The popular view of the First World War remains that of ' Blackadder': incompetent generals sending brave soldiers to their deaths. Alan Clark"ed a German general's remark that the British soldiers were 'lions led by donkeys'. But he made it up. Indeed many established 'facts' about 1914-18 turn out to be myths woven in the 1960s by young historians on the make. Gordon Corrigan's brilliant witty new history reveals how out of touch we have become with the soldiers of 1914-18. They simply would not recognize the way their generation is depicted on TV or in Pat Barker's novels. Laced with dry humour this will overturn everything you thought you knew about Britain & the First World War. Gordon Corrigan reveals how the British embraced technology & developed the weapons & tactics to break through the enemy trenches. ...

As Ellie's fiftieth birthday approaches & her ambitions of a steady income a successful career & an ascent of Everest seem as far away as ever she begins to doubt she's capable of achieving anything at all. So when her best friend Mick suggests a gruelling cycle ride from Land's End to John o' Groats she takes up the challenge. They opt for the scenic route which takes them along cycle paths towpaths & the back roads & byways of Britain unable to resist sampling local beers in the pubs they pass along the way. But as the pints start to stack up faster than the miles they're putting under their tyres Ellie wonders if they'll ever make it to the finishing line! ...

Bear Grylls is a man who has always sought the ultimate in adventure. Growing up on the Isle of Wight he was taught by his father to sail & climb at an early age. As a teenager he found identity & purpose through both mountaineering & martial arts which led the young adventurer to the foothills of the mighty Himalaya & a grandmaster's karate training camp in Japan. On returning home he embarked upon the notoriously gruelling selection course for the British Special Forces to join 21 SAS
- a journey that was to push him to the very limits of physical & mental endurance. Then in a horrific free-fall parachuting accident Bear broke his back in three places. It was touch & go whether he would ever walk again. However only eighteen months later Bear became one of the youngest ever climbers to scale Everest aged only twenty-three. But this was just the beginning of his many extraordinary adventures... Known & admired by millions Bear Grylls has survived where few would dare to go. Now for the first time Bear tells the story of his action-packed life. Gripping moving & wildly exhilarating Mud Sweat & Tears" is a must-read for adrenalin junkies & armchair adventurers alike."
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Shauzia is Parvana's friend from The Breadwinner. Now Shauzia has fled from Afghanistan to a refugee camp in Pakistan. But Shauzia has a dream. She dreams of getting away from the refugee camp & travelling to France. There she knows she would find a better life away from the war in her home country of Afghanistan. But escape is not so easy. Once she leaves the camp she has no money no food
- & only her dog Jasper for company. But Shauzia is determined to find a new future for herself. This is another deeply moving story from Deborah Ellis which casts light for readers on the ongoing human situation in Afghanistan.
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Originally published in 1979 this was the first of Robert Munschs oral stories to be turned into a book. Since then it has made countless children (and adults) all around the world laugh out loud. When Jule Ann goes outside a mud puddle jumps on her & gets her dirty all over. No sooner does her mother scrub her clean than she ventures out again only to be pounced upon by the troublesome mud puddle. The cycle continues until finally Jule Ann gets the better of the mud puddle with cheerful ingenuity & two bars of smelly yellow soap. Lively clever artwork by award-winning illustrator Dusan Petricic gives this bestselling picture book a fresh & energetic look that will charm a new generation of young readers. ...

Meet Dirty Bertie
- world's grubbiest trouble magnet! Join Bertie in three hilarious new stories as he faces a barrage of footballs
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Meet the Muddle Builders
- youre sure to be impressed On every job big or small they really are the best! This is an another action-packed
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Once upon a time a spell went wrong -- & ordinary Joe Jefferson found himself transported to Muddle Earth where the wizards are mad the pink stinky hogs are stinky & the lampposts have serious attitude! Now two years later Muddle Earth needs him back. But can Joe find the lost Goblet of Porridge & rescue his sister from a thumb-sucking vampire Barbarian all before a dragon battle breaks out & threatens to toast them all! Get prepared for another epic battle between the forces of good evil & everything in between! ...

This book offers a structure & an outlet for the many difficult feelings which inevitably follow when someone dies. It aims to help children make sense of their experience by reflecting on the different aspects of their grief whilst finding a balance between remembering & having fun. This book is a useful companion in the present & will become an invaluable keepsake in the years to come. ...

It is England 1943. The country is at war with so many men away fighting it is the women left behind who must keep the country going & when Alice Todd is abandoned by her husband she must find a means to provide for herself & her young son. She is offered the job of looking after the group of land girls at Lower Post Stone Farm & soon discovers they each have a story
- & some have secrets they'd rather not reveal. The harsh times of war are tempered by the Saturday evening dances in the local hall but as the hostilities continue it is clear to Alice that there is more tragedy to follow closer to home. Muddy Boots & Silk Stockings" is the evocative & compelling story of the sacrifices made during wartime & the indomitable spirit of those left behind from a writer of the much-loved drama series " The House of Eliott"."
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