213 BC. The great inventor Archimedes has just one problem. His clumsy servant young Lydia is the bane of his life. But when the Romans besiege Syracuse & the Greeks turn to Archimedes for help it is young Lydia who always seems to come up with the answers. Of course Archimedes is a lion in the eyes of the folk of Syracuse. He takes all the credit but thats life for a Greek girl slave. As Aesop said You may share the labours of the great but you will not share the rewards. ...

Chris Jericho worked his way into the big time of wrestling after training in Canada. He had his first pro fight at just 19 but it wasnt until he was 25 that he made the big time joining the WCW. Within a year he had won his first title. Finally in August 1999 he moved to the WWF (now WWE) where he would eventually become one of the biggest names on their books & become the undisputed Heavyweight Champion. In this fascinating account he relives his early days in the sport in Mexico & Japan & working his way up alongside Chris Benoit & Lance Storm. He also recalls his rivalries with The Rock Steve Austin & Triple H among others. He retired from the sport in August 2005 but there have been many rumours since then of a comeback. A Lions Tale is as honest outspoken & direct as the man himself. ...

From the creators of hit CBeebies series Pop Shop comes a br&-new range of six energetic picture books all about MAKING MUSIC! Along with Meercat Sheep Giraffe & Polar Bear meet Elephant whose trumpeting is too loud for the family band & Lion who finds an edible solution to keeping in time. Each book

Includes:: a CD with 7 tracks including a narration a sing-along song & lesson plans written by Carrie & David. So what are you waiting for? JUMP UP & JOIN IN!

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A compelling account of the Narnia novels unlocking their Christian symbolism & exploring the moral & spiritual wisdom that C. S. Lewis intended to convey. Full of fresh insights into the thought world of Lewis drawing on his life his beliefs & themes in his other works
- both fiction & non-fiction. Answers contemporary critics of Lewis (such as Philip Pullman) over charges of sexism violence & racial stereotyping. Containing specially commissioned illustrations this is an arresting illuminating & ultimately joyful book for believers & non-believers alike.
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Charlie Ashanti the hero of LIONBOY speaks cat
- the language of all cats wild & domestic alike. His unusual talent helps him on
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Richard I was crowned King in 1189 & set off almost immediately for the Third Crusade. This was a bloody campaign to regain the Holy Land marked by warfare among the Christians & extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. Men & women found themselves facing new sorts of challenges & facing an uncertain future. John the youngest son was left behind -- & with Richard gone he was free to conspire with the French king to steal his brother's throne. Overshadowing the battlefields that stretched to Jerusalem & beyond were the personalities of two great adversaries: Richard & Saladin. They quickly took the measure of each other in both war & diplomacy. The result was mutual admiration: a profound acknowledgement of a worthy opponent. In this gripping narrative of passion intrigue battle & deceit Penman reveals a true & complex Richard -- a man remarkable for his power & intelligence his keen grasp of warfare & his concern for the safety of his men who followed him against all odds. ...

Anyone who has seen The Lion in Winter will remember the vicious compelling world of the Plantagenets: the towering almost psychopathic Henry II commander of the slaughter of Thomas a Becket at war with both his wife the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine & his sons (including the subjects of this remarkable book Richard & John). & readers of the romance of Robin Hood will be familiar with the type-casting of Good King Richard defending Christendom in the Holy Land & Bad King John who usurps the kingdom in his absence. But how much do these popular stereotypes correspond with reality? Frank Mc Lynn known for a wide range of historical studies which are scholarly punchy & wonderfully readable has returned to the original sources to discover what the Plantagenets were really like & how their history measures up to their myth. In a substantial but riveting narrative he turns the tables on modern revisionist historians by showing exactly how bad a king John was despite his intellectual gifts & in contrast how impressive Richard was
- brilliantly successful in war accomplished artistically & the nearest we are likely to get to the medieval ideal of chivalry. In a narrative that spans most of Europe & the middle east he shows these larger-than-life characters as they really were
- Crusading waging wars in France negotiating with the papacy engaging in ruthless dynastic intrigue often against each other: in Richards case holding the kingdom together even when fighting in the Holy Land; & in Johns losing Normandy catastrophically antagonizing the barons over Magna Carta & losing the Crown Jewels in the Wash. This is history at its most revealing & enjoyable. It conjures up a vanished world in vivid primary colours & in the process gives us the nearest we are likely to get to the truth about two compelling historical archetypes.

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In this irreverent & provocative book Lewis Page exposes the scandalous state of our armed forces: how British soldiers are sent off to war with some of the worst guns around how the MOD keeps financing useless toys (at huge expense to taxpayers) & how decisions seem to be made with an eye above all for the interests of British Aerospace. He shows how politicians & the top brass are hopelessly entrenched in yesterdays wars & pouring their talents & energies into making sure that money is wasted right left & centre. ...

Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain a deeply compelling story of love adventure divided loyalties & what happens when beliefs begin to remake
- or destroy
- a world. The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands but over centuries seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy aided always by his friend & advisor the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan
- poet diplomat soldier
- until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever. Meanwhile in the north the conquered Jaddites most celebrated
- & feared
- military leader Rodrigo Belmonte driven into exile leads his mercenary company south. In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan these two men from different worlds meet & serve
- for a time
- the same master. Tangled in their interwoven fate
- & divided by her feelings
- is Jehane the accomplished court physician whose skills may not be enough to heal the coming pain as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war & beyond.









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Lauren Pages plan was simple: get a fabulous makeover secure herself a place in the Ashleys & then bring them down from the inside. The only problem is that now shes actually made it into the inner circle shes having some serious second thoughts... But things are about to be taken out of Laurens hands. Sadie Laurens former best friend has started a rival group & plans to destroy the Ashleys herself. Can Lauren stop Sadie or is the Ashelys reign finally over? ...