New Releases by James Riordan

Vova is a fifteen year old boy living in Kiev. His first love is playing football, but when the Nazis invade the Ukraine in 1941, priorities change, and Vova and his sister join the partisans, to attempt to fight the enemy. Soon Vova is given the chance to play football again, but in a gamewith very high stakes - if Vova''s team win, they will be shot. Vova and his team have to decide whether to disgrace their country and lose the game, or whether to win - and die.* Match of Death is based on actual events that took place during the Second World War.* James Riordan undertook extensive research, travelling to Kiev to interview the sons of those who took part in the match.

Tom feels out of place. He''s attracted to boys, not girls, and he''s a promising cellist, which the school bullies see as a reason to pick on him. The story follows him through his adolescence, as he becomes more aware of his sexuality, and more commited to his music. This is set against the background of a rising tide of hysteria on Tom''s estate and a witchhunt against suspected paedophiles. Through it all, Tom moves towards a satisfying resolution.

An experienced bereavement counselor draws on the many different teachings and practices of both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions as he explores profound questions about death and bereavement.

Looks at the World War II events surrounding the Dunkirk Evacuation in occupied France through the story of Marie, a young girl who, along with her mother, finds herself caring for two injured soldiers--one English and the other German.

Written to combat the influence of the occult on today''s kids, these compelling stories show the reality of spiritual warfare. As Rebecca and her brother, Scott, discover the danger in the occult''s deceptive practices, they learn to put their trust in God''s truths.

Maybe The Scream isn''t really out of control at all. Maybe the band is very much under control of someone--or something--that is undeniably evil.

Written to combat the influence of the occult on today''s kids, these compelling stories show the reality of spiritual warfare. As Rebecca and her brother, Scott, discover the danger in the occult''s deceptive practices, they learn to put their trust in God''s truths. Becka and Scott travel to Louisiana to try to help a girl caught up in voodoo, and find their own lives in danger.

The Great War is raging in France and for girls like Florence and Dorothy it''s a liberating time ...but also a dangerous one. As Dorothy risks her life working in the local munitions factory, Florence dreams of becoming a nurse - but when her wish comes true and she heads off to France to nurse the soldiers, she realizes that her dream is actually a living nightmare. But Dorothy is determined to help as many soldiers as she can, no matter what side they''re on, and if she can''t, she''ll die trying ...This outstanding story is full of raw emotion and a real sense of the enormous hardship faced by men and women during the First World War.

Jack Loveless attempts to avert his grandson''s questions about his role in World War I by taking him to visit the battlefield graveyards in France. While there he meets a German soldier from the past and vividly remembers the Christmas truce, a miraculous moment when the guns fell silent and horrors of war were temporarily forgotten in a football match. Suggested level: secondary.

Like nothing else, sport today is international. So this book of stories and poems contains a wide range of games played in all English-speaking countries: ice hockey as well as swimming and wrestling, baseball as well as soccer and boxing, cricket as well as fishing and ice dancing, gymnastics as well and running and basketball.All the poems and three of the stories are written by women. Some pit women against men, in swimming and pool. Some pose problems that women face in playing the game according to rules written by men. Some suggest the power and solidarity that sport can give women.The authors come from Britain and Canada, the USA, and the West Indies. They include such well-known writers as Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Alan Stilltoe, Margaret Atwood, Barry Hines, and Damon Runyan.

Out of the hundreds of wars that ravaged the twentieth century, the three wars covered in this book were the longest and blackest. In total they lasted 20 years and killed nearly 100,000,000 people. The writers in this collection of stories and poems are friend and foe - British and German, Russian and American. The first story is from All Quiet on the Western Front by the German Erich Maria Remarque, perhaps the most moving war novel ever written. Other writers - Russian, German, and English - convey in verse the tragedy and waste of the ''Great War''. The six British Children''s writers write about World War II - Robert Westall and Robert Swindells on the ''home'' war, Michael Morpugo about a ''war horse'', Jill Paton Walsh on the war at sea, and Ian Serraillier and Anne Hohn on refugees in occupied Europe. Young girls - Anne Frank and Tatiana Vassieleva - provide war diaries. Since 1945 no one has suffered as much as the people of Vietnam. In her moving story Rachel Anderson shows not only a nation''s suffering but how war can brutalise soldiers. Finally, the women''s poems on the two world wars show that war is a woman''s affair as well as a man''s.

The story of Martin Luther King Jr.

Marmaduke the tabby cat goes on a search for his long-lost relative. When Marmaduke the tabby cat discovers a picture of a tiger, he decides they must be related. After all, they both have yellow eyes and stripes! Marmaduke boasts about his new relative to all his cat friends, who are very impressed. They decide to visit the zoo to meet his new relative--face to face. Readers of all ages will love James Riordan''s easy-to-read text and the colorful torn-paper illustrations from Alex Ayliffe that bring Marmaduke and his friends to life.

These retellings of the ancient Greek legends recreate the labours of Zeus'' much-loved son and mythology''s mightiest hero. Illustrations including a map of the sites of Hercules'' 12 labours accompany the text.

Having wandered into the woods and encountered a den of hungry foxes, Little Bunny Bobkin uses his counting skills to escape and return home.

The Magical Myths series re-tell classic single story myths using colourful illustrations to bring the characters to life. Each title includes an introductory spread providing additional background information, putting the myth into a historical context for young readers.

The Historical Storybook series uses the popular storybook format to present historical events, facts and personalities in an accessible story form for young readers. The series aims to develop children''s awareness of the past and encourage an interest in events and people from history, while providing a resource for KS2 of the National Curriculum and the teaching of literacy.

Folklore from around the world tells tales of the heavenly bodies.

This exciting collection is filled with adventure and wonder, generous sea spirits and horrible underwater monsters, and daring boys and girls. Characters sail, swim, and even ride whales to cross the ocean, learning the secrets of the wind and currents that rule the surface and hidden depths. The stories come from Celtic, Finnish, Maori and Native American cultures, from Senegal Vietnam, Siberia. Denmark (The Little Mermaid), and Egypt (Sinbad the Sailor). Whether read aloud or independently, they are sure to provide hours of entertainment.

Hercules, son of the god Zeus and a mortal woman, renowned for his great strength, performs twelve dangerous tasks to atone for an attack on his wife and children.

Introduces, in text and illustrations, the various characters that inhabit the world of Narnia and sets them in the context of the Narnia stories; also includes an outline of Narnian history.

A collection of legends and folklore about Native Americans.

Capture children''s interest in ancient civilizations with these faithful retellings of classic Greek tales, lavishly illustrated by and award-winning artist.

The first biography of the highly acclaimed, often controversial director, based on material from his family, filmmaking colleagues, and Stone himself, reveals the sensational story of the filmmaker and his professional achievements. Reprint.