New Releases by Anne Fine

Skye and Harry discover Gran isn’t quite as strict as Dad makes out in this funny family story from multi-award-winning author Anne Fine.

A change in classroom seating arrangements challenges old habits and leads to a new friendship in this funny new school story from award-winning author Anne Fine.

Kindness is key in this funny new family drama from perennial bestseller and award-winning author Anne Fine. There are many reasons why Tansy dreads Aunt Emma coming to visit. She''s rude, she''s boring, and Tansy has to give up her room so Aunt Emma can sleep there. And every year Dad makes Tansy promise to be nice - even when Aunt Emma is awful. But this year, when Tansy is left alone with Aunt Emma, she decides she''s going to be the nicest she''s every been - so sickly sweet that it''ll drive Aunt Emma crazy! Let the games begin ... Kindness is key in this funny new family drama from perennial bestseller and award-winning author Anne Fine.

A delightful collection of stories about friendship from the award-winning former Children''s Laureate Anne Fine. Once best friends, always best friends. Nothing can come between Jamie and Angus - a boy and his toy Highland bull. Join them as they tackle a lively play mate, get muddled in a pretend game, and discover that playing isn''t fun unless they are doing it together. These heartwarming stories for young readers are filled with playful adventures and lessons in just how wonderful friends can be. They are brought to life with enchanting black and white illustrations from the celebrated author-illustrator Sam Usher.

Quentin Blake - Anne Fine - Michael Morpurgo - Jacqueline Wilson - Michael Rosen - Anthony Browne - Julia Donaldson - Malorie Blackman - Chris Riddell - Lauren ChildThe exceptional talents behind some of the nation''s best-loved books - from The Gruffalo to The BFG, We''re Going on a Bear Hunt to the Charlie and Lola series - the Children''s Laureates are the perfect ambassadors for children''s literature. This beautiful gift anthology marks twenty wonderful years of the Laureateship, with stories, poems and pictures by all ten former honourees. Among others, Quentin Blake tells the stories behind his pictures of weird and wonderful beasts, Michael Morpurgo draws on childhood memories for a moving wartime tale and Michael Rosen plays with language and shapes in his witty, read-aloud poems. Each contribution is designed to inspire children to create their own work, and is accompanied by a note from the authors - rare insights from the finest talent in the world of children''s books. Above all else, Flights of Fancy celebrates the Laureateship''s most important achievement: encouraging children to let their imaginations soar.

A classic children''s book from best-loved Bill''s New Frock author, former Children''s Laureate Anne Fine. Perfect for readers aged between 7 and 9 and fans of The Midnight Gang and Pamela Butchart''s Wigglesbottom Primary series. It''s Ivan''s first day at his new school, and Boris is told to look after him, and translate for him, because Ivan can only speak Russian. After all, St Edmund''s is a civilized school. Only problem is, Ivan isn''t civilized. So when Ivan starts greeting people as ''lowly shivering worms'', and asking for words in English like ''crush'' and ''mutilate'', Boris realises that he''s going to have his work cut out for him. And that''s just the start of the day . . . Anne Fine''s fun school stories have been delighting children for more than 20 years, winning her awards such as the Smarties Book Award and Carnegie Medal along the way.

Lovers, colleagues, family - Tilly has always been brilliant at pushing people in and out of her life exactly as it suits her. Then along comes Geoffrey, gentle, compassionate, generous to a fault, with his miserable little children and his manipulative ex-wife. Tilly''s own expertise in the arts of deception and avoidance should be enough to make sure she''s always one step ahead of Geoffrey''s disastrous, crumbling family. But time and again she finds herself staying, brought down by their cowardly backsliding and their barefaced lies. How has she managed to stay so long in a relationship she knows perfectly well has to be doomed? More importantly, how can Tilly plan her permanent escape?

Quirky tales of derring-do and mystery, from a much-loved author and multi award-winning author. Perfect to thrill and chill.

A funny and thought-provoking Little Gem from national treasure Anne Fine, with sensitive and charming artwork by up-and-coming illustration star Vicki Gausden. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all. Hugo wants a gerbil, but his dad says it''s cruel to keep an animal in a cage. Hugo doesn''t agree, and so Dad challenges him to spend a day cooped up in his room. The countdown has barely begun when Hugo starts to go stir-crazy. Warm, witty and wise to the impatience of childhood, this is Anne Fine on great form, encouraging young readers to develop imagination and empathy. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.

One of the all-time classics of children''s literature, a feel-good book full of enthusiasm and exuberance, and a perfect family read "There is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it." When Pollyanna Whittier''s father dies she is sent to live with her Aunt Polly in Vermont. A clash of personalities ensues as Pollyanna''s sunny disposition sits ill with her aunt''s need for quiet, her passion for shutting windows, and her obsession with quietly shut doors. The key to Pollyanna''s happiness is The Glad Game—originally invented to deal with disappointing missionary boxes—and is applied to all parts of life. No matter how dark the situation, it is always possible to find something to be glad about. Any attempts to discipline the child fail helplessly in the face of The Glad Game. A bread and milk supper in the kitchen is greeted with rapture; a puritan attic bedroom with sparse furnishing is valued for its rapturous views. As Pollyanna becomes acquainted with other inhabitants of the town, the cantankerous residents fall victim to her charms. However, the arrival of a motor car in town heralds a tragic change which not even Pollyanna looks likely to be able to overcome. This timeless classic has spawned many spin-off novels and films.

1914: war has broken out across Europe and beyond. Nothing will ever be the same again for those caught up in the conflict. This collection of short stories explores how the First World War changed and shaped the lives of women forever. A courageous nurse risks her life on the Front Line; a young woman uncovers a spy in wartime London; and a grief-stricken sister comes to understand the heroism and sacrifice of the forgotten Indian soldiers. Through these and other tales, War Girls presents a moving portrait of loss and grief, and of hope overcoming terrible odds. Cover art by Garry Walton

When Uncle Ron comes to visit, he just won''t seem to leave Ian, Mum and Dad don''t quite know what do with him - if he''s not eating them out of house and home, he''s chattering away to the spirits of the dead. But not interesting spirits. All they ever seem to talk about is the colour of doors and what''s stuck behind the fridge. So Ian hatches a plan to get rid of Uncle Ron once and for all.

A travesty. A violation. An ecstasy. A disappointment. An instant. A lie. A theft. A rite of passage. Whatever you call it, there''s only one first time. A.S. King, Melvin Burgess, Keith Gray, Patrick Ness, Anne Fine, Sophie McKenzie, Bali Rai, Jenny Valentine, Mary Hooper, and Andrew Smith. Some of today''s leading international YA authors contributed to this hard-hitting collection of original short stories: some funny, some moving, some haunting, but all revolving around the same subject—virginity.

Philip has an incredible imagination, and when he lets it run riot in school one day it really gets his classmates thinking. Purple cows, brains in pots, a clever and beautiful chicken...What will they think of next?!

A scary skull shape on her bedroom wall makes Chirtmas Eve more like Halloween for poor Pip.

Daniel is raised as an invalid in isolation by his mother until the day she is removed to an asylum and Daniel is taken to live with the doctor''s family. Soon Daniel begins to uncover secrets about his mother''s dark family history, and a sinister doll seems to be at the centre of the mystery. First person recount. Suggested level: intermediate, secondary.

Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can''t understand what all the fuss is about. Who on earth will be the next victim to arrive through the cat-flap? Can soft-hearted Ellie manage to get her beloved pet to change his wild, wild ways before he ends up in even deeper trouble? The hilarious antics of Tuffy and his family are told by the killer cat himself.

The Palmer sisters are close. They see each other often, for shopping trips and casual suppers. They care for one another''s children and houses and pets through holidays and emergencies. They lend each other books and spare heaters and clothes for special occasions. Their phones ring in a ceaseless round of chat about in-laws and job plans and anxieties and triumphs. They all agree that loyalty to one another always outweighs loyalty to boyfriends and lovers and husbands. And there are never any secrets. Not until now. Stella tells Bridie a rumour she''s heard about Liddy''s new boyfriend and, in no time at all, the sisters'' relationships begin to unravel. Should Liddy be told? Bridie is certain and persuades her sisters to join her in this decision. But when Liddy reacts badly, the other two backslide and Bridie becomes the outcast, bereft of the support system upon which she has based her whole life and all her values. With surgical precision and a wry intelligence Anne Fine exposes the claustrophobic and potentially duplicitous nature of close family relationships. Secrets beget secrets, after all, and the final revelations are more than anyone has bargained for.

A hilarious tale of a holiday week on a remote British island - where the highlight of the week is the annual fair with its eatingthings on sticks competition.

In a hot, faraway land, two baby boys are born under the same silver moon: Haroun, the son of the sultan, and Akil, the son of the gardener. As children they play together until one day Haroun has to learn princely ways. But when he suffers pains that no doctor can cure, can Akil help him find a magic key to good health?

So go on, ask me. �Dear, dear Tuffy. Why was your Christmas so horrible?� Well. I couldn�t climb the tree. I couldn�t touch the dangly decorations. And Ellie made me part of her sing-along Christmas performance. Horrible, horrible, horrible! But I showed them. I was Tuffy the Acting Cat, superstar. How was I supposed to know things would get so . . . messy?

''Okay, okay. So slap my teensy little paws. I messed up - big time.'' Tuffy can''t wait for Ellie and the family to go away on holiday. He and the gang plan to ignore the grumpy new cat-sitter, and run wild all night. But could that furry bundle, suddenly flying through the air, put a stop to all the fun?

''Okay, okay. So stick my head in a holly bush . . .'' Tuffy, the Killer Cat, knows what he likes. And he isn''t loving the ''art'' that Ellie''s mum brings home from her new class! So what''s a cat to do . . . Mischief and mayhem rule in Anne Fine''s brilliant new story, with hilarious illustrations by Steve Cox throughout. Perfect for developing readers aged 5�7.

In school, Yuri is taught that the revolution liberated his country. He learns how the new leaders are always working for the greater good. But the truth is that life for his family and those around him is a brutal, poverty-stricken struggle. The government does nothing except punish those who protest. And one day, to his shock and horror, Yuri himself is branded an “enemy of the state” simply for dropping a few careless words. In an author’s note, Anne Fine describes The Road of Bones as an adventure-escape story set in “a sort-of Russia, in a sort-of 1930s, under a Stalin-type leader.” This chilling political thriller follows the frantic footsteps of a teenager on the run, a criminal who hasn’t committed a crime, a young man on a path to discovering the truth about how far he will go in order to survive.

As Lois takes her second - and redeeming - chance at love, she finds herself on a collision course with a society that claims to support and protect. She lays her plans, and suddenly it seems that all those years of nurturing her own deep-frozen heart may not have been so wasted after all.

Jennifer''s aunt has given her a beautiful rainbow-colored diary. The trouble is, Jennifer can''t think of a single thing to write in it. Her friend Iola is just bursting with ideas to fill the glossy blank pages of a new diary - stories about rescuing drowning victims and eerie ghosts in pink dresses. So what if none of the stories are true? Iola wants that diary. But how can she convince Jennifer that it should really be hers? Filled with engaging illustrations, this dashingly droll chapter book demonstrates how good storytellers like Iola can turn even the most mundane occurrences into amusing fictions.

Why do bad things happen to good dogs? It''s a dog''s life for Anthony. Not only is he lacking the respect he deserves from the neighborhood dogs and cats, but an skin condition has him frantic and frazzled. And just when Anthony thinks things can''t get worse, he finds himself on vet''s table. What she has in mind for him involves an electric hair trimmer and is likely to cut away any shred of street credibility he has left. Accented with antic illustrations, this wickedly funny fable about embarrassment will have young readers flinching and laughing out loud at the same time.

When Ivan, Sophie, Tanya and Nicholas learn that their parents are planning to put their grandmother into a home, they decide to take action and begin "The Granny Project."

Yellow Bananas Teacher''s Guide Based on the Yellow Bananas series, this resource for teachers helps reinforce and enhance what students learn in their core reading program through engaging activities that focus on reading skills. Teachers will find: - activities that highlight the book''s main message and tie students'' responses to reading, writing, speaking, listening, and representing - activities that connect the topic of the book to other curriculum areas - notes to teachers with suggestions on how to implement an activity, adapt the activity to different levels and interests, and involve the home community - quizzes to help assess an individual student''s comprehension - reproducible blackline masters for students to use as worksheets for an activity - 60 pages; 8 1/2 11; binder; B&W text; full-color cover Yellow Bananas are captivating chapter books designed to help young readers make the transition from storybooks to text-based books. The next level up from Red Bananas, each book features short chapters, engaging full-color illustrations, and a strong story about interesting characters. As their reading abilities develop, kids will want to make the jump from Red to Yellow Bananas - full-color illustrations on every page provide a recognizable format for children - short chapters introduce young readers to the concept of chapter books - a variety of subjects, including science fiction, mysteries, and funny stories, will engage children''s interest - Guided Reading level indicated for each book - Teacher''s Guide reinforces and enhances skills learned in the core reading program