New Release Books by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Brilliantly entertaining & thought provoking . . . I am in total awe.' David Walliams 'Proper, sparkly, witty, enticing storytelling . . . It's perfect.' Hilary McKay Packed with mystery, adventure and laughs, Noah's Gold is the exciting novel from the bestselling, multi-award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic, Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Fully illustrated in black and white throughout by Steven Lenton, this is perfect for readers of 9+. Being the smallest doesn't stop you having the biggest ideas. Eleven-year old Noah sneaks along on his big sister's geography field trip. Everything goes wrong! Six kids are marooned on an uninhabited island. Their teacher has vanished. They're hungry. Their phones don't work and Noah has broken the internet. There's no way of contacting home . . . Disaster! Until Noah discovers a treasure map and the gang goes in search of gold. 'A writer of comic genius - he has something of Roald Dahl’s magic, but more heart' – Sunday Telegraph 'Joyous writing. Wonderful characters. Authentic humour. Heart & soul. So Much Fun. And, oh, the dialogue! Just love it! Pure class' Jenny Pearson, author of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates

A hilarious comedy caper from Frank Cottrell-Boyce, now in a standard paperback format for middle-grade readers.

The unforgotten coat belongs to Chingis, one of two Mongolian brothers Julie knew as a child. As she tries to help them make sense of their new, unfamiliar surroundings, the brothers speak of their fear of a demon that makes people vanish. Slowly, Julie learns the painful truth behind this very real threat.

A Bible Study book for individuals or groups, which explores how the Bible today can help us better to understand themes of forgiveness. Why should we forgive? What if the subject of our forgiveness is underserving? What is Jesus' scandal of grace? What difference will being able to forgive make to our lives? Forgiveness is part of the all new series, How the Bible can Help us Understand. These short books are aimed at ordinary people committed in their faith and wanting to live Christianly, but not brought up in a Bible-studying tradition. They prompt intelligent thought, reflection and guidance on issues that really matter to people, using illustrations from life and popular culture as well as studies of Bible passages. They are not 'The Bible has all the answers', but 'How can the Bible contribute to my understanding?'.

How are great turning points in history experienced by individuals? As Britain pulls away from Europe great British writers come together to give voice to their innermost feelings. These writers include novelists, writers of books for children, of comic books, humourists, historians, biographers, nature writers, film writers, travel writers, writers young and old and from an extraordinary range of backgrounds. Most are famous perhaps because they have won the Booker or other literary prizes, written bestsellers, changed the face of popular culture or sold millions of records. Others are not yet household names but write with depth of insight and feeling. There is some extraordinary writing in this book. Some of these pieces are expressions of love of particular places in Europe. Some are true stories, some nostalgic, some hopeful. Some are cries of pain. There are hilarious pieces. There are cries of pain and regret. Some pieces are quietly devastating. All are passionate. Conceived as a love letter to Europe, this book may also help reawaken love for Britain. It shows the unique richness and diversity of British cultures, a multitude of voices in harmony. Contributors include: Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Philip Ardagh, Jake Arnott, Patricia Atkinson, Paul Atterbury, Richard Beard, Mary Beard, Don Boyd, Melvyn Bragg, Gyles Brandreth, Kathleen Burke, James Buxton, Philip Carr, Brian Catling, Shami Chakrabarti, Chris Cleave, Mark Cocker, Peter Conradi , Heather Cooper, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Roger Crowley, David Crystal, William Dalrymple, Lindsey Davies, Margaret Drabble, Mark Ellen, Richard Evans, Michel Faber, Sebastian Faulks, Ranulph Fiennes, Robert Fox, James Fox, Neil Gaiman, Evelyn Glennie, James Hanning, Nick Hayes, Alan Hollinghurst, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Will Hutton, Robert Irwin, Holly Johnson , Liane Jones, Ruth Jones, Sam Jordison, Kapka Kassabova, AL Kennedy, Hermione Lee, Prue Leith, Patrick Lenox, Roger Lewis, David Lindo, Penelope Lively, Beth Lync, Richard Mabey, Sue MacGregor, Ian Martin, Frank McDonough, Jonathan Meades, Andrew Miller, Deborah Moggach, Ben Moor, Alan Moore, Paul Morley, Jackie Morris, Charles Nicholl, Richard Overy, Chris Riddell, Adam Roberts, Tony Robinson, Lee Rourke, Sophie Sabbage, Marcus Sedgwick, Richard Shirreff, Paul Stanford, Isy Suttie, Sandi Toksvig, Colin Tudge, Ed Vulliamy, Anna Whitelock, Kate Williams, Michael Wood, Louisa Young

A one-of-a-kind story of heart, humor, and finding one’s place in the universe. Prez knows that the best way to keep track of things is to make a list. That's important when you have a grandfather who is constantly forgetting. And it's even more important when your grandfather can't care for you anymore and you have to go live with a foster family out in the country. Prez is still learning to fit in at his new home when he answers the door to meet Sputnik—a kid who is more than a little strange. First, he can hear what Prez is thinking. Second, he looks like a dog to everyone except Prez. Third, he can manipulate the laws of space and time. Sputnik, it turns out is an alien, and he's got a mission that requires Prez's help: the Earth has been marked for destruction, and the only way they can stop it is to come up with ten reasons why the planet should be saved. Thus begins one of the most fun and eventful summers of Prez's life, as he and Sputnik set out on a journey to compile the most important list Prez has ever made—and discover just what makes our world so remarkable.

Visiting her GP one day, a bored house wife is asked if she would like to 'sell' a proportion of her time - a fraction of her every, waking hour - to anonymous investors... The discovery of mysterious reels of celluloid in a Hollywood basement allows viewers to watch classic films starring decrepit, 100-year-old versions of their once-young stars... An avid player of the Sims computer game realises too late that her boyfriend's family isn't quite as it appears... Frank Cottrell Boyce's debut collection performs feat after feat of high-wire, narrative acrobats, like a gravity-defying trapeze artist moving effortlessly between surrealism, metaphysical drama, science fiction, and contemporary pop culture. Drawing on influences as disparate as Stanislaw Lem, Nikolai Gogol, and Roald Dahl, Boyce lures us into a hall of mirrors, where each character is an illusion, every plot line turned inside-out. Mario Balotelli meets King Arthur's knights; the Cottingley Fairies get a genetically engineered makeover; shoppers at a branch of Tesco's barricade themselves in when they realize that the entire world's currency has just lost all its meaning...

From Frank Cottrell Boyce—the beloved, award-winning, New York Times–bestselling author of Millions and Cosmic—comes another hilarious, heartbreaking, and completely original middle grade novel. Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for anything. That sort of planning pays off when you’re the smallest kid in your class. Rory is even prepared (mostly) for Tommy-Lee, his nemesis, who starts most days by throwing Rory out of the back of the school bus. Don’t be scared, his favorite book says, be prepared. And Rory aims to be. What’s more heroic than that? But Rory isn’t prepared when he suddenly and inexplicably turns green and finds himself stuck in an experimental hospital ward. The doctors are just as baffled as Rory is, and that’s when he begins to wonder: What if this isn’t caused by his genes, or a virus, or something he ate? What if it’s something even more extraordinary? After all, more than a few superheroes’ careers began when they turned green. Could this be a sign that he’s meant for something greater? Rory is going to find out—and that’s going to start with escaping from the hospital.

From the award-winning Frank Cottrell Boyce comes the third official sequel to Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Tootings are stuck in 1966! Somebody’s stolen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and left them behind. But that’s not their biggest problem. Their biggest problem is that Little Harry’s been kidnapped by whoever stole their magical car. There’s only one solution: the Tootings must find the Potts — the family that originally built Chitty. Sharing their combined knowledge of how Chitty works, the families may stand a chance of rescuing Little Harry and finding the most brilliant car in the world. But a fiendish criminal has different plans, ones that involve flying Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to the moon and putting an explosive scheme into action.

We know Stanislaw Lem, whether or not we consciously know that we do. He may only be recognised in the West as the author of the twice-filmed novel, Solaris, but the influence of his other work is legion. From computer games (The Sims was inspired by one of his short stories), to films (the red and blue pills of The Matrix owe much to his Futurological Congress); from the space comedies of Red Dwarf to the metaphysical satires of Douglas Adams... the presence of this masterly Polish writer can be traced far and wide. Nor was his genius confined to fiction. Lem's essays and pseudo-essays borne out of the military industrial tensions of the Cold War have outlived their original context and speak to the most current developments in virtual reality, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. To celebrate his name, as well as his vision, this anthology brings together writers, critics and scientists who continue to grapple with his concerns. British and Polish novelists join screenwriters, poets, computer engineers, and artists, to celebrate and explore Lem's legacy through short stories and essays - two literary forms that, as Lem knew well, can blend together to create something altogether new. As one of the barriers to Lem's fame was language, this book also features specially commissioned translations: three stories never to have appeared in English before. Lem was always ahead of us. It's time we caught up.

'Highly engaging and fascinating... this thought-provoking collection reminded me why I used to like science fiction so much... Eventually, one hopes, science fiction will regain its rightful place - as once again stranger than science.' - The Guardian, 20 Dec 09. 'All hit, no miss... thought-provoking at worst, and stunning at best... shows that science can inspire anyone and everyone.' – New Scientist, 5 Dec 09. 'Inspiring' – THE, 19 Nov 09. 'A diamond of compression.' – Financial Times, 20 Dec 09. When It Changed is an attempt to put authors and scientists back in touch with each other, to re-introduce research ideas with literary concerns, and to re-forge the alloy that once made SF great. Composed collaboratively – through a series of visits and conversations between leading authors and practicing scientists – it offers fictionalised glimpses into the far corners of current research fields, be they in nanotechnology, invertebrate physiology, particle physics, or software archaeology. From Planck's Length (the smallest indivisible distance) to Plankton (potential saviours of the Earth's ecosystem), from virtual encounters between Witgenstein and Turing, to future civilisations torn asunder by different readings of the Standard Model, together these stories represent a literary 'experiment' in the true sense of the word, and endeavour to isolate a whole new strain of the SF bug. * * Featuring Sara Maitland's 'Moss Witch' - Runner Up in the BBC National Short Story Prize 2009.* *

Rollercoasters Book Boxes will help broaden you KS3 students' reading, understanding and enjoyment of contemporary and classic fiction. These themed collections will introduce students to a range of literary forms, genres, authors and titles. This adventure themed collection includes 3 each of the following titles: Tiger Wars by Steve Backshall, The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray, Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones and Trash by AndyMulligan

George is a self-confessed social reject who spends more time with his Warhammer figures than actual people - but when he's given a bottle of aftershave called 'Desirable', women can't resist him How will he cope with his new-found popularity? And what will happen if the magic wears off?

The Tootings plan to go home, but they accidentally send themselves back to the Jurassic Age, and after being chased by a T-rex they head to Prohibition-era New York where Chitty enters a race to the lost city of El Dorado and back again.

Buckle your seatbelt for the first-ever follow up to Ian Fleming's only children's story. When the Tooting family finds an old engine and fits it to their camper van, they have no idea what kind of adventure lies ahead. The engine used to belong to an extraordinary car . . . and it wants its bodywork back! But as the Tootings hurtle across the world rebuilding the original Chitty, a sinister baddie is on their trail — one who will stop at nothing to get the magnificent car for himself. Fueled by wry humor , this much-anticipated sequel to the children’s classic by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond — fe aturing a contemporary family and a camper van with a mind of its own — is driven by best-selling, award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce and revved up by Joe Berger’s black-and-white illustrations.

Two refugee brothers from Mongolia are determined to fit in with their Liverpool schoolmates, but bring so much of Mongolia to Bootle that their new friend and guide, Julie, is hard-pressed to know truth from fantasy.

This play follows the highly entertaining adventures of two brothers who discover an enormous bag of money when a robbery goes wrong.

Liam has always felt a bit like he's stuck between two worlds. This isprimarily because he's a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he's about thirty. Sometimes it's not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it's just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It's not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again—only this time he's 239,000 miles from home. Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Framed, brings us a funny and touching story of the many ways in which grown-upness is truly wasted on grown-ups.