre gloire. je serai sa première œuvre dans son tout nouveau cours d''arts plastiques. Mais que croit-elle donc ? je ne vais pas me laisser ridiculiser aussi facilement. D''autant que le tableau est accroché juste au-dessus du canapé, là où tout le monde peut l''admirer. Et là où je pourrais l''atteindre

Everyone knows the story of Christmas. Decking the halls with boughs of holly. Hanging stockings by the chimney with care. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Then there’s the true story of Christmas. And Ralph Mountfield is smack in the middle of it. Great Granny’s crustier than ever. Grandpa’s singing to the dog. Great Aunt Ida is completely crackers. Uncle Tristam’s giving out bricks. The cousins are whining and throwing tantrums. Mum’s looking for Dad. Dad’s looking for aspirin. And Ralph is looking to stay out of trouble. But when a Christmas Quiz brings out some hidden truths, trouble is exactly what Ralph finds. It’s anything but a silent, holy night for the Mountfield family! From the Hardcover edition.