New Releases by Mary Hoffman

You''re brain is absolutely amazing! They are responsible for absolutely every single thing we do. Every time we breath, or walk or talk or eat, it''s all because of our brilliant brains! When we feel happy or sad, when we drop something, when we run or draw - none of this would be possible without our fantastic brains. Find out how our brains work, how they control the rest of the body and how they change over time. From how they create our memories, to how they help us learn new things and what happens to them when we are asleep, great ready to uncover lots of fascinating facts about the brain. And don''t forget to look out for the friendly cat on every page, helping us learn all about our wonderful brains!

FEATURING A BRAND-NEW JACK REACHER STORY! A collection of seventeen brand-new crime stories from bestselling authors Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Stella Duffy, and more. Includes three stories longlisted for the Crime Writers'' Association Dagger Awards. KILLER SECRETS FEATURING A BRAND NEW JACK REACHER STORY Open the files on an anthology of seventeen new crime stories to probe the brutal and complex hearts of criminals, and unravel the strangest of mysteries. Watch as a secretive group of intelligence community officers trace Jack Reacher through Heathrow in Lee Child''s "Smile". In Mary Hoffman''s "Fallen Woman", a journalist on the trail of a secretive drug lord gets caught up in the violent suicide of a young woman in Siena. And in Jeffery Deaver''s "Connecting the Dots", detectives follow the trail of clues in the brutal killing of a homeless man, wherever it may lead... Invisible Blood is a gripping collection exploring the compulsions of the criminal mind. SEVENTEEN STORIES FROM TODAY''S FINEST CRIME WRITERS Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Denise Mina, R.J. Ellory, Christopher Fowler, Stella Duffy, Ken Bruen, Lauren Henderson, James Grady, Jason Starr, Mary Hoffman, Cathi Unsworth, Bill Beverly, Lavie Tidhar, Johana Gustawsson, A K Benedict, John Harvey

A glorious, diverse celebration of human life, from birth to death, by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith. The sixth title in the Great Big Book series explores every stage of human life. From birth to starting nursery, being a teenager to becoming an adult, from work to relationships, homes and jobs, to aging illness and death. A universal but challenging topic is dealt with Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith''s trademark sensitivity and humour and inclusivity.

"Think of the future. Can you imagine our planet as beautiful as it used to be? You could be the one to help make it beautiful again, with the things you do and the ideas you have. Your planet needs YOU!" From a simple introduction to our home in Space, the authors explain what we need for life on Earth, and show the importance of the rainforests and the oceans; they stress the need to look after our planet and show how some of the things we take for granted are running out, and how we have polluted so much our planet. The action plans include saving water, saving energy, recycling, repairing, growing seasonal food, cooking fresh food, saving on packing, asking questions... and thinking of new inventions and big ideas.

What is a friend? Can a pet be a friend? Are you friends with your brothers and sisters? What if you don''t have any friends? A wonderful celebration of all kinds of friendship, from best friends to groups of friends to toys that feel like friends, this truly inclusive book is a great way to start a conversation with children about what makes a good friend. From the author and illustrator team behind The Great Big Book of Families and The Great Big Book of Feelings, this diverse celebration of friendship is perfect for both the home and the classroom.

There are all kinds of bodies in the world. What are YOU like? Celebrate our brilliant bodies in this fantastic book jam-packed with interesting facts. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes as we change from babies to children to teenagers to adults, our bodies change too! Find out about growing and learning, keeping fit, breaks and bruises, the five senses, using our minds, how we are the same and how we are different – and lots more in the fourth book in the internationally best-selling Great Big Book series.

Following Starring Grace and Encore, Grace! here comes a new Grace story book. Grace''s ma is marrying Vincent and they''re moving next door -- so there''s a new bridesmaid''s outfit and a new bedroom for Grace to think about. Grace starts to notice different boy-girl friendships emerging in the gang, and, when bullying and eating problems make an appearance in class, finds herself turning as usual for advice to Nana. Finally, Christmas brings an event that will transform family life for ever...

What is a family? Once, it was said to be a father, mother, boy, girl, cat and dog living in a house with a garden. But as times have changed, families have changed too, and now there are almost as many kinds of families as colours of the rainbow - from a mum and dad or single parent to two mums or two dads, from a mixed-race family to children with different mums and dads, to families with a disabled member. Mary Hoffman takes a look through children''s eyes at the wide varieties of family life: from homes, food, ways of celebrating, schools and holidays to getting around, jobs and housework, from extended families, languages and hobbies to pets and family trees - and she concludes that, for most people, their own family is the best one of all! With Ros Asquith''s delightful pictures, this book takes a fresh, optimistic look at families of today.

Look through fresh eyes at the stories of some of history''s most remarkable women, in this inspiring collection of short stories by the finest female authors writing historical fiction for children today - The History Girls. Subjects include: Queen Boudicca, Aethelfled, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Julian of Norwich, Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth Stuart, Aphra Behn, Mary Wollestonecraft, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Emily Davison, Amy Johnson and the Greenham Common women.

Introduces different types of households and discusses families with children, adoption, foster parents, same-sex parents, and fertility treatments.

It is 1571 and Venice''s colonies in Cyprus are under threat. The forces of the Holy League sail to meet the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean. On board the ship The Angel of Venice is young Venetian boy Luca, torn between the excitement of the sea and precious ties at home.

The book opens with the question: "How are you feeling today?" And this leads on to a spread by spread presentation of a wide range of feelings, including: *Happy * Sad * Excited * Bored * Interested * Angry * Upset * Calm * Silly * Lonely * Scared * Safe *Embarrassed * Shy * Confident * Worried * Jealous * Satisfied The final spread is about Feeling Better because sharing and talking about feelings helps us to feel better. The approach and design follows The Great Big Book of Families, with lots of different children in lots of different situations, brief text captions and questions and plenty of humour to make sure the book is fun.Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith look at feelings in family life, at school and everywhere with the same warmth, wit and sensitivity that they brought to their award- winning The Great Big Book of Families.

The sixth title in the ever popular Stravaganza series

Georgia is an ordinary girl, living in London with her mother, stepfather, and bully of a stepbrother, and coping with the difficulties of growing up. But her life takes a sudden change when she buys a tiny figurine of a winged horse, and suddenly finds herself swept up into the world of the Stravagante. The tiny horse becomes her magical time-travel talisman and transports her to Remora, the Talian parallel to the city of Siena, Italy. There she meets Lucien, the Stravagante we first met in City of Masks, and many other fascinating people who are in the midst of preparing for the Stellata, the annual horse race run each year in the city. Intrigue, romance, and the rare appearance of a true winged horse ensure an exciting adventure to rival the first in this captivating series.

The latest installment in the critically acclaimed Stravaganza series begins with Matt, the new Stravagante. Despite having a beautiful and very smart girlfriend, Matt is insecure because he is dyslexic. He discovers that he is capable of traveling between two worlds when a leather-bound book transports him from his home in England to Talia, the parallel-world version of Italy, where he meets a fellow-Stravagante named Luciano-who is hiding from the powerful di Chimici family. Luciano has just killed the head of that family in a duel, and is in grave danger. Banding together, Matt and Luciano must resist the di Chimici family, who are on the verge of making a terrifying breakthrough into our world.

When her grandmother takes in a stranded family at Christmas, Grace is reluctant to share her favorite holiday with strangers, even though the visiting family includes a "real live ballerina." Full color.

Collection of four short stories about people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and class backgrounds and how they respond to large historical events. Some try to develop an understanding of themselves and the world; others act against their own best interests and are frightened.

Living his life as a troubadour, one who travels from land to land to warn people of the arrival of the destructive crusaders, Bertrand meets Elinor, a young girl destined to marry an older man she doesn''t love, who quickly leaves everything she has ever known to be with him and become a troubadour herself.

In this beautifully illustrated picture book, seven stories from the Bible are retold for the very young. Children can follow the stories in pictures while an adult reads aloud, and each page provides opportunities for shared discussion. Contains the following stories: God Makes the World; Noah¿s Ark; Abraham and His Family; Joseph and His Rainbow Coat; Moses in the Bulrushes; Daniel in the Lion¿s Den; and Jonah and the Big Fish. Full-color illustrations.

The beloved heroine of "Amazing Grace" is back in her first new picture book in more than a decade. Grace hopes to be selected as a princess in the town parade and asks her teacher for help in dressing the part.

While sick in bed with cancer, Lucien begins making journeys to a place in a parallel world that resembles Venice, Italy, and he becomes caught up in the political intrigues surrounding the Duchessa who rules the city. Suggested level: secondary.

Sequel to City of Masks and City of Stars, the narrative moves to the Talian equivalent of the city of Florence, where beauty and danger walk - as ever - hand in hand. The focus this time is on the new Stravagante, Sky, whose talisman is an ornate and delicate blue glass bottle. Sky is propelled right into the midst of a deadly feud between the di Chimici and Nucci families, who think nothing of sliding a knife between a man''s ribs for revenge.

Emily feels that everything about is boring, her name, her looks, her life. The only interesting bit is the fantasy world she creates in her head, the desert kingdom of Krin, where she rules as Queen K''sendra. But Emily is transformed into Emma Leigh when the glamorous Power family come to town and with a change of name comes a whole new life.When the local library is threatened with closure, Emma Leigh and her new friends lead the campaign against the closure. It is very exciting but Emma Leigh begins to suspect that the Power family are not quite who they claim to be.An adventure story of life between two worlds that will carry the reader along with enthusiasm.

Here are eight more stories of Grace, the popular character from Amazing Grace and Starring Grace. Grace finds that her family is changing and so is her group of friends. There''s a new girl who puts Grace''s nose out of joint, a production of Sleeping Beauty that aims to be very different, a school bully to contend with, and goodbyes to be said to a friend who moves away. Grace has to adapt to a new member of the family, and learns how it feels to lose someone. And as always, when things change for Grace, she turns to stories for inspiration.

The latest story in the Stravaganza series unravels amid ever-more-dangerous politics and intrigue. Sky, a new Stravagante, is whisked away from his dreary life in London to Giglia, the Talian version of Florence. Featuring favorite characters from the first two titles in the series, including Georgia and Falco, as well as a host of exciting new characters, this breathtaking adventure will not disappoint. But beware-in the beautiful City of Flowers, much that seems beautiful is in fact poisonous...