Most Popular Books by Daniel Pennac

Think of a cross between Diva and Delicatessen, set within the literary intrigue of a publishing house and the multiracial exuberance of low-life Paris, and you will be somewhere near the world of Pennac''s Belleville quarter.

Manuel Pereira da Ponte Martins, beloved dictator of the state of Teresina in Brazil, develops agoraphobia the day a fortune-teller predicts he will die being torn limb from limb by an angry mob. His life becomes unbearable and he decides to hire a double to stand in while he set off to enjoy himself in the fleshpots of Europe. A few years later, the barber-turned-dictator also grows tired of running the country and employs the same trick as his predecessor to leave for Hollywood. On the boat there, he introduces himself as Charlie Chaplin. But everyone is convinced that he is none other than Rudolph Valentino disguised as Chaplin. When he arrives in New York, both the real actors are waiting for him. Back in Teresina, the doubles follow one another, fooling the people with ease. When Pereira comes back, he is astonished to discover that his stand-in doesn t look anything like him and reacts in a way that can only precipitate his meeting with fate."

Rescued from certain death by a kindly dog at the city dump, an abandoned puppy grows up fending for himself until he finds a home with a willful little girl.

Daniel Pennac has never forgotten what it was like to be a very unsatisfactory student, nor the day one of his teachers saved his life by assigning him the task of writing a novel. This was the moment Pennac realized that no-one has to be a failure for ever. In School Blues, Pennac explores the many facets of schooling: how fear makes children reject education; how children can be captivated by inventive thinking; how consumerism has altered attitudes to learning. Haunted by memories of his own turbulent time in the classroom, Pennac enacts dialogues with his teachers, his parents and his own students, and serves up much more than a bald analysis of how young people are consistently failed by a faltering system. School Blues is not only universally applicable, but it is unquestionably a work of literature in its own right, driven by subtlety, sensitivity and a passion for pedagogy, while embracing the realities of contemporary culture.

Benjamin Malaussène and family are far from happy when his fortune teller younger sister Thérèse marries the aristocratic Count Marie-Colbert de Roberval at a televised wedding – a ceremony from which Marie-Colbert has unceremoniously banned the madcap Malaussène clan. Two days later, Thérèse turns up in Paris’s Belleville quarter back early from their honeymoon, only to narrowly escape death as her fairground caravan is mysteriously torched to the ground. When that same day his sister Thérèse’s husband is found dead at the foot of his luxury apartment’s stairwell, Benjamin Malaussène, professional scapegoat, packs his bags ready for the police to haul him off. Only it’s Thérèse the police arrest when she refuses to disclose her whereabouts the night of her husband’s murder. Without her alibi – which might have something to do with her sudden pregnancy – it’s over to Benjamin to save the day. Family and friends join forces to leave no corner of Paris unturned in their search for the true culprit.

A comedy on a public relations man in a department store in Paris whose job is to mollify angry customers. Benjamin Malaussene is doing splendid work until the store is bombed and people die, whereupon he becomes a suspect.

From a particularly humiliating accident at scout camp, to the final stages of terminal illness, Daniel Pennac''s warm, witty and heart-breaking novel shows the rise and fall of an ordinary man, told through his observations of his own body. It is with damp eyes (not to mention underpants) that our narrator begins his diary, seeking through it to come to terms with the demoralising quirks of his fleshy confines. Through the joys and horrors of puberty to the triumphs of adolescence, we grow to love him through every growth, leak and wound, as he finds himself developing muscles, falling in love, and then leaving school to join the French Resistance. Yet, as ever, this is only half the story. As years pass and hairs grey, everything he took for granted begins to turn against him. Tackling taboo topics with honesty and charm, Pennac''s wit remains sharp even as everything else begins to sag. This is a hugely original story of the most relatable of unlikely love stories: a human, and the body that defines him.

A policeman on a mission of mercy is shot dead at point-blank range by a sweet granny on a frosty morning. The neighbourhood, Paris''s bubbling Belleville quarter, is already in uproar, because half a dozen other grannies have been found with their shrivelled throats slit. Into this tense situation stumbles Benjamin Malaussene, with his overly complicated life: his multitude of dependant siblings, their fecund and scatty mother, his stinking epileptic dog, Julius, and his journalist lover Julie, who would dearly like to keep all these complications to a minimum. Benjamin''s unusual profession - that of a scapegoat in a publishing house - makes him the ideal person to be framed for just about everything, and he is. Meanwhile, two policemen are putting their all into solving the case: Van Thian, a cop ingeniously disguised, and his cherubic partner Pastor. The criminal galaxy explodes (not to mention the Paris police force) when the anarchic worlds of Benjamin, Julie, Thian, Pastor and the whole of Belleville finally collide.

"Anyone who loves to read and wants our young people to develop a similar passion will savor" Better than Life "- an enchanting, beautifully written, and wise book."--Regie Routman An essential guide to helping children discover the pleasures of reading! In "Better than Life," Daniel Pennac shares the secrets that all book lovers treasure. Delving into his experiences as a parent, a writer and a teacher, he asks, how does the love of reading begin? How is it lost? And how can it be regained? This remarkable book explores simple ways to create a life-long devotion to reading: how reading aloud can ensure that a love of books beginswhy it is important that children develop a private relationship with bookswhat "The Reader''s Bill of Rights" can do to guarantee children value reading This book reads like a novel with gripping anecdotes from literature and fresh insights into creating and nurturing enthusiastic readers.

After their umpteenth defeat at Lucky Luke’s hands, the Dalton brothers get into a big argument that ends with the four of them splitting up. They make a deal: Whoever is first to get a million dollars will be the leader of the gang. Going their separate ways, trying various schemes, each spreads his own kind of mayhem, forcing poor Lucky Luke to do four times the work to keep up with their antics !

It’s the start of the 1860s, and the Old West is changing—a change that comes as a shock to the Daltons when they’re arrested not by Lucky Luke, but by... Allan Pinkerton! The man is determined to turn bandit-hunting into a modern, rational business—even at the cost of the American people’s personal freedom. It’ll be up to Lucky Luke to ensure that the USA is protected against all evil-doers, rascals and lawmen alike...

Born worlds apart, a wolf from Alaska and a boy from Africa share their extraordinary stories in this magical tale from master storyteller Daniel Pennac, translated by awardwinning translator Sarah Adams. The wolf has lost nearly everyhting on his journey to the zoo - including his eye and his beloved pack. The boy has lost nearly everything too, and seen many terrible things. As they face each other on either side of the wolf''s enclosure they share their stories in this captivating, mysterious and utterly unforgettable tale.

Analyse : Roman d''humour. Roman policier (énigme).

Jean and Germaine are the most affable couple the little village of Colle sur Loup has ever seen. A duke married to a commoner, they have no children, no jobs, and are disastrous cooks! They like to indulge in life''s small pleasures; their books, their garden, and their after-lunch naps. They live for each other, and for their love. Their simple happiness intrigues, fascinates, infuriates and is the envy of all those around them. Daniel Pennac knew Jean and Germaine well. He spent his time at their house reading, watching, learning, and, of course, trying Germaine''s catastrophic efforts in the kitchen! He''s now taken it upon himself to tell the story of those happy days, and of a love that has always captivated him.

In this sprawling novel, which brings the highly-acclaimed Belleville Quintet to a close, Pennac has allowed his unique imagination to run riot. The result is a huge cast of unforgettable characters in a slick and funny thriller.

"Joyful ode to reading...quirky, playful sketches to complement the author''s engaging prose. Passionate and witty." — Booklist First published in 1992, Daniel Pennac''s quirky ode to reading has sold more than a million copies in his native France. Drawing on his experiences as a child, a parent, and an inner-city teacher in Paris, the author reflects on the power of story and reminds us of our right to read anything, anywhere, anytime, so long as we are enjoying ourselves. In this translation with a foreword and illustrations by Quentin Blake, here is a guide to reading unlike any other: fresh, sympathetic, and never didactic, it is a work of literature in its own right.

« La plupart de mes amis deviennent personnages dans mes romans. Mais cet assassin que j''ai imaginé sans le connaître, mon épouvantable assassin, d''où vient-il, lui ? »--Quatrième de couverture