New Releases by David Almond

Writing in the tradition of Pinocchio, Hans Christian Anderson Award winner David Almond brings his ineffable touch to a warm and wistful story that shows anything is possible with imagination and trust. “You’re a mystery, aren’t you, Puppet? But isn’t everything a mystery? Not just you, but every single thing that exists.” What should a puppet master do when he’s old and alone and all his puppets are gone? Silvester decides to make one last puppet. But this one is different. When the old man speaks to him, Puppet speaks back. And then he starts to walk . . . While Silvester shows Puppet the town, the playground, and other wonders the world holds, Puppet in turn helps Silvester to make a new friend and share his puppet-making skills with the next generation. With themes of compassion and creativity, threaded with David Almond’s inimitable humor, this wonder-filled story of creation and the circle of life, illustrated with wordless black-and-white spreads by award-winning artist Lizzy Stewart, is destined to become a modern-day classic.

The bestselling story about love, loss and hope that launched David Almond as one of the best children''s writers of today. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread children''s book of the Year Award, this unforgettable book now has captivating illustrations by Tom de Freston to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary. When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister''s illness, Michael''s world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain. One Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the ramshackle garage of his new home and finds something magical. A strange creature - human? beast? bird? angel? - a being who needs Michael''s help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health. But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael''s world changes for ever ... Skellig won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children''s Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the Hans Christian Andersen award, the Nonino International Prize, and has received an OBE for services to literature. He is celebrated as - in the words of the Independent - ''a master storyteller''. ''This strange, hugely readable and life-affirming tale exercises every muscle of the imagination'' Guardian

This wonderful tale transports Mina to Kyoto, Japan, an entirely new and different cultural landscape, where she encounters the magic of origami and an older magic, too. She accepts an origami paper boat from a woman on the bus. ''Ko-ni-chi-wa,'' says the woman, ''Take it.'' And then, ''Float it.'' Mina watches as the woman''s fingers fold another elaborate paper form: creased, tugged and teased into the shape of a paper bird. She imagines what it would be like to be a sheet of paper in the woman''s hands, to become a paper Mina. The crowds around her disappear and Kyoto is gone. This is a beautiful story from one of the masters of magical realism, David Almond, with stunning illustrations from Kirsti Beautyman. "Spell-binding... impossible to resist... breathless, intoxicating prose. [Almond''s] books seem to exist in their own otherworldly universe, outside all the trends in modern publishing, yet resolutely of the now." The Glasgow Herald "David Almond''s books are strange, unsettling wild things - unfettered by the normal constraints of children''s literature. They are, like all great literature, beyond classification." The Guardian "[David Almond] is that rare thing - a writer of lucid, mature elegance, who can still see the world through adolescent eyes." The Daily Telegraph "A writer of visionary Blakean intensity." The Times "A master storyteller." The Independent

An inventive tale by a beloved Hans Christian Andersen Award winner celebrates our differences—and the joys of inclusion—through the lens of artificial intelligence. From the boundless imagination of David Almond comes a thought-provoking question, packaged in a lively illustrated chapter book: what if a robot went to school? When a new boy joins their class, everyone thinks he’s . . . odd. George doesn’t behave like other kids. He doesn’t think like other kids. But he’s great at football and snacking, and that’s what matters to Dan and Maxie and friends, who resolve to make George feel welcome. Over time, they learn that he’s just like them, in most ways, except one: George is a robot, part of an ambitious new experiment, with sinister people bent on destroying him. When his lab pulls him out of school, can George’s new friends recover him—and set him free? Told in David Almond’s signature rollicking narrative style, this poignant tale about what it means to be human, paired with warm and funny black-and-white illustrations, will inspire children to think and giggle in equal measure.

A haunting, stunningly illustrated story of loss, hope, and the power of music from multi-award winners David Almond and Levi Pinfold. Kielder Water is a wild and beautiful place, rich in folk music and legend. Years ago, before a great dam was built to fill the valley with water, there were farms and homesteads in that valley and musicians who livened their rooms with song. After the village was abandoned and before the waters rushed in, a father and daughter returned there. The girl began to play her fiddle, bringing her tune to one empty house after another — for this was the last time that music would be heard in that place. With exquisite artwork by Levi Pinfold, David Almond’s lyrical narrative — inspired by a true tale — pays homage to his friends Mike and Kathryn Tickell and all the musicians of Northumberland, to show that music is ancient and unstoppable, and that dams and lakes cannot overwhelm it.

Sylvia, brave hearted and rebellious, moves into wild Northumberland from the city of Newcastle. She feels alien in this huge, silent, seemingly empty landscape, but then she meets Gabriel, a strange yet familiar boy. As they roam the forests and fells together, she sees nature with new eyes. She becomes aware that the past is all around her, and is deep inside herself. From the wing of a dead buzzard, they create a hollow bone - the kind of flute that was created and used in rituals in the distant past. This is a book of hope and joy - a book that celebrates humanity and explores the deep connections between ourselves and nature. It is timely and original. It speaks to young people about what it really is to be a human being alive today.

From the bestselling, award-winning author of SKELLIG comes a vivid and moving story, beautifully illustrated, which commemorates the hundred-year anniversary of the end of the First World War. "I am just a child," says John. "How can I be at war?" It''s 1918, and war is everywhere. John''s dad is fighting in the trenches far away in France. His mum works in the munitions factory just along the road. His teacher says that John is fighting, too, that he is at war with enemy children in Germany. One day, in the wild woods outside town, John has an impossible moment: a meeting with a German boy named Jan. John catches a glimpse of a better world, in which children like Jan and himself can come together, and scatter the seeds of peace. Gorgeously illustrated by David Litchfield, this is a book to treasure.

Award-winning author David Almond pens the dreamlike tale of a boy rediscovering joy and beauty within and around him, even amid sorrow. One hot summer morning, only weeks after his father’s death, Davie steps out his front door into the familiar streets of the Tyneside town that has always been his home. But this seemingly ordinary day takes on an air of mystery and tragedy as the residents learn that a boy has been killed. Despite the threat of a murderer on the loose, Davie turns away from the gossip and sets off toward the sunlit hill above town, where the real and imaginary worlds begin to blur around him. As he winds his way up the hillside, Davie sees things that seem impossible but feel utterly right, that renew his wonder and instill him with hope. Full of the intense excitement of growing up, David Almond’s tale leaves both the reader and Davie astonished at the world and eager to explore it.

A darkly twisted detective ghost tale, from the winner of the Guardian Children''s Book Prize. Davie travels his small town in search of a supposed murderer. But the landscape soon starts to blur into something dark and twisted. He must make sense of the landscape, if he has any chance of finding answers. The people he encounters on his travels don''t seem entirely real either. Then he meets the victim of the murder ... but, is he dead, or alive?

When a boy is assumed to have been killed, Davie thinks he might know who is responsible. He turns away from the gossip and excitement to the sunlit summit at the top of the town where what''s real and imaginary begin to blur, but also where he begins to realize that amid immorality, there can be kindness, and in darkness, there is a chance for hope.

The Coming Baby Boomer Crisis and How to Protect Yourself! Many quality books address exclusively long-term care insurance. This book is not one of them. Although creative long-term care insurance options are covered, the content focuses on how to protect retirees from their two main concerns which are running out of money and the high cost of healthcare. There is a 70% chance we will need long-term care sometime in our life which is the number one reason people go broke in retirement. The Coming Baby Boomer Crisis helps put you in control by sharing the secrets few people know, such as: How to protect yourself against running out of money when faced with the high cost of healthcare even if you don’t own traditional long-term care insurance. When there is Still Time to Plan Ahead When there is still time, it is essential to have a long-term care pre-planning line of attack which is critical as we age. This book will provide you with creative financial strategies you can use to protect your life savings and stay financially independent. When Your Family is in a Long-Term Care Crisis The good news is, as of now, you can protect your assets even if you or a loved one is currently in a care facility and does not have long-term care insurance. There is much misinformation out there, for example, a person has to spend down to $2,000 before they will receive help from the state and the federal government. NOT TRUE. The Coming Baby Boomer Crisis and How to Protect Yourself will reveal ways you can receive benefits and still keep all or much of your savings while maintaining your dignity and financial independence.

When Bert discovers a tiny boy angel in his pocket, he takes the angel home to his wife and they happily raise him as their own son.

When the handsome and strange Orpheus strolls onto the beach and sings, good friends Claire and Ella each find a new understanding of themselves.

These beautifully-written stories grow out of David Almond''s childhood in the streets and fields of Tyneside. They''re funny and sad, realistic and strange, and are suffused with a profound sense of mystery and wonder. They show that the ordinary world is filled with extraordinary possibilities, that the local really does contain the universal. In Counting Stars David Almond tackles the themes common to his work - joy, darkness, love, death and identity - with exquisite sensitivity and tenderness. A must-read for Almond fans everywhere. From the author of the modern children''s classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children''s Book Award. David Almond won the 2015 Guardian Children''s Book Prize with A Song for Ella Grey.

Synopsis coming soon.......

Paul believes that the moon is not the moon, but is a great hole in the sky. It''s one of many strange ideas that he''s never told anyone (at school he was told that he had no ideas at all), until he meets Molly, his irrepressible neighbour, who begins to convince him that his theory might just change the world.

International award winner David Almond draws on memories of his early years in Tyneside, England, for a moving coming-of-age novel, masterfully told. A gentle visionary coming of age in the shadow of the shipyards of northern England, Dominic Hall is torn between extremes. On the one hand, he craves the freedom he feels when he steals away with the eccentric girl artist next door, Holly Stroud—his first and abiding love—to balance above the earth on a makeshift tightrope. With Holly, Dom dreams of a life different in every way from his shipbuilder dad’s, a life fashioned of words and images and story. On the other hand, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the brutal charms of Vincent McAlinden, a complex bully who awakens something wild and reckless and killing in Dom. In a raw and beautifully crafted bildungsroman, David Almond reveals the rich inner world of a boy teetering on the edge of manhood, a boy so curious and open to impulse that we fear for him and question his balance—and ultimately exult in his triumphs.

Michael and his family have just moved into an old house. One afternoon while her parents care for her sick sister, Michael sneaks the ramshackle garage. There he discovers Skellig, an extraordinary creature who needs help to survive. Along with Mina

Kit has just moved to Stoneygate with his family, to live with his ageing grandfather who is gradually succumbing to Alzheimer''s Disease. Stoneygate is an insular place, scarred by its mining history - by the danger and death it has brought them. Where the coal mine used to be there is now a wilderness. Here Kit meets Askew, a surly and threatening figure who masterminds the game called Death, a frightening ritual of hypnotism; and Kit makes friends with Allie, the clever school troublemaker. As Kit struggles to adjust to his new life and the gradual failing of his beloved grandfather, these two friendships pull him towards a terrifying resolution. Haunted by ghosts of the past, Kit must confront death and - ultimately - life. A stunning novel from the author of the modern children''s classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children''s Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

Every summer Liam and Max roam the wild countryside of Northumberland - but this year things are different. One hot summer''s day a jackdaw leads the two boys into an ancient farm house where they find a baby, wrapped in a blanket, with a scribbled note pinned to it: PLESE LOOK AFTER HER RITE. THIS IS A CHILDE OF GOD. And so begins Jackdaw Summer. A summer when friendships are tested. A summer when lines between good and bad are blurred. A summer that Liam will never forget... A stunning novel from the author of the modern children''s classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children''s Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

Trapped in his bedroom by a father who fills his mind with mysterious tales and warnings, Billy Dean goes outside for the first time when his father disappears, and he discovers his abilities to heal the living and contact the dead.

There''s an empty notebook lying on the table in the moonlight. It''s been there for an age. I keep on saying that I''ll write a journal. So I''ll start right here, right now. I open the book and write the very first words: My name is Mina and I love the night. Then what shall I write? I can''t just write that this happened then this happened then this happened to boring infinitum. I''ll let my journal grow just like the mind does, just like a tree or a beast does, just like life does. Why should a book tell a tale in a dull straight line? And so Mina writes and writes in her notebook, and here is her journal, Mina''s life in Mina''s own words: her stories and dreams, experiences and thoughts, her scribblings and nonsense, poems and songs. Her vivid account of her vivid life. In this stunning book, David Almond revisits Mina before she has met Michael, before she has met Skellig. Shortlisted for the 2012 Carnegie Medal.

While everyone else is in a deep slumber, Mina gazes out the window, witness to the moon''s silvery light. In the stillness, she can even hear her own heart beating. It is then that Mina feels that anything is possible and her imagination is set free. On the table lies a blank notebook. It has been there for what seems like forever. Mina has declared in the past that she will use it as a journal, and finally, she begins to do that one night. Mina makes discoveries both trivial and profound as she writes, about herself and her world, her thoughts and her dreams.

When his mentally unstable uncle''s obsessions take an unexpectedly cruel turn, young Stanley Potts is forced to leave and joins a carnival of eccentric characters before meeting the legendary Pancho Pirelli, who swims in piranha tanks and invites Stanley to become his apprentice.

Joe has birthday money to spend, and decides a cute dog he''s seen in a pet shop window is the perfect purchase. For some reason, though, the pet shop owner is determined not to sell that particular dog ... This wonderful story was written by Carnegie award-winning author David Almond, and brought to life with the illustrations of Ayesha Lopez. - Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading. - Text type: A humorous story - Curriculum links: Citizenship

The ineffable nature of grieving and belief inspires a tender, gritty, and breathtaking work of graphic storytelling from the creators of "The Savage."