New Releases by David Almond

Mina, 9 ans, vit seule avec sa mère depuis la mort de son père. Le plus souvent réfugiée dans son arbre à l''abri du monde, elle joue avec les mots, invente des histoires, raconte sa vie de tous les jours, le bonheur de regarder la vie d''en haut, parmi les oiseaux, loin du monde d''en bas, où elle a eu si peur. C''est d''amitié et de la liberté que nous parle Mina. Ecrire son journal intime lui permettra-t-il de nous confier son secret et d''enfin s''ouvrir au monde ?

In Counting Stars David Almond tackles the themes common to his work - joy, darkness, love, death and identity - with exquisite sensitivity and tenderness. David''s childhood in the north of England was the inspiration for much of his work, and in these beautiful stories he creates a tangible picture of growing up in a large Catholic family. But the sense of mystery and wonderment we have come to expect from David is also present, and it is fascinating to see the kernels of his novels revealed. A must-read for Almond fans everywhere. A stunning collection of stories 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.

The gods have created a world: they''ve built mountains, a sea and a sky and now their days are filled with naps (and tea and cake). That''s until Harry, Sue and Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing.

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.

La aparición de un misterioso personaje en un garaje cambiará para siempre la vida de Michael y de su familia. Michael no está de muy buen humor últimamente, se acaban de cambiar de casa y, de momento, no le gusta nada. Además, sus padres andan muy nerviosos porque su hermanita, que acaba de nacer, tiene que ingresar en el hospital aquejada de una grave enfermedad en su corazón. Por eso, Michael tiene mucho tiempo para investigar y es en el destartalado garaje donde encuentra a un extraño personaje, sucio y muy enfermo, que se alimenta de insectos. Afortunadamente, podrá compartir este secreto con Mina, su nueva vecina, una niña inquieta y muy despierta, que le descubrirá al poeta William Blake y le enseñará a ver la vida con otros ojos. Los dos alimentarán a su nuevo amigo, le conseguirán la comida china que tanto le gusta y la cerveza negra, pero también las pastillas para tratar su avanzada artritis. Entre los tres se establece una sólida amistad, una amistad que los une con unos lazos poco comunes... Al final, descubrirán cuál es la verdadera identidad de su misterioso amigo y, sobre todo, por qué está con ellos. Mientras, la hermanita de Michael se debate entre la vida y la muerte...

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.

Iedere zomer zwerven Liam en Max door de ruige natuur rond hun dorp in Noord-Engeland. Dit jaar wordt alles anders: ze volgen een kauw en vinden een baby die is achtergelaten bij een oude ruïne. Raadselachtige gebeurtenissen volgen elkaar op. Liams leven verandert in een slangenkuil. Hij voelt zich verraden door zijn oude vrienden. Maar zijn de nieuwe vrienden die hij maakt wel te vertrouwen? Aan het einde van de zomer gaat Liam de confrontatie aan.

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

Michael vindt in een schuur een geheimzinnige zwerver die niet helemaal is wat hij lijkt. Vanaf ca. 12 jaar.

Liam and his friend Max are playing in their neighborhood when the call of a bird leads them out into a field beyond their town. There, they find a baby lying alone atop a pile of stones—with this note pinned to her clothing: PLESE LOOK AFTER HER RITE. THIS IS A CHILDE OF GOD.

From the winner of the Whitbread Children''s Book Award the Carnegie Medal and the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award comes the extraordinary prequel to the award-winning Skellig. Shortlisted for the 2012 Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children''s Fiction Prize.

Mina la stramba, Mina indisciplinata, Mina la pazza. Mina coraggiosa, meravigliosa Mina, Mina ribelle. Di certo Mina non si può etichettare. Se ne sta sul suo albero a osservare gli uccelli, il mondo e la straordinaria vita che scorre sotto le sue gambe a penzoloni. Sa che non potrà stare per sempre lassù, che prima o poi dovrà scendere, tornare a scuola, farsi qualche amico, accettare che il suo papà sia in un luogo da cui non si può fare ritorno. Ma intanto, dall’alto del suo rifugio, Mina riflette: sui misteri del Tempo, sulla vita, sul dolore della perdita, su Dio e... sugli strudelini ai fichi! Tutto finisce nel suo diario, che è proprio questo qui, che avete fra le mani. Ma attenzione, bisogna essere pronti a incontrare Mina, bisogna essere disposti a guardare dritto nel Sole, o nella Luna, pronti a sentirsi indifesi e insieme coraggiosi, e soprattutto pronti ad accettare «la bellissima bellezza del mondo», anche quando tutto intorno a noi sembra volerla oscurare.

In a northern English town, Lizzie, despite her own grief over the death of her mother, tries to distract her grief-stricken father by helping him enter and prepare for the Great Human Bird Competition.

David Almond turns his talents to drama in these two plays. Skellig is the dramatization of his highly acclaimed novel. What has Michael found in the derelict garage? What is this creature that lies in the darkness? Is it human, or a strange beast never seen before? And what will happen in the world when he carries it out into the light? Wild Girl, Wild Boy is an original play produced in London by the Pop-Up Theatre company. Young Elaine has recently lost her father, and now she spends her days dreaming in the family’s garden, skipping school, unable to read or write. One day, Elaine conjures up a Wild Boy from spells and fairy seed. No one else can see him, and Elaine disappears into a world of fantasy where she and Wild Boy remember the teachings of her father. Will her mother ever come to understand? These two plays introduce a new talent from the remarkable David Almond.

O pai de Lizzie achava que era um pássaro: agitava os braços, piava, grasnava e até comia minhocas. Para protegê-lo, Lizzie resolveu participar da sua fantasia. Com o pai, aprendeu a apreciar o colorido das penas, construiu um ninho aconchegante e fez dois belos pares de asas. E com a convivência passou a compreender o mundo daquele homem tão diferente dos outros.

This well-received novel from a cast of acclaimed authors is now available in paperback! A video message from a dead person. A larcenous teenager. A man who can stick his left toe behind his head and in his ear. An epileptic girl seeking answers in a fairy tale. A boy who loses everything in World War II, and his brother who loses even more. And a family with a secret so big that it changes everything. The world''s best beloved authors each contribute a chapter in the life of the mysterious George "Gee" Keane, photographer, soldier, adventurer, and enigma. Under different pens, a startling portrait emerges of a man, his family, and his gloriously complicated tangle of a life.

Bobby Burns knows he’s a lucky lad. Growing up in sleepy Keely Bay, Bobby is exposed to all manner of wondrous things: stars reflecting off the icy sea, a friend that can heal injured fawns with her dreams, a man who can eat fire. But darkness seems to be approaching Bobby’s life from all sides. Bobby’s new school is a cold, cruel place. His father is suffering from a mysterious illness that threatens to tear his family apart. And the USA and USSR are testing nuclear missiles and creeping closer and closer to a world-engulfing war. Together with his wonder-working friend, Ailsa Spink, and the fire-eating illusionist McNulty, Bobby will learn to believe in miracles that will save the people and place he loves.

Joe Maloney is out of place in this world. His mother wants him to be a man, and he can’t be that yet. His only friend, Stanny Mole, wants to teach him how to kill, and Joe can’t learn that. Joe’s mind is always somewhere else: on the weird creatures he sees in the distant sky, the songs he hears in the air around him, the vibrations of life he feels everywhere. Everybody laughs at Joe Maloney. And then a tattered circus comes to town, and a tiger comes for him. It leads him out into the night, and nothing in Joe Maloney’s world is ever the same again. The transformative power of imagination and beauty flows through this story of a boy who walks where others wouldn’t dare to go, a boy with the heart of a tiger, an unlikely hero who knows that sometimes the most important things are the most mysterious.

en una ciudad lluviosa al norte de Inglaterra, cosas extraas estn pasando. Pap est armando un par de alas, comiento moscas y arreglando un nido. La ta Dorita est empanaditas. El seor Pop esta recorriendo las calles gritando aletazos. Y viendo todo esto est Isabelita; quin extraa a su mam y tiene que cuidar de su padre mientras piensa qu hermosos son los pjaros.

A boy tells about a story he wrote when dealing with his father''s death about a savage kid living in a ruined chapel in the woods--and the tale about the savage kid coming to life in the real world.

Fourteen-year-old Davie and his best friend, Geordie, are altar boys at their local Catholic Church. They’re full of mischief, but that all changes when Stephen Rose comes to town. Father O’Mahoney thinks it would be a good idea for Davie and Geordie to befriend him—maybe some of their good nature will rub off on this unhappy soul. But it’s Stephen who sees something special in Davie. Stephen’s a gifted sculptor. One day as Davie looks on, Stephen brings a tiny figure to life. It’s a talent he has, the gift of creation—and he knows that Davie has this talent, too. Davie allows Stephen to convince him to help bring a life-size figure to life—and Clay is born. Clay is innocent, but Stephen has special plans for him. What has Davie helped to unleash on the world?

First published in the UK in 1998. See also prequel My name is Mina.

After being awakened by a white cat, Kate becomes a cat herself and the two of them wander on a nighttime journey.

Cast size: medium.