Young Lucius's life is suddenly turned upside down, leading him to seek answers amongst the slaves and warriors who work and train at Rome's gladiator school. When his father is accused of being a ruthless government informer, the `Spectre', and disappears, Quintus takes the dreaded Blood Oath and vows to become a gladiator. But while Quintus risks...

When her mother dies from a snakebite, Comity's life in the Australian outback changes forever. As her father retreats into his work, Comity turns to Fred, the Aboriginal yard boy, who becomes her only friend. But then a new assistant arrives who delights in playing cruel games. As Fred becomes his target, events spiral dangerously out of control.

A riotous journey through the dangerous and dastardly antics of the adventurers who discovered chocolate, tobacco and other useful plant products!

George's grandma is ill, so he and his mum and dad have moved into her house to look after her. George is bored, lonely and resentful towards his family. But then he discovers the Goffins - Lofty and Eave - two most unusual people who live secretly in grandma's attic. They have used all the family's old junk to create a home for themselves, but Geo...

Rowan knows he is strange. But dangerous? He didn't mean to scare his sister. In his right mind, he wouldn't hurt a fly. But there's a place he can go where they say they can fix his mind... As the second World War begins, Rowan is diagnosed as schizophrenic and sent away to a hospital where the latest treatments are available. But the treatments a...

Jack, standing among the war graves, sees a face he recognizes. Suddenly, it's 1914 again and he's a young lad back in the trenches. Visions of killing and misery come to him with horrible clarity. But then Jack remembers too the incredible moment when the guns fell silent for a short time, and fighting gave way to football on the frozen ground of...

How do you begin to tell your story when you can't speak? Ethan lives on the canal. He likes it there. He can go to the pond and catch newts and minnows. He can learn everything he needs to know from books and from his mum. No one there laughs at him because he doesn't talk. Ethan can't remember exactly when he stopped talking or why. It is only wh...

Dragons have invaded Crumbling Castle, and all of King Arthur's knights are either on holiday or visiting their grannies. It's a disaster! Luckily, there's a spare suit of armour and a very small boy called Ralph who's willing to fill it. Together with Fortnight the Friday knight and Fossfiddle the wizard, Ralph sets out to defeat the fearsome fire...

"A bear on Paddington Station?" said Mrs Brown in amazement. "Don't be silly - there can't be." The original story of Paddington, the classic bear from Darkest Peru, read by Stephen Fry. The Browns first meet Paddington on a railway station - Paddington station, in fact. He has travelled all the way from Darkest Peru with only a jar of marmalade, a...

Dirty Bertie - the boy with nose-pickingly disgusting habits - is back for another helping of comic chaos! Join Bertie as he takes Angela Nicely on a dinosaur hunt, bites off more than he can chew at a chocolate factory, and gets into an alarming situation pet-sitting next door's cat! Then he finds himself on the run from a zombified Eugene, discov...

When Owen Underwood's family move to Barrow, it's because there's nowhere safer in the Valleys - and safety is very important. Especially when the threat of tornadoes, and giant bears, is constant. But in Barrow, safety is taken to extremes. Children have to wear bright yellow at all times and are never allowed outside except to go to school. How c...

Topher is planning a trip to London - but will it be safe, with all the terrorist threats? It worries him, and so do the extended absences of his beloved cat, Ka. And sure enough, in the middle of a big bomb alert, Topher is called away - to a Saxon village threatened by Norsemen.

'But we don't know the first thing about looking after babies.' Phoebe's mum and dad are foster parents, and they're having a tough time. Her dad's moved out for bit, and her little foster brothers are playing up. So when Phoebe and her brother Adam find a baby abandoned in their den, they decide to try and look after her themselves ... ***EXTRA C...

In prison, accused of an intergalactic crime - the murder of President Vorlunar - things are not looking good for Stanley Bound. But when he escapes, matters get even worse! He discovers that his assumed crime has given him not only notoriety, but value. How can a boy who lives above a pub in south-east London cope with bounty hunters with beards o...

When Uncle Ben's Dublin business fails, Gloria and Raymond realise that something is wrong. So when the children overhear their granny saying that the Black Dog has settled on Ben's back and he won't be OK until it's gone, they decide they're going to get rid of it and they set out on a midnight quest to hunt it down and chase it away. But loads of...

From Agard to Zephaniah, this wonderful anthology is rich with the many cultures, voices and sounds of the most exciting children's performance poets in Britain today. Whether it's haunting or funny, musical or compassionate, the brilliant Michael Rosen, our Children's Laureate, has created a simply stunning collection of the best of children's poe...

Oxford Children's Myths and Legends bring you the greatest stories ever told, from around the world and long ago. Heroes and villains, witches and wizards, warriors and royalty - there's something here for everyone. These spell-binding tales of love, loyalty, greed and jealousy come from the mountains and valleys of Wales. From Pwyll, the prince of...

George and Calvin live in a research centre under the sea. When they are learning to operate the underwater ocean pods, disaster strikes. Can they save themselves and their friends?

Louie, who was abandoned at Chipchase's Travelling Circus as a baby, dreams of becoming a 'Showstopper', but Mr Chipchase keeps her hidden, tucked away in the ticket booth. No Death-Defying Stunts for her. But Louie has been secretly practising her act - tightrope-walking - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air . . . she just needs to be g...

"Bears like Paddington are very rare," says Mrs Bird, "and a good thing too, or it would cost us a small fortune in marmalade." Classic adventures of the bear from Darkest Peru. As Paddington says himself, "Things happen to me - I'm that sort of bear." With his attempts at home decorating, detective work and photography, the Brown family soon find...

Amanda is reliving her 11th birthday over and over again-even the fight with her best friend Leo...How can she fix everything and put the day behind her? Only time, friendship, and luck will tell.