New Releases by Anne Fine

« – Oh bon Dieu ! soupira-t-il. Faites que je ne devienne jamais vieux. Faites que je ne sois jamais comme ça avec mes enfants. Après quoi il retourna dans la remise jeter un sort à sa mère et un autre, pour faire bonne mesure, à son hortensia préféré. » Timide, maladroit, soumis à une mère tyrannique, Colin mène l’existence terne d’un vieux garçon. Extérieurement. Car Colin a une vie intérieure autrement mouvementée. En secret, il s’absente pour rejoindre sa fiancée, une fille de papier nommée Suzie qui l’attend dans la remise. Et puis, il y a Tamina, cette enfant de trois ans qui le subjugue, le fascine, et finalement le sauve. Sous le regard impitoyable d’Anne Fine, la chronique familiale prend des allures de guerre civile. Anne Fine est née à Leicester en 1947. Ses livres pour la jeunesse ont connu un succès dans le monde entier (en France à L’Ecole des Loisirs). L’un d’eux, Quand papa était une femme de ménage a inspiré le film Madame Doubtfire avec Robin Williams. « On peut mettre des mots sur les choses : ironie, férocité, mordant des dialogues, sens terrible de la psychologie. Mais au fond, Anne Fine n’y peut rien. Elle a le sens de l’humour comme elle a les yeux bleus. » Florence Noiville, Le Monde.

Chester Howard a survécu à pas mal d''établissements scolaires. Il a connu des uniformes qui grattent, la prière cinq fois par jour, des profs qui se prenaient pour des psychothérapeutes et même une école où personne ne parlait sa langue. Pourtant, il se demande comment il va survivre à Walbottle Manoir. Ici les élèves semblent tous décérébrés tellement ils sont mièvres, ici l''humour n''existe pas. Mlle Tate, l''institutrice, toute dégoulinante de sourires, accorde le droit d''effacer le tableau pendant une semaine comme elle offrirait un fabuleux trésor. Chester a peur de devenir fou. Heureusement, il trouve vite une raison de survivre : c''est son voisin de table, Joe Gardener. Joe est le plus phénoménal des cancres, mais c''est aussi un génie. Et ça, à part Chester, personne ne s''en est jamais aperçu. L''heure de la révolution a sonné.

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.

L’àvia de l’Ivan, la Sophie, la Tanya i en Nicholas de vegades perd una mica el cap, confon cares i noms i no sap ni en quin dia viu, però quan els fills decideixen portar-la a una residència per a gent gran, els quatre nets buscaran una solució divertida i plena de tendresa perquè això no passi. Així comencen el Projecte Iaia, un pla per fer canviar d’opinió els seus progenitors i poder continuar gaudint de la companyia de la seva excèntrica àvia.

When Mum gives her the notebook, Scarlet should be happy. It''s beautiful, with its shiny scarlet cover and its blank pages full of promise. But Scarlet is absolutely NOT in the mood for a peace offering.Does Mum really think she can tear their family apart and expect Scarlet to be happy about it?Scarlet decides there''s only one thing she can write in the notebook. The truth, about everything . . .

La abuela de Iván, Sophie, Tanya y Nicholas resulta a veces un poco loca, confunde caras, nombres y no sabe ni en qué día vive, pero cuando sus hijos deciden llevarla a una residencia de ancianos, sus cuatro nietos buscarán una solución divertida y llena de ternura para que esto no ocurra. Así comienzan el Proyecto Abuelita, plan para hacer cambiar de opinión a sus progenitores y poder seguir disfrutando de la compañía de su excéntrica abuela.

A boy with an abusive father grows up and fears that he has the same potential for violence as his father has.

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?

Depuis son plus jeune âge, Daniel Cunningham a vécu enfermé, avec pour seule compagnie les livres et sa mère – qui l’a gardé reclus, à l’écart du monde extérieur, et qui n’a cessé de lui répéter qu’il était malade. Un jour, des coups frappés à la porte vont tout changer. Des voisins ont découvert son existence, et résolu de libérer Daniel de l’emprise de sa mère. Pris en charge par le docteur Marlow et sa famille, il va découvrir peu à peu que tout ce qu’il tenait pour vrai jusque-là n’était qu’un tissu d’histoires racontées pour le protéger. Mais le protéger de quoi ? De sa vie d’avant Daniel n’a gardé qu’une maison de poupée. Et pas n’importe quelle maison de poupée : c’est la réplique exacte de la maison natale de sa mère, une maison qui recèle de nombreux et sombres secrets. Jusqu’à quels vertiges ces secrets conduiront-ils Daniel ? Petite, Anne Fine aimait les contes sinistres et bizarres. À neuf ans, elle était convaincue que sa maison était hantée. Si aujourd’hui elle ne croit plus aux fantômes, elle aime toujours les histoires qui font peur. Avec Le Passage du Diable elle veut effrayer (un peu) les enfants. Mais aussi raconter l’histoire d’un garçon dont le courage et la gentillesse vont lui permettre de surmonter des épreuves difficiles et d’en sortir grandi.

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

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.

Tuffy doesn''t feel wanted at home any more. His owners just don''t appreciate him. So what if he broke the new TV? Got fur on all Dad''s clean clothes? Ate Tinkerbell the kitten''s special kitten-food? All accidents! But they''re making such a fuss! So Tuffy decides to make a break for it. He bids farewell to the gang - Snowball, Tiger and Bella - and runs away. But starting a new life isn''t easy, and soon Tuffy starts to wonder if he''s made a terrible mistake . . .

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

The King is at his wit''s end; twelve daughters and every morning their shoes are torn to ribbons! Nobody can tell him why, so he promises that whoever uncovers their secret will inherit his kingdom. The reward is huge - but the price of failure is their head. Who will risk it all for a dance with the princesses? This story is a magic bean. It may not look much like a bean, but I can promise you that it is. For if you plant it in a young mind, it will grow into a love of story and reading. These beans are favourite fairytales and legends that will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain. Each story has been brilliantly crafted by one of the best-loved writers for children. This story was published by David Fickling Books as part of the Magic Beans anthology. The complete anthology is available in hardback and in ebook format.

Everyone loves the wickedly dry sense of humour of The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine. Okay, Okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity''s sake, I''m a cat. 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 as told by the killer cat himself. ''Anne Fine knows how to make readers laugh'' Guardian Anne Fine has written numerous highly acclaimed and prize-winning books for children and adults. The Tulip Touch won the Whitbread Children''s Book of the Year Award; Goggle-Eyes won the Guardian Children''s Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal; Flour Babies won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children''s Book of the Year; and Bill''s New Frock won a Smarties Prize. Anne Fine was named Children''s Laureate in 2001 and was awarded an OBE in 2003.

Raised in secrecy by a mother everyone thinks has gone mad, Daniel''s only link to his past is the intricately built model of the family home High Gates. The dolls house is perfect in every detail. Then Daniel is reunited with his uncle Severin.

Harry is in trouble. He''s burned down the family kitchen so now has to spend a week of his summer hols with his uncle Tristram - who''s heading off to stay with a new girlfriend - Morning Glory - on a tiny British island. Harry doesn''t expect it to be a lot of fun - with just a wacky competition at the end of the week to look forward to. He certainly didn''t expect to discover all the beards. Or the angel on the mountain. Or the helicopters circling overhead all week. And he definitely didn''t think it would be so wet . . .

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?

Ian’s best friend, Stolly, is up on cloud nine. He’s in the hospital, unconscious, and hooked up to machines. The question Ian is trying to answer is: How did Stolly end up there? In a way, Stolly’s always been on cloud nine, living life by his own rules and making those rules up as he goes along. His parents’ careers have them constantly rushing around, so Ian’s family has all but adopted Stolly. That’s why it’s up to Ian to figure out what happened to his best friend. But once the pieces start coming together, the answer doesn’t seem to make any sense.

As best friends should, Jamie and Angus share everything. Join them as they have fun at their birthday party, think up some new ways to cry, and deal with a naughty pet gerbil.

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.

It was my birthday. How was I supposed to know it wouldn''t be the only party around town on that dark and dreary Halloween night? So things ended up in a bit of a mess. (Well, more than a mess, really. A complete disaster.) But it was not my fault so don''t blame me... Another laugh-out-loud Killer Cat adventure, by the award-winning and celebrated Anne Fine. Perfect for readers of 5+.

Best friends Jamie and his toy Highland bull Angus tackle a lively playmate, become muddled by a pretend game, and discover that playing is not fun unless they are doing it together.

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. But then the new boy starts threatening to make slaves out of all his schoolmates.

''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.