Showing titles in Geography & Cultures

This is the second part of Roald Dahl's remarkable life story, following on from Boy. When he grew up, Roald Dahl left England for Africa - and a series of dangerous adventures began. From tales of plane crashes to surviving snake bites, this is Roald Dahl's extraordinary life before becoming the world's number one storyteller."

Get ready for an enchanting collection of stories, starring all the Disney princesses! Solve a mystery with Rapunzel and the gang from the Snuggly Duckling. Gallop along with Merida after she meets a mysterious horse. Travel to Paris with Tiana as she competes in a global baking contest. Filled with wonder, excitement, and discovery, each princess's tale is a royal delight!

I have a twin brother. Everyone calls him Jimmy, which is sort of the English version of Dimitri, his actual Greek name. Our mum's Greek, you see. I'm Cally, short for Calista, which means, I don't want to sound big-headed or anything, 'most beautiful'. I'm not sure about Dimitri, but if Dimitri means most-annoying-brother-in-the-whole-wide-world, then that's him.

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are in Egypt, where they are taking a cruise along the Nile. They are hoping to see some ancient temples and a mummy or two; what they get, instead, is murder. Also travelling on the SS Hatshepsut is a mysterious society called the Breath of Life: a group of genteel English ladies and gentlemen, who believe themselves to be reincarnations of the ancient pharaohs. Three days into the cruise their leader, Theodora Miller, is found dead in her cabin, stabbed during the night.

After defeating the terrifying Necromuse and his mysterious orchestra, all Amelia Jones hopes for is a return to normal. But to her surprise, her class is sent to Europe for a month of study abroad. This seems like the perfect escape from all her problems, but not long after they land in Salzburg, Austria, danger haunts their steps. A street musician claims there is something wrong with Amelia’s magic, odd visions of the past appear around the city, and Amelia finds a strange message preserved in a museum—a message she fears was left by the Necromuse.

Billionaire train enthusiast August Reza has invited Harrison Beck and Uncle Nat on the maiden voyage of the Solar Express–the winning design of his Reza’s Rocket competition. But during the journey, they discover the train has been sabotaged, hurtling passengers into a heart-stopping, action-packed, thrill ride across the Australian Outback. Can Hal find the saboteur and stop the runaway train before disaster strikes?

In a far off land, a very musical king has a not-very-musical son. Everyone pretends to enjoy the prince’s terrible concerts, but a bold servant girl refuses to play along. The king demands she be punished, but the prince shows mercy. Happily, the prince and the servant girl come up with an arrangement that showcases the prince’s true talent.

Small but very determined Sophie wants to be a lady farmer when she grows up. Down in the potting shed, she has made a start and keeps flocks of free-range wood lice and herds of snails.

Oh la la! Nikki and her band are invited to Paris for a super cool photoshoot – it’s a dream come true! Nikki can’t wait to learn new art styles, practice her French and explore the most romantic city in the world with her crush Brandon. But when MacKenzie starts to stir trouble and invites old friend André to be their tour guide, the drama starts. Can Nikki still enjoy her dream vacay, or will it become a dorky disaster?

These are the memoirs of ME, Holly Hopkinson, aged almost 10, except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much. My dad just lost his job, which means me and the rest of my family have to leave London and move to the middle of nowhere, which is a TOTAL DISASTER! There’s no Wi-Fi, the local kids are FERAL and there’s animal poo EVERYWHERE. But then for my birthday, my eccentric aunt gave me a magic pocket watch, which I can use to hypnotise and control people.

When Silas Heap unseals a forgotten room in the palace, he releases the ghost of a queen who lived 500 years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she's still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna's compliance, Septimus' disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous alchemist and physician.

Stan is going on holiday to Italy with his (fifth) best friend, Felix, and a load of strangers. Stan is absolutely terrified. Luckily, his mum's given him an emergency list that includes how to survive a shark attack and what to do if he gets kidnapped. Stan thinks that a better list would include how to cope with odd food and what to do if he accidentally calls Felix's mum 'mum'. And it soon turns out Italy is full of dangers and things that can go wrong. One thing's for certain, Stan's not going to come back the same boy he left. He just hope he comes back at all.

Coke and Pepsi McDonald didn’t want to jump off a cliff. They didn't want to get hit by poisoned darts from blowguns either. And they certainly don't want to get locked in their burning school, thrown into a pit at the top of a sand dune, or drowned in a vat of liquefied Spam. But what are you supposed to do when you’re being chased across the country by your insane health teacher and two guys in bowler hats who are trying to kill you? One thing's for sure, it'll be a snap for Coke and Pep to write their essays on "How I Spent My Summer Vacation."

From Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Katherine Rundell comes an exciting new novel about a group of kids who must survive in the Amazon after their plane crashes. Fred, Con, Lila, and Max are on their way back to England from Manaus when the plane they're on crashes and the pilot dies upon landing. For days they survive alone, until Fred finds a map that leads them to a ruined city, and to a secret.

Suzy is surprised to find a grumpy troll building a railway through her house - especially when a gigantic steam train crashes into her hallway! This is the Impossible Postal Express, the trusty delivery service of the Union of Impossible Places, and Suzy becomes its newest recruit. And with her cursed first package, an Impossible adventure begins. Welcome to the Impossible Places.... Where there's fuzzics, not physics; where adventure meets magic; and where the journey will never, ever take you where you expect it to.

Emerald and the Ocean Parade: Emerald is learning how to be a mermaid princess, but she doesn't feel like one at all. She's not very good at waving to crowds, and royal headdresses just aren't her thing – her hair is too spiky and wild. Emerald's wriggly pet octopus, Inkibelle, doesn't much like living at the royal palace either. Emerald and the Sea Sprites: When Emerald and her stepsister, Delphina, sneak out of the palace in search of sea sprites, they know it isn't strictly 'perfect mermaid princess' behaviour, but they can't resist!

Harrison Beck and Uncle Nat climb aboard the night train to Narvik, travelling to the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights for Christmas. But as their train leaves Stockholm, Hal and Uncle Nat realize they’re being followed by a sinister figure, and Hal’s powers of observation are tested when Uncle Nat’s past comes back to haunt him. Journeying into the never ending night of the arctic winter, our railway detectives must outsmart an assassin in their most chilling adventure yet, in which nothing is as it seems.

Billy Chan and his friends are not having a very relaxing summer. Their friend Dylan has been kidnapped by the evil Dragon of Death, and it’s up to them to travel through time, back to the dangerous Dragon Realm in order to save him. Luckily they have their own dragons on side, but they’ll need to collect eight magical pearls if they’re to amass enough power to destroy the Dragon of Death and her followers for good. So begins an epic quest that will take them to the depths of the Frozen Wasteland and the imperial palaces of Ancient China. But can good triumph evil?

In an alternate reality, 5,000 years in the future, the evil Dragon of Death has become ruler of Dragon City. Humans now live to serve the dragon population, and it’s no different for Billy Chan and his friends. After losing contact with their own dragons, they’re determined to track them down in this new city, even if it means putting their own lives at risk. But one dragon has turned to the dark side and has no plans to return.

Rio has been sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California, while his mum is in hospital back home. Alone and adrift, the only thing that makes him smile is joining his new friend Marina on her dad's whale watching trips. That is until an incredible encounter with White Beak, a gentle giant of the sea, changes everything. But when White Beak goes missing, Rio must set out on a desperate quest to find his whale and somehow save his mum.