New Releases by Joseph Delaney

The Spook''s Mistake is the fifth book in Joseph Delaney''s terrifying Wardstone Chronicles - over 3 million copies sold worldwide! ''The moment of danger is close. Very soon our enemies will be here.'' The Spook has sent his apprentice, Tom, to be trained by another Spook whose methods are harsh and tough. But faced with a powerful water witch, Bill makes a fatal error, leaving Tom to face his enemies alone. Can the Spook get there in time to save his apprentice? Or will his own mistakes give final victory to the dark?

The Spook''s Nightmare is the seventh book in Joseph Delaney''s terrifying Wardstone Chronicles - over 3 million copies sold worldwide! ''I stood there, terrified. My master was about to die.'' The County is facing dark times, and the Spook is being haunted by terrifying dreams. With his precious library burned to the ground and his old enemy, Bony Lizzie, free once again, things are falling apart. As nightmares turn real, the Spook''s powers seem to be waning just when he needs them the most. Can Tom, the Spook''s apprentice, face the dark alone?

The twelfth volume in the Last Apprentice series, the internationally bestselling fantasy adventure books that inspired the forthcoming major motion picture, Seventh Son. Told from the point of view of Alice, best friend—and true love—to Tom, the spook''s last apprentice. Alice is the most powerful witch in the world, and she ventures into the dark itself. Will she return? Alice Dean''s destiny is intertwined with Tom Ward''s. But he''s going to be the next Spook, and she''s a witch—possibly the most powerful one the world has ever seen. To rid the world of its greatest evil, the Fiend, Alice will venture into the depths of the dark for the final weapon Tom needs to defeat him. Will she survive? Or will she make the ultimate sacrifice for Tom? The Last Apprentice series is soon to be a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin.

Although construction is one of the largest industries in the United States, it lags behind other industries in its implementation of modern management techniques such as those contained in the Standard for Program Management (the Standard) by the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Construction Program Management details the successful use of the PMI® approach for the construction of capital programs. It demonstrates, through case studies, how implementation of PMI’s set of tools and techniques can improve the chances of program success. Exploring tactical and strategic management methods, the book outlines a structured, process-based approach to construction program management that leverages structure to bring order to what can otherwise feel like an overwhelming challenge. The opening chapter focuses on basic definitions of project management and program management—highlighting their similarities and differences. A summary review of the Standard describes how these management concepts can be applied to capital construction programs. Explains how to apply the principles of PMI®’s Standard for Program Management to construction programs Describes the difference between leadership (strategic) and management (tactical) skills Compares and contrasts the program management principles included in the PMI® Body of Knowledge with those of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA®) Through the use of case studies this book provides students, practitioners, and stakeholders with a guided tour through each phase of the program management life cycle. Using language that is easy to understand, the book shows that with the right team, the right leader, and the proper implementation of the steps outlined, all programs can obtain true success.

My name is Slither, and before my tale is finished, you''ll find out why . . . Slither is not human. Far from the Spook-protected County, he preys upon humans, sneaking into their homes to gorge upon their blood while they sleep. When a local farmer dies, it''s only natural that Slither should want to feast on his lovely daughters. But the farmer has offered him a trade: in return for taking the younger girls to safety, Slither can have the eldest daughter, Nessa, to do with as he wishes . . . Slither''s promise takes him and Nessa on a treacherous journey where enemies await at every turn. Enemies that include Grimalkin, the terrifying witch assassin, still searching for a way to destroy the Fiend for good. The latest instalment of the Wardstone Chronicles, the series that inspired the forthcoming movie The Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes and Julianne Moore.

The eleventh volume in the spine-tingling, best-selling Last Apprentice series. In Slither, Joseph Delaney takes us far from the county, to a land where a spook has never set foot and where terrifying creatures of the dark thrive. Slither is one of these monsters, and Book 11 is his tale. Slither has never heard of Tom Ward, the Spook, or Alice Deane. He thirsts for blood. He takes it from whatever he wants, animal or human. And he has his eyes on the home of a farmer and his three daughters. With his dying breath, the farmer offers Slither a bargain. If Slither will take his two youngest daughters to safety, the eldest daughter is his. A journey of horrors begins . . . and along the way Slither will meet Grimalkin, who is still searching for a way to destroy the Fiend for good. The eleventh volume in the series that inspired the major motion picture Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, and Ben Barnes.

The tenth book in the internationally best-selling fantasy adventure series that inspired the forthcoming major motion picture Seventh Son. Back at home, but in no less danger, Tom will face a tragic love story, an unforgivable sacrifice, and a new creature of the dark that terrorizes a village with its thirst for blood. Tom Ward, the Spook''s apprentice, and his master have bound the Fiend at last. But now Tom must use his powers as the seventh son of a seventh son to put an end to the source of evil once and for all. When the Spook is captured by bloodthirsty creatures of the dark, Tom must vanquish a god, avenge his master, and protect the person he loves most—Alice—from himself. The Last Apprentice series is soon to be a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin. It''s a suspenseful thrill-ride that''s "spine-tingling" (Publishers Weekly) and "anything but tame" (Horn Book). But don''t read it after dark!

"You can''t make alliances with witches and suchlike and hope to avoid being drawn toward the dark." As the Spook''s apprentice, Thomas Ward''s first duty is to protect the County from ghosts, boggarts, and other dangerous creatures. But now his mother has come back from her homeland to seek his help. One of the most dangerous of the old witches, Ordeen, is about to return to earth, bringing with her suffering and devastation. Tom''s mother has mustered a powerful army—including Tom''s friend Alice, the Pendle witches, and the assassin Grimalkin—to confront Ordeen. If Tom joins them, the Spook will refuse to take Tom back as his apprentice. What sacrifices will be made in the battle against the dark?

Things can never be the same again. The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, have returned to the county after a long journey and a hard battle. But their troubles are far from over. Their home has been over-run by enemy soldiers. The Spook''s house is in ruins, the boggart protecting it has fled, and the malicious witches imprisoned in the gardens have escaped. Tom, Alice, and the Spook must flee, too, across the ocean to the island of Mona. And it''s on Mona that this small band fighting against the dark will face an old enemy grown terrifyingly powerful. Will they be able to vanquish an evil that crawls beneath the ground itself? At what cost? Will Tom and the Spook ever be able to return home?

Beware a girl in pointy shoes! A girl wearing pointy shoes might be a witch. And the first thing a spook''s apprentice learns is never, ever to trust a witch. In this bone-chilling collection of tales, you will learn exactly why that is, as you encounter: a fair and beautiful woman with green scales running down her spine . . . a dead witch who lurks under rotting leaves and hunts for blood . . . Alice, Tom Ward''s best friend, who once lived with one of the darkest witches of all . . . and a witch whose cry of revenge can kill. The dark is all around. Who will survive?

Capturing witches Binding boggarts Driving away ghosts For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried–some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Only Thomas Ward is left. He''s the last hope; the last apprentice. Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook''s warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county ... ?

Now it''s the dark''s turn to be afraid The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there''s some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane! As Thomas and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives, it becomes clear that the Bane isn''t their only enemy. The Quisitor has arrived, searching for those who meddle with the dark so he can imprison them—or worse. Can Thomas defeat the Bane on his own? Is his friend Alice guilty of witchcraft? And will the Spook be able to escape the Quisitor''s clutches?

Thomas Ward has spent two years as the Spook''s apprentice. He''s faced unimaginable peril, and survived. But a new danger has emerged: an ancient water witch, Bloodeye, is roaming the County intent on destroying everything in her path. To strengthen his skills, Tom is sent to the far north to train with the demanding Bill Arkwright. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh, and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. Will Tom''s new bag of tricks be enough to overcome a critical mistake that leaves him confronting Bloodeye on his own?

The Last Apprentice series follows the terrifying adventures of the Spook''s apprentice, Thomas Ward. But Tom''s is only one story. There are others. . . . The Spook himself was once an apprentice. How did he begin his training? And what of Alice, the young witch who is Tom''s closest ally? How did she overcome her dark past? What did the witch assassin Grimalkin do to become the most deadly and feared witch in the county? And, collected in a gallery of horrors, discover the rest of the county''s menacing villains and relive the vicious battles waged against them. Enter a land where creatures of the dark creep out of the shadows. Do you dare?

With her parents'' bodies still warm in the ground, Alice Deane is whisked away by her aunt to be taught how to be a witch. Alice isn''t happy about this - and who would be, with her aunt''s brain guzzling familiar, Spig, out to get her? It soon becomes clear that one of them will have to go, and so Spig and Alice''s bitter rivalry plays itself out to a gruesome end . . . Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in Spooks: Witches.

''I fear nobody. But my enemies fear me . . . Without ruthlessness and savagery I would not survive even a week of the life I lead. I am the witch assassin of the Malkin clan.'' Meet Grimalkin, the fearsome witch assassin, and find out how she came to take the role she now holds. This exclusive digital short story set in the world of Joseph Delaney''s best-selling series The Wardstone Chronicles first appeared in the spine-tingling collection The Spook''s Stories: Witches. Now available separately for the first time, and including a preview of the first chapter of I Am Grimalkin, this is perfect for existing fans and newcomers alike. The only question is, are you brave enough . . .

Derek Landy, Philip Reeve, Joseph Delaney, Susan Cooper, Eleanor Updale, Jamila Gavin, Mal Peet, Matt Haig, Berlie Doherty, Robin Jarvis and Sam Llewellyn have come together to bring you eleven ghost stories: from a ghost walk around York; to a drowned boy, who''s determined to find someone to play with; to a lost child trapped in a mirror, ready to pull you in; to devilish creatures, waiting with bated breath for their next young victim; to an ancient woodland reawakened. Some will make you scream, some will make you shiver, but all will haunt you gently long after you''ve put the book down.

How to deal with the dark 1. Conquer your fear. 2. Clear your mind, so that dark magic cannot take hold. 3. Fill your pockets with salt and iron, and always carry a rowan staff with a silver blade. 4. Never forget your silver chain for binding a witch. 5. A spook’s best weapons against the dark are common sense, courage, and the skills and knowledge he learns as an apprentice. The Spook’s Bestiary is the complete guide to becoming a spook. Learn how to battle the dark, the demons, the witches, and all the things that go bump in the night. Lavishly illustrated and told in the Spook’s own voice, this is a companion to the best-selling Last Apprentice series.

A dangerous few months lie ahead—ones which some of us will be hard-pressed to survive. Thomas Ward has served as the Spook''s apprentice for three years. He has battled boggarts, witches, demons, and even the devil himself. Tom has enemies: The Fiend stalks him, waiting for a moment of weakness. The terrifying Morrigan, goddess of witches, warned him never to step foot on her homeland, Ireland. But now war has consumed their own country, and Tom, his friend Alice, and the Spook must flee to Ireland. The dark rages strongly there. No one can be trusted. Can Tom defeat the creatures that hunt him most fiercely?

Returning from Greece, Tom and the Spook find that their home, including the Spook''s precious library of knowledge, has been burned to the ground, and that their battle against the denizens of the dark must continue.

A companion title to the phenomenally successful Spook''s Apprentice titles. Discover how to bind a boggart and deal with a dead witch in this fascinating and lavishly illustrated Spook''s own notebook. A must for die-hard fans of the series and an irresistible introduction to the dark and the dangerous for new recruits.

When witches steal Tom''s inheritance and kidnap his relatives, Tom, the Spook, and Alice set out for Pendle Hill, a particularly dangerous district, in hopes of preventing the three witch clans from uniting to raise the Fiend, the Devil himself, thus bringing about an age of darkness.

When witches steal Tom''s inheritance and kidnap his relatives, Tom the Spook, and Alice set out for Pendle Hill, a particularly dangerous district, in hopes of preventing the three witch clans from uniting to raise the Fiend, the Devil himself, thus bringing about an age of darkness.

Fighting for America

It''s going to be a long, hard, cruel winter. And there couldn''t be a worse place to spend it than up on Anglezarke. Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who captures witches and drives away ghosts. As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, the Spook receives an unexpected visitor. Tom doesn''t know who the stranger is or what he wants, but the Spook suddenly decides it''s time to travel to his winter house, Anglezarke. Tom has heard it will be a bleak, forbidding place, and that menacing creatures are starting to stir somewhere on the moors nearby. Can anything prepare Tom for what he finds there? What if the rumors about the evil beast called the Golgoth are true? And how much danger will Tom be in if the secrets the Spook has been trying to hide from the world are revealed?