John Susan Titty & Roger sail their boat Swallow to a deserted island for a summer camping trip. Exploring & playing sailors is an adventure in itself but the island holds more excitement in store. Two fierce Amazon Pirates Nancy & Peggy challenge them to war & a summer of battles & alliances ensues. ...

The ultimate children's classic
- long summer days filled with adventure. John Susan Titty & Roger sail their boat Swallow to a
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A master storyteller sympathetically in touch with real children & their interests has created characters who are accepted as friends by children everywhere not to mention plots which are eminently plausible & unexpected.' SUNDAY TIMES in an article listing Swallows & Amazons among '99 Best Books for Children. ...

Swallows & Amazons for ever!' The Walker children
- also known as Captain John Mate Susan Able-Seaman Titty & Ship's Boy Roger
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Moshen & his wife Zunaira met at the university & once looked forward to a happy & prosperous life together. But Moshems dream of becoming a diplomat halted by the war with Russia dies with the ascendancy of the Taliban. Zunaira formerly a lawyer who worked for womens rights can no longer even appear on the streets of Kabul without a veil over her face. It is only in their own home that they can be themselves. One day unable to resist Moshens pleas Zunaira dons her burqa & goes to market with him. The outing turns into a nightmare. Atiq a veteran of the Russian war is now a part-time jailer who watches over those condemned to death. The darkness of the prison & the wretchedness of his job have seeped into his soul. His home offers little respite from his rage & misery; his wife Musarrat is suffering from an illness no doctor can cure & even the most furvent prayers cannot alleviate. As Atiq begins to lose all faith in his own ability to survive the arbitary demands & extreme cruelties of the Taliban he is drawn to Zanaira now in prison awaiting public execution. In a final act of defiance Musarrat conceives a plan that will allow her husband to live & hope again... Already a best seller in France The Swallows of Kabul" brilliantly exposes the differences between religiosity & dangerous religious extremism. Written in spare exquisite prose it is an unforgettable portrait of life under a fascist theocracy." ...

The first collection of the new acclaimed SWAMP THING series from the superstar team of writer SCOTT SNYDER & artist YANICK PAQUETTE!
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Alec Holland is back as the Swamp Thing fully formed as the protector of The Green". Immediately upon his return he must battle his way through the Bone Kingdom & The Rot to free his ally
- & ex-girlfriend
- Abigail Arcane. But will the cost of freeing her be...fighting her? Nothing not even this titanic battle will prepare Swampy for what he has to face next
- a resurrected & even more dangerous Anton Arcane! " Batman" writer Scott Snyder & artist Yanick Paquette bring you one of the New 52s breakthrough titles with the classic DC mainstay " Swamp Thing!""


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In the Florida Everglades gator-park Swamplandia! is in trouble. Its star performer the great beauty & champion alligator-wrestler Hilola Bigtree has succumbed to cancer & Ava her resourceful but terrified 13-year-old daughter is left in charge with her two siblings. But Avas sister has embarked on a romantic relationship with a ghost her brother has defected to a rival theme park & her father is AWOL. & then a mysterious figure called Bird Man guides Ava into a perilous part of the swamp called the Underworld promsing he can save both her sister & the park... Swamplandia! was longlisted for the 2011 Orange Prize & shortlisted for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize. ...

Of more than 8 000 bird species the swan is surely one of the most easily recognised. Airborne the swan is a majestic sight: with its long slender neck outstretched it glides gracefully with slow strong wing-beats. Its large webbed feet & short legs which make it awkward on land propel it serenely & effortlessly through water. Swan" is a comprehensive natural & cultural history of this most dignified of birds. Peter Young relates the natural history of the swan: its elegant exterior concealing a lightweight frame; details of extinct species & the differences between the 8 surviving species; its power & endurance; its formation flying which conserves energy & allows long-haul flights to be made at speed; its habitat & feeding habits. He also explores the extensive cultural history of the swan from its frequent portrayal in painting sculpture porcelain & furniture; to its use in heraldry; the Greek myth of Leda & the Swan; & Hans Christian Andersen's " The Ugly Duckling" & " Swan Lake". The book goes on to examine the uses & abuses of swans; questions of conservation; of the swan as food; & its widespread use in logos & br&-names. Informed yet accessible wide-ranging yet detailed " Swan" will appeal to the wide audience interested in this graceful & beautiful bird." ...

Romance & adventure combine in a breathtaking reworking of a classic fairy tale. Darkness has fallen across a kingdom far far away. The queen is dead
- killed in the forest by a terrifying beast
- & her daughter Alexandra suspects that the new woman in her fathers life is more than she seems. Exiled & betrayed Alexandra must face magic murder & the loss of all she holds dear in a desperate struggle against evil. This is a reissue of an enchanting adventure with a bewitchingly brave clever heroine making for strong girl appeal; & global sales of over 20 000 copies of first edition. It is supported by a major marketing & press campaign including author events & dedicated online activity. It is inspired by the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Wild Swans". It was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award & chosen as a USBBY Outstanding International Book."

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