Books

This exceptional collection of "Junior Classics" lets listeners enjoy the exploits and antics of Tom, Huck, Tom Canty, Hank Morgan, and other characters, in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, " and "The Prince and the Pauper."

Includes the stories: The Time Machine, The Empire of the Ants, The Country of the Blind, The Man Who Could Work Miracles.

A highly illustrated, fun and easy-to-read guide to politics in the modern world.

An informative guide to political systems, elections, voting and government, and issues including feminism, human rights, freedom of speech and fake news, all explained with clear text and bright, infographic style illustrations.

Includes tips on how to argue and debate, a glossary, and links to specially selected websites with more information.

"Clearly explains the basic principles of decision-making and political representation."
The Guardian

"A brilliant resource for all ages, this book explores the big issues in both the political world today & political systems throughout history."
Just Imagine

"An exciting and informative book helping children understand everyday politics."
Hive, selected as Children's Book of the Month

- A Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week
- Winner of the Junior Design Awards

Chapters in this book include:
- What is politics?
- Who's in charge?
- What is a government?

All kinds of governments
How societies have run themselves from Ancient Athens and Rome, to China, Europe and the Birth of the United States of America

Political systems
How does democracy actually work? How do countries get things done? And what about the alternatives - dictatorship, communism and even total anarchy?

Elections and voting
Who can vote? Who can't? And is there a way to count all the votes up that's fair to everyone?

Political change
How can people influence their governments in between elections - or in countries where elections don't happen at all?

Political ideologies
What are the big ideas that politicians use to decide how to run a country? What's the difference between 'left' and 'right' in politics, and why does it matter? How can work out where YO are on the political spectrum?

Big questions
Sometimes what matters most isn't who is in charge, or what they stand for, but what they're actually going to do to fix the world's problems...

- Is there such a thing as 'human rights'?
- Can war ever be justified?
- Why are some countries poor?
- What is terrorism?
- What is prison for?
- What is freedom of speech?
- How does the media affect politics?
- What is immigration?
- Am I a feminist?
- Who's responsible for the planet?
- Is corruption inevitable?
- How to argue
- Learn to debate
- What next?

Did you know there's a single spot on your brain that recognizes numbers? Or that the first computer bugs were actual insects and that most of the internet is under water? This fascinating book is filled with 100 fascinating facts, bright, infographic illustrations, a glossary and index, and links to specially selected websites to find out more.

Do you know how long it would take you to drive to the sun? Or whether you'd like to go on a space vacation? Be truly amazed by these awesome facts about our planet, our solar system, and our universe! Find How long it would take you to drive to Pluto? What the weather is like on Neptune? How many tonnes of litter humans have left on the moon? And did you know that next time you look up to the sky and see a shooting start it could actually be a pair of pants? On the ISS undies are ejected into space burning up in the Earth's atmosphere! Find out hilarious, intriguing and ridiculous facts with this awesome book! Are you ready for another EPIC book from the winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2016 (Best Book with Facts)? Ready, set, BLAST OFF!

Harry Potter: A History of Magic is the official book of the record-breaking British Library exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and a team of brilliant curators. As the spectacular show takes up residence at the New York Historical Society from October 2018, this gorgeous book – available in paperback for the first time – takes readers on a fascinating journey through the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, from Astronomy and Potions through to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Each chapter showcases a treasure trove of artefacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, beside exclusive manuscripts, sketches and illustrations from the Harry Potter archive. There's also a specially commissioned essay for each subject area by an expert, writer or cultural commentator, inspired by the contents of the exhibition – absorbing, insightful and unexpected contributions from Steve Backshall, the Reverend Richard Coles, Owen Davies, Julia Eccleshare, Roger Highfield, Steve Kloves, Lucy Mangan, Anna Pavord and Tim Peake, who offer a personal perspective on their magical theme.

Readers will be able to pore over ancient spell books, amazing illuminated scrolls that reveal the secret of the Elixir of Life, vials of dragon's blood, mandrake roots, painted centaurs and a genuine witch's broomstick, in a book that shows J.K. Rowling's magical inventions alongside their cultural and historical forebears.

This is the ultimate gift for Harry Potter fans, curious minds, big imaginations, bibliophiles and readers around the world who missed out on the chance to see the exhibition in person.

A thrilling story of adventure, friendship and survival in the Amazon, The Explorer is an unmissable, Costa Award-winning modern classic from internationally bestselling author Katherine Rundell

From his seat in the tiny aeroplane, Fred watches as the mysteries of the Amazon jungle pass by below him. He has always dreamed of becoming an explorer, of making history and of reading his name amongst the lists of great discoveries. If only he could land and look about him.

As the plane crashes into the canopy, Fred is suddenly left without a choice. He and the three other children may be alive, but the jungle is a vast, untamed place. With no hope of rescue, the chance of getting home feels impossibly small.

Except, it seems, someone has been there before them …

So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one...Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari - as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named - is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.

On a moonlit beach a father cradles his sleeping son as they wait for dawn to break and a boat to arrive. He speaks to his boy of the long summers of his childhood, recalling his grandfather's house in Syria, the stirring of olive trees in the breeze, the bleating of his grandmother's goat, the clanking of her cooking pots. And he remembers, too, the bustling city of Homs with its crowded lanes, its mosque and grand souk, in the days before the sky spat bombs and they had to flee.

When the sun rises they and those around them will gather their possessions and embark on a perilous sea journey in search of a new home.

Proceeds from the sale of Sea Prayer will go to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency to help fund life-saving support and build better futures for refugees around the world.