Before he wrote 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', Lemony Snicket asked all the wrong questions. Four to be exact. This is the account of the first question.
In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization nobody knows about. He began asking questions that shouldn’t have been on his mind. Are you curious about what is happening in a seaside town that is no longer by the sea? Do you want to know more about a stolen item that wasn’t stolen at all?
.In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent. You’ll laugh only if you find humour in gothic and mysterious things involving detectives and crime solving.
Lemony’s other literary outings in, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ have sold 60 million copies worldwide and been made into a Hollywood film starring Jim Carrey. And in the future things are poised to get much worse, thanks to the forthcoming Netflix series starring Neil Patrick Harris. You have been warned.
Have you read all four mysterious titles in the Wrong Questions series?
‘Who Could That Be at the This Hour?’
‘When Did You Last See Her?’
‘Shouldn’t You Be in School?’
‘Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?’
Author Lemony Snicket was born before you were and is likely to die before you as well. He was born in a small town where the inhabitants were suspicious and prone to riot. He grew up near the sea and currently lives beneath it. Until recently, he was living somewhere else. He is a broken man, wracked with misery and despair as a result of writing 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'. He spends his days wandering the countryside weeping and moaning and his evenings eating hastily-prepared meals.
Artist Seth has portrayed suspicious circumstances and shady characters in much of his work. He is a multi-award-winning cartoonist, author and artist, whose works include Palookaville and Clyde Fans.
A gorgeously lyrical journey of discovery across a reimagined Great Britain.
Serendipity loves horses. No-one in Lahn Dan has ever seen one, apparently they died out before the Gases - but there are statues of them around the city, paintings and drawings too if you know where to look. And there's the little lost wooden horse Mama gave Serendipity when she was little.
When Mama dies, Seren is taken under the wing of Professor Nimbus, a storyteller. Nimbus is kind and knowledgable, but Seren has started to question the Minister's rule and life beyond the high, impenetrable Emm Twenty-Five wall. Hidden among Mama's few possessions was a map which suggests there is life outside of Lahn Dahn, and a place where horses live and roam freely - out beyond the wall and the Minister's grip. So, with the help of a trader boy called Tab and his little dog Mouse, Serendipity heads into the unknown, searching for the beautiful creatures she's always dreamed of. But the Minister is behind them, determined to hunt her down. . .
Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest kind of dragon, and she’s ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human.
But when the human she captures tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, she finds herself transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw. She’s still the fiercest creature in these mountains though – and now she’s found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is walk on two feet to the human city, find herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she’ll be conquering new territory in no time … won’t she?
Wild and reckless young Aventurine will bring havoc to the human city – but what she doesn’t expect is that she’ll find real friendship there too, along with betrayal, deception, scrumptious chocolate and a startling new understanding of what it means to be a human (and a dragon).
A pinch of Ella Enchanted, a sprinkling of How to Train your Dragon and a generous helping of Eva Ibbotson –The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is entirely delicious.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE AWARD 2020
AN OBSERVER BEST BOOK OF 2019
'An astonishing, mysterious seaswept story... Dazzles with darkness and glitters with light' Cerrie Burnell, author of Harper and the Sea of Secrets
Every evening Lampie the lighthouse keeper's daughter must light a lantern to warn ships away from the rocks. But one stormy night disaster strikes. The lantern goes out, a ship is wrecked and an adventure begins.
In disgrace, Lampie is sent to work as a maid at the Admiral's Black House, where rumour has it that a monster lurks in the tower. But what she finds there is stranger and more beautiful than any monster. Soon Lampie is drawn into a fairytale adventure in a world of mermaids and pirates, where she must fight with all her might for friendship, freedom and the right to be different.
The sequel to Withering Tights – winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2010 – The second book in the hilarious series from the original Queen of Teen. You’ll laugh your tights off . . .
Yaroooo!
Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall Performing Arts College for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolfe Academy and maybe even bad-boy Cain…
Could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who?
Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey…
Praise for WITHERING TIGHTS:
""I don't know how, but Louise Rennison has done it again. Tallulah is even funnier, warmer, and sweeter than her cousin Georgia Nicolson. I fell in love with Withering Tights, and you will too!"" – Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Abandon series
Book 3 in the New York Times bestselling series
- perfect for curious readers!
'This book reminded me of some of the children’s books
I grew up with, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The
Phantom Tollbooth.' RICK
RIORDAN, author of the PERCY JACKSON series
on book 1
'Like the Potter books, this story goes beyond mere
adventure' BOOKLIST on book 1
Reynie,
Kate, Sticky and Constance are back – but so is Mr
Curtain, with another devious scheme.
Can the Mysterious Benedict Society thwart Mr Curtain's plans,
even whilst held prisoner?
Join them on their adventure as they face all sorts of dilemmas
in a bid to save Stonetown ...
Book 3 in the 4-book New York Times bestselling
adventure series – ideal for children aged 10 and up
Join a group of smart and resourceful junior sleuths
as they solve a series of page-turning puzzles and mysteries
Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens's MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE
series
The adventure continues in book 4, THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT
SOCIETY AND THE RIDDLE OF AGES
A thrilling debut spooky mystery to send shivers down your spine, for fans of Michelle Harrison and Abi Elphinstone.
'I am tired of Eve Wersocki Morris being the best-kept secret in children's literature. I want everyone to be reading her mysterious and mesmirizing books. Please do your part.' Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events
'The whistling had started on their first night. At first, Layah thought it was bird song - a high thin sound which became a melody, rising and falling. And each night, it returned.'
Strange things have been happening to Layah and her younger sister, Izzie, ever since their mother dragged them to a rain-soaked cottage miles from anywhere in the Lake District: there is a peculiar whistling at night, a handful of unusual feathers appear on their doorstep and there are murmurings of a shadowed woman in the forest. And their mother is behaving very oddly. Layah is mourning the loss of her dear grandmother in Poland - and can almost hear her Babcia's voice telling her the old myths and fairy tales from that magical place.
And as the holiday takes on a dark twist, Layah begins to wonder if the myths might just be real.
'A deliciously spine-tingling story with sisterhood at its heart. I loved it.' A.F. Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.
Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis.
But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
Praise for The Fault in Our Stars:
Sunday Times (Culture)
'A touching, often fiercely funny novel'
The Sun on Sunday (Fabulous Magazine)
'So good I think it should be compulsory reading for everyone!'
Daily Express
'John Green brilliantly captures the voices of a young generation while instilling it with the wisdom of a life that has lived too much yet will never live enough'
The Metro - 2013 Best Fiction
'The love affair of two terminally ill teenagers could be mawkish. In fact, it's funny, clever, irreverent and life-affirming.'
Grazia
'So good!'
Good Housekeeping
'As funny as it is heartbreaking... we defy you not to fall in love with its main characters, Hazel and Augustus.'
The Tablet
'A humourous and poignant love story... It's terrifically funny... as well as a moving exploration of loss and grief. And no, it's so much not just for teenage cancer sufferers... it's for everyone.'
Bliss
'If you need inspiration when it comes to making the most of a moment, this one is for you'
Mizz
'Insightful, bold, irreverent and raw, if this doesn't make you cry, it'll definitely make you think, laugh and maybe even fall in love yourself!'
The third and final instalment in the fairy-filled Thirteen Treasures trilogy, full of fairies, magic and pure adventure from Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner Michelle Harrison.
Red's past won't stay hidden. She's now living at Elvesden Manor under her real name, Rowan, and trying to put her terrible adventures behind her. But staying out of trouble isn't as easy as she'd hoped.
Haunted by awful dreams of Hedgewitch's cottage – and of Eldritch, who swore revenge when she left him there to die – Red fears the fairy realm is about to draw her back in . . .
But, will she make it back, this time? Or will dark forces finally claim her?
The perfect series for fans of Katherine Rundell and Sophie Anderson!
Praise for Michelle Harrison:
'Harrison has a knack for creating stories so engrossing you won’t notice when the sun begins to rise and you are still reading' Waterstones Books Quarterly
'BRILLIANT' Emma Carroll, author of Letters From The Lighthouse, on A Pinch of Magic
'Simply phenomenal!' Sophie Anderson, author of The House With Chicken Legs, on A Pinch of Magic
'I was utterly captivated by the Widdershins sisters' Lisa Thompson, author of The Goldfish Boy, on A Pinch of Magic
‘A fabulous magical adventure’ Sunday Express, on A Pinch of Magic
‘Fantasy and adventure appear on every page of this spellbinding tale’ Daily Mail, on A Pinch of Magic
'The Thirteen Treasures boils with the kind of fairy that is far worse than Puck… what could be more cheering to curl up with.' Amanda Craig, The Times, on the Thirteen Treasures series
'Flows with energy from page to page with a magical enchanting story which kept me gripped… it's a little treasure and the first of many I hope.' Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books, on the Thirteen Treasures series
'This is an unmissable treat. Combining the faery of Spiderwick with a truly nail-biting thriller, this is first rate entertainment for children (and adults)' Books Monthly.co.uk, on the Thirteen Treasures series
'The Thirteen Curses is so hard to put down it's almost impossible' Wondrous Reads, on The Thirteen Curses
There are billions of families, a million ways to be. But in my magic family it's Mama, Mum and me!
Let's tell our family stories, adding magic to what's true, and we'll find out who's who to me, and who is who to you . . .
In this celebratory, reassuring rhyming story a little girl with two mummies shares the magic of her family and discovers how magic all her friends' families are, too. This is a warm, funny read-aloud that's perfect for opening up conversations about different families in a playful, creative way.
Soon to be a Netflix film starring Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown - this must-read psychological thriller, perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, will leave you guessing until the final page.
'Unlike anything I've read before... immediate, gripping, incredibly tense, heart-breaking, heart-warming and FUN! ' - Holly Jackson, author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
As an ex con artist, Nora has always got herself out of tricky situations. But the ultimate test lies in wait when she's taken hostage in a bank heist. And this time, Nora doesn't have an escape plan ...
Meet Nora. Also known as Rebecca, Samantha, Haley, Katie and Ashley - the girls she's been.
Nora didn't choose a life of deception - she was born into it. As the daughter of a con artist who targeted criminal men, Nora always had to play a part. But when her mother fell for one of the men instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con herself: escape.
For five years Nora's been playing at normal - but things are far from it when she finds herself held at gunpoint in the middle of a bank heist, along with Wes (her ex-boyfriend) and Iris (her secret new girlfriend and mutual friend of Wes ... awkward). Now it will take all of Nora's con artistry skills to get them out alive.
Because the gunmen have no idea who she really is - that girl has been in hiding for far too long ...
'Slick, stylish and full of suspense' - Sophie McKenzie, author of Girl, Missing
'A powerful gut-punch of a book that will leave you reeling long after its final pages. I couldn't put it down!' - Chelsea Pitcher, author of This Lie Will Kill You
'I could hardly breathe until I finished. The tension! Absolutely loved it.' - Emily Barr, author of The One Memory of Flora Banks
An unforgettable standalone novel from Nicky Singer, author of the sensational, award-winning FEATHER BOY.
Twelve-year-old Jess is grieving for her beloved Aunt Edie, and anxiously awaiting the birth of her twin brothers, when she finds a mysterious glass flask hidden in a desk. The flask is beautiful to Jess, and soon she starts to believe that it contains a magical life-force. When her half-brothers are born critically ill, Jess becomes convinced that their survival depends on what’s happening to the flask…
Through Jess's stunning narration, Nicky Singer explores the meaning of life, and the interconnected nature of all things - in a way which is entirely accessible to young readers.
