Most Popular Books by Melvin Burgess

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this new resized edition of The Call of the Wild, complete with a bold new cover. ''To Buck it was boundless delight, this hunting, fishing, and indefinite wandering through strange places.'' Pampered dog Buck lives a comfortable life in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But one day a terrible act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of work and danger. Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his place in the wilderness - and a place to call home.

If you gotta be a dog, be a bitch. "My tail was going bananas as I rounded the corner and headed into Platt Fields park. The pavement was alive; my nose was an eye that sees into the past. I speeded up. Oh, I was in love with Terry, but to run and sniff and feel my ears catching sounds out of the air! But what do you know? Only a dog could understand what I mean." Sandra Francy is seventeen and having way too much fun. Everyone wants to stop her but the problem is, she likes it. When she accidentally gets turned into a dog she''s horrified at first, but soon she starts to wonder if being human is worth the effort. Her attempts to hang on to her humanity are bizarre and often hilarious-but her life as a dog leads her to pleasures she hardly knew existed. Award-winning author Melvin Burgess brilliantly captures the realities of teenage life and hormone imbalance.

Dino, Jonathan, and Ben have got some problems, mostly with Jackie, Deborah, and Alison. Dino''s finally convinced Jackie, the most beautiful girl in school, to go out with him. She drives him mad with lust, but she won''t go all the way and relieve Dino of his desperately unwanted virginity. Jonathan likes Deborah. She''s smart and funny and she makes him feel very sexy, but she''s kind of plump and his mates won''t let him hear the end of it. Also, a certain swelling has him convinced that he may have cancer of the penis. Ben''s problem is in a different category altogether-- he''s been seduced by Alison, the pretty young drama teacher at school. And what seems like a dream come true is actually making him miserable. Award-winning author Melvin Burgess has written a daringly honest and often hilarious account of contemporary teenage life, and the ups and downs that surround DOING IT.

When fourteen-year-old Nicholas Dane''s mother dies, social services sends him to a home for boys where intimidation and violence keep order. After a number of fights and brutal punishments, Nick thinks that life can''t possibly get any worse . . . until he realizes that the home''s respected deputy head, who has been grooming him with sweets and solace, has something more frightening in mind. Acclaimed writer and truth-teller Melvin Burgess brings us, with Dickensian scope and compelling narrative drive, his most ambitious book yet.

The new hope of the Volson clan, Sigurd, battles a highly advanced, gold-hoarding dragon, resulting in his fall into the underworld. But hope remains as Sigurd encounters his true love, Bryony, and accepts his destiny to reunite England.

The new hope of the Volson clan, Sigurd, battles a highly advanced, gold-hoarding dragon, resulting in his fall into the underworld. But hope remains as Sigurd encounters his true love, Bryony, and accepts his destiny to reunite England.

Fame, beauty, and face transplants Sara wants to be famous, and when legendary rock star Jonathon Heat offers to take her under his wing and pay for her cosmetic surgery, it''s like a dream come true. But beauty comes with a hidden price tag. Is Sara willing to pay?

A hunter determined to wipe out every wolf in England almost succeeds, but then finds himself the prey.

Two runaway teenagers are drawn into a web of heroin addiction and prostitution when their search for adventure takes an unfortunate turn.

This series of contemporary writing meets the requirements of the revised National Curriculum. This book tells the story of Tam, who finds himself caught in a time-warp which sends him back to World War II. There he meets the lonely May, whom he must help.

Twelve-year-old David sneaks through the ventilation shafts in his London apartment building pulling pranks on his neighbors, which awakens the ghost of a boy with a grudge against the lonely, senile old man who lives upstairs.

A new drug is out. Everyone is talking about it. The Hit. Take it, and you have one week to live. It''s the ultimate high. At the ultimate price .

When Jarvis buys a robin from the mysterious Birdman with plans to free it, he finds it harder to let the lovely bird go then he thought.

Everyone says fourteen-year-old BILLIE is nothing but trouble. A fighter. A danger to her family and friends. But her care worker sees someone different. Her classmate ROB is big, strong; he can take care of himself and his brother. But his violent stepdad sees someone to humiliate. And CHRIS is struggling at school; he just doesn''t want to be there. But his dad sees a useless no-hoper. Billie, Rob and Chris each have a story to tell. But there are two sides to every story, and the question is . . . who do you believe?

Bea has started to hear and see things that no one else can – creatures, voices, visions. Then strangers visit Bea and tell her she is different: she has the rare powers of a witch. They warn her she is being hunted. Her parents think she is hallucinating and needs help. All Bea wants to do is get on with her life, and to get closer to Lars, the mysterious young man she has met at the skate park. But her life is in danger, and she must break free. The question is – who can she trust? Carnegie Medal-winner Melvin Burgess returns with a powerful, thrilling fantasy for young adults about magic, myth and following your instincts.